很多人认为智力来自遗传，很多人相信我们无法改变智力，事实真的是这样吗?难道天才与凡人之间真的存在天壤之别吗?本文将以独特的视角重新诠释智力。
About Intelligence
When we talk about intelligence, we do not mean the ability to get good scores on certain kinds of tests or even the ability to do well in school. By intelligence we mean a way of living and behaving, especially in a new or upsetting situation. If we want to test intelligence, we need to find out how a person acts instead of how much he knows what to do.
For instance, when in a new situation, an intelligent person thinks about the situation, not about himself or what might happen to him. He tries to find out all he can, and then he acts immediately and tries to do something about it. He probably isn’t sure how it will all work out, but at least he tries. And if he cannot make things work out right, he doesn’t feel ashamed that he failed, he just tries to learn from his mistakes.① An intelligent person, even if he is very young, has a special outlook on life and a special feeling about life.
If you look at children, you’ll see great differences between what we call “bright” children and “not bright” children. They are actually two different kinds of people, not just the same kind with different amounts of intelligence. For example, the bright child really wants to find out about life-he tried to get in touch with everything around him.② But the unintelligent child keeps more to himself and his own dream world, he seems to have a wall between him and life in general.③
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行文点评
本文讨论的是什么是智力。文章采用了总分结构，先给智力下定义，然后分不同情况对其进行说明。首段中先提出人们对智力的误解，进而引出智力的真正含义：即在新环境和逆境中为人处事的方式。第二段中For instance引出例证分析聪明人在各种新环境和逆境中怎样做，与第一段呼应。第三段中更进一步指出聪明的小孩和不聪明的小孩身上也能找到这种差别。
本文视角新颖，运用下定义by intelligence we mean ...，举例子for instance, for example等论证方法使文章内容充实，论证有力。文章语言平实，但却包含了很深的含义和独到的见解，值得读者借鉴。
好文妙译
关于智力
当我们谈论智力的时候，不是指在某些考试中取得优异成绩的能力，甚至不是指在学校中达到学业优秀的能力。我们所说的智力指的是一种生活行为的方式，特别是处于新环境或逆境中的时候。如果我们想要对智力加以测试，我们需要发现一个人如何行事而不是他对做什么了解多少。
比如，当处于一种新环境中时，聪明人会对环境进行思考，而不是想他自己或者想可能会在他身上发生什么事情。他努力发现更多的信息，然后立即行动，努力做些事情。他也许不能肯定是否能成功，但至少他努力过。而且如果他不能使事情成功，他也不会为失败感到羞耻，他只会努力从错误中吸取教训。一个聪明人，即使很年轻，也对生活有着不同寻常的见解和感悟。
看看孩子们，你会发现在我们所谓的“聪明孩子”和“不聪明孩子”之间存在着重大差异。他们实际上是两种人，这和靠智力水平进行分类不一回事。比如，聪明的孩子确实想要了解生活——他试图和周围的一切进行接触。但是不够聪明的孩子更多的是局限在自己和自己的梦幻世界中，在他自己和大众生活之间似乎存在着一堵隔墙。
词汇斟酌
upsetting a. 令人苦恼的，令人沮丧的
outlook n. 观点，见解
unintelligent a. 缺乏才智的
佳句临摹
①【注释】work out 成功，有好结果
【临摹】Things will work themselves out. 事情会成功的。
②【注释】 get in touch with与…取得联系，与…接触
【临摹】I’m so glad we got in touch with each other again after all these years. 我很高兴我们多年后相互取得了联系。
③【注释】keep much to 使不离开，使局限于
【临摹】She seems to be a very nice girl though nobody really knows much about her because she keeps very much to herself. 尽管她与人没什么来往，没人对她真正了解，可她看上去像是个非常好的姑娘。
思如泉涌
The same factors, in other circumstance, might be organized about some other center of interest.同样的因素，在不同的环境下，可能会围绕其他兴趣爱好结合起来。
No man is born wise or learned.没有生而知之者。
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