异类之不一样的成功启示录 第159期:数学能力高低的因素

 　　That's how we think about math.We assume that being good at things like calculus¹ and algebra² is a simple function of how smart you are.

　　也揭示了我们对数学的看法。我们假设，依据微积分和代数成绩就可以辨别一个人是否足够聪明。

　　But looking at the differences in number systems between east and west suggests something very different that being good at math may also be something rooted in a group's culture.

　　但中西方在数学体系上的不同也揭示了其他方面的不同，或许在数学上的卓越能力是源于其所处群体的文化。

　　In the case of the Koreans, one kind of deeply rooted legacy³ stood in the way of the very modern task of flying an airplane.

　　历史沿袭下来的文化礼节是造成韩国飞机失事的重要因素

　　Here we have another kind of legacy, one that turns out to be perfectly⁴ suited for twenty-first-century tasks.

　　当然，也有一些社会历史文化传统为实现21世纪的社会大业推波助澜。

　　Cultural legacies⁵ matter, and once you've seen the surprising effect of things like power distance, and numbers that can be said in a quarter as opposed to a third of a second,

　　正如我们在以上事例中看到的那样，文化传承的重要性，体现为权力距离指数上的重要差别，这种差别不仅是三维度或者两个维度，而是四个维度上的差别，

　　it's hard not to wonder how many other cultural legacies are there that have an impact on twenty-first-century intellectual tasks.

　　我们不能理解，还有很多社会历史传统会对21世纪的科研任务有所影响。

　　What if coming from a culture shapes by the demands of growing rice also makes you better at math?

　　是不是在一种以粮食为主导的文化背景下，你的数学能力就一定会很好？

　　Could the rice paddy make a difference in the classroom?

　　稻田是否会对课堂上的成绩产生影响？

　　The most striking fact about rice paddy, which you never quite grasp until you actually stand in the middle of one, is its size.It's tiny.

　　如果你想了解水稻，你就一定要了解一下它的面积。水稻的面积小到让人意想不到，

　　A mu, which roughly corresponds to the size of a typical rice paddy, is one fifteenth of a hectare.That's about as big as a hotel room.

　　如果你不是亲自站在田里，你不会想到一亩地也就是酒店里一间房间的大小，只有一公顷的十五分之一。

　　A typical Asian rice farm is two or three mu.

　　一名亚洲的农民一般也就能耕种2～3亩地，

　　A village in China of 1,500 people might support itself entirely⁶ with 450 acres of land, which in the American Midwest would be a size of a typical family farm.

　　如果有一块450英亩的土地，在中国，这需要村子里的1500人去耕种。但是如果在美国中西部，这只是一家农民耕种的面积。

　　At that scale, with families of five and six people, living off a farm the size of two hotel rooms, agriculture changes dramatically.

　　按照这样的比例，通常，一个农民家庭中的五六个人就依靠着两个酒店房间大小的土地来谋生。

　　Historically, western agriculture has been "mechanically" oriented.

　　农业的差别非常大，从历史的角度看，西方农业是属于“机械化作业”。

　　In the west, if the farmer wanted to be more and more efficient or increase his yield, he introduced more and more sophisticated equipment,

　　在西方，如果一个农民想变得更有效率并且能够增加产量，他就必须要引进更多精密的农业设备，

　　which allowed him to replace human labor⁷ with mechanical labor: a threshing machine, a hay baler, a combine harvester, a tractor.

　　如打谷机、稻草打捆机、混合收割机、拖拉机，这样他就可以用机械操作代替更多的人力，从而开发更多的土地并且增加耕种面积。

1 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

2 algebra   

n.代数学

参考例句：

• He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。
• The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。