异类之不一样的成功启示录 第73期:贫困家庭的孩子更容易成功?

 What was the difference between the As and the Cs? Terman ran through every conceivable explanation.

是什么造成A组和C组如此大的区别？特曼找了一切能想到的原因试图解答这个疑问。

He looked at their mental and physical health, their "masculinity-femininity scores," and their hobbies and vocational interests.

他调查了他们的身体和精神的健康状况，他们的“男子气或女子气量记录”，他们的业余爱好和职业兴趣；

He compared what ages they started walking and talking and what their precise IQ scores were in elementary and high school.

他将他们开始走路和说话的年龄进行比较，将他们在小学和中学时期的IQ精确值也进行对照。

In the end, only one thing mattered: family background.

然而，他最终却忽略了一个因素：家庭背景。

The As overwhelmingly came from the middle and the upper class.

A组中的人绝大部分来自中产阶层或者上层家庭。

Their homes were filled with books.

他们的家里摆满了书籍。

Half of the fathers of the A group had a college degree or beyond, at a time when a university education was a rarity.

A组中，有一半的人的父亲拥有本科以上的学历，在当时，受过高等教育的人少之又少。

The Cs, on the other hand, were from the other side of the tracks.

相反，C组中的家庭完全是另外一番景象，

Almost a third of them had a parent who had dropped out of school before the eighth grade.

几乎三分之一的人，他们的父母在八年级之前就辍学了。

At one point, Terman had his field workers go and visit everyone from the A and C groups and rate their personalities¹ and manner.

特曼曾经让他手下的工作人员深入访问A组和C组的特曼人，评定这些人的性格和行为方式。

What they found is everything you would expect to find if you were comparing children raised in an atmosphere of concerted cultivation² with children raised in an atmosphere of natural growth.

他们所发现的和你预想的没多大出入，只要你让那些生活在协同培养环境中的孩子与那些生活在自然成长氛围中的孩子进行对比。

The As were judged to be much more alert, poised³, attractive and well dressed.

A组的孩子被认为更加机警、镇定、富有魅力、穿着得体。

In fact, the scores on those four dimensions were so different as to make you think you are looking at two different species of humans.

事实上，如果你在两个不同人种之间进行比较，你也会得到类似的结论，不同人种在以上四个维度都会得到不同的评价。

You aren't, of course.

当然，你不是在不同人种之间进行对比。

You're simply seeing the difference between those schooled by their families to present their best face to the world, and those denied that experience.

你看到的差别，只不过是因为有的家庭教育他们的孩子必须向世人展现自己最好的风貌，而有的家庭却否认这一点。

The Terman results are deeply distressing⁴.

最后，特曼失望透顶。

Let's not forget how highly gifted the C group was.

别忘了，C组特曼人的天资曾是那样聪慧。

If you had met them at five or six years of age, you would have been overwhelmed by their curiosity and mental agility⁵ and sparkle.

假如在他们还是五六岁的时候，你遇见了他们，你一定会被他们的好奇心、他们敏捷的思维和他们焕发的才华所折服。

They were true outliers.

他们确实卓尔不群。

The plain truth of the Terman's study, however, is that in the end almost none of the genius children from the lowest social and economic class ended up making a name for themselves.

但是特曼研究的最终结果，却明白无误地表明，几乎一个来自底层社会或者贫困家庭的天才少年能够闻名遐尔。

1 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

2 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

3 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

4 distressing   

a.使人痛苦的

参考例句：

• All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
• It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。

5 agility   

n.敏捷，活泼

参考例句：

• The boy came upstairs with agility.那男孩敏捷地走上楼来。
• His intellect and mental agility have never been in doubt.他的才智和机敏从未受到怀疑。