万花筒 2008-07-29&-07-31 数学能力，巾帼不让须眉

Many teachers and parents have said it, it is sort of a thought ingrained in the American psyche¹ that boys are better than girls at mathematics. But is it true? The lack of women mathematicians², engineers and physicists³ has often been cited as proof of a difference in the sexes in math performance. But today a team of researchers writing in the journal "Science" says the conventional wisdom is completely wrong. With our closer look, here is ABC's Ned Potter.

 

"Oh, oh, look, look, we can do it.”

 

15 years ago, it was an issue that filled the headlines that by high school, girls were falling 50 points behind boys on the SAT college entrance exam. (It's the coefficient of A) Here's part of a story of ours from 1994.

 

“For anytime I see math, I just, I try and stay away from it.”

 

But something has changed. This is Ramona, she was a baby when we did that first story. Now she is building robots in a special course of the New Jersey⁴ Institute of Technology. And she says she loves the stuff.

 

"What is it about math that you like?”

 

“The fact that I understand it so cruising like sometimes I don't have to study to actually get it. It just comes natural to me. "

 

Researchers looked at test scores from more than 7 million kids grades 2 to 11, and whatever differences there used to be, they are now gone.

 

What's happened? Among other things, hi-tech has turned cool with everyone texting and downloading, and some people getting very rich.

 

“Plans need a guest codes. . . "

 

And teachers have been reaching out aggressively to girls, urging them to get in on the action.

 

“500 points for you.”

 

Being interested in science, engineering and technology is not, does not make you a geek, and as a matter of fact, it's the geeks who rule the world.

 

The result, for the first time girls are taking math as often as boys.

 

“I feel like I am learning a lot more this year.”

 

We are not born, knowing how to do calculus⁵. And when girls take classes at the same rate as boys, we tend to get a narrowing of the gender⁶ gap. Most of America's engineers are still men, but that's changing. Half of the kids who go on to get math degrees are now female.

 

Ned Potter, ABC News, Newark, New Jersey

 

1 psyche   

n.精神；灵魂

参考例句：

• His exploration of the myth brings insight into the American psyche.他对这个神话的探讨揭示了美国人的心理。
• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche.她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。

2 mathematicians   

数学家( mathematician的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗？ 来自英汉文学
• Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分

3 physicists   

物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。

4 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

5 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

6 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。