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III. Read the text and get ready to render its content in Russian.
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The assessment of human abilities dates back nearly 4000 years when China used written tests to rate applicants for civil service. Two-thousand years later, during the Hans Dynasty, civil service type exams were used in the areas of law, military, agriculture, and geography. In the early 1800s British diplomats observed the Chinese assessments and modified them for use in Britain and eventually the United States for use in civil service placement.
Sir Francis Galton is a key figure in modern intelligence testing. As the first cousin of Charles Darwin, he attempted to apply Darwin's evolutionary theory to the study of human abilities. He postulate that intelligence was quantifiable and normally distributed. In other words, he believed that we could assign a score to intelligence where the majority of people fall in the average range and the percentage of the population decreases the farther from the middle their score gets.
Intelligence is not something we can see or hear, or taste. We can see the results of intelligence...sometimes. Many argue that quantifying intelligence correctly is impossible and all that modern IQ tests do is test our knowledge and abilities. While it is true that a person can learn to improve his or her score, this can only occur if correct responses are
taught to the person, which is highly unethical. We have also found that our individual IQ score remains quite consistent as we get older. Some argue, however, that modern IQ tests are prejudiced against certain ethnicities and cultures and tend to result in higher scores for others. Where this leaves us, however, is uncertain. As of today, these IQ tests are the best we have in our attempt to quantify the construct known as intelligence.
IV. Match English and Russian equivalents.
1. human abilities a) письменные тесты
2. civil service б) теория эволюции
3. written tests в) человеческие способности
4. intelligence testing г) гражданская служба
5. attempt to д) другими словами
6. evolutionary theory е) пытаться
7. postulate ж) тестирование интеллекта
8. in other words з) большинство людей
9. the majority of people и) намереваться
10. tend to к) постулировать
V. Complete the following sentences.
1. The assessment of human abilities dates back … written tests to rate applicants for civil service.
2. During the Hans Dynasty, … were used in the areas of law, military, agriculture, and geography.
3. Sir Francis Galton is … in modern intelligence testing.
4. He … that intelligence was quantifiable and normally distributed.
5. … is not something we can see or hear, or taste.
VI. Translate into English the words and word-combinations given in brackets.
1. Two-thousand years later, (во время Династии Хана), civil service type exams were used in the areas of law, military, agriculture, and geography.
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2. In the early 1800s (Британские дипломаты наблюдали) the Chinese assessments and modified them for use in Britain and eventually the United States for use in civil service placement.
3. As the first cousin of Charles Darwin (он попытался применить) Darwin's
evolutionary theory to the study of human abilities.
4. (Интеллект) is not something we can see or hear, or taste.
5. (Мы также выявили) that our individual IQ score remains quite consistent as we get older.
6. Some argue, however, that (современные тесты на интеллект) are prejudiced against certain ethnicities and cultures and tend to result in higher scores for others.
VII. Answer the questions.
1. When did China use written tests to rate applicants for civil service?
2. Who is a key figure in modern intelligence testing?
3. What is intelligence?
4. We have also found that our individual IQ score remains quite consistent as we get older, haven’t we?
5. Are these IQ tests the best we have in our attempt to quantify the construct known as intelligence or not?
VIII. Give the outline of the text.
IX. Retell the text using the words and word-combinations of Ex. II
Memory
I. Read and guess the meaning of the following international words.
Computer, information, process, to transform, data, association, image, actual, physically, physiological, form, terms, Human.
II. Read and translate the following words and word-combinations.
Human memory, to store information, in order to do, can be stores, encoding, to master, involved in memory, a physiological change, occur, retrieval, the actual storage, on the other hand, distinct memory, capabilities, Sensory memory.
III. Read the text and get ready to render its content in Russian
Human memory, like memory in a computer, allows us to store information for later use. In order to do this, however, both the computer and we need to master three processes involved in memory. The first is called encoding; the process we use to transform information so that it can be stores. For a computer this means transferring data into 1’s and 0’s. For us, it means transforming the data into a meaningful form such as an association with an existing memory, an image, or a sound.
Next is the actual storage, which simply means holding onto the information. For this to take place, the computer must physically write the 1’ and 0’s onto the hard drive. It is very similar for us because it means that a physiological change must occur for the memory to be stored. The final process is called retrieval, which is bringing the memory out of storage and reversing the process of encoding. In other words, return the information to a form similar to what we stored.
The major difference between humans and computers in terms of memory has to do with how the information is stored. For the most part, computers have only two types; permanent storage and permanent deletion. Humans, on the other hand are more complex in that we have three distinct memory storage capabilities (not including permanent deletion). The first is Sensory memory, referring to the information we receive through the senses.
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IV. Complete the following sentences.
1. Human memory, like memory in a computer, … for later use.
2. Both the computer and we … involved in memory.
3. Next is the actual …, which simply means holding onto the information.
4. The final process is called …, which is bringing the memory out of storage and reversing ….
5. The major difference … in terms of memory has to do with how the information is stored.
V. Match English and Russian equivalents.
1. human memory a) отчетливая память
2. to store information б) человеческая память
3. to transform information в) очень похожий
4. the actual storage г) психологическая перемена
5. a physiological change д) снабжать информацией
6. an existing memory е) фактический запас
7. very similar for ж) существующая память
8. the major difference з) передавать информацию
9. distinct memory и) постоянный запас
10. permanent storage к) большая разница
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