Geniuses and Better Parenting New Horizon College English Ⅳ Unit 7 Section B Geniuses and Better Parenting

Contents Reading Skills Text Study Test Yourself

Reading Skills Scanning Questions

Scanning To locate and find a piece of information without reading in any detail. 1 Decide exactly what information you are looking for, and think about the form it may take. 2 Decide where you need to read to find the information you want. 3 Move your eyes as quickly as possible down the passage until you find the information you need. 4 When you find what you need, do not read further.

Questions What is the writer’s attitude toward the opinion that great geniuses spring up out of nowhere? (Para. 1)The writer holds a doubtful attitude toward this opinion, calling it a popular myth. What are the two kinds of parenting styles identified in the study mentioned? (Para. 4) They are the supportive style and the stimulating style. In order to find out the influence parents have on their children, one study was conducted to follow four groups of children. What are the four groups? (Para.6)Four groups of children: one with supportive parents, one with stimulating parents, one whose parents combining both qualities and a final group who offered neither.

Questions How much time does a father in Holland spend on average in conversation with his children? And what about a father in the United States? (Para. 10) Eleven seconds a day in Holland and less than a minute a day in the United States. What seems to be more important to a child’s development according to the writer, genes or the environmental factors? (Para. 15) The environmental factors such as better parenting and educational techniques.

Text Study New Words Detailed Study of the Text

New Words prodigy n. [C] 奇才；天才 She was a child prodigy on the violin. 她是神童小提琴手。 narrow-minded adj. 心胸狭窄的 He is narrow-minded and trusts nobody. 他很狭隘，不相信他人。 I think I’m not too narrow-minded in my outlook, and that I encompass different periods and ideas. 我认为自己的观点不是太偏狭，我涉及到了不同的时期和不同的思想。 broad-minded adj. 宽宏大量的；心胸宽广的；

New Words supposedly self-motivated adj. 积极主动的 The children are very self-motivated but they are still very young. 这些孩子们积极性很高，但他们的年纪仍然很小。 supposedly adv. 据认为；据推测 Supposedly, she is a rich woman. 看起来她像是一个富有的女人。 The house was supposedly haunted. 据说这房子闹鬼。

New Words fascinate vt. 使着迷；使感兴趣 Anything to do with music fascinates him. 凡是和音乐有关的东西都让他着迷。 He was fascinated to discover that they had so many common interests. 他饶有兴趣地发现他们之间有那么多的共同的兴趣。 identify vt. 认出；识别 After years of research scientists have identified the virus that is responsible for the disease. 经过多年的研究，科学家们找到了引发该病的病毒。 Would you be able to identify the man who robbed you? 你能够认出那个抢你东西的人么?

New Words fare vi. 进展 How did you fare in your exams? 你考试考得怎么样？ Low-paid workers will fare well under this government. 低收入工人们的状况在这届政府任期内将会好起来。 count vi. 有价值（力量或重要性） I believe that happiness counts more than money. 我认为快乐比金钱更重要。 My opinion doesn’t count for anything around here. 我的意见在这儿无足轻重。

New Words barring prep. 除……之外；除非 Barring the boss, we all went out for drinks on Friday. 除了老板， 我们星期五都出去喝酒了。 Barring bad weather, we will have a picnic tomorrow. 除非天气不好，我们明天将去野餐。 spring up 涌现；突然兴起 Fast-food restaurants are springing up here and there. 突然间到处都是快餐店。 Where a panel is composed of just two people, the question may spring up about who is in charge. 如果一个讨论组只有两个人，就会出现谁来负责的问题。

New Words out of nowhere 突然发生；突然出现 His success doesn’t spring up out of nowhere. 他的成功不是凭空而来的。 The thought swam into her mind out of nowhere. 这想法不知从何处涌入她的脑海。 look into调查 The case is being looked into; when we have anything to report we’ll write to them. 案子正在调查中，如果有什么情况我们会书面向他们报告。

New Words go out of one’s way to do sth.特地做某事；想尽办法做某事 Karen always goes out of her way to help me when I am in trouble. 卡伦总是在我遇到麻烦时千方百计地帮助我。 in question考虑之中的；谈论中的 Can you give us more information about the man in question? 关于这个人你能给我们提供更多的情况吗？ That is not the point in question. 那不是考虑的要点。

New Words be in position to do sth.能够做；有条件做 When I have read the whole report I shall be in a better position to comment. 读完整篇报告之后，我才能更好地作出评论。 Only the president is in a position to order the release of the prisoners. 只有总统才能下令释放这些囚犯。

Detailed Study of the Text It is a popular myth that great geniuses —— the Einsteins, Picassos and Mozarts of this world —— spring up out of nowhere as if touches by the finger of God. (Para. 1) Meaning: Most people mistakenly believe that great geniuses such as Einstein, Picasso and Mozart appear suddenly and unexpectedly as if they were created by God. It is the same story with other geniuses. (Para. 3) The childhood of other geniuses is very similar to that of Gauss.

Detailed Study of the Text “In every case, when you look into the backgrounds of great people, there is this pattern of very early stimulation by a parent or teacher figure,” the professor says. (Para. 3) Meaning: In all cases, they professor says, when you closely examine great people’s backgrounds, there is always a parent or teacher encouraging them at a very early stage. Supportive parents were those who would go out of their way to help their children follow their favorite interests and praised whatever level of achievement resulted. (Para. 5) Supportive parents were those who would make a special effort to help their children follow their interests and would praise the children even for small progress.

Detailed Study of the Text Stimulating parents were more actively involved in what their children did, steering them toward certain fields and pushing them to work hard, often acting as a tutor. (Para. 5) Meaning: Stimulating parents played a more active part in what their children did. They would guide their children to certain fields and encouraged them to work hard. Very often they served as their tutor.

Detailed Study of the Text One reason why prodigies such as Picasso and Einstein had a head start in life was that they had parents who demonstrated how to think about …(Para. 9) have a head start: have an advantage over others in a particular activity, especially as a result of starting to do it before them I had a head start in English, because my mother was an English teacher. 因为母亲是一名英语教师，所以我比别人在英语方面起步要早。 Meaning: One reason why prodigies such as Picasso and Einstein have an advantage over others in life was that they had parents who taught them how to think about……

Detailed Study of the Text A parent who only gives a brief reply to a child’s questions or gives dull answers will be passing on a negative, narrow-minded style of thinking. (Para. 11) Meaning: A parent only giving a short reply or dull answers to a child’s questions will be restricting the child’s thinking. Would such parents be guaranteed to have a genius as their child? (Para. 13) be guaranteed to do sth.： be certain to have a particular result If we try to keep it a secret, she’s guaranteed to find out. 如果我们想保密，她肯定会发现。 That kind of behavior is guaranteed to make him angry. 那样的行为肯定会让他生气。 Would those parents be certain to have a genius as their child?

Detailed Study of the Text There is general agreement that genuine biological differences exist between individuals; geniuses need to be lucky in both their genes and their parents. (Para. 14) Meaning: Most people agree there exist genuine biological differences between individuals and that both genes and family environment play an important role in producing a genius.

Detailed Study of the Text The most significant implication would seem to be that while most people are in a good position to fulfill their biological potential —— barring serious illnesses or a poor diet during childhood —— it is far from certain that they will grow up in an environment where that capacity will be developed. (Para. 14) far from: not at all We are far from happy with the results of the election. 我们对选举的结果一点也不满意。 Far from taking my advice, he did just what I had warned him against. 他非但不接受我的忠告，反而做了我警告他不要做的事。 Meaning: The most important implication is that most people, except for those who are seriously ill or fed with bad quality food causing lack of growth at a young age, would seem to be able to take good advantage of their genes. However, they cannot be certain to realize their genetic potentials unless they’re born into a family which help them develop their potentials.

Test Yourself Phrases and Expressions

Phrases and Expressions 涌现、突然兴起 突然发生、突然出现 调查 在……岁 在很小的时候 使某人着迷于…… 特地做某事、想尽办法做某事 记录 关键因素 学会语言技巧 成人的习惯与思维方式 spring up out of nowhere look into at the age of at an early age fascinate sb. with sth. go out of one’s way to do sth. make a note of crucial factor pick up language skills adult habits and styles of thought

Phrases and Expressions 在(生活)中领先 考虑之中的、谈论中的 探索想法 培养开放的、创造性的思维方式 试图做…… 比……优势 确保做…… 能够做、有条件做 have a head start in (life) in question explore ideas cultivate an open and creative thinking style attempt to do sth. have an advantage over be guaranteed to do sth. be in a position to do sth.

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