Scientists have long argued over the relative contributions of practice and native talent to the development of elite performance. This debate swings back and forth every century, it seems, but a paper in the current issue of the journal Psychological Science illustrates where the discussion now stands and hints—more tantalizingly, for people who just want to do their best—at where the research will go next. The value-of-practice debate has reached a stalemate. In a landmark 1993 study of musicians, a research team led by K. Anders Ericsson found that practice time explained almost all the difference (about 80 percent) between elite performers and committed amateurs. The finding rippled quickly through the popular culture, perhaps most visibly as the apparent inspiration for the "10,000-hour rule" in Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling "Outliers" —a rough average of the amount of practice time required for expert performance. The new paper, the most comprehensive review of relevant research to date, comes to a different conclusion. Compiling results from 88 studies across a wide range of skills, it estimates that practice time explains about 20 percent to 25 percent of the difference in performance in music, sports and games like chess. In academics, the number is much lower—4 percent—in part because it's hard to assess the effect of previous knowledge, the authors wrote. One of those people, Dr. Ericsson, had by last week already written his critique of the new review. He points out that the paper uses a definition of practice that includes a variety of related activities, including playing music or sports for fun or playing in a group. But his own studies focused on what he calls deliberate practice: one-on-one lessons in which an instructor pushes a student continually, gives immediate feedback and focuses on weak spots. "If you throw all these kinds of practice into one big soup, of course you are going to reduce the effect of deliberate practice," he said in a telephone interview. Zach Hambrick, a co-author of the paper of the journal Psychological Science, said that using Dr. Ericsson' s definition of practice would not change the results much, if at all, and partisans on both sides have staked out positions. Like most branches of the nature-nurture debate, this one has produced multiple camps, whose estimates of the effects of practice vary by as much as 50 percentage points.
单选题 The paper published in Psychological Science introduces______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:推断题。根据题干关键词定位到第一段。原文but a paper in the current issue of the journal Psychological Science illustrates where the discussion now stands and hints—more tantalizingly,for people who just want to do their best—at where the research will go next.(最近的一期《心理科学》上的一篇论文,介绍了这场争论的现状。对那些只想全力以赴的人来说,更吸引人的是,文章暗示了未来的研究方向。)故B项“争论的现状是什么”为正确答案。同时排除C项“那些只想全力以赴的人的所在位置”。A项“为什么这个争论反复好长时间”和D项“这个争论有什么意义”均与题干无关,故排除。
单选题 According to Paragraph 2, which of the following is true?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第二段。此题宜采用排除法。A项“练习的价值之争有了新进展”与The value-of-practice debate has reached a stalemate不符。B项“专业演奏者和执着的业余人士之间的差异与练习时间无关”不符合K·安德斯·埃里克森的研究发现,故排除。D项“通过1万小时的练习,每个人都可以达到专家水平”说法过于绝对,故排除。C项“马尔科姆·格拉德威尔受到K.安德斯·埃里克森研究成果的启发”与文中The finding rippled quickly through the popular culture,perhaps most visibly as the apparent inspiration for the “1 0,000一hour rule”in Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling“Outliers”相符。故为正确答案。
单选题 The practice time accounts for lower percent in academical performance partly because______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第三段。最后一句In academics, the number is much lower一4 percent--in part because it’s hard to assess the effect of previous knowledge,the authors wrote.(在学术领域,这一比例则低很多,仅为4%。作者写道,这在一定程度上是因为难以评估已有知识的影响。)故D项“难以评估已有知识的影响”为正确答案。A项“新论文做了最全面的回顾”和B项“新论文包含涉及一系列技能的88项研究”均与题干无关。C项“练习时间的影响难以预测”与文中事实不符,故排除。
单选题 In his critique of the new review, Dr. Ericsson notes that______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:细节题。根据题干关键词定位到文章第四段He points out that the paper uses a definition of practice that includes a variety of related activities,including playing music or sports for fun or playing in a group.(他指出,论文中采用的对练习的定义,涵盖了各种相关的活动,包括因为觉得有趣而演奏音乐或进行运动,或是参加团体活动。)故A项“论文中所使用的练习定义含有各种相关活动”为正确答案。B项“研究聚焦于练习的定义”与But his own studies focused on what he calls deliberate practice不符;C项“老师应该及时向学生反馈”是对文章的断章取义;D项“研究的错误是明显的”与文章无关,故排除。
单选题 What is the author' s attitude towards the practice-nature debate?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:态度题。本题问作者对关于天赋和练习争论的态度。文章第一段引出话题,第二段介绍了认为练习更重要的研究者的观点;第三段介绍了新论文与以往截然不同的结论。第四段阐述了认为练习更重要的学者对新论文观点的评价。最后一段介绍了两个阵营研究结果差异之大。由此看出,作者对此争论的态度是客观的,故B项“客观的”为正确答案。A项“不感兴趣的”、C项“批评的”和D项“不关心的”,均不符合题意,故排除。