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Intelligence.

What makes one person more intelligent than another? What makes one person a genious, like the brilliant Albert Einstein, and another person a fool? Are people born intelligent, or stupid, or is intelligence the result of where and how you live? These are very old questions and the answer to them is still not clear.

We know, however, that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways, the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle. It needs exercise. Mental exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about. The children are then more likely to become bright and intelligent. If, on the other hand, children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

Parents should also be careful what they say to young children. According to some psychologists, if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot, then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive things to their children, such as “That was a very clever thing you did” or “You are such a smart child”.

What do you think? Are people born intelligent or do they become intelligent with the help of good parents and teachers?

Do intelligent people always do well at school or at the University? Why?

  1. Speculate on the following.

1. There’s a certain interconnection between a person’s appearance and character. They say, for example, that a very full mouth suggests a very open warm character while tight, compressed thin lips suggest a person who is rather mean and two-faced.

  1. The best way to define a person’s character is by observing his behaviour and manners. Actions speak louder than words.

  2. “A fair face may hide a foul heart” means that a person might be a chameleon, constantly changing his mood and colour.

  3. The character differences between different nationalities can cause wars.

  1. Read the text and say if you agree with the statement that the shape of your face give a clue to your personality. What does yours say about you?

Revealing Faces.

  • SMALL FACE. You don’t enjoy people intruding into your personal life and invading your privacy. Reflective and intelligent, you are a passionate but firm personality, although you find these two traits in conflict at times. A tendency to be cautious means you don’t trust too easily, but you do value a circle of close friends and family members.

  • OVAL FACE. A good decision-maker, you have strength of character, lots of energy, and usually finish what you start. Affectionate and outgoing by nature, you can be a bit gullible.

  • SQUARE FACE. You expect a lot from other people, but give as much in return. You’re stubborn, strong-willed and quick to learn, but your staying power runs out when you lose interest. Highly sensitive to criticism, you’re aggressive under pressure.

  • THIN FACE. You don’t suffer fools gladly and have a great sense of humour. Energetic but able to balance actions with thought, you are not one who follows the crowd. You enjoy competition in the love stakes and opt for a partner who’s companionable as well as attractive.

  • HEART-SHAPED. Practical rather than a thinker, you have a degree of charm that can be devastating. Your romantic judgement can sometimes let you down, though. You appear placid and cool in most situations, but this hides a quick temper when crossed. Relationship may suffer if your partner can’t live up to your high expectations.

  • BROAD FACE. A strong sense of your own importance means you like to be taken seriously by friends. You can be kind and sympathetic, but won’t waste it on those you feel don’t deserve it. Affectionate and loving rather than passionate, yours is an energetic and intelligent nature with optimism high on your list of the important things in life.

  • ROUND FACE. Short and round face shows you’re slightly erratic and romantic. You’re positive about your own aims, generous and an excellent host with close friends. You prefer mental activity to physical and there’s a lazy streak that comes out now and then if you don’t check yourself.

  1. Bring a picture of a person you know well and let other students describe his/her character judging by appearance. Have they guessed right?

  2. Think and answer the questions.

    1. What kind of people are often lonely?

    2. What kind of person will never attract anyone’s attention?

    3. What kind of people would you ask for help/advice?

    4. What traits of character would you appreciate in a wife/a husband, a mother/a father, a son/a daughter, your best friend? What traits would you dislike most?

    5. What traits of character are required to make a good teacher (a good doctor, a good lawyer, a good journalist, a politician)? What traits might prevent one from becoming a good specialist in those fields?

    6. What are the essential factors that help to mould a person’s character: background and environment; educational possibilities; cultural standards; circumstances?

    7. What are the ways and means by which a person’s character is revealed and estimated: appearance, speech characterization, manners and attitudes, likes and dislikes?

  3. Comment on the following proverbs and sayings.

        1. The leopard cannot change its spots.

        2. No man is wise at all times.

        3. One person’s meat is another person’s poison.

        4. Still waters run deep.

        5. Empty vessels are the most noisy.

  4. Give Russian equivalents for the popular sayings.

  • Love is blind.

  • When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out at the window.

  • Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.

  • Where one is wise, two are happy.

  • Fortune favours the brave.

  • Law favours the rich.

  • The wolf may lose his teeth, but never his nature.

  1. Write a brief (about 100 words) description of your ideal partner. You may use the words and phrases from the text below. What does she/he look like? What kind of person is he/she?

TEXT

People get on well together because they have similar good points. They do not get on if their bad points annoy others. Aries people get on well with Leos because they’re straightforward and Leos are broadminded. Aries people are very energetic and Leos like organized things so they work well together. Aries are selfish but Leos are generous, so this is not an important problem if Aries remember that Leos are vain and tell them how clever they are. On the other hand, Aries people do not usually get on well with Pisces because Pisces are vague and not very practical. Aries get impatient and lose their tempers. This upsets Pisces people because they are sensitive and gentle and do not like people speaking to them unkindly.

  1. Animals have characters too. We think of lions as being proud and fearless and mice as being timid, but we all know animals with individual personalities. Decide on an animal you wish to write about and begin by making brief notes.

        1. Give the animal a name and write down briefly what it looks like.

        2. List the character traits this animal has, firstly those of its kind and next the special ones of its own. You might decide that it is different from the rest of its kind.

        3. Think of an incident that would bring out these character traits in the animal. Decide when and where such an incident could take place.

Write a story, choosing a title for it.

  1. Use your zodiac chart to invent a personality. Give him or her a name, job and life-style and make him or her the central character in your story.