Unit Nine 
Text
Asimov explains why there is much more in intel-
ligence than just being able to score high on intelligence
tests.
WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE, ANYWAY?
Isaac Asimov
What is intelligence, anyway? When I was in the army I received a
kind of aptitude test that all soldiers took and, against a normal of 100,
scored 160. No one at the base had ever seen a figure like that and for two
hours they made a big fuss over me. ( It didn't mean anything. The next
5 day I was still a buck private with KP as my highest duty. )
All my life I've been registering scores like that, so that I have the
complacent feeling that I'm highly intelligent, and I expeet other peopl to
think so, too. Actually, though, don't such scores simply mean that I am
very good at answering the type of academic questions that are considered
10 worthy of answers by the people who make up the intelligence tests -- peo-
ple with intellectual bents similar to mine?
For instance, I had an auto-repair man once, who, on these intelligence
tests,could not possibly have scored more than 80; by my estimate.I always
took it for granted that I was far more intelligent than he was. Yet, when
15 anything went wrong with my car I hastened to him with it, watched him
anxiously as he explored its vitals, and listened to his pronouncements as
though they were divine oracles - and he always fixed my car.
Well, then, suppose my auto-repair man devised questions for an intel-
20 ligence test. Or suppose a carpenter did, or a farmer, or, indeed, almost
anyone but an academician. By every one of those tests, I'd prove myself a
moron. And I'd be a moron, too. In a world where I could not use my aca-
demic training and my verbal talents but had to do something intricate, or
hard, working with my hands, I would do poorly. My intelligence, then,
25 is not absolute. Its worth is determined by the society I live in.Its nur-
nerical evaluation is determined by a small subsection of that society
which has managed to foist itself on the rest of us as an arbiter of such
matters.
Consider my auto-repair man, again. He had a habit of telling me jokes
30 whenever he saw me. One time he raised his head from under the automobile
hood to say: "Doc, a deaf-and-dumb guy went into a hardware store to ask
for some nails.He put two fingers together on the counter and made hamme-
ring motions with the other hand. The clerk brought him a hammer. He shook
his head and pointed to the two f ingers he was hammering.The clerk brought
35 him nails. He picked out the sizes he wanted, and left. Well, doc, the next
guy who came in was a blind man. He wanted scissors. How do you suppose
he asked for them?"
I lifted my right hand and made scissoring motions with my first two
fingers. Whereupon my auto-repair man laughed heartily and said, "Why, you
dumb .fool, he used his voice and asked for them. " Then he said, smugly,
"I've been trying that on all my customers today." "Did you catch many?" I
asked. "Quite a few, "he said, "but I knew for sure I' d catch you." "Why is
that?" I asked. "Because you're so goddamned educated, doc, I knew you
couldn't be very smart. "
And I have an uneasy feeling he had something there.
New Words
aptitude / n. natural ability or skill 能力, 才能
normal n. the usual state or level 正常的状态或水平
figure n. 数字
fuss n. unnecessary expression of excitement,
anger,impatience, etc.大惊小怪
buck private n. (sl. ) common soldier of the lowest rank
列兵
KP ( abbr. ) kitchen police ( a military duty of helping
the cooks prerpare and serve the food,
wash the dishes,and clean.up the kitchen)
炊事值勤（员）
register / vt. achieve;write in a list or record 取得;登记
complacent / a. self-satisfactory; pleased with oneself 自满
的；自鸣得意的
highly ad. to a great degree; very
simply ad. just ; only 仅仅; 只不过
academic / a. scholarly, theoretical, not practical; of a
college or university 学术的,学院的;学院的
worthy (of) / a. deserving 值得的
bent / n. natural tendency or inclination 嗜好,倾向
similar / a. alike; of the same sort 类似的
auto / n. (short for) automobile 汽车
estimate / n. judgment or opinion about how much, how
many, low good, etc. 估计
grant / vt. give or allow (what is asked for) 授予;准予
hasten / vi. go fast; be quick 赶快; 急忙
explore / vt. search or examine thoroughly 探索 ; 探究
vitals / n. essential parts of anything;the main bodily
organs 主要部件(~;(人体的)重要器官
pronouncement n. formal or authoritative statement; opinion
声明 ;见解
divine / a. conung from God ; sacred 神的 ; 神圣的
oracle / n. 圣言 ; 神谕
devise / vt. think out; plan 想出; 设计
carpenter / n. 木匠
academician / n. member of an art, literary or scientific
academy or society 院士, 学会会员
moron / n. stupid person 低能者; 蠢人
verbal / a. connected with words and their use; spoken,
not written 词语的; 口头的
intricate / a. complicated 错综复杂的
absolute / a. not measured by comparison with other
things 绝对的
determine vt. fix or find out exactly 确定
numerical / a. of a number; shown by numbers 数字的;用数字
表示的
evaluation / n. 估价 , 评价
evaluate / vt.
subsection / n. part of a section 小组, 分部
foist / vt. force (sth.)on another person by fraud or
tricker把...强加于
arbiter / n. judge 仲裁人, 公断人
joke / n. sth. said or done to cause laughter or
amusement
automobile / n. 汽车
hood / n. （汽车）引擎罩
doc (short for) doctor
deaf / a. unable to hear 聋的
dumb / a. unable to speak ; stupid 哑的; 愚笨的
deaf-and-dumb a. unable to hear and speak
hardware /n. metal goods such as utensils,tools, nails,
etc. 金属器具
hammer / n. 锤子，榔头
v. strike repeatedly (with a hammer)
clerk / n. salesclerk; person who works in a shop
selling things 店员
scissors / n. 剪刀
scissor v. cut with scissors
whereupon / ad. upon,at,or af ter which 于是, 因此 ;然后
heartily / ad. 尽情地
smugly / ad. complacently 沾沾自喜地
goddamned / ad. ( sl. ) very, extremely
uneasy a. awkward; not easy in mind or body 局促的;
不安的 ; 不安适的
Phrases & Expressions
make a fuss of/over 为...大惊小怪
worthy of deserving 值得
make up prepare ready for use 编制 ;配制
by one's estimate 据某人估计
take sth. for granted regard it as true or as certain to happen
认为某事当然
go wrong stop working properly 出毛病
pick out select 挑选
try...on 在…身上试验
for sure for certain; certainly 确切地;肯定
Proper Name
Isaac Asimov / 艾萨克·阿西莫夫
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