人教版英语选修第四册 Unit 5 Reading and Writing

DOES PRACTICE REALLY MAKE PERFECT?

练习真的能做到熟能生巧吗？

“Practice makes perfect” is a very popular expression. However, can we take this saying literally?

“熟能生巧” 是一句广为流传的俗语。然而，我们可以从字面上去理解这句话吗？

Many scientific studies have sought to either prove or disprove this idea.

许多科学研究都试图证实或者推翻这一观点。

So does enough practice literally lead to perfection, or at least to a level of expertise?

那么充足的练习真的就能达到完美，或者至少达到专业水准吗？

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.

有一个广为流传的理论：如果一个人练习至少一万个小时，就能够达到 “完美”—— 换句话说，成为所在领域的专家。

This theory was made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 best‑selling book, Outliers: The Story of Success.

马尔科姆・格拉德威尔在其 2008 年的畅销书《异类：成功的故事》中让这个理论名声大噪。

He claimed 10,000 hours of practice to be “the magic number of greatness”.

他称一万小时的练习是 “成就卓越的神奇数字”。

He gave the examples of the music group The Beatles and Microsoft co‑creator Bill Gates.

他举了披头士乐队和微软联合创始人比尔・盖茨作为例子。

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.

尽管他们似乎都极具天赋，但在获得成功之前，他们无疑都投入了超过一万小时的练习。

However, Gladwell’s book has been said by many to be too simplistic and generalising.

然而，很多人认为格拉德威尔这本书过于片面笼统。

Gladwell’s work was largely based on research done by Anders Ericsson, who argued that Gladwell misinterpreted his research.

格拉德威尔的观点很大程度上基于安德斯・艾利克森的研究，而艾利克森认为格拉德威尔曲解了他的研究。

Firstly, Ericsson stated that 10,000 hours was an average figure.

首先，艾利克森表明一万小时只是一个平均数值。

Some people, for example, needed far fewer than 10,000 hours, and others many more.

举例来说，有些人所需时间远少于一万小时，而另一些人则需要长得多的时间。

More importantly, Ericsson said that just practising a lot was not enough; the type and quality of practice was also essential.

更重要的是，艾利克森提出仅仅大量练习还远远不够，练习的类型与质量同样至关重要。

He went on to explain the importance 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.

他接着阐释了 “刻意练习” 的重要性：即深入练习一项技能的某个特定部分，而不是笼统地练习整个技能。

Deliberate practice is said to be much more effective, albeit more tiring.

刻意练习据说效率高得多，尽管会更加耗费精力。

Despite the theories mentioned above, many other studies argue that practice alone is far from enough.

尽管有以上这些理论，还有很多其他研究认为，只靠练习远远不够。

In fact, a more recent study from Princeton University stated that practice only accounted for up to 26% of reaching an expert level.

事实上，普林斯顿大学一项较新的研究表明，练习对于达到专家水平的贡献占比最高仅为 26%。

So what are the other factors that contribute to people becoming experts?

那么还有哪些因素促使人们成为专家呢？

Many people say that natural talent has a large influence on becoming an expert.

很多人认为天赋对于成为专家有着很大影响。

Another natural factor is physical superiority, which is especially evident in sports.

另一个先天因素是身体优势，这一点在体育运动中尤为明显。

For instance, many baseball players in America have amazing vision that allows them to see the ball much sooner than others do.

例如，美国许多棒球运动员拥有绝佳视力，可以比其他人更早看到来球。

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.

因此，一个普通人无论练习多久，都很难比得上既有天赋或身体优势、同时又坚持练习的人。

And how about other factors that go into creating an expert?

那造就专家的其他因素还有哪些呢？

Many say IQ, personality, attitude, and starting age are decisive factors, too.

很多人认为智商、性格、态度以及开始练习的年龄同样是决定性因素。

It is also important to note that becoming an expert doesn’t equal instant success.

同样值得注意的是，成为专家并不等于立刻获得成功。

Success also relies on social factors, environmental factors, and even just being in the right place at the right time!

成功还依赖社会因素、环境因素，甚至仅仅是天时地利！

In conclusion, practice may not make perfect, but deliberate practice has been shown to lead to significant improvement.

总而言之，练习未必能够做到完美，但事实证明刻意练习可以带来显著提升。

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!

基于艾利克森的研究，这里有一些高效练习的建议：保持动力；制定具体且切合实际的目标；跳出舒适区练习；持之以恒；听取他人意见；当然，还要充分休息！

For those wanting to become an expert in something, remember that being motivated is key — enjoy what you do and follow your passions.

对于想要在某方面成为专家的人，请记住：内在动力是关键 —— 享受你所做的事，追随自己热爱的事物。

扫码查看听力音频