Personality is to a large extent inherent①. A type parents usually bring about A type offspring②. But the environment must also have a profound effect， since if competition is important to the parents； it is likely to become a major factor in the lives of their children.
One place where children soak③ up A characteristics is school， which is， by its very nature， a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the win at all costs moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two layer system， in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their B type fellows.
Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences： remember that Pheidippides， the first marathon④ runner， dropped dead seconds after saying： “Rejoice， we conquer！”
By far the worst form of competition in schools is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable， but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful.
Obviously， it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into B’s. The world needs types， and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child’s personality⑤ to his possible future employment. It is top management.
If the preoccupation of schools with academic⑥ work was lessened， more time might be spent teaching children surer values. Perhaps selection for the caring professions， especially medicine， could be made less by good grades in chemistry and more by such considerations as sensitivity and sympathy. It is surely a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A type stock. B’s are important and should be encouraged.
① inherentadj. 内在的；固有的，与生俱来的
② offspringn. 子女；子孙；后代；(动物的)幼兽；(植物的)幼苗
③ soakvt. 吸，吸收；使沉湎；使热衷；浸泡，浸渍
④ marathonn. 【体】(可大写)马拉松赛跑；长距离比赛；耐力比赛
⑤ personalityn. 人格，品格；(显明的)个性，性格
⑥ academicadj. 大学的，学院的；学校的；学术的
两种性格
个性在很大程度上是与生俱来的。A型性格的父母通常生出A型性格的后代。但环境肯定也有深远影响，因为如果竞争对父母很重要，那么竞争也很有可能成为他们孩子生活中的主要因素。
孩子形成A型性格的一个地方是学校，而学校就其本质而言是高度竞争的场所。许多学校崇尚“不惜一切代价取胜”的道德标准，并宣扬以体力运动成绩来衡量成就。目前人们热衷于使孩子与同学竞争或与时间拼搏形成双层体系：富有竞争性的A型人看来就比B型人强。
学生过分热衷于获胜可能要产生危险的后果。要记住，马拉松长跑运动员菲迪普皮德斯说完“欢呼吧！我们胜利了！”几秒钟后就倒下死去了。
学校里最最糟糕的竞争方式是不恰当地强调考试。能够允许学生集中精力做他们能做得很好的事情的学校是极少的。以考试作为竞争，其优越性有些值得怀疑，而在已确知要失败的情况下仍要竞争是肯定有害的。
显然，让所有A型性格的年轻人都变成B型，既不现实，也不可取。世界上需要各种类型的人，而学校的重要任务在于培养孩子的性格，使其适应未来可能从事的职业。这才是学校的最高办学宗旨。
如果减少学校对课程教学的专注，就可以腾出更多时间来教孩子们更肯定的价值观。也许在挑选护理人员，尤其是医务人员时，不要太看重化学考分，而应多考虑对人的敏感性和同情心。只从A型性格中挑选我们的医生肯定是错误的。B型性格也重要，而且应受鼓励。