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The Truth About Stereotypes 刻板印象的真相

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

An American professor once joked to his class, “I love Europe. The cuisine of the British, the humility of the French, the humor of the Germans and the diligence of the Italians.” Everybody laughed. They knew none of these were true. Whenever people of a certain culture are grouped together by a perceived trait that is supposedly inherent to that group, a stereotype is born.

有位美国教授曾经在班上说过这样的笑话：「我爱欧洲，英式料理、法国人的谦卑、德国人的幽默和意大利人的勤劳。」众人哄堂大笑。他们知道这些没有一样是真的。每当某个文化的人们因某项可观察到的特征而被划分在一起，且此特征被认为是该族群固有的时候，刻板印象便产生了。

Stereotypes are made when people generalize about a large population. This generalization is based on their nationality, ethnicity, religion, age group or any number of categories. They might help people create a mental picture of a place they have never visited or understand a culture they have never explored. They may even use them to define their own culture. National stereotypes are specific beliefs about the social, physical, and mental characteristics of the people who make up a culture.

当人们概括陈述一大群人口时，刻板印象便应运而生。这种概括是根据国籍、种族、宗教、年龄层或其他分类。这些分类可能会帮助人们在脑海中对未曾去过的地方有个概念，或者帮助人们了解从未探索过的文化。他们甚至会用这些刻板印象来定义自己的文化。国家刻板印象即是针对构成某文化的人们之社会、生理、心理特质的特定看法。

But how accurate are stereotypes? In a recent study, an international group of researchers looked at the relationship between people’s perception of their own culture, or their national stereotypes, and their actual individual traits. Approximately 40,000 adults from 49 cultures were questioned about the personality traits of their own group. This data was then compared with the participants’ assessment of their own personalities.

但是，这些刻板印象有多正确呢？最近一项研究中，一个国际研究团队审视人们对于自己文化的看法，亦即探索其国家刻板印象与实际个人特质之间的关系。约有来自49个文化的4万名成年人接受调查，回答有关自己所属群体的人格特质问题。研究人员会接着将这些资料与受访者的自我人格评估作比较。

Vocabulary

stereotype [ˋstɛrɪə͵taɪp] n. 定型；成见

trait [tret] n. 特征，特点，特性

inherent [ɪnˋhɪrənt] adj. 固有的，与生俱来的

ethnicity [ɛθˋnɪsɪtɪ] n. 种族; 种族特点

category [ˋkætə͵gorɪ] n. 种类

approximately [əˋprɑksəmɪtlɪ] adv. 大概；近乎

assessment [əˋsɛsmənt] n. 评价﹐估计

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humility [hjuˋmɪlətɪ] n. 谦卑，谦逊

diligence [ˋdɪlədʒəns] n. 勤勉，勤奋

generalize [ˋdʒɛnərəl͵aɪz] v. 归纳，概括

generalization [͵dʒɛnərəlaɪˋzeʃən] n. 概括；综合；归纳

nationality [͵næʃəˋnælətɪ] n. 国籍

specific [spɪˋsɪfɪk] adj. 特殊的，特定的

make up  组成

perception [pɚˋsɛpʃən] n. 观念；看法

compare with  与……相比

课文讲解

There is a substantial amount of literature about the evaluation and accuracy of stereotypes. But this study is the first to examine whether or not stereotypes reflect reality. Interestingly, the findings indicate that there is no correlation between perceived national characteristics and the actual traits of real people.

有相当多的文献研究探讨刻板印象的评估及准确度。但这项研究率先检视刻板印象是否反映现实。有趣的是，此调查发现，我们所认知的国家特征与个人实际特征间并无关联。

For example, the Swiss tend to believe that they, as a culture, are closed-off to new experiences. However, according to the study, as individuals they are the most open to new ideas in art and music. British people see themselves collectively as introverted, while actually many British individuals are very outgoing. Argentineans think they are disagreeable as a whole, but their separate personalities don’t reflect that. The Czechs are also hard on themselves, saying that they are antagonistic. But Czech individuals actually scored the highest in modesty and selflessness. Many of the national stereotypes are, in fact, not supported by the personal data.

例如，瑞士人往往相信，作为一个文化整体，他们排斥新经验。但根据本研究，就个人而言，瑞士人对于艺术及音乐的新想法所持的态度最开放。英国人认为，自己整体而言是内向的，但实上许多英国人很外向。阿根廷人则认为，自己整体来说很难相处，但其个别人格并未显示出这种现象。捷克人对自己也很挑剔，认为自己充满敌意，但其个人在谦虚及无私的部分评价最高。事实上，很多国家刻板印象并不等同于个人表现。

Sometimes stereotypes are just plain false, while at other times they may be only partially true. What’s worse, negative stereotypes can lead to discrimination and prejudice. So follow the old saying and never judge a book by its cover. If you do, you’ll be missing a much more interesting story within.

有时，刻板印象完全不符事实；有时，刻板印象可能只反映部分事实。更糟的是，负面的刻板印象会导致歧视与偏见。因此，遵守古老格言：「别以书的封面来判断其内容（勿以貌取人）。」如果你只看表面，可能会错过更有趣的内容。

−by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

substantial [səbˋstænʃəl] adj. 大量的

introverted [ˋɪntrəvɝtɪd] adj.（性格）内向的；不爱交际的

outgoing [ˋaʊt͵goɪŋ] adj. 好交际的﹐外向的

disagreeable [͵dɪsəˋgriəb!] adj. 难相处的，脾气坏的

antagonistic [æn͵tægəˋnɪstɪk] adj. 敌意的，不友好的

discrimination [dɪ͵skrɪməˋneʃən] n. 歧视

prejudice [ˋprɛdʒədɪs] n. 偏见

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单词发音

evaluation [ɪ͵væljʊˋeʃən] n. 评估﹐评价

accuracy [ˋækjərəsɪ] n. 准确度﹐精确性

correlation [͵kɔrəˋleʃən] n. 相互关系，关联

tend to 倾向, 易于

closed-off  隔离的 isolated

collectively [kəˋlɛktɪvlɪ] adv. 全体地; 共同地

Argentinean  阿根廷人

Czech [tʃɛk] 捷克人

hard [hɑrd] adj. 严格的[（+on）]

modesty [ˋmɑdɪstɪ] n. 谦逊，虚心

selflessness [ˋsɛlflɪsnɪs] n. 无私；忘我

plain  [plen] adv.【口】完全地；彻底地

Reading Questions

1.  Which, among the following definitions, is the most appropriate for the word “humility” in the text?

A.  A sense of self-importance.

B.  A great intellectual capacity.

C.  A passion for justice.

D.  A lack of false pride.

2.  What is the main object of this article?

A.  To determine that social stereotypes are a great source of inspiration.

B.  To prove that artists are the main reason why stereotypes exist.

C.  To show that cultural groups often have false images of themselves.

D.  To make people realize that wars always result from stereotypes.

3.  Based on what you know about the study, what can we say about stereotypes?

A.  Europeans tend to have a truer image of themselves than Africans.

B.  People usually view themselves more negatively than they should.

C.  Most people believe they are superior to the rest of the world.

D.  In general, they support the data about how people view themselves.

4.   Which of the following alternative titles would NOT be appropriate for this article?

A.  Stereotypes: The Best Guide to Knowing Who People Really Are

B.  If You Think All Italians Eat Spaghetti, Think Again

C.  Stereotypes: False Myths and Wrong Ideas about People

D.  Stereotypes Versus Reality

Answer