同等学力英语阅读及翻译专项练习 10

Even before Historian Joseph Ellis became a best-selling author, he was famous for his vivid lectures. In his popular courses at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts , he would often make classroom discussions lively by describing his own combat experience in Vietnam . But as Ellis's reputation grew — his books on the Founding Fathers have won both the prestigious National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize — the history professor began to entertain local and national reporters with his memories of war. Last year, after The Boston Globe carried accounts of Ellis's experience in the Vietnam war, someone who knew the truth about Ellis dropped a dime ( 揭发 ). Last week The Boston Globe revealed that Ellis, famous for explaining the nation's history, had some explaining to do about his own past.

“Even in the best of lives, mistakes are made,” said a wretched Ellis. It turned out that while the distinguished historian had served in the Army, he'd spent his war years not in the jungles of Southeast Asia, but teaching history at West Point ( 西点军校 ). He'd also overstated his role in the antiwar movement and even his high-school athletic records. His admission shocked colleagues, fellow historians and students who wondered why someone so accomplished would beautify his past. But it seems that success and truthfulness don't always go hand in hand. Even among the distinguished achievers, security experts say, one in ten is deceiving — indulging in everything from empty boasting to more serious offenses such as plagiarism ( 剽窃 ), fictionalizing military records, making up false academic certificates or worse. And, oddly, prominent people who beautify the past often do so once they're famous, says Ernest Brod of Kroll Associates, which has conducted thousands of background checks. Says Brod: “It's not like they use these lies to climb the ladder.”

Then what makes them do it? Psychologists say some people succeed, at least in part, because they are uniquely adjusted to the expectations of others. And no matter how well-known, those people can be haunted by a sense of their own shortcomings. “From outside, these people look anything but fragile,” says Dennis Shulman, a New York psychoanalyst. “But inside, they feel hollow, empty.”

1. Which of the following is TRUE about Ellis?

A. He is a famous professor of history at West Point .

B. His book on the Vietnam war has won two important prizes.

C. He has told both students and reporters about his own experience of war.

D. He has written a bestseller for a newspaper — The Boston Globe .

2. While Ellis served in the Army, he ______.

A. combated in Vietnam B. taught at a military school

C. exaggerated his part as a historian D. made mistakes in the antiwar movement

3. What did Ellis lie about?

A. His war experience in Vietnam . B. His athletic records in high school.

C. His role in the antiwar movement. D. All of the above.

4. What does “to climb the ladder” in the second paragraph mean?

A. To become more successful. B. To inquire into one's background.

C. To cover one's serious offenses. D. To go further in beautifying one's past.

5. According to psychologists, successful people who lie about themselves ______.

A. take pride in their weaknesses B. feel weak in their hearts

C. think nothing of others D. look weak to others

甚至就在史学家约瑟夫·埃利斯成为畅销书作家之前，他就以生动的演讲而闻名。他在马萨诸塞州 Mount Holyoke 大学讲授的课程很受欢迎，通过描述他自己在越南的战斗经历，他经常使得课堂讨论气氛活跃。但是，随着艾利斯的名声逐渐扩大——他有关《开国者》的书获得了享有声誉的国家书籍奖和普利策奖金， 历史 教授开始向地方和全国报刊的记者讲述他的战斗经历。去年，《波士顿环球报》刊登了有关艾利斯在越南的战斗经历的报导后，某个了解艾利斯真实情况的人揭发了他。上星期，《波士顿环球报》透露，以解释国家历史而闻名的艾利斯将为他自己的过去做一些解释。

“即使在生命的鼎盛时期，人们也会犯错误，”可怜的艾利斯说。原来是这样：著名的历史学家虽然在军队服过役，但是他的战争岁月不是在东南亚的丛林中度过的，而是在西点军校讲授历史。他还夸大了他在反战运动中的作用，甚至夸大了他中学的体育运动记录。他的陈述使他的同事、史学界的同僚以及学生震惊——这些人感到奇怪的是，如此有成就的人为什么还要美化他的过去。但是，成功与坦率似乎并不总是密切相连。保密专家说，甚至在卓越的成就者中，也有十分之一的人在蒙骗——纵情于空虚的吹嘘和更严重的犯罪等，比如剽窃、把军事记录编成小说、制作假学术文凭或更糟的行为。“克罗尔会员”的欧内斯特·博德说，令人感到奇怪的是，那些美化过去的著名人物一旦成名就经常这样做——“克罗尔会员”进行了成千上万次的背景核查。博德说，“他们似乎不像是在利用这些谎言去攀爬社会阶梯。”

那么，是什么驱使他们这样做呢？心理学家说，一些人成功了，至少部分成功了，因为他们只是迎合了别人的期望。无论多么著名，那些人都可能为自己的不足感而困扰。“从外表上看，这些人除了显得脆弱外一切都很正常，”丹尼斯·撒尔曼说，他是一名纽约的心理分析学家。“但是，在内心深处，这些人觉得没有内涵，感到空虚。”

参考答案 ： 1 ． C 2 ． B 3 ． D 4 ． A 5 ． B