Quirkology: Exploring the Mysteries of the Teapot 怪奇行为学:打破砂锅问到底
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2008年1月03日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年2月09日
- 作者:Mike Lee
- 点击数:308
课文朗读
课文讲解
Does time speed up when you’re in love? Do people’s names have an impact on how successful they will be? How do you brew the perfect cup of tea? These are the kinds of questions most scientists ignore. Dr. Richard Wiseman is not like most scientists. In fact, this British-born psychologist has made a career out of such studies.
谈恋爱时,时间是否过得特别快?姓名是否会影响成功的机会?如何冲泡一杯完美的茶?多数科学家会忽视这些问题,但是理查德德.怀斯曼博士却不同于多数的科学家。事实上,这位英国出生的心理学家从这些研究建立起自己的事业。
In Dr. Wiseman’s new book, he charts the history of this unusual research, which he calls “quirkology.” According to him, the first “quirkologist” was an Englishman named Sir Francis Galton. Galton was famous for his offbeat experiments. He attempted to determine how boring his colleagues’ lectures were by observing how often listeners moved around restlessly. He measured the lifespans of religious people because he wanted to know if praying for a longer life actually worked. It didn’t. In a study on children, he observed that their drawings of Santa Claus grew larger as Christmas Day approached and then shrank after the holidays.
在怀斯曼博士的新书里,他纪录这个不寻常研究的发展史。他称这门研究为「怪奇行为学」。根据怀斯曼的说法,最早从事这门研究的学者是一位名叫弗朗西斯.高登的英国男爵,以做奇怪的实验出名。高登男爵试图以观察观众在椅子上乱动的次数,来了解他同事的演讲到底有多无聊。他也调查信仰虔诚者的寿命,因为他想知道祈祷长寿是否有效。结果显示无效。在一个针对孩童的研究中,高登男爵发现随着圣诞假期到来,孩童会将圣诞老人越画越大。但是,在假期过后,圣诞老人的画像就变小了。
Galton even studied exactly how to brew a perfect cup of tea. He found that the best tea was brewed for 8 minutes with water between 82 and 87 degrees Celsius. On completion of this experiment, he became famous for proclaiming, “There is no other mystery in the teapot.” Researchers like Galton have always stayed on the fringes of science. However, in some ways, their work is very important, since it relates to our everyday lives.
高登男爵甚至研究如何冲泡出一杯完美的茶。他发现最好的茶是用摄氏82到87度的水泡8分钟。结束这项实验后,他公开宣称「茶壶里再也没有秘密可言。」高登男爵就此一举成名!像高登男爵这一类的科学家一直待在科学界的边缘。但是,在某方面,他们的研究相当重要,因为这些研究与我们的日常生活息息相关。
Vocabulary
单词发音
impact [ɪmˋpækt] n. 影响; 作用
brew [bru] v. 泡(茶)
psychologist [saɪˋkɑlədʒɪst] n. 心理学家
restlessly [ˋrɛstlɪslɪ] adv. 不安地
relate to 与...有关
More Information
单词发音
quirkology [kwɝˋkɑlədʒɪ] n. 怪咖心理学;怪诞心理学
speed up(使)加快速度 to increase or cause to increase in speed or rate; accelerate
chart [tʃɑrt] v. 记录,跟踪(进展)
Sir [sɝ] n.(大写)爵士
offbeat [ˋɔf͵bit] adj.【口】不跟随时尚主流的;非传统的;特异的
lecture [ˋlɛktʃɚ] n. 授课;演讲
lifespan [ˋlaɪfˋspæn] n.(生物的)寿命
proclaim [prəˋklem] v. 宣告;公布
fringe [frɪndʒ] n. 边缘
课文朗读
课文讲解
The bulk of Dr. Wiseman’s book is made up of his own experiments. He started conducting them before he became a professor. As an undergraduate student, he would approach embracing couples and ask them to take part in an experiment. He then asked them how much time had passed since he had first spoken to them. He posed the same question to single people. The results confirmed what many of us already know. Time passes faster for people who are in love.
怀斯曼博士的书主要是纪录他自己的研究。成为教授前,他早已开始进行这些实验。在还是大学生的时候,怀斯曼会接近相拥的情侣,并且请求他们参加一项实验。然后他会询问他们,从他跟他们谈话开始,究竟经过了多少时间。他用同样的问题询问单身者。实验结果证实多数人先前的想法:谈恋爱的时候,时间过得比较快。
Another of Wiseman’s famous experiments examined the connection between a person’s name and how successful they are. People with last names closer to the top of the alphabet were significantly more successful. Wiseman theorized that from an early age, children are sorted according to their last names. Those whose last names begin with A’s or B’s will be called on first. Over the years, they could develop higher self-esteem from this, which would impact their success in life. Wiseman has also hinted that names have additional powers after he discovered an unusually large number of marine biologists names Dr. Fish.
怀斯曼博士所做的另一项著名实验,是检视人们的姓名与成功之间的关系。姓氏越接近起始字母的人,则明显较为成功。怀斯曼的论点是,从小孩童就是根据姓名来分类,那些以A或B为姓氏开头的人都会先被叫到。多年后,这些孩子会因此而较有自信,而这个现象会影响他们往后的成功机率。在发现有许多海洋生物学家都叫费许博士(Dr. Fish)之后,怀斯曼也指出名字具有额外的力量。
For researchers like Dr. Wiseman, the most interesting science applies to everyday’s life. In order to better understand human behavior, he focuses his experiments on normal people doing common activities. Quirkology may not be able to unlock the great questions of the universe, but it can help solve mysteries we face in our everyday lives.
对于像怀斯曼博士这类的研究者而言,最有趣的科学就是能运用在日常生活中的学问。为了要更了解人类的行为,他将他的实验聚焦于一般人所从事的一般活动。「怪奇行为学」可能无法解开深奥的宇宙问题,但是它可以帮助我们解开日常生活当中的神秘谜团。
−by Michael Karanicolas
Vocabulary
单词发音
conduct [kənˋdʌkt] v.〔尤指为获取信息或证实某事时〕进行(调查/实验/调查研究等)
theorize [ˋθɪə͵raɪz] v. 建立理论(或学说); 建立理论(或学说)
self-esteem [͵sɛlfəsˋtim] n. 自尊
marine [məˋrin] adj. 海的;海生的
unlock [ʌnˋlɑk] v. 解开
More Information
单词发音
bulk [bʌlk] n. 大部分,主体
undergraduate [͵ʌndɚˋgrædʒʊɪt] n. 大学生,大学肄业生
pose [poz] v. 提出
confirm [kənˋfɝm] v. 证实
alphabet [ˋælfə͵bɛt] n. 字母系统,字母表
sort [sɔrt] v. 把……分类
call on 叫; 请 to order or request to undertake a particular activity
biologist [baɪˋɑlədʒɪst] n. 生物学家
apply to 适用于
Reading Questions
1. Which of the following is an experiment Galton conducted?
A. He found out how boring some lecturers were by asking the students.
B. He measured how long religious people lived to see if praying worked.
C. He studied what the best method was for brewing the perfect pot of coffee.
D. He observed how restless children got as Christmas Day approached.
2. Why is the research of people like Galton important?
A. It has to do with our everyday lives.
B. It improves the quality of drink recipes.
C. It helps us understand how children think.
D. It provides insight into health issues.
3. What is NOT something Wiseman has found about people’s names?
A. People with last names starting with “A” get higher grades all the time.
B. Your name can affect how successful you are in life.
C. Last names beginning with the first letters of the alphabet might improve self-esteem.
D. The kind of name you have can influence your career choice.
4. What is the main purpose of this article?
A. To discuss two great psychologists.
B. To discuss the secrets to success.
C. To discuss the history of psychology.
D. To discuss an unusual kind of science.
Answer
1. ( B ) |
2. ( A ) |
3. ( A ) |
4. ( D ) |