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Unit 6
Success
In-Class Reading
The Key to Success
1 A five-year study of 120 of the nation's top artists, athletes and scholars has concluded that drive and determination, not great natural talent, led to their extraordinary success.
2 "We expected to find tales of great natural gifts," said University of Chicago education professor Benjamin Bloom, who led the team of researchers who studied the careers of America's top performers in six fields: concert pianists, Olympic swimmers, sculptors, tennis players, mathematicians and research neurologists.
3 "We didn't find that at all. Their mothers often said it was their other children who had the greater gift," Bloom said.
4 The most brilliant mathematicians often said they had trouble in school and were rarely the best in their classes. Some world-class tennis players said their coaches viewed them as being too short ever to be outstanding, and the Olympic swimmers said they remember getting regularly "clobbered" in races as 10-year-olds.
5 The foundation-supported research team conducted in-depth, anonymous interviews with the top 20 performers in the six fields, as judged by national championships or similar honors.
6 They also interviewed their families and teachers, hoping to learn how these individuals developed into extraordinary performers.
7 Instead, the researchers heard the accounts of an extraordinary drive and dedication, through which, for example, a child would practice the piano several hours daily for 17 years to attain his goal of becoming a concert pianist. A typical swimmer would tell of getting up at 5:30 every morning to swim two hours before school and then two hours after school to attain his or her goal of making the Olympic team.
8 Although practice and motivation seemed to explain their success, the top performers, regardless of their field, appeared to follow a similar course of development, the researchers found.
9 In practically every case, the parents played the key role, first by exposing their children at an early age to music, sports or learning. The vast majority of the parents were not themselves outstanding musicians, athletes or scholars. For example, fewer than half of the parents of the distinguished pianists had ever played any musical instrument.
10 But the parents of the swimmers and tennis players did enjoy sports and valued competition. Bloom reported. The families of the pianists and sculptors appreciated art and music, while the parents of the research scientists displayed a great love for learning.
11 The parents of the mathematicians and research neurologists reported that their children showed both an unusual curiosity about how things work and an "independent nature" that allowed them to play or work alone for hours.
12 Although it is not uncommon for children to repeatedly ask "why," "what appears to make the parents of the scientists unique is the nature of their response to their children's questions," Bloom wrote. "They responded to the questions seriously, often encouraging even more questions."
13 Beyond specific attitudes or interests, the parents also taught their children to value hard work and competition.
14 "These parents placed great stress on achievements, on success and on doing one's best at all times. They were models of the 'work ethic,' believing that work should come before play and that one should always work toward distant goals," Bloom said.
15 The families said in the interviews that they wanted their sons and daughters to have "normal" childhoods and that they had no inkling that the children would achieve unusual success.
16 But once the children displayed an interest and enthusiasm in a particular area, these parents encouraged them at every step and were willing to spend countless hours shuttling them to and from piano, tennis or swimming lessons.
17 Even in homes where money was tight, no sacrifice was too great in order that the child have whatever he needed to learn to become a musician. "My parents didn't have two nickels to rub together," Bloom quoted one pianist as saying. "Those were the bad old days. But there was always money for music."
18 Several of the families reported moving to new homes just to get their children in better academic environments or to be closer to a coach or instructor.
19 Bloom's study also found that these extraordinary achievers, all of whom were younger than 40 when interviewed, appeared to have gone through three distinct stages of development, regardless of their field.
20 At first, the parents exposed the children to playing a piano, tinkering with scientific games or hitting a tennis ball, but it was just fun. They played tennis with their families, for example, and developed the habit of regular practice. Usually, the children also had some outside instruction-perhaps a neighbor who gave piano lessons or an uncle who was a good tennis player.
21 Then, at some point, they began to gain recognition for their ability. A 7-year-old would play the piano for a school performance. An 8-year-old would beat all the other children at his local tennis or swimming club.
22 "Within two to five years, most of the individuals in our study began to see themselves in terms of the talent field," Bloom wrote. "They began to see themselves as 'pianists' and 'swimmers' before the age of 11 or 12, and 'mathematicians' before the age of 16 or 17."
23 "Most of our talented individuals had very good experiences with their initial teachers, and many had developed a very comfortable relationship with them," Bloom wrote.
24 At the second stage of development, as a child's rapid progress became apparent, the parents usually sought out a more expert instructor or coach.
25 Typically, the new teachers "were perfectionists who demanded a great deal of practice time for the student and looked for much progress in a relatively short period of time," Bloom wrote. They usually stressed the refining of the child's technique, whether it be their fingers on the keyboard or their strokes in the water or on the tennis court.
26 In the middle years, these young people first tasted extraordinary success. Some set national swimming records as adolescents. The pianists got opportunities to perform with symphony orchestras. The future mathematicians and neurologists were already doing independent research projects and winning science fairs. The tennis players were winning state championships.
27 At this point, their commitment to their field escalated one step further. The subjects said they began "living" for swimming, or tennis or the piano and devoted hours each day to practice. They also sought out the nation's best coaches or teachers, those who were recognized masters at training the best.
28 Sixteen of the world-class pianists reported having studied at some time with one of five master teachers. The mathematicians and scientists, who often had become attached to a special teacher or gained the attention of a local university professor, gravitated to the nation's top universities in math and science.
29 At this final stage of development, the focus was less on technique than on developing a personal style. The swimmers and tennis players said their master teachers helped them with strategy and psychology. The pianists said they learned about expressing their own interpretation of the music.
30 "During these years the student was completely committed to the talent field. Now most of the motivation was internal and related to their larger goals," Bloom wrote.
31 Few of the talented individuals expressed any regret about devoting so much of their time to pursuing a single goal. Most of the top achievers, even those who had left their field, said they had retained a feeling of pride in their accomplishments.
32 Bloom said that the study convinced him that talent must be carefully nurtured over many years.
33 "The old saying that 'genius will win out' in spite of the circumstances doesn't hold up," he said.
34 Because natural talent seemed to play such a minor role in the development of these performers. Bloom said he was also convinced that a large number of individuals could achieve at extraordinary levels if given the right encouragement and training.
35 The research "points to the enormous human potential available in each society and the likelihood that only a very small amount of this human potential is ever fully developed," he concluded. "We believe that each society could vastly increase the amount and kinds of talent it develops. " (1346 words)
Time taken: ____ minutes
Proper Names
Benjamin Bloom
本杰明.布卢姆
Olympic
奥林匹克
New Words
anonymous
adj. not identified by name, of unknown name 匿名的，不具名的
e.g. The note was anonymous, signed only "A well-wisher".
championship *
n.
1) the position or title of being a champion 冠军身份，冠军称号
e.g. Jane is trying to win the horseback riding championship.
2) a competition to find which player, team, etc. is the best in a particular sport 锦标赛
e.g. The world championships will be held in Scotland next year.
clobber
v. defeat completely 打垮
e.g. Our local football team got clobbered by 1 to 6 in the match yesterday.
countless *
adj. too many to be counted 无数的
e.g. Through its health campaigns, WHO （世界卫生组织） has saved countless lives throughout the world.
dedication *
n. the state of being devoted to a purpose or a cause 献身（精神）
e.g. I ) The mayor's dedication to her town's welfare led to her reelection.
II) The author's dedication to finishing the book on time meant working many late nights.
distinguished
adj. very successful and therefore respected and admired 杰出的
e.g. A distinguished actor starred in the play.
escalate
v. increase in extent, intensity, scope, etc. 逐步升级
e.g. Tension escalated as the hostage (人质) crisis worsened.
gravitate
v. move toward someone or something because of an attraction 受吸引
e.g. I can feel myself gravitated towards the food table.
inkling
n. a slight knowledge or a hint 暗示，迹象
mathematician *
n. a specialist or expert in mathematics 数学家
e.g. The successful computer programmer was originally a mathematician.
neurologist
n. one specializing in neurology 神经病学家
nickel
n.
1) a coin of the US and Canada, equal to five cents （美国和加拿大的）五分镍币
e.g. Two nickels make a dime. Five nickels make a quarter.
2) a hard, silvery white metallic element 镍
e.g. Nickel is often mixed with other metals to make them stronger.
outstanding
adj. extremely good 杰出的，出众的
e.g. He was outstanding at tennis and golf.
perfectionist *
n. a person who is not satisfied with anything unless it is completely perfect 至善论者，完美主义者
e.g. She's such a perfectionist that she notices even the tiniest mistakes.
pianist *
n. a person who plays the piano 钢琴家，钢琴演奏者
e.g. Jane gave the pianist at the bar a tip.
recognition
n.
1) public admiration and thanks for someone's work or achievements 认可
e.g. I ) The artist Van Gogh (凡.高) achieved little public recognition when he was alive.
II) He was presented with a gold watch in recognition of his years as club secretary.
2) identification of someone or something as having previously been seen, heard or known 认出，认识
e.g. When he returned to his hometown after the war, he found it had changed beyond all recognition that he no longer recognized it.
repeatedly
adv. again and again 反复地，多次地
e.g. The student pronounced the difficult words repeatedly until he got them correct.
sculptor *
n. a person who makes sculptures 雕塑家
e.g. Henry Moore, who died in 1986, is one of Britain's best-known sculptors.
symphony
n. a long piece of music usually in four parts written for an orchestra 交响乐
e.g. The orchestra (管弦乐队) played Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
tinker
v. make small changes to something in order to repair it or make it work better 很不熟练地修补
e.g. He's been tinkering with that engine for hours, but it still won't go.
Phrases and Expressions
at this point
at an exact moment, time, or stage in something's development 此时
e.g. It was at this point that the surgeon realized things were going wrong.
go through
suffer or experience 遭受，经历
e.g. He was going through a very difficult time.
hold up
1) be true or valid 经受考验
e.g. I ) I'm not sure if the argument holds up, but it's stimulating.
II) His disguise held up for several years, but it was finally penetrated.
2) raise 举起，抬起
e.g. Hold up your hand if you know the answer to the question.
3) delay 延迟，阻碍
e.g. The whole thing was held up about half an hour.
seek out
try to find 找出
e.g. We sought out a pub by the roadside where we might sit down and have a meal.
tell of
describe the details of an event or person 描述
e.g. His new novel tells of the heroic deeds of a great patriot.
win out
win over others 成功
e.g. I knew I could win out if I just kept trying.
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