新托福阅读：The Mathematical Marriage Predictor

婚姻幸福的方程式

Want to know if your marriage is going to last? Learn about the mathematical marriage predictor on this Moment of Science.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

According to the Mathematical Marriage Predictor, it’s “roll your eyes and say goodbyes.”

Notes:

(1)team up v.合作;结成一队;协作

The two universities have teamed up for a research project.

两所大学已在某一科研项目上进行协作。

(2)videotape ['vidiəuteip] n.录像带 vt.将…录到录像带上

1.Videotape a performance of the advertisement to view for yourselves.

从表演的广告录像带看自己的表现。