Unit 3

T Personality Development

This text is taken and adapted from Creative Living, 6th edition. Glencoe / McGraw-Hill. 1997.

close1RT People come in all shapes and sizes. They also come with distinctive personalities. The combination of characteristics that makes you different from every other person is your personality.

個性的培養(yǎng)

人有高矮胖瘦，個性也各不相同。你的個性就是你與其他人不同之處的綜合特征。close2RT One's personality can be summed up in a word. People might say that Harry is shy; Tasha is aggressive; and Shannon is outgoing. Actually, personalities are more complex than this. A closer look at personalities will show you why they are not so simple, and you will also discover that your personality can be shaped if you make the effort.

一個人的個性可以用一個詞語來描述。人們可以說，哈里性格害羞內(nèi)向；塔莎則爭強好勝；而香農(nóng)則友好外向。實際上，人的性格遠比這些詞語的描述復雜得多。仔細觀察一下人們的性格，你便會注意到人的個性并不是那么簡單，你也會發(fā)現(xiàn)只要付出努力，你就有可能改變你的個性。close3RT A person's personality is composed of many elements. These elements, in general, fall into three categories—emotional, social, and intellectual.

人的個性由許多元素組成。一般來說，這些元素可分成三類：情感元素、社交元素和智能元素。close4RT Every person feels the same basic emotions, such as fear, happiness, anxiety and pain, yet each responds to them individually. When Kara's grandmother died, for example, her sorrow was expressed through tears. Another person might show the same kind of sorrow in a quiet, reflective way. Similarly, when you hear a piece of good news, you may jump up with joy and may immediately decide to throw a party for your classmates and friends to share your happiness and joy; another person may just keep the good news to himself or herself and just enjoy the happiness secretly. As you observe how people handle their emotions, you start to form a picture of this part of their personality.

雖然每個人都會感受到一些同樣的基本情感，譬如恐懼、幸福、憂慮和痛苦，但每個人對這些情感的反應都不一樣。例如當卡拉的祖母去世時，她以哭泣表達她的哀痛；另一個人卻可能以靜默、思考的方式寄托哀思。同樣，聽到一個好消息時，你也許會高興得跳起來，立刻決定舉辦一個聚會，與同學和朋友分享你的幸福和喜悅；另一個人則可能不和別人分享這個消息，只是獨自品味快樂。當你觀察一個人怎么處理他的情感時，你將會對他在這一方面的個性有所了解。close5RT People are also different in how they relate to others. This reveals the social side of their personality, and there are plenty of variations. Some people prefer the company of others rather than being alone. We say they are sociable. Others are just the opposite. Most people want some combination of the two.

人們也以不同的方式與他人交往，表現(xiàn)出他們各不相同的社交方面的個性。有些人比較喜歡與人為伴而不喜歡獨處，我們說他們是社交型的；還有些人則正好相反；大多數(shù)人都希望自己的性格是二者的綜合。close6RT Intellectual traits are the third part of personality. These qualities are influenced by the mind and how it works. One person may prefer spending his spare time in deep thought. Another may be more creative. Jake, for example, often has people in his class laughing. He sees humor in almost everything and is able to express it in entertaining ways.

智力特征是個性的第三元素，這些特征受大腦及其運作方式的影響。有的人也許喜歡在空余時間獨自沉思，另一些人也許比較有創(chuàng)造性。例如杰克，他時常開玩笑使全班同學開懷大笑，他能看到每一件事有趣的一面并以幽默的方式表達出來。close7RT The emotional, social, and intellectual traits of personality become apparent to others through behavior. Usually you need to get to know a person well enough before you can discover the full depth of that person's personality.

人們的情感、社交和智力的個性特征通過行為明顯地表達出來，通常你得先深入地了解一個人后才能發(fā)現(xiàn)他的性格特征。close8RT When you start thinking about what you are like, you may start wondering why you are that way. Explaining why personalities develop as they do is not easy. That is because two influences are at work: heredity and environment. And no one really knows which one has the greater effect. In fact, the combination of these influences may not be the same for every person.

當你開始考慮自己的性格時，你也許會對自己的行為疑惑不解。解釋人的個性是如何發(fā)展的顯然并非易事，那是因為遺傳因素和環(huán)境因素同時在起作用，但是卻沒人真正地知道哪種因素對個性的形成作用更大。其實，遺傳和環(huán)境這兩種因素的組合對每個人的影響都不同。close9RT Heredity is one influence on personality. Heredity is the set of characteristics that you inherit from your parents and ancestors. "He's just like his father," Mrs. Miller always says about her son Todd, now 17. Since Todd's father died when the boy was only a year old, heredity explains the resemblances, for evidently, Todd has had no opportunity to learn these traits from his father.

遺傳是對個性的一個影響因素。遺傳是指我們從父母和祖先繼承的性格。"他太像他的父親了。"米勒夫人描述十七歲的兒子托德時這么說。父親去世時托德才一歲，所以這種性格相似只能歸因于遺傳，因為托德顯然沒有機會從他的父親那里學到這些特征。close10RT Other aspects of personality are shaped by what goes on around a person. Environment — the circumstances, objects, and conditions that surround people — also has an impact on personality. This influence is very strong and very complicated. Home life, for example, affects children's personalities as they grow. People who feel loved and secure are likely to develop more positive personality traits than those who are troubled as they grow up. That is why divorce is a harmful social practice that often exerts a negative effect on the growth of young children.

性格的其他特征受到周圍環(huán)境的影響。環(huán)境因素是指我們周圍的境況、物體和我們生存的條件，這些因素對個性也有影響，而且這些因素對性格的影響很大而且非常復雜。例如家庭生活環(huán)境會影響兒童的個性成長，成長在被愛和有安全感家庭環(huán)境中的兒童往往比那些在煩惱的環(huán)境中成長的兒童有較積極的性格。這也就是為什么婚姻破裂的家庭會對兒童的成長產(chǎn)生負面的影響。close11RT Personalities make people interesting. How boring it would be if everyone had the same personality. On the other hand, some personalities are more pleasing than others. What about you? Are you satisfied with your personality? Or is there something—even a small quality—that you would like to change? Most people have at least some personality adjustments they would like to make.

個性的差異令人們多姿多彩。一個千人一面的世界該是多么枯燥??！另一方面，有些個性比其他的個性更招人喜歡。你怎么樣？你滿意你自己的個性嗎？你是否想改變自己的某些性格？多數(shù)人都會有一些他們想改善或改變的性格。close12RT Adolescence is a time for personality development, and personality is developing right along with everything else. For young university students, shaping your personality as you want it to be may be easier now than later, for you are changing while you are learning. Think about the personality traits that you admire. Just as an athlete builds skills, you can build the personality you want to have, but only if you are determined to do so.

青少年期是性格形成期，性格伴隨著其他的一切在發(fā)展。身為年輕的大學生，在這時期塑造你的個性也許會比以后更加容易，因為你是一邊在學習一邊改變自己。想一想你欣賞哪些性格。正如運動員培養(yǎng)技能一樣，你也能建立你想要有的個性，但一定要有決心才行。closePlay the AudioCopyright ? 2008 Shanghai Foreign Language Education PressPrev Next Script Keys Check

2

Test Your Personality

This text is adapted from High Flyer – Upper Intermediate Advanced English by Ana Aceredo et al. Longman.

close1RT Here are eight colors: red, yellow, green, violet, brown, grey, blue, and black. Which one is your favorite color?

分析你的個性

紅、黃、綠、紫、棕、灰、藍和黑這八種顏色，你最喜歡的是哪種？close2RT It is believed by many that our preference for some specific colors may be closely related to what kind of people we are. Well, it may not be totally scientific, but the colors we like do to some extent reflect our personality. Read the following and you may find out some things about yourself that you did not know before.

許多人都相信我們喜愛的顏色與我們是什么樣的人也許有著緊密的關系。雖然沒有完全的科學根據(jù)，但是我們喜歡的顏色在某些程度上反映了我們的個性。閱讀以下文字，你可能會對自己的性格特征有一些新的認識。close3RT A: Red

Red represents passion and energy. Of the eight colors, if red is your first choice, it means you are impulsive (易沖動的), sexy and have a will to win. You are a good leader. You want to expand your horizons and make the best of your life. When red falls back to your seventh or last choice, it means your desire for life and thirst for adventure have become less.

A: 紅色

紅色代表激情與活力。八種顏色之中，如果紅色排在第一位，這意味著你較沖動、性感并且好勝。你是一位好領袖，你想要擴展你的天空，充實地度過一生。如果紅色是你第七個或最后一個選擇，它代表你對生活的欲望和對冒險的渴求較少。

close4RT B: Yellow

Yellow represents happiness and relaxation (消遣，娛樂). Anyone who takes yellow as their second, third or fourth choice is a positive, optimistic person, who always looks to the future — never backward. You find life easy, and problems simply do not exist for you. Free from worry, you lead a carefree (無憂無慮的) life; but this does not mean that you are lazy. You can be extremely hardworking, although not consistently (一貫地；一致地). Yellow as your first choice means that you are ambitious and eager to please. When yellow is one of your last few choices you have had your hopes and dreams destroyed and you feel isolated and disappointed, often becoming defensive and withdrawn (退縮的，內(nèi)向的).

B: 黃色

黃色代表快樂、放松。把黃色列為第二、第三或第四的人是個積極、樂觀并向前看的人——從不向后看。你會發(fā)現(xiàn)生活輕松，并且沒有煩惱，你無憂無慮、自由自在，但這不意味著你是懶惰的。你可能極勤勉，雖然不一定總是如此。黃色作為你的第一個選擇，意味著你雄心勃勃，渴望取悅他人。如果黃色排在最后幾位，那你所擁有的希望和夢想已經(jīng)破滅，你感覺被隔絕和失望，往往變得戒心很重，不愿與人交往。

close5RT C: Green

Green represents firmness and resistance to change. If your primary choice is green, you are persistent, possessive and quite selfish. You are a high-achiever and an accumulator (聚財者) of "things" — like a BMW, a Rolex, or a holiday flat. You want others to know how good you are and you feel the need to impress others, at the same time you are also worried that your ego (自我，自尊) might be bruised (使受傷; 被傷害) by the resistance to your progress. Consequently you can be highly critical, sarcastic (諷刺的，嘲笑的) and stubborn.

C: 綠色

綠色代表堅決和反對變化。如果你的主要選擇是綠色，那么你是個堅持到底、占有欲強和比較自私的人。你會很成功，喜歡斂集"財物"，如寶馬車、勞力士手表或者假日公寓。你要其他人知道你有多么出色，你需要其他人對你的好評，但同時也會擔心被他人的評論和批評傷害自尊心。結(jié)果你可能變得太吹毛求疵、尖酸刻薄與頑固不化。

close6RT D: Violet

A mixture of red and blue, violet represents a conflict between impulsiveness and calm sensitivity, dominance and submissiveness (溫順，服從). The person who prefers violet wants to find a mystical, magical relationship. Both mentally and physically immature, you are stuck in a dream world of wishful (如意的；癡心的) thinking and fantasy (幻想，想象). Often violet is chosen by adolescents who still see the world through fairy-tale eyes. When violet is one of your less preferred colors, it indicates that the person choosing it is more mature and has outgrown the "fantasy" vision of life,confronting harsh reality head-on (正面地；迎面地).

D: 紫色

紫色是紅色和藍色的混合。它代表沖動與冷靜的敏感、占有欲和順從之間的沖突。喜歡紫色者想要一段神秘、奇幻般的情感。心理上和生理上都不成熟的你，常沉迷于異想天開和夢幻的世界里。喜歡紫色的往往是青少年，他們?nèi)匀挥猛挵愕难酃饪创@個世界。如果紫色不是你喜歡的顏色，它表示你已較為成熟，并且已經(jīng)走出了“夢幻世界”，可以面對嚴酷的現(xiàn)實了。

close7RT E: Brown

Brown is the color of physical well-being and is a way you tell yourself how good your health is. If you take brown as your fourth or fifth choice you are not very concerned about your health and body. This means that you are probably in good shape. Those who are worried about illness very often opt for brown. If you choose brown as your favorite color, you are restless and insecure. But when brown is your last choice of the eight colors, you don't care enough for your body: you may not be as healthy as you think.

E: 褐色

褐色象征身體健康，它告訴你自己的健康狀況。如果褐色排在第四或第五，那你不太關心你的健康和身體。這表示你的健康大概是蠻好的。那些經(jīng)常擔心生病者往往選擇褐色。如果褐色是你最喜愛的顏色，那么你不安定，缺乏安全感。但如果褐色是八種顏色之中排在最后，那你對自己身體健康照顧得不夠好；你可能不是你想象中的那么健康。

close8RT F: Grey

Grey is a neutral and represents a point between two contrasting and conflicting motivations. Grey as your first choice means that you want to shut yourself off from everything and remain uncommitted (不予承諾的), so that you can swing with opinion and emotions. You hate joining anything with "group" connotations (內(nèi)涵) and are an observer rather than a doer. Those who choose grey last seek to join in with everything eagerly and enthusiastically. Such people will try absolutely everything in their efforts to achieve their goals.

F: 灰色

灰色是中性色，代表兩個動機相對和對比的焦點。灰色排在第一位意味著你想要逃避一切事物，不想負責任，只想在各種觀點與感情之間搖擺不定。你不喜歡加入任何團體組織，是個觀察員而不是個實干家。那些把灰色作為最后一個選擇的人，渴望并積極地尋求和參與一切活動。這些人會全心全意地嘗試一切，努力實現(xiàn)自己的目標。

close9RT G: Blue

Blue represents calmness and loyalty. If blue is your favorite color, you are a sensitive person and can be easily hurt. You never panic and are in total control of your life and content with the way it is going. You desire to lead an uncomplicated and worry-free life and are prepared to sacrifice certain goals in order to achieve this. You need a stable relationship without conflict. The less you are fond of blue, the more unsatisfied you are and the more you feel the need to break away from the ties that restrict you. But you probably won't leave your family or your job; instead, you will suffer in silence.

G: 藍色

藍色代表平靜和忠誠。如果藍色是你喜愛的顏色，那么你是一個敏感的人，可能容易受傷害。你從不恐慌，對自己人生控制自如并滿意你的生活。你渴望過著不復雜、無憂無慮的生活，而且為了達到這種生活會準備犧牲某些目標。你需要一個穩(wěn)定的、和諧的情感關系。藍色排位越靠后，就越表明你對生活不滿意，也越想擺脫限制你的種種約束。但你大概不會放棄你的家庭或你的工作，而只會默默地承受痛苦。

close10RT H: Black

Black is the negation of color and means "No". Anyone who takes it as their first choice (which is rare) is in revolt (造反，起義) against their fate. Chosen second, it means you are prepared to give up everything else to achieve what you want. It normally comes as the seventh or eighth choice, representing control of one's destiny (命運) and a balanced outlook (看法，觀點). When yellow and black are your first two choices with the former preceding (先于…[發(fā)生]，位于…之前) the latter, then a change is on the way.

H: 黑色

黑色是否定的顏色，意思是"不"。任何把黑色當作第一選擇的人（這樣的人很少），將會反叛生命對他們的安排。如果黑色排在第二位，它意味著你準備放棄一切達到你想要得到的目標。黑色一般是人們的第七個或第八個選擇，標志人們對命運的控制和尋求平衡的觀念。當黃色和黑色是你的第一和第二個選擇時（黃色在前，黑色在后），則意味著變動即將來臨。