Text 2
For the past several years, the Sunday newspaper supplement Parade has featured a column called “Ask Marilyn.” People are invited to query Marilyn vos Savant, who at age 10 had tested at a mental level of someone about 23 years old; that gave her an IQ of 228 – the highest score ever recorded. IQ tests ask you to complete verbal and visual analogies, to envision paper after it has been folded and cut, and to deduce numerical sequences, among other similar tasks. So it is a bit confusing when vos Savant fields such queries from the average Joe (whose IQ is 100)as, What’s the difference between love and fondness? Or what is the nature of luck and coincidence? It’s not obvious how the capacity to visualize objects and to figure out numerical patterns suits one to answer questions that have eluded some of the best poets and philosophers.
Clearly, intelligence encompasses more than a score on a test. Just what does it mean to be smart? How much of intelligence can be specified, and how much can we learn about it from neurology, genetics, computer science and other fields?
The defining term of intelligence in humans still seems to be the IQ score, even though IQ tests are not given as often as they used to be. The test comes primarily in two forms: the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales (both come in adult and children’s version). Generally costing several hundred dollars, they are usually given only by psychologists, although variations of them populate bookstores and the World Wide Web. Superhigh scores like vos Savant’s are no longer possible, because scoring is now based on a statistical population distribution among age peers, rather than simply dividing the mental age by the chronological age and multiplying by 100. Other standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), capture the main aspects of IQ tests.
Such standardized tests may not assess all the important elements necessary to succeed in school and in life, argues Robert J. Sternberg. In his article “How Intelligent Is Intelligence Testing?”, Sternberg notes that traditional test best assess analytical and verbal skills but fail to measure creativity and practical knowledge, components also critical to problem solving and life success. Moreover, IQ test do not necessarily predict so well once populations or situations change. Research has found that IQ predicted leadership skills when the tests were given under low-stress conditions, but under high-stress conditions, IQ was negatively correlated with leadership – that is, it predicted the opposite. Anyone who has toiled through SAT will testify that test-taking skill also matters, whether it’s knowing when to guess or what questions to skip.
6. Which of the following may be required in an intelligent test?
[A] Answering philosophical questions.
[B] Folding or cutting paper into different shapes.
[C] Telling the difference between certain concepts.
[D] Choosing words or graphs similar to the given ones.
7. What can be inferred about intelligence testing from Paragraph 3?
[A] People no longer use IQ scores as an indicator of intelligence.
[B] More versions of IQ tests are now available on the Internet.
[C] The test contents and formats for adults and children may be different.
[D] Scientists have defined the important elements of human intelligence.
8. People nowadays can no longer achieve IQ scores as high as vos Savant’s because
[A] the scores are obtained through different computational procedures.
[B] creativity rather than analytical skills is emphasized now.
[C] vos Savant’s case is an extreme one that will not repeat.
[D] the defining characteristic of IQ tests has changed.
9. We can conclude from the last paragraph that
[A] test scores may not be reliable indicators of one’s ability.
[B] IQ scores and SAT results are highly correlated.
[C] testing involves a lot of guesswork.
[D] traditional test are out of date.
10. What is the author’s attitude towards IQ test?
[A] Supportive. [B] Skeptical. [C] Impartial. [D] Biased.
Unit 14(2007) Part2
试题解析:
6. 【正确答案】【D】
【解析】细节题,题干中的“Which of the following”表明本题是判断正误细节题。本题考查考生对文章第一段和最后一段内容的理解。文章第一段指出,智商测试要求你完成口头和视觉分析,要求你在纸张被折叠、剪切后想象它的形状,要求你推论数字的顺序,以及其他类似的项目,最后一段指出,传统的测试最恰当地评估了分析能力和语言表达能力,但没有测量创造性和实际知识。这说明,在智力测试中可能需要创造性和实际知识。D为正确选项。A和C属于无中生有;B与文意不符。
7. 【正确答案】【C】
【解析】推论题,题干中的“can be inferred”表明本题是推论题。本题考查考生对文章第三段内容的理解。文章第三段指出,智商测试主要表现为两种形式,也就是斯坦福—比奈智力量表和威斯勒智力量表,这两种都有成人和儿童测试类型。由此可知,对成人和儿童的测试内容可能不相同。C为正确选项。A与该段第一句话的意思不符;B与该段第三句话中“although”引导的句子意思不符;D属于无中生有。
8. 【正确答案】【A】
【解析】细节题,题干中的“because”表明本题是原因细节题。本题考查考生对文章第三段内容的理解。题干中的信号词是“IQ scores ”和“Vos Savant’s”,出自文章第三段第四句话中。文章第三段指出,得到像沃斯•萨文特这样的超高分数再也不可能了,因为现在的分数依据的是相同年龄者的统计学群体分布状况,而不是简单地通过实足年龄乘以100来划分智能年龄。这说明,原因是现在的计算方法与以前不同。A为正确选项。B是第四段的信息,与题目的要求不符;C明显与文意不符;D属于无中生有。
9. 【正确答案】【A】
【解析】归纳题,题干中的“We can conclude”表明本题是归纳题。本题考查考生对文章最后一段内容的理解。文章最后一段指出,有专家认为,标准测试不可能评估在学校和生活中取得成功所需的所有重要因素,随后解释了这种观点,指出,传统的测试最恰当地评估了分析能力和语言表达能力,而且,一旦人口或环境发生变化,智商测试就不一定预测得那么准确,并且应试能力也很重要。这说明,智商测试不可能真实反映一个人的能力。A为正确选项。A不准确;B与文意相反;C属于夸大其词;D属于无中生有。
10. 【正确答案】 【B】
【解析】态度题,题干中的“the author’s attitude”表明本题是态度题。本题考查考生对全文内容的理解。作者文中使用了“有点困惑”、“ 但没有测量创造性和实际知识,这些也是解决问题、在生活中取得成功的关键因素”以及“ 它预测的结果是相反的”等词句,说明作者对智商测试持怀疑态度。B为正确选项。A与作者的态度相反;C和D是误解了作者的态度。
全文翻译:
过去几年,《星期日报》的增刊《检阅》开设了一个名叫“询问玛丽琳”的专栏。人们被邀请去询问玛丽琳•沃斯•萨文特——她在10岁时测试的智力水平达到别人23岁时的水平,这使得她的智商高达228(是有记录的最高水平)。智商测试要求你完成口头和视觉分析,要求你在纸张被折叠、剪切后想象它的形状,要求你推论数字的顺序,以及其他类似的项目。所以,当沃斯•萨文特面对普通人(其智商为100)提出的像“热爱与喜爱之间的区别是什么?”或者“运气与巧合的特征是什么?”这样的问题时,她感到有点困惑。设想物体、判断数字模式的能力如何使一个人能够回答难倒了一些最杰出的诗人和哲学家的问题,这一点并不明显。
很明显,智力包含的不只是一次测试所得的分数。而聪明意味着什么?可以明确显示多少智力?我们能够从神经学、遗传学、计算机科学以及其他领域了解多少智力?
人类有关智力的定义性术语似乎仍然是智商分数,即使人们并不像以前那样经常进行智商测试。智商测试主要表现为两种形式:斯坦福—比奈智力量表和威斯勒智力量表(两种都有成人和儿童测试类型)。由于这些测试一般要花费几百美元,所以通常只有心理学家才进行这些测试,尽管这些测试的变种在书店和环球网上流行。得到像沃斯•萨文特这样的超高分数再也不可能了,因为现在的分数依据的是相同年龄者的统计学群体分布状况,而不是简单地通过实足年龄乘以100来划分智能年龄。其他标准测试,比如学术能力检测以及研究生入学考试,包含了智商测试的主要方面。
罗博特•J•斯顿伯格认为,这样的标准测试不可能评估在学校和生活中取得成功所需的所有重要因素。在其名为“智力测试如何明智?”这篇文章中,斯顿伯格指出,传统的测试最恰当地评估了分析能力和语言表达能力,但没有测量创造性和实际知识,这些也是解决问题、在生活中取得成功的关键因素。而且,一旦人口或环境发生变化,智商测试就不一定预测得那么准确。研究发现,如果在低压力状况下进行智商测试,那么这种测试就可以预测领导才能,但是,在高压力状况下,智商测试所得的结果与领导才能的关系是否定的,也就是说,它预测的结果是相反的。任何经历过学术能力检测的人都会认为,应试能力也很重要,无论是知道何时应该进行推测还是知道应该忽略什么问题。