2021年全国甲卷
D
Who is a genius? This question has greatly interested humankind for centuries.
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?
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.
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.
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.”
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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
答案及解析：
12. A. They’re unfair.
解析：根据第三段，历史上的胜利者设定了加入天才俱乐部的标准，而这些标准往往忽略了女性和其他种族或信仰的人的贡献，这表明作者认为这些标准是不公平的。
13. D. They are likely to be influenced by social beliefs.
解析：根据第四段，研究表明女孩们早在六岁时就不太可能认为自己的性别成员“非常非常聪明”，并且她们会根据这种信念采取行动，这表明女孩们可能会受到社会信念的影响。
14. A. Improved global communication.
解析：根据第五段，在一个不断进行全球通信的互联世界中，我们都有机会看到天才的出现，这意味着更好的全球通信让更多的天才为公众所知。
15. B. Genius Takes Many Forms
解析：整篇文章探讨了天才的本质，指出天才不仅仅是像爱因斯坦这样的白人男性，而是不受性别、种族和阶级等社会因素限制的。文章最后提到，未来的天才来自那些具有智慧、创造力、毅力和简单好运的人，他们能够改变世界。因此，最佳标题应该是“天才有多种形式”。
