职场双语：赚钱本事可遗传？

 Aldo Rustichini is a genial¹ Italian economist² with a head of hair that seems to have been modelled on Albert Einstein’s. A professor at Cambridge and the University ofMinnesota, he quickly transformed my interview with him into a full-blown undergraduate-style tutorial, occasionally asking me questions to check my understanding. Yet this likeable economist has been carrying out work with potentially explosive implications – including the possibility that economic success is genetically³ transmitted.

　　阿尔多?鲁斯蒂奇尼(Aldo Rustichini)是一位和蔼的意大利经济学家，一头白发仿佛是阿尔伯特?爱因斯坦(Albert Eistein)的翻版。作为剑桥大学(Cambridge)和明尼苏达大学(University of Minnesota)的教授，鲁斯蒂奇尼很快将我对他的采访变成了彻头彻尾的大学生个别辅导，并偶尔提几个问题来考查我的理解程度。但是这位可爱的经济学家一直在从事可能带来爆炸性影响的工作——其中包括经济上的成功可以遗传的可能性。

　　Rustichini’s latest research – with Stephen Burks, Jeffrey Carpenter and Lorenz Goette – studies the behaviour of about 1,000 trainee⁴ truck drivers in the US. The researchers gave the truckers IQ tests and asked them to participate in a number of small experiments.

　　鲁斯蒂奇尼的最新研究是对约1000名美国实习卡车司机的行为分析。他的研究伙伴是斯蒂芬?伯克斯(Stephen Burks)、杰弗里?卡彭特(Jeffrey Carpenter)和洛伦茨?戈特(Lorenz Goette)。这些研究人员对卡车司机进行了智商测试，并让他们参加了一些小实验。

　　In one experiment, the truckers were asked to choose between gambles and certain payoffs. In another, the choice was between a sum of money now and more money later. A more complex experiment required the truckers to play an anonymous⁵ “trust” game. The first player was given $5 and offered the choice of sending it to the second player; the second player had his own $5 and was asked how much he would send to the first player were he to receive $5 from him, and how much if he didn’t. The researchers promised to double the money sent in either direction – meaning that if the players managed to co-operate then each could get $10.

　　在一场实验中，卡车司机们必须在赌博和确定的报酬中做出选择。在另一场实验中，他们必须在当前获得一笔钱和稍后获得更多钱之间做出选择。另一场更为复杂的实验要求卡车司机进行匿名的“信任”游戏。研究人员给了第一位游戏者5美元，这位游戏者可以选择把这5美元送给第二位游戏者。第二位游戏者自己也得到了5美元，研究人员询问第二位游戏者，如果他从第一位游戏者那里得到5美元，会送给第一位游戏者多少钱，如果他没有得到，又会送给第一位游戏者多少。研究人员承诺让双方赠送的资金翻倍——这意味着如果游戏者成功合作，那么每人能得到10美元。

　　An intriguing⁶ pattern emerged. The truckers who scored highest on the IQ test were also more patient and more willing to take calculated risks, rejecting unfair gambles and accepting favourable⁷ ones. Their choices revealed a more consistent attitude to risk and a more consistent level of patience, too.

　　有趣的模式出现了。那些在智商测试中得分最高的卡车司机也表现得更有耐心，更愿意冒适当的风险，拒绝不公平的赌博游戏，接受有利于自己的赌博游戏。他们的选择表明他们对冒险的态度前后更加一致，忍耐程度也更具连贯性。

　　The high-IQ truckers were also better at predicting what other players would do in the trust game, and secured more money overall. When they played second, they were more discriminating⁸, rewarding co-operation and punishing those who would not trust them.

　　高智商的卡车司机还更善于预测其他游戏者在信任游戏中的行为，而且总体上弄到的钱更多。当他们扮演第二名游戏者时，他们更有鉴别能力，奖励合作者，并惩罚那些不信任他们的游戏者。

　　High IQ goes hand in hand with patience, calculated risk-taking and interpersonal judgment⁹, it seems – and this is true after statistically¹⁰ adjusting for age and race.

　　高智商似乎还与耐心、适当的冒险和人际关系判断密切相关——在经过年龄和种族的统计调整后，该结论仍然正确。

　　Nor is any of this limited to the laboratory. Many trainee truckers drop out before completing their first year of work, even though this means they must repay the trucking company their training costs, which run into thousands of dollars. This indicates a lack of patience, an inability to appreciate how much money is at stake or a serious miscalculation in the initial plan to be a truck driver. Whatever the reason, dropping out is correlated with Rustichini’s experimental tests of low IQ, impatience¹¹ and bad judgment of risk or of other people.

1 genial   

adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的

参考例句：

• Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。
• He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友，也是友善待客的主人。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

4 trainee   

n.受训练者

参考例句：

• The trainee checked out all right on his first flight.受训者第一次飞行完全合格。
• Few of the trainee footballers make it to the top.足球受训人员中没有几个能达到顶级水平。

5 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

6 intriguing   

adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心

参考例句：

• These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
• It all sounds very intriguing. 这些听起来都很有趣。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 favourable   

adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的

参考例句：

• The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
• We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

8 discriminating   

a.有辨别能力的

参考例句：

• Due caution should be exercised in discriminating between the two. 在区别这两者时应该相当谨慎。
• Many businesses are accused of discriminating against women. 许多企业被控有歧视妇女的做法。

9 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

10 statistically   

ad.根据统计数据来看，从统计学的观点来看

参考例句：

• The sample of building permits is larger and therefore, statistically satisfying. 建筑许可数的样本比较大，所以统计数据更令人满意。
• The results of each test would have to be statistically independent. 每次试验的结果在统计上必须是独立的。

11 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。