异类之不一样的成功启示录 第158期:林恩的进化理论

 　　"The Asian system is transparent," says Karen Fuson, a Northwestern University psychologist who has done much of the research on Asian-western differences.

　　“亚洲人的计算方法非常直观，”一名西北大学的心理学家卡恩·弗森（Karen Fuson）说道，对于中西方的差异，弗森曾经做过许多相关的研究，

　　"I think that it makes the whole attitude towards math different.Instead of being a rote¹ learning thing, there's a pattern I can figure out.

　　“我认为这使得人们在学习数学时产生了完全不同的态度。如果不需要死记硬背，数学本身就有规律可循。

　　There is an expectation that I can do this. There is an expectation that it's sensible.

　　这样，做题的人就会认为自己可以完成题目，认为答案是可知的。

　　For fractions, we say three-fifths.The Chinese is literally² 'out of five parts, take three.'

　　以分数为例，我们说五分之三，就是‘three-fifths’，但是，中国数字的字面意思就是从五份中拿出三份，

　　That's telling you conceptually what fraction is. It's differentiating³ the denominator and the numerator.

　　这既能从概念上引导你知道什么是分数，也能引导你区分分母和分子。”

　　The much-storied disenchantment with mathematics among western children starts in the third and fourth grade,

　　西方的孩子在三、四年级开始，就会表示出对数学毫无兴趣。

　　and Fuson argues that perhaps a part of that disenchantment is due to the fact that math doesn't seem to make sense;

　　弗森认为，或许是因为数学看起来没有逻辑，因此他们对数学无法产生兴趣。

　　it's linguistic⁴ structure is clumsy; it's basic rules seem arbitrary and complicated.

　　不仅西方的语言结构不够直观，而且基础公式既教条又复杂。

　　Asian children, by contrast, don't face nearly that same sense of bafflement.

　　相反，亚洲的孩子对数学不会产生困惑的感觉。

　　They can hold more numbers in their head, and do calculations faster and the way fractions are expressed in their language corresponds exactly to the way a fraction really is,

　　他们可以在头脑里记住更多的数字并快速计算，分数直观的输出方式使他们很容易了解分数的原理——

　　and maybe that makes them a little bit more likely to enjoy math,and maybe because they enjoy math a little more, they try a little harder,

　　或许这会使他们对数学产生浓厚的兴趣，或许正因为他们对数学更感兴趣，因此在学习的时候会更加努力，

　　and take more math classes, and the more willing to do their homework, and on and on, in a kind of virtuous⁵ circle.

　　并且学习更多的数学课程，愿意做更多的家庭作业，长此以往，形成一种良性循环。

　　When it comes to math, in other words, Asians have a built-in advantage. But it's an unusual kind of advantage.

　　换句话说，亚洲人建立了一种内在的优势。但这优势与其它优势不同。

　　For years, students from China, South Korea and Japan, and children of recent immigrants from those countries,

　　许多年以来，中国、韩国和日本的学生以及近期移民到西方国家的亚裔子女们，

　　have substantially outperformed their western counterparts at mathematics.

　　在数学方面的能力已显而易见地高出许多同龄的西方孩子。

　　And the assumption has always been that it must have something to do with some kind of innate⁶ Asian proclivity⁷ for math.

　　由此，最常见的假设就是，亚洲人的内在数学倾向一定有其特定的原因。

　　The psychologist Richard Lynn has even gone so far as to propose an elaborate evolutionary⁸ theory involving the Himalayas,

　　心理学家理查德·林恩（Richard Lynn）曾提出一种进化理论，他指出

　　really cold weather, premodern hunting practices, brain size, and specialized⁹ vowel¹⁰ sounds to explain why he believes Asians have higher IQs.

　　喜马拉雅山脉的寒冷气候、原始社会的打猎生涯、大脑的尺寸和某种独特的元音导致了亚洲人拥有更高的智商。

1 rote   

n.死记硬背，生搬硬套

参考例句：

• Learning by rote is discouraged in this school.这所学校不鼓励死记硬背的学习方式。
• He recited the poem by rote.他强记背诵了这首诗。

2 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

3 differentiating   

[计] 微分的

参考例句：

• They succeed in differentiating the most commodity-like products. 在最通用的日用产品方面，它们也能独树一帜标新立异。
• The simplest and most effective method of differentiating areas is to use different colours. 区别面状要素最简单而又行之有效的办法，是使用不同的颜色。

4 linguistic   

adj.语言的，语言学的

参考例句：

• She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
• The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。

5 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

6 innate   

adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的

参考例句：

• You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
• Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。

7 proclivity   

n.倾向，癖性

参考例句：

• He has a proclivity toward violence.他有暴力的倾向。
• He has a proclivity for exaggeration.他总爱夸夸其谈。

8 evolutionary   

adj.进化的；演化的，演变的；[生]进化论的

参考例句：

• Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
• These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。

9 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

10 vowel   

n.元音；元音字母

参考例句：

• A long vowel is a long sound as in the word"shoe ".长元音即如“shoe” 一词中的长音。
• The vowel in words like 'my' and 'thigh' is not very difficult.单词my和thigh中的元音并不难发。