Reading Part @ Aug. 22, 2017

Chapter 8: But What about Natural Talent？（207-225）

• The Magic of Paganini
• Mozart and His Legend
• The Magical High Jumper
• Savants
• The Anti-Prodigies

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Summary & Reflection:

作者通过对杰出的小提琴家帕格尼尼（Niccolo Paganini）、大音乐家莫扎特（Mozart）、加拿大冰球选手马里奥（Mario Lemieux）、跳高运动员托马斯（Donald Thomas）、以及有学者症候群的自闭症奇才唐尼（Donny, savantlike abilities with autistic children）的研究调查，再次验证了本书的观点，所谓的杰出人物的成功，并不是因为他们具备人们一直所深信不疑的“天才的基因”，而是因为他们潜心学习刻意练习的成果。当然，对于某些体育竞技类的项目，基因上的身高（height）及体型（body size）优势会有一定的影响作用，但最根本的还是在于后天技能的刻意练习度。

因此，当我们以后再听到天才的事例时，不要盲目崇拜，动辄就归因于“天赋说”，而是要学会客观冷静的问两个问题：

What is the exact nature of the ability?
这种能力的特点究竟是什么？

What sorts of training made it possible?
什么样的训练可以付诸成功？

当我们尝试弄明白这两个问题之后，也就不难理解，所谓“天才”也是需要百分之九十九的汗水的。

People do not stop learning and improving because they have reached some innate limits on their performance; they stop learning and improving because, for whatever reasons, they stooped practicing -- or never started.

我们停止学习和进步的脚步，并不是因为我们达到了极限，而是因为各种原因停止了训练，或者说我们从未开始认真训练过。

这话，还真是“一语惊醒梦中人”呀，仔细想想自己有多少事情都打着 “我没有这个天分” 的旗号而放弃了的？比如唱歌，画画，写文章，英语口语......是时候要再 push 自己一下了。

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Words and Expressions:

......and I set out to track down the details in order to understand how such a feat might have been possible.

set out to do something, 短语动词，to start doing something or making plans to do something in order to achieve a particular result，打算/开始做某事.
例句：
She accomplishes whatever she sets out [=intends] to do.
I never set out to hurt you. [=I was not trying to hurt you]

其他常见搭配为：
set out on a journey/drive/voyage etc，启程，to start a journey, especially a long journey；
例句：The band are setting out on a European tour in March.

set out for ... 出发去..., to begin traveling in a particular direction
例句：We got out of the car and set out for the nearest gas station.

set (something) out or set out (something)，to explain ideas, facts, or opinions in a clearly organized way, in writing or in a speech；to move and organize (a group of things) so that they can be seen or used；修饰，装饰
例句：
In the article, the group sets out the role of parents in a child's education.
Details of the case are set out in a briefing paper.

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Sure, you can dunk, but I bet you couldn't clear six feet six in the high jump.

clear, 作为及物动词，还有 “通过，跳过” 的意思，to go over, under, or past (something) without touching，原文中用来表示跳高项目中跳过XX米.
例句：The horse cleared [=jumped over] the fence easily.

有关跳高的几个表达：
high jump -- 跳高，high jumper -- 跳高运动员， high jump bar -- 跳高横杆

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...... and the corresponding leap-year calendars -- and he was developed ways to quickly calculate which of those fourteen possible calendars applies to any given year.

leap-year, 可数名词，意思是 “闰年”，a year, which happens every fourth year, when February has 29 days instead of 28.
例句： This is a leap year, so use that extra day to plan some great outings.

some useful expressions:

I can report with confidence that ... 我可以很肯定的说...
We have no solid evidence that ... 我们没有确凿的证据...
We have one more bit of evidene, ... 我们还有其他证据...

Given what we know now, ... 就我们目前所知道的...
Given the fact that ... 就事实来讲...

It's worth noting that ... 值得注意的是...
More to the point, ... 更重要的是...

A more current example is ... 最近的例子是...

Here are the basics. 以下是一些基本情况.

The most obvious conclusion to draw from ... 从...得出的最显而易见的结论是...

8月英文原版读书会 图/Eric