Recording 3
录音三
M: From a very early age, some children exhibit better self-control than others.
男:有些孩子在很小的时候就表现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.
现在,面向新西兰1000名儿童开始的一项新的研究显示,孩子自我控制能力弱,可能是成年后健康不良、金钱问题、甚至犯罪行为的先兆。
Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now.
研究人员对这群孩子已经进行了多年的跟踪研究。
Some of their earliest observations have to do with the level of self-control the youngsters displayed.
他们最早期观察到的一些现象与儿童表现出来的自我控制程度有关。
Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, scored the youngsters on measures like "acting before thinking" and "persistence in reaching goals."
父母、老师,甚至孩子自己,对孩子们的一些行为方式进行评估。例如“先思考,再行动”和“为达到目标而坚持努力”等等。
The children of the study are now adults in their 30s.
现在,这些接受研究的孩子们已是30多岁的成年人了。
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.
美国杜克大学的特里·莫菲特和她的研究同事们发现,有自我控制问题的孩子,在长大成人后,会面临更多的严重问题。
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岁到10岁期间自我控制能力最低的孩子,到30岁之后,出现的健康问题最多。
and they had the worst financial situation.
另外,他们的财务情况最糟。
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.
而且更可能有犯罪记录,更可能独自抚养孩子,而且收入非常低。
M: Speaking from New Zealand via skype, Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed,
男:在新西兰接受记者网络电话采访的莫菲特解释说,孩子自我控制的问题已经受到广泛关注,
and weren't just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.
这不仅是少数调皮孩子的问题。
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学龄前儿童,依然可以经由更多的自我控制训练而获益。
They could have improved their financial situation and their physical and mental health situation 30 years later.
30年之后,他们仍能够改进自己的财务状况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问题较轻,成人后,出现的健康问题也会较少。
Moffitt said it's still unclear why some children have better self-control than others,
莫菲特谈到,现在还不太清楚的是,为什么有些孩子的自制能力比其他孩子强。
though she says other researchers have found that it's mostly a learned behavior, with relatively little genetic influence.
有些研究人员说,自制能力基本上是学习得来的,遗传的影响较小。
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.
但是也有人说,在自我控制良好的家庭中,由于孩子的自我控制能力较强,长大后更可能成为健康和富裕的父母。
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为低收入、健康不良、吸毒成瘾的单亲父母。
So that's not a good atmosphere for a child.
这样的环境对孩子的成长不利。
So it looks as though self-control is something that in one generation can disadvantage the next generation.
因此,自我控制能力看来会从一代影响到下一代。
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。莫菲特说,自我控制能力可以由父母训练培养,而且学校的相关课程也有效果。
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·莫菲特在美国国家科学院的论文集发表的论文介绍了童年时期的自我控制能力与长大成人后状况之间的联系。
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
问题23到25是基于刚才你所听到的那段录音。
Question23. What is the new study about?
问题23:这项新研究是关于什么的?
Question24. What does the study seem to show?
问题24:该研究意在表明什么?
Question25. What does Moffitt say is the good news from their study?
问题25:莫菲特说有关这项研究的好消息是什么?
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