Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
“谁是天才？”这个问题几个世纪以来一直让人们很感兴趣。

Let’s state clearly: Einstein was a genius. His face is almost the international symbol for genius. But we want to go beyond one man and explore the nature of genius itself. Why is it that some people are so much more intelligent or creative than the rest of us? And who are they?
让我们明确一点：爱因斯坦是个天才。他的面孔几乎是天才的国际象征。但我们想要超越一个人，探讨天才本身的本质。为什么有些人比我们其他人更聪明或更有创造力？他们是谁？

In the sciences and arts, those praised as geniuses were most often white men, of European origin. Perhaps this is not a surprise. It’s said that history is written by the victors, and those victors set the standards for admission to the genius club. When contributions were made by geniuses outside the club—women, or people of a different color or belief—they were unacknowledged and rejected by others.
在科学和艺术领域，被誉为天才的人最常是白人男性，欧洲血统。也许这并不奇怪。有人说历史是由胜利者书写的，而那些胜利者设定了加入天才俱乐部的标准。当天才俱乐部之外的天才（女性，或不同肤色或信仰的人）做出贡献时，他们常常不被承认和被他人拒绝。

A study recently published by Science found that as young as age six, girls are less likely than boys to say that members of their gender（性别）are “really, really smart.” Even worse, the study found that girls act on that belief Around age six they start to avoid activities said to be for children who are “really, really smart.” Can our planet afford to have any great thinkers become discouraged and give up? It doesn’t take a genius to know the answer: absolutely not.
科学杂志最近发表的一项研究发现，女孩在年龄为六岁时就不太可能认为他们的性别成员“非常，非常聪明”。更糟糕的是，研究发现女孩会根据这种信念而行动，大约在六岁左右，她们开始避开被认为是为那些“非常非常聪明”的孩子的活动。我们的星球能承受得起任何伟大思想家感到沮丧并放弃吗？不需要天才也知道答案：绝对不能。

Here’s the good news. In a wired world with constant global communication, we’re all positioned to see flashes of genius wherever they appear. And the more we look, the more we will see that social factors（因素）like gender, race, and class do not determine the appearance of genius. As a writer says, future geniuses come from those with “intelligence, creativity, perseverance（毅力）, and simple good fortune, who are able to change the world.”
好消息来了。在一个无时无刻与全球沟通的网络化世界中，我们都有机会在任何地方看到天才的闪光。而且我们看得越多，我们会越发现社会因素（如性别，种族和阶级）并不决定天才的出现。正如一位作家所说，未来的天才来自那些具有“智慧，创造力，毅力和纯粹幸运，能够改变世界”的人。

1. What does the author think of victors’ standards for joining the genius club?
   A. They’re unfair. B. They’re conservative.
   C. They’re objective. D. They’re strict.
   答案：A

2. What can we infer about girls from the study in Science?
   A. They think themselves smart.
   B. They look up to great thinkers.
   C. They see gender differences earlier than boys.
   D. They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs
   答案：D

3. Why are more geniuses known to the public?
   A. Improved global communication.
   B. Less discrimination against women.
   C. Acceptance of victors’ concepts.
   D. Changes in people’s social positions.
   答案：A

4. What is the best title for the text?
   A. Geniuses Think Alike B. Genius Takes Many Forms
   C. Genius and Intelligence D. Genius and Luck
   答案：B