《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词4500》68 How "Average" People Excel

　　Unit 68
How "Average" People Excel
Why do ordinary individuals often seem to achieve more than those talented fast-trackers, who tend to plateau after initial eye-catching achievements. To find out, I interviewed over 190 men and women in my work as a corporate¹ consultant². I determined³ tat "average" people who excel:
Learn self-discipline. You don't need talent to succeed. All you need is a big pot of glue. You smear⁴ some on your chair and some on the seats of your pants, you sit down, and stick with every project until you've done the best you can do. Average achievers stay glued to their chairs and postpone⁵ pleasure so they can reap future dividends⁶. Many fast-trackers, on the other hand, expect too much too soon. When rewards don't materialize instantly, they may become frustrated⁷ and unhappy. According to Dr. Vailant, a psychiatrist⁸, average achievers have a crucial mental habit -- the capacity to postpone -- but not give up -- gratification.
Bring out the best in people. Many fast-trackers couldn't tolerate getting help from others or sharing success, often because of an overpowering ego⁹. Collaboration¹⁰ is the key, and one of the best collaborators I've met is Marilyn, who supervises 10 people for the Los Angeles County Bar Association. "Many of them are more intelligent than I am," she says, "I'm there to manage their conflicts and motivate them to do well."
Build a knowledge base. Average achievers are not looking at the top job, as many fast-trackers tend to do -- but at the job one step above. So they often broaden their knowledge base in a way many fast-trackers don't.
Develop special skills. There are at least 7 basic intellectual skills: mathematical, logical, linguistic¹¹, musical, spatial¹², bodily kinesthetic and two types of personal intelligence -- how we understand others, and how we deal with our own dreams, fears and frustrations¹³. So while you may not be good at math, you may have an aptitude¹⁴ for design; or you may have an ability for persuading people.
Bounce back from defeat. Sylvia did okay in school, but nothing outstanding. At 42, she joined Revlon as a senior director of marketing¹⁵. But after only months, she was let go as part of a cutback. A month later, a publishing friend asked for advice on selling advertising¹⁶ to the beauty industry. Two years later, working out of her apartment, Sylvia is now supplying that advice to major clients at roughly the same income she earned at Revlon. She likes being her own boss. "Getting laid off forces you to be creative," she says. "It lights a fire under you."
Ultimately, there is nothing more powerful than a person with an average mind who holds his/her head high and goes about life with zest¹⁷ and surety. President Abraham Lincoln could have been destroyed by his seeing ordinariness. He came from a poor background and had ungainly appearance. Instead, he went on to greatness -- while giving new meaning and dignity to what the world considered "average".

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 smear   

v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑

参考例句：

• He has been spreading false stories in an attempt to smear us.他一直在散布谎言企图诽谤我们。
• There's a smear on your shirt.你衬衫上有个污点。

5 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

6 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

7 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

9 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

10 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

11 linguistic   

adj.语言的，语言学的

参考例句：

• She is pursuing her linguistic researches.她在从事语言学的研究。
• The ability to write is a supreme test of linguistic competence.写作能力是对语言能力的最高形式的测试。

12 spatial   

adj.空间的，占据空间的

参考例句：

• This part of brain judges the spatial relationship between objects.大脑的这部分判断物体间的空间关系。
• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。

13 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

14 aptitude   

n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资

参考例句：

• That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。
• As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。

15 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

16 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

17 zest   

n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣

参考例句：

• He dived into his new job with great zest.他充满热情地投入了新的工作。
• He wrote his novel about his trip to Asia with zest.他兴趣浓厚的写了一本关于他亚洲之行的小说。