都说婚姻是爱情的坟墓,经营一段成功的婚姻难度不小。如今有研究人员用一系列调查数据统计出了婚姻幸福的方程式,据说能够预测众人的婚姻寿命。
, w" i7 {0 x# @' m Want to know if your marriage is going to last? Learn about the mathematical marriage predictor on this Moment of Science.
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You might not think that mathematicians(数学家) have anything particularly relevant to say about your love life. But you’d be wrong–if we’re talking about James Murray, a mathematician at the University of Washington in Seattle who (1)teamed up(合作) with Psychologist John Gottman to explore the rocky road(坎坷崎岖的路) of romance.* Q( m% @- H! s: F+ u# | S
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Here’s what the two did. They (2)videotaped(将…录到录像带上) hundreds of volunteer couples discussing such things as sex and money. You know–the sorts of things on which everybody always agrees, right?$ u, ^2 N4 s9 V' m T: h/ r6 g! I
0 a! j' o, M6 C' b \1 q, @ Then they (3)broke down(分解) behavioral responses to these high-pressure(高压的) discussions into recognizable(可辨认的,可认识的) groups, such as whether partner A can be persuaded by partner B, or whether partner A (4)takes offense(生气) when partner B makes a cutting(尖刻的) remark.
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A set of equations(方程式,等式) was (5)drawn up(草拟,起草) that represented the interactions(相互作用) of these different factors in mathematical form, leading to…Ding!…a prediction as to whether this marriage would last. Sound like a stretch? Think you can’t possibly tell that much about a couple from a single interview and some calculations?0 d+ }! `% b0 U) O$ f3 ~4 w3 s$ D
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Four years later Murray and Gottman did a follow-up(随访,跟进) to see whether the equation had made the right prediction. It sure had–their Mathematical Marriage Predictor was right an astonishing(令人惊讶的) ninety-four percent of the time. c6 r2 m9 v1 `- |! n. g3 B. c
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Some conspicuous(显著的,显而易见的) findings included the fact that, in marriages that lasted, laughing occurred five times more frequently than in couples (6)destined for(驶往;去往) break-up. The team also found that the one behavior that most consistently( 一贯地) predicted divorce was the appearance of a contemptuous(轻蔑的) or mocking(嘲弄的) facial expression on one partner’s face when the other one spoke.9 J' g2 _1 G4 W' g! B
r8 S, s& l/ C; Q5 K& a- Q, r According to the Mathematical Marriage Predictor, it’s “roll your eyes and say goodbyes.”
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(1)team up v.合作;结成一队;协作* e0 |& C. C2 s( @4 r4 H
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The two universities have teamed up for a research project.
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7 g7 w v& M( Y2 c) p# L 两所大学已在某一科研项目上进行协作。9 z4 L. o- i* g N6 B2 W
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(2)videotape ['vidiəuteip] n.录像带 vt.将…录到录像带上
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! U% g( v4 T* g2 x6 n, J 1.Videotape a performance of the advertisement to view for yourselves., h2 z2 L1 d6 G( w: x$ L6 o/ z
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从表演的广告录像带看自己的表现。 |