Genes influence your intelligence and willingness to take risks. Social dynamics unconsciously shape your choices. Instantaneous (瞬间的) perceptions set off neutral reactions in your head without you even being aware of them. Over the past few years, scientists have made a series of exciting discoveries about how these deep patterns influence daily life. Nobody has done more to bring these discoveries to public attention than Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell’s new book Outliers seems at first glance to be a description of exceptionally talented individuals. But in fact, it’s another book about deep patterns. Exceptionally successful people are not lone pioneers who created their own success, he argues. They are the lucky beneficiaries of social arrangements. Gladwell’s noncontroversial claim is that some people have more opportunities than others. Bill Gates was lucky to go to a great private school with its own computer at the dawn of the information revolution. Gladwell’s book is being received by reviewers as a call to action for the Obama Age. It could lead policy makers to finally reject policies built on the assumption that people are coldly rational profit-maximising individuals. It could cause them to focus more on policies that foster relationships, social bonds and cultures of achievement. Yet, I can’t help but feel that Gladwell and others who share his emphasis are preoccupied with the coolness of the discoveries. They’ve lost sight of the point at which the influence of social forces ends and the influence of the self-initiating individual begins. Most successful people begin with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so. They were often showered by good fortunes, but relied at crucial moments upon achievements of individual will. These people also have an extraordinary ability to consciously focus their attention. Control of attention is the ultimate individual power. People who can do that are not prisoners of the stimuli around them. They can choose from the patterns in the world and lengthen their time horizons. Gladwell’s social determinism overlooks the importance of individual character and individual creativity. And it doesn’t fully explain the genuine greatness of humanity’s talents. As the classical philosophers understood, examples of individual greatness inspire achievement more reliably than any other form of education. 1 According to the author, Gladwell’s new book Outliers is mainly ____ . A to explain why Bill Gates is much luckier than others B a descriptive study of exceptionally talented individuals C about the importance of social arrangements to personal success D to discuss why some people have more opportunities than others 2 What do we learn about Gladwell’s book from the fifth paragraph? A It has received severe criticisms. B It has become quite influential in the US. C It is beginning to influence Obama’s policies. D It assumes that people just pursue maximum profits. 3 What is the most fundamental individual power according to the passage? A A strong belief in success. B Remarkable ability to focus attention. C A very charming personality. D Extraordinary ability to create. 4 What do we learn from the last paragraph? A One’s success is more closely related to individual character and creativity. B Individual greatness is mainly determined by genes and good education. C Good luck is indispensable if people want to achieve extraordinary success. D The influence of social forces has been underestimated before Malcolm Gladwell, 5 This passage is probably a ____ . A book report B political essay C news report D book review

All day long, you are affected by large forces. Genes influence your intelligence and willingness to take risks. Social dynamics unconsciously shape your choices. Instantaneous (瞬间的) perceptions set off neutral reactions in your head without you even being aware of them.
Over the past few years, scientists have made a series of exciting discoveries about how these deep patterns influence daily life. Nobody has done more to bring these discoveries to public attention than Malcolm Gladwell.
Gladwell’s new book Outliers seems at first glance to be a description of exceptionally talented individuals. But in fact, it’s another book about deep patterns. Exceptionally successful people are not lone pioneers who created their own success, he argues. They are the lucky beneficiaries of social arrangements.
Gladwell’s noncontroversial claim is that some people have more opportunities than others. Bill Gates was lucky to go to a great private school with its own computer at the dawn of the information revolution.
Gladwell’s book is being received by reviewers as a call to action for the Obama Age. It could lead policy makers to finally reject policies built on the assumption that people are coldly rational profit-maximising individuals. It could cause them to focus more on policies that foster relationships, social bonds and cultures of achievement.
Yet, I can’t help but feel that Gladwell and others who share his emphasis are preoccupied with the coolness of the discoveries. They’ve lost sight of the point at which the influence of social forces ends and the influence of the self-initiating individual begins.
Most successful people begin with two beliefs: the future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so. They were often showered by good fortunes, but relied at crucial moments upon achievements of individual will. These people also have an extraordinary ability to consciously focus their attention. Control of attention is the ultimate individual power. People who can do that are not prisoners of the stimuli around them. They can choose from the patterns in the world and lengthen their time horizons.
Gladwell’s social determinism overlooks the importance of individual character and individual creativity. And it doesn’t fully explain the genuine greatness of humanity’s talents. As the classical philosophers understood, examples of individual greatness inspire achievement more reliably than any other form of education.
1 According to the author, Gladwell’s new book Outliers is mainly ____ .
A to explain why Bill Gates is much luckier than others
B a descriptive study of exceptionally talented individuals
C about the importance of social arrangements to personal success
D to discuss why some people have more opportunities than others
2 What do we learn about Gladwell’s book from the fifth paragraph?
A It has received severe criticisms.
B It has become quite influential in the US.
C It is beginning to influence Obama’s policies.
D It assumes that people just pursue maximum profits.
3 What is the most fundamental individual power according to the passage?
A A strong belief in success.
B Remarkable ability to focus attention.
C A very charming personality.
D Extraordinary ability to create.
4 What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A One’s success is more closely related to individual character and creativity.
B Individual greatness is mainly determined by genes and good education.
C Good luck is indispensable if people want to achieve extraordinary success.
D The influence of social forces has been underestimated before Malcolm Gladwell,
5 This passage is probably a ____ .
A book report
B political essay
C news report
D book review