It seems that great artists and scientists often suffer from mental problems. Both Einstein and Dickens had mental illness. Now scientists have started to look at whether mental illness and genius are linked(联系).
Dr. Adele Juda studied 5,000 creative people in Germany. She found there were more people with mental illness in this group than in the general population. Poets had the highest rate(比例) of mental illness, followed by musicians, with lower numbers for painters and architects.
Other scientists did research which also showed a strong link between mental problems and creativity. But, it did nothing to explain it.
Dr. Ruth Richards of Harvard University made a breakthrough. Instead of studying creative people, she took a group of psychiatric(精神病的) patients and tested them for creativity. The patients got much higher scores than a normal group.
Also, the patients’ close relatives were much more creative than the patients and a normal group. This suggests that the key to the link between creativity and mental illness is in our genes(基因).
But this is a problem. According to Darwinism, harmful genes should be removed. Some scientists believe that evolution(进化) has created a balance, where the madness of a few people leads to the development of the whole human race.
Geniuses may be mad, bad or just difficult to understand, but their discoveries have improved the world we live in. It seems that a little creative madness is good for us all.
According to Dr. Adele Juda, which of the following group has the lowest rate of mental illness?
A.Painters. | B.Musicians. |
C.Poets. | D.Bus drivers. |
The underlined phrase “made a breakthrough” in the fourth paragraph means ________.
A.discover or find something new and important |
B.make a way through using force |
C.(of the sun or moon) appear from behind (clouds) |
D.suddenly change (from a slower to a faster pace) |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Among the 5,000 creative people in Germany, more people suffer from mental diseases than the general population. |
B.There is a strong link between mental problems and creativity. |
C.Psychiatric patients make greater contributions than common people. |
D.The key to the link between creativity and mental illness is in our genes. |
What is the writer’s attitude toward madness?
A.Madness is harmful to the whole society. |
B.A little creative madness is good for us all. |
C.All the talented people are mad. |
D.Only the people with mental illness have more creativity. |