学位英语

Mad Scientist Stereotype Outdated

Do people still imagine a physicist as a bearded man in glasses or has the image of the mad scientist changed? The Institute of Physics set out to find out whether the stereotype of a physics 'boffin' (科学家)still exists by conducting a survey on shoppers in London. The people were asked to identify the physicist from a photograph of a line-up of possible suspects. 98 percent of those asked got it wrong. The majority of people picked a white male of around 60, wearing glasses and with a white beard.

While this stereotype may have been the image of an average physicist fifty years ago, the reality is now very different. Since 1960 the number of young women entering physics has doubled and the average age of a physicist is now 31.

The stereotype of the absent-minded scientist has lasted a long time because the media and Hollywood help promote the image of men in white lab coats with glasses sitting by blackboards full of equations(等式)or working with fizzing (嘶嘶响)test tubes. These stereotypes are really damaging to society. Very good school children are put off studying science because they don't see people like themselves on television or in magazines doing science. They simply don't relate to the media's image of the mad scientist.

This is one reason why fewer young people are choosing to do science at university. If we want to encourage more young people to study science subjects, we need to change this image of the scientist and make science careers more attractive. But we must also develop children's interest in science.

In an attempt to change this negative image, an increasing number of science festivals are being organized. Thousands of people from secondary schools are also encouraged to take part in nationwide science competitions of which the most popular are the national science Olympiads. Winning national teams then get the opportunity to take part in the International Science Olympiads which are held in a different country every year. These events are all interesting for the young people who take part but they only involve a small proportion of students who are already interested in science. It seems that there is a long way to go before science becomes attractive as subjects like computer studies or fashion and design.

1 Most people have similar ideas of what a physicist looks like.

A Right

B Wrong

C Not mentioned

2 The majority of physicists in Britain today are Cambridge graduates

A Right

B Wrong

C Not mentioned

3 The media and the cinema have played a role in promoting the image of the mad scientist.

A Right

B Wrong

C Not mentioned

4 There will be more women scientists than men scientists in. the future

A Right

B Wrong

C Not mentioned

5 More children will study science if it becomes more attractive.

A Right

B Wrong

C Not mentioned

6 The image of the mad scientist is really encouraging to society.

A Right

B Wrong

C Not mentioned

7 The International Science Olympiads are held once every two years.

A Right

B Wrong

C Not mentioned

【参考答案】1. A 2. C 3. A 4. C 5. A 6. B 7. B

相关推荐：2017年职称英语报名时间及入口

报考条件：综合类，理工类，卫生类考试原则上没有严格的界限。职称英语考试报名可在单位报，评职称与户口无关，主要看你的工作单位，所以你可以直接咨询单位的人事部门，如果他们说可以就行，每个省规定不大一样。【查看详情】

报考选择：职称英语报考科目|级别选择|报名条件及相关问题解答

免考规定：取得外语(从事翻译工作人员及外语教师第二外语)专业专科及以上学历的人员申报中、高级职称评审……。【查看详情】

（责任编辑：hbz）