評論
打印
Recording 3
錄音三
M: From a very early age, some children exhibit better self-control than others.
男：有些孩子在很小的時候就表現出高于其他孩子的自我控制能力。
Now, a new study that began with about 1,000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child's low self-control can predict poor health, money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years.
現在，面向新西蘭1000名兒童開始的一項新的研究顯示，孩子自我控制能力弱，可能是成年后健康不良、金錢問題、甚至犯罪行為的先兆。
Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now.
研究人員對這群孩子已經進行了多年的跟蹤研究。
Some of their earliest observations have to do with the level of self-control the youngsters displayed.
他們最早期觀察到的一些現象與兒童表現出來的自我控制程度有關。
Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, scored the youngsters on measures like "acting before thinking" and "persistence in reaching goals."
父母、老師，甚至孩子自己，對孩子們的一些行為方式進行評估。例如“先思考，再行動”和“為達到目標而堅持努力”等等。
The children of the study are now adults in their 30s.
現在，這些接受研究的孩子們已是30多歲的成年人了。
Terrie Moffitt of Duke University and her research colleagues found that kids with self-control issues tended to grow up to become adults with a far more troubling set of issues to deal with.
美國杜克大學的特里·莫菲特和她的研究同事們發現，有自我控制問題的孩子，在長大成人后，會面臨更多的嚴重問題。
W: The children who had the lowest self-control when they were aged 3 to 10, later on had the most health problems in their 30s,
女：3歲到10歲期間自我控制能力最低的孩子，到30歲之后，出現的健康問題最多。
and they had the worst financial situation.
另外，他們的財務情況最糟。
And they were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.
而且更可能有犯罪記錄，更可能獨自撫養孩子，而且收入非常低。
M: Speaking from New Zealand via skype, Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed,
男：在新西蘭接受記者網絡電話采訪的莫菲特解釋說，孩子自我控制的問題已經受到廣泛關注，
and weren't just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.
這不僅是少數調皮孩子的問題。
W: Even the children who had above-average self-control as pre-schoolers, could have benefited from more self-control training.
女：即使自我控制能力高于一般水平的學齡前兒童，依然可以經由更多的自我控制訓練而獲益。
They could have improved their financial situation and their physical and mental health situation 30 years later.
30年之后，他們仍能夠改進自己的財務狀況以及生理和心理健康。
M: So, children with minor self-control problems were likely as adults to have minor health problems, and so on.
男：因此，如果孩子的自我控制能力問題較輕，成人后，出現的健康問題也會較少。
Moffitt said it's still unclear why some children have better self-control than others,
莫菲特談到，現在還不太清楚的是，為什么有些孩子的自制能力比其他孩子強。
though she says other researchers have found that it's mostly a learned behavior, with relatively little genetic influence.
有些研究人員說，自制能力基本上是學習得來的，遺傳的影響較小。
But good self-control can be set to run in families in that children who have good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents.
但是也有人說，在自我控制良好的家庭中，由于孩子的自我控制能力較強，長大后更可能成為健康和富裕的父母。
W: Whereas some of the low-self-control study members are more likely to be single parents with a very low income and the parent is in poor health and likely to be a heavy substance abuser.
有些自我控制能力差的人更可能成為低收入、健康不良、吸毒成癮的單親父母。
So that's not a good atmosphere for a child.
這樣的環境對孩子的成長不利。
So it looks as though self-control is something that in one generation can disadvantage the next generation.
因此，自我控制能力看來會從一代影響到下一代。
M: But the good news is that Moffitt says self-control can be taught by parents and through school curricula that have proved to be effective.
男：但是也有好消息。莫菲特說，自我控制能力可以由父母訓練培養，而且學校的相關課程也有效果。
Terrie Moffitt's paper on the link between childhood self-control and adult status decades later is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
特里·莫菲特在美國國家科學院的論文集發表的論文介紹了童年時期的自我控制能力與長大成人后狀況之間的聯系。
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
問題23到25是基于剛才你所聽到的那段錄音。
Question23. What is the new study about?
問題23：這項新研究是關于什么的？
Question24. What does the study seem to show?
問題24：該研究意在表明什么？
Question25. What does Moffitt say is the good news from their study?
問題25：莫菲特說有關這項研究的好消息是什么？
譯文屬可可原創，僅供學習和交流使用，未經允許不得轉載
