Learn English with American Primary School Textbooks

Chapter 12 Social Life (12)
Though the peak in most fields comes early—most Nobel prizewinners did their top research in their late 20's and 30's—creative people continue to produce quality work throughout their lives. For the “well-conditioned mind”, there is no upper limit.
Vocabulary
patterns ["p?t?nz] n. pattern (plural form of pattern);

v. to imitate, to decorate with patterns
peak [pi:k] n. vertex, mountain peak, highest point, visor;
vt. to bring to the highest point
possess [p? "zes] vt. hold, control, fascinate, make mastery
maturity [m? "tju?riti] n. Mature, mature, complete
quotient ["kw?u??nt] n. [number] quotient, coefficient, share

Symphony ["simf? ni] n. Symphony, harmony, harmony

Practice
1. When are you smartest?

2. When are you happiest?

3. When are you most creative?

Translation
There seems to be no predictable pattern to life's ups and downs, but scientists are now discovering that there are some patterns that are fairly clear, and that applies to the vast majority of people.Even if you've had some of your best times, you'll still have several others in the future.Some of the best times seem to come later in life.

When are you smartest?Based on your IQ score, you are at your smartest from the age of 15 to 25.However, as you grow older, you gain more wisdom and experience.

20多岁的时候你的思维最敏捷。30岁左右，记忆力开始衰退，尤其是你的数学计算能力。然而你做其他事情的智商提高了。例如45岁时你的词汇量是你刚从大学毕业时的3倍，60岁时你大脑中储存的信息几乎是你21岁时的4倍。

This ebb and flow between acuity and intelligence has led psychologists to propose the concept of a "maturity quotient" in adults.

When do you feel your best about yourself? Your body feels best between the ages of 15 and 24; your career feels best between the ages of 40 and 49.

Before the age of 24, we believe that our happiest days are yet to come; after 30, we believe that our happiest days are over.A national health survey revealed the same result: After the age of 30, we become more practical and do not see happiness as a goal in life itself.We think that as long as we stay healthy, professionally, emotionally, then we feel that happiness will follow.

When are you most creative?Generally between 30 and 39 years old.But different occupations have different peak periods.

莫扎特8岁时就创作了一部交响曲、4首奏鸣曲；门德尔松17岁就完成了他的最著名的作品《仲夏夜之梦》，但是大部分伟大的音乐作品都是人们在33岁至39岁之间创作出来的。

While the best in most fields comes earlier—most Nobel laureates do their best research in their 25s and 30s—creative people will constantly Get quality work done.There is no upper limit to a "healthy brain".

1. Your will have higher I． Q． scores from 18-25．

2. You have the best physical sense of yourself from 15 to 24; the best professional sense from 40 to 49.

3. Generally between 30 and 39, but the peak varies with different professions.

16 Television Is Doing Irreparable Harm

"Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?" How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theaters, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the 'goggle box'. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do-anything, providing it doesn't interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of t he family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.
Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn't matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadness and violence—so long as they are quiet.
Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a spleen did medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surrounding, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.
Vocabulary
occasionally [? "kei??n?li, ?u-] adv. Occasionally, occasionally
goggle ["ɡ?ɡl] vi. Turn the eyeballs and stare;

n. goggles, goggles, open eyes

Leisurely ["le??li] adj. leisurely, leisurely;
adv. leisurely, leisurely

interfere["int?"fi? ] vi. Interfere, disturb, hinder;

vt. conflict, intervene

pacifier ["p? sifai?] n. mediator, pacifier, pacifier
rubbishy ["r? bi? i] adj. crumbs, tattered, useless

spleen [spli:n] n. spleen, bad temper, anger
irrelevant [i"rel? v? nt] adj. irrelevant, irrelevant

Tyranny ["tir? ni] n. Tyranny, tyranny, harsh
Practice
What role does the television play in your life? What is your opinion about it?

Translation
"That's true. But what did we usually do before television?" How familiar this sentiment is to us!We haven't had television for that long, but we've begun to forget what the world was like without it.We never found it difficult to fill our spare time until we invited this one-eyed monster into our home.At that time, we enjoyed all kinds of elegant pleasures.For example, we've had hobbies, we've entertained friends at home or at their houses, we've gone to theaters, movie theaters, restaurants, and sports venues for entertainment.We used to read books, listen to music and radio chat shows all the time.All of this is a thing of the past.Now, all of our leisure time is dominated by television.We rush home, wolfing down our meals, just to catch this or that TV show.We have even given up the habit of sitting around the dinner table and talking about what we have seen and heard during the day while enjoying a leisurely dinner.Anything, as long as it doesn't interfere with watching TV; a sandwich, a beer will suffice.This monster demands absolute quiet and concentration, and it gets it.If a family member dares to talk while watching a TV show, everyone will immediately tell him to shut up.

Entire generations have grown up with a fascination with television.They don't eat, they don't do their homework, and they don't sleep much.Television has become the universal placebo.Putting the baby down in the living room and turning on the TV is now a common practice among moms.It doesn't matter if the kids see boring commercials or scenes of sexual abuse or violence, as long as they're left alone.

Television also encourages passive entertainment.We are increasingly content with indirect experience.How nice it is to sit in an armchair and watch other people work!Gradually, television cuts off our real connection with the outside world.We have become so lazy that we would rather stay in a semi-dark room with the TV in our arms on a sunny day than go out into the real world.Perhaps television is indeed a wonderful communication medium, but it prevents us from communicating with each other.It is only when we go on a vacation by the sea or in the mountains far from human civilization that we realize how irrelevant television and real life are.In the serenity of nature, we soon discover that we don't miss the hypnotic tyranny of "TV King".

Exercise
What role does television play in your life?Tell me what you think about it.

(End of this chapter)