For the past several years, the Sunday newspaper supplement Parade has featured a column called “Ask Marilyn.” People are invited to query Marilyn vos Savant, who at age 10 had tested at a mental level of someone about 23 years old; that gave her an IQ of 228 —— the highest score ever recorded. IQ tests ask you to complete verbal and visual analogies, to envision paper after it has been folded and cut, and to deduce numerical sequences, among other similar tasks. So it is a bit confusing when vos Savant fields such queries from the average Joe (whose IQ is 100) as, What’s the difference between love and fondness? Or what is the nature of luck and coincidence? It’s not obvious how the capacity to visualize objects and to figure out numerical patterns suits one to answer questions that have eluded some of the best poets and philosophers.

近几年来，《星期日报》的增刊《漫步》开设了一个名为“询问Marilyn”的专栏，邀请人们向Marilyn vos Savant提问。Marilyn vos Savant在10岁时测定的智力水平达到普通人23岁时的水平，这使得她的智商高达228——是有记录的智商测试最高水平。智商测试要求你完成一些文字和图像的类比分析，要求你在纸张被折叠和剪切后想象它的形状，要求你推论数字的顺序，还有其他类似的项目。所以，当vos Savant被普通人Joe（智商为100）问及像“爱与喜欢之间的区别是什么？”或者“运气与巧合的本质特征是什么？”这样的问题时，人们感到有点困惑。一个人具备物体空间想象力和计算数字模式的能力，不见得就能够回答连一些最优秀的诗人和哲学家都无法理解的问题。

Clearly, intelligence encompasses more than a score on a test. Just what does it mean to be smart? How much of intelligence can be specified, and how much can we learn about it from neurology, genetics, computer science and other fields?

毫无疑问，智力包含的不仅仅是一次测试所得的分数。而聪明究竟意味着什么？智力中有多少能够说明白？我们能够从神经学、遗传学、计算机科学以及其他领域对智力的了解又有多少？

The defining term of intelligence in humans still seems to be the IQ score, even though IQ tests are not given as often as they used to be. The test comes primarily in two forms: the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales (both come in adult and children’s version). Generally costing several hundred dollars, they are usually given only by psychologists, although variations of them populate bookstores and the World Wide Web. Superhigh scores like vos Savant’s are no longer possible, because scoring is now based on a statistical population distribution among age peers, rather than simply dividing the mental age by the chronological age and multiplying by 100. Other standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), capture the main aspects of IQ tests.

人类有关智力的定义性术语似乎仍然是智商分数，即使人们并不像以前那样经常进行智商测试。智商测试主要有为两种形式：Stanford-Binet智力量表和Wechsler智力量表（两种都包含成人和儿童两个版本）。尽管这两种测试的各种变种在书店和互联网上都可以找到，但是一般情况下智力测验通常由心理学家来操作，费用为几百美元。像vos Savant那样的超高分现在再也不可能了，因为现在的分数依据的是相同年龄者的统计人口分布，而不是简单地把智力年龄除以实际年龄再乘以100。其他一些标准化测试，比如学术水平测试考试（SAT）以及研究生入学考试（GRE），也包含了智商测试的主要内容。

Such standardized tests may not assess all the important elements necessary to succeed in school and in life, argues Robert J. Sternberg. In his article “How Intelligent Is Intelligence Testing?”, Sternberg notes that traditional test best assess analytical and verbal skills but fail to measure creativity and practical knowledge, components also critical to problem solving and life success. Moreover, IQ tests do not necessarily predict so well once populations or situations change. Research has found that IQ predicted leadership skills when the tests were given under low-stress conditions, but under high-stress conditions, IQ was negatively correlated with leadership – that is, it predicted the opposite. Anyone who has toiled through SAT will testify that test-taking skill also matters, whether it’s knowing when to guess or what questions to skip.

Robert J. Sternberg认为，这样的标准测试不可能评估在学校和生活中取得成功所需的所有重要因素。在其名为《智力测试如何明智？》的文章中，Sternberg指出，传统测试非常准确地评估了分析能力和语言表达能力，但没有测量创造性和实践知识，这些也是解决问题和取得人生成功的关键因素。而且，一旦人口或环境发生变化，智商测试就未必能够准确预测。研究发现，如果在压力较小的状况下进行智商测试，那么这种测试就可以预测出领导才能，但是，在压力很高的状况下，智商测试所得的结果与领导才能是负相关的，也就是说，预测的结果与实际是相反的。任何经历过SAT（学术水平测试考试）的人都会认为，应试能力也很重要，比如何时应该猜测，或者什么问题应该忽略等。

26. Which of the following may be required in an intelligence test?
[A] Answering philosophical questions.

[B] Folding or cutting paper into different shapes.

[C] Telling the differences between certain concepts.

[D] Choosing words or graphs similar to the given ones.

下列的哪一项在智商测试中有所要求？

[A] 回答哲学问题

[B] 把纸折成或剪成不同的形状

[C] 区别一些概念之间不同

[D] 根据给定的词汇或者图像选择相似的词汇或图像。

27. What can be inferred about intelligence testing from Paragraph 3?
[A] People no longer use IQ scores as an indicator of intelligence.
[B] More versions of IQ tests are now available on the Internet.
[C] The test contents and formats for adults and children may be different.
[D] Scientists have defined the important elements of human intelligence.

从第三段中，我们可以推断关于智商测试的哪一项情况？

[A] 人们不再用智商分数来作为智力的指标

[B] 更多版本的智商测试现在可以从互联网上得到

[C] 成人和儿童的测试内容和形式可能是不同的

[D] 科学家们已经定义了人类智力的重要因素

28. People nowadays can no longer achieve IQ scores as high as vos Savant's because
[A] the scores are obtained through different computational procedures.
[B] creativity rather than analytical skills is emphasized now.
[C] vos Savant's case is an extreme one that will not repeat.
[D] the defining characteristic of IQ tests has changed.

现在的人们不再可能取得vos Savant那么高的智商分数是因为

[A] 现在使用不同的计算程序计分

[B] 现在更加强调创造力而不是分析能力

[C] vos Savant的例子只是一个不会再出现的极端情况

[D] 智商测试的定义性特征发生了变化

29. We can conclude from the last paragraph that
[A] test scores may not be reliable indicators of one’s ability.
[B] IQ scores and SAT results are highly correlated.
[C] testing involves a lot of guesswork.
[D] traditional tests are out of date.

我们可以从最后一段总结出

[A] 测试分数可能无法可靠地证明一个人能力

[B] 智商分数与SAT的结果高度相关

[C] 测试中包括了很多猜题的工作

[D] 传统的测试已经过时

30. What is the author's attitude towards IQ tests?

[A]Supportive                                              [B]Skeptical.       

[C]Impartial                                               [D]Biased

作者对于智商测试的态度是怎样的？

[A] 支持的                                                 [B] 质疑的

[C] 客观的                                                 [D] 有偏见的