参考答案 - 选修第四册第五单元
UNIT 5 LAUNCHING YOUR CAREER
Reading and Writing
① Read the title of the text. What do you think the text will talk about? What are your opinions on the subject?
DOES PRACTICE REALLY MAKE PERFECT?
"Practice makes perfect" is a very popular expression. However, can we take this saying literally? Many scientific studies have sought to either prove or disprove this idea. So does enough practice literally lead to perfection, or at least to a level of expertise?
One popular theory is that if a person practises for at least 10,000 hours, they will reach "perfection"—or, in other words, become an expert in their field. This theory was made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 best-selling book, Outliers: The Story of Success. He claimed 10,000 hours of practice to be "the magic number of greatness". He gave the examples of the music group The Beatles and Mcrosoft co-creator Bill Gates. Although they all seemed to have lots of natural talent, they also clearly put in over 10, 000 hours of practice before they became successful.
However, Gladwell's book has been said by many to be too simplistic and generalising. Gladwell's work was largely based on research done by Anders Ericsson, who argued that Gladwell misinterpreted his research. Firstly, Ericsson stated that 10,000 hours was an average figure. Some people, for example, needed far fewer than 10,000 hours, and others many more. More importantly, Ericsson said that just practising a lot was not enough; the type and quality of practice was also essential. He went on to explain the imporance of "deliberate practice", which is when a person practises a specific part of a skill in depth rather than practising a skill as a whole. Deliberate practice is said to be much more effective, albeit more tiring.
Despite the theories mentioned above, many other studies argue that practice alone is far from enough. In fact, a more recent study from Princeton University stated that practice only accounted for up to 26% of reaching an expert level. So what are the other factors that contribute to people becoming experts?
Many people say that natural talent has a large infuence on becoming an expert. Another natural factor is physical superiority, which is especially evident in sports. For instance, many baseball players in America have amazing vision that allows them to see the ball much sooner than others do. So no matter how much a "normal" person practises, it is very hard for them to be as good as someone who has natural talent or physical superiority and who also practises.
And how about other factors that go into creating an expert? Many say IQ, personality, attitude, and starting age are decisive factors, too. It is also important to note that becoming an expert doesn't equal instant success. Success also relies on social factors, environmental factors, and even just being in the right place at the right time!
In conclusion, practice may not make perfect, but deliberate practice has been shown to lead to significant improvement. Based on Ericsson's research, here are some tips on how to practise effectively: be motivated; make specific and realistic goals; work outside your comfort zone; be consistent and persistent; ask for others' opinions; and, of course, get plenty of rest! For those wanting to become an expert in something, remember that being motivated is key—enjoy what you do and follow your passions.
② Read the text and answer these questions.
1 What is the rough idea of the 10,000 hours theory? What did Gladwell claim 10,000 hours
to be? What examples did Gladwell use and why?
2 Why did Ericsson disagree with Gladwell? What did he mean by "deliberate practice"?
3 What did a recent study from Princeton University show?
4 What are Ericsson's tips on practising?
③ What factors can go into making someone an expert? Fill in the chart below with the ideas from the text. You may also add other factors as necessary.
perfection/expert
practice _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
④ Think about the following questions and note down your answers.
1 Do you agree with the 10,000 hours theory? Why or why not?
2 How could you use Ericsson's practice tips to help you become more suited to your chosen career?
3 What are the factors needed to make someone an expert? List them in order of portance.
4 What are some of the social and environmental factors that help in creating an expert?
5 What skill have you practised most? How did you pactise it and what results did you see?
⑤ Use your notes to write an essay to express your opinion on what it takes to become an expert.
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第五单元 开启你的职业生涯
Suggested Answers
Activity 1
The text is about whether a person can really become good at something just by working hard at it. I think this is true to an extent, but there are still issues of natural ability and the type and quality of the work a person puts into something.
Activity 2
1 If a person practises for at least 10,000 hours, they will become experts in their fields. He claimed 10,000 hours of practice to be "the magic number of greatness". He gave the examples of the music group The Beatles and Microsoft co-creator Bill Gates.
2 Ericsson stated that 10,000 hours was an average figure. More importantly, Ericsson said that just practising a lot was not enough; the type and quality of practice was also essential. "Deliberate practice" is when a person practises a specific part of a skill in depth rather than practising a skill as a whole.
3 It showed that practice only accounted for up to 26% of reaching an expert level.
4 Be motivated, make specific and realistic goals, work outside your comfort zone, be consistent and persistent, ask for others' opinions, and get plenty of rest.
Activity 3
practice; talent; physical superiority; IQ; personality; attitude; starting age; social factors; environmental factors; luck
Activity 4
1 I agree with the 10,000-hours theory to an extent. However, a study from the researchers at Princeton University, Michigan State University, and Rice University in 2014 says no to this theory. The researchers found that deliberate practice account for only a portion of success in some fields: games (26%), music (21%), sports (18%), education (4%), and professions (＜1%). What scientists think now is "What else matters?". Apart from all these, one may also need luck and natural talent to be successful.
2 Deliberate practice makes sense to me. I want to be a professional guitar player and have found that my ability increases when I focus on specific skills. Also, playing new and more difficult songs rather than songs I have already known and which are within my comfort zone seems to help as well.
3 To me, the factors are talent, followed by practice, personality, and attitude.
4 A social factor might include encouragement to be an expert in that field. For example, in America, there are many successful Jewish doctors simply because it is thought to be a good career to pursue by Jewish families and people in the Jewish community. In the same way, there are many Asians in America who have excelled in careers which use maths, because many Asian families place a high priority on having their children learn maths skills. An environment factor might be simple geography. For example, a person who grows up by the sea might have an easier path towards becoming an expert in oceanography than someone who grows up far away from the sea.
5 Perhaps the skill that I've practised the most is photography. For many years, I would go out to take photographs every week. As a result, I've become much more accomplished at it, and many people praise my work.
Activity 5
In my opinion, there are several essential factors to become an expert. First, those who succeed practise their crafts, and practise a lot. It is said that before The Beatles found success, they had at least 10,000 hours of practice. Practice may have been important to one's success, but pure talent and inspiration were equally important. So, the the key seems to be: Find what you are good at, and then practise that.
But what kind of practice helps? Deliberate practice makes the best sense. For example, I want to be a professional guitar player, and have found that my ability increases when I focus on specific skills. Also, playing new and more difficult songs rather than songs I have already known and which are within my comfort zone seems to help as well.
Of course, personality and attitude are also important. You have to believe in yourself. Enthusiasm is another key. How many people spent hours practising the violin every day when they were children and had great potential at it, but as adults will never go near the violin because they hated being forced to practise when they were young? If you are not enthusiastic about something, then you probably will not become an expert in it, no matter how much you practise or how much talent you have.
Finally, luck plays a part. For instance, people who grew up lucky enough to have a supportive family who helped them achieve their dreams are much more likely to find success than those who did not. Time and place can play a part in this luck. A man who wanted to become an astronaut 100 years ago was simply out of luck, as is a man who wants to become a
swimmer but lives in a desert.
