What Is Intelligence?

　　What is intelligence? We all know we have some, and some people seem to have more than others. There are various types of intelligence. The most obvious categories that people fit into are those who are good with numbers and those who are good with words. Some of us are neither, others are both. A third category of intelligence is related to interpreting visual information.

　　A common way of measuring intelligence is through the use of " IQ " or intelligence tests. These tests include many types of questions to measure different types of intelligence, but the three most important are numerical, verbal and visual.

　　Most simple intelligence tests combine all three types of questions in equal numbers, so that everything has the same chance, whether he or she is better at one type or another. IQ is an average and says nothing about special abilities.

　　What factors affect the results of the IQ tests? The number of correct answers is only one of the important factors. If people are given enough time, most of them can answer the questions correctly. Therefore, a time-limit for the test must be set. Some people will solve many of the problems in the given time, but others will solve very few. What the IQ test measures is mental speed.

　　There are two other things which may affect results: carelessness and lack of persistence. In other words, some people accept the first answer they think of without checking. Others give up too easily or refuse to spend long enough on a single question.

　　Although IQ tests are widely used, many people don't agree about what intelligence really is, or that IQ tests are a fair way to measure it.

《什么是智慧？》

　　什么是智慧？众所周知，每个人都有一定的智慧，有些人看起来比其他人要多一些智慧。智慧的类型多种多样。人们可以划归的智慧类型是一些人擅长数字，一些人擅长文字。有些人二者都不具备，但有些人却二者皆优。还有一种智慧类型和解释视觉信息有关。

　　运用"智商"或智力测试是衡量智慧的最普遍的方法。这些测试包括许多问题以测试智慧的不同类型。但数字、文字和视觉智力测试是最重要的三种。

　　简单的智力测试均包括了这三种题型，且各类型题数目相等。因此，无论他或她擅长那方面，其机会是相等的。智商是指平均智力，与特殊能力无关。

　　什么因素影响智力测试的结果呢？答对题仅仅是重要因素之一。如果给予充足的时间，大部分人能回答正确。因此，必须规定测试时间。有些人在规定时间内答出许多题，但有些人却答得很少。智商测试测的是大脑的反映速度。

　　影响测试成绩的其它两个可能因素：粗心和缺乏毅力。换言之，一些人没有认真审题就草率做答。另些人则轻易放弃或不愿在一道题上花太多时间。

　　尽管智力测试很普遍， 但就什么是智慧以及智力测试是否公允却众说纷纭。