【甚解小组】【TASK II】原文抄抄抄 FROM 西格马

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说明：

原文选自TheScientist

红宝单词均已用红色标记

Will great grammar assure a great career?

By MorganGiddings
2 February 2011

The question in the title was prompted(vt.提示, 鼓动, 促使, (给演员)提白) by a comment I received on a previous Naturally Selected blog postabout the three deadly sinsof grant(vt. 同意, 准予) writing. Thecommenter chose to pick on my grammar in the post, insinuating(vt.含沙射影地说) that because, in her opinion the post exhibited poor grammar, I wasn’t tobe listened to.

I’ll be clear up front (to stave off picky comments about it): if you’rewriting a grant proposal (or a paper), it needs to have good grammar,punctuation, and spelling. For a blog post, this is also important, though bytheir nature, blog posts are less formal. So it does not matter as much.

But here’s the thing: you can hire any of many thousands of peoplewho specialize in editing to fix your grammar on your next proposal, paper, orblog post (if you care to).

But you can’t hire any of many thousands of people to create your originalideas and research program for you, or to successfully direct the carrying outof that program through all the roadblocks and hurdles it will encounter.

There was the implicit(adj.含蓄的，不言而喻的) assumption in the grammar critic’s comment that if onedid not have proper grammar, one would fail.

I argue that the opposite is true. You or I can practice exceptional(adj.特别好的) grammar and still fail toadvance our careers. I know of plenty of people who are not perfectgrammarians who have great careers. In fact, I can think of at least oneformer president of the US of A that wasn’t particularly keen on propergrammar, but who rose to what is arguably the highest position of all. Youor I may not happen to like that former president, but it is hard to argue thathe didn’t succeed in his own life.

The great danger I see in focusing on the particulars of grammar is thatof getting trapped in a perfectionist thought loop akin to a Möbius strip.

To see what I mean, try this simple exercise out: draw a perfectcircle.

Done yet?

Actually, that’s a rhetorical（带修辞色彩的） question, becauseI know you’ll never finish that exercise (unless you somehow can transcend ouruniverse).

I know that you can’t finish because the laws of physics don’t allow us todo anything “perfectly” in this world – even something so simple as drawingthat perfect circle.  We can imagine it and write an equation for it – butwe cannot make it manifest (adj.显然的, 明白的) in our world, no matter how hard we try.

You could attempt to position the atoms of your circle perfectly, thenpoor old Werner Heisenberg would rise from his grave(n.墓穴, 坟墓adj.严重的) to cause them to slip andslide around to ill-defined positions (or ill-defined momentums – you choose,but you only get to pick one). For those who aren’t physicists, I’m makingan oblique(adj.间接的，斜的) reference to the Heisenberguncertainty principle, that says you cannot simultaneously define the positionand momentum of any quantum (proton, neutron, electron, etc) to more than withinPlanck’s constant over 2. Period.

End of story.  Perfection cannot be obtained – in circle drawing,in grammar, or in anything else for that matter.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen careers destroyed by the pursuit ofperfection.  The symptoms are easy to spot: the carrier is always working on that “perfect”project to get the “perfect” paper in one of the high-flying journals– and as a result, never closing the loop on much of anything at all.

This is far more pernicious(adj.有害的，致命的) than a bit of sloppy （adj.邋遢的，不整洁的）grammar, which can be readily fixed with some training orby an editor.

Please don’t let perfectionism ruin your life.  Good grammar is fine,and certainly won’t hurt you. But it won’t be the driver of your success.The drivers of your success are things like:

• Persistence     in the face of difficulties
• Building up     your confidence
• Working hard     but not too hard (it is essential to take breaks)
• Learning to     effectively communicate your successes to others (i.e. marketing them)

If you haven’t grabbed it yet, I’ve written up a short report on otherways to avoid failure and get success in your science career: http://scifoundry.com/

—————–

Morgan Giddings, PhD recently gave up her tenured faculty job at a majormedical institution, choosing a smaller university to continue her researchwhile having time to help others achieve satisfaction and success in theirscience careers.

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红宝单词解释：



prompt
n.
提示, 付款期限
vt.
提示, 鼓动, 促使, (给演员)提白
adj.
敏捷的, 迅速的, 即时的
adv.
准时地
n.
DOS命令：改变DOS系统提示符的风格






insinuate
vt.
使逐步而巧妙地取得, 使迂回地潜入(或挤入), 使慢慢滋长, 含沙射影地说






grant
vt.
同意, 准予, 承认(某事为真)～






implicit
adj.
暗示的, 盲从的, 含蓄的, 固有的, 不怀疑的, 绝对的






exceptional
adj.
例外的, 异常的






rhetorical
adj.
带修辞色彩的






manifest
n.
载货单, 旅客名单
adj.
显然的, 明白的
vi.
出现
vt.
表明, 证明






oblique
adj.
倾斜的, 间接的, 不坦率的, 无诚意的






pernicious
adj.
有害的






sloppy
adj.
潮湿的, 多阴雨的, 溅湿的, 溅污的, 肥大的

西格马UID：2897124

这篇文章论证了好的文法不能保证成功的科研成就。文中作者通过让读者画一个完美的圆的论证方式，生动地批判了完美主义者的错误观点。


适合Issue:

27. "No one can possibly achieve success in theworld by conforming to conventional practices and conventional ways ofthinking."

这个世界上没有人能够靠墨守陈规（行动或者思维上的）而获得成功。

28. "Students should memorize facts only after theyhave studied the ideas, trends, and concepts that help explain those facts.Students who have learned only facts have learned very little."

学生们在记忆知识的时候应该先学习有助于解释那些知识的理念、潮流和概念。仅仅死学知识的学生是学不到什么东西的。

西格马UID：2897124

完毕~

西格马UID：2897124

第二篇


说明：

原文选自北美范文

红色标记为GRE红宝单词

红色或加粗标记被每段的中心句

"All nations should help support the development ofa global university designed to engage students in the process of solving theworld's most persistent social problems."

I agree that it would serve the interests of all nationsto establish a global university for the purpose of solving the world's mostpersistent social problems. Nevertheless, such a university poses certainrisks which all participating nations must be careful to minimize--or riskdefeating the university's purpose.


Onecompelling argument in favor of a global university has to do with the factthat its faculty and students would bring diverse cultural and educationalperspectives to the problems they seek to solve.
It seems to me that nations can only benefit from a global universitywhere students learn ways in which other nations address certain soda]problems-successfully or not. It might be tempting to think that an overlydiversified academic community would impede communication among students andfaculty. However, in my view any such concerns are unwarranted(adj.无保证的, 未获承认的), especiallyconsidering the growing awareness of other peoples and cultures which the massmedia, and especially the Internet, have created. Moreover, many basic principlesused to solve enduring (adj.持久的, 不朽的) social problemsknow no national boundaries; thus a useful  insight or discovery can come from aresearcher or student from any nation.


Anothercompelling argument for a global university involves the increasingly globalnature of certain problems. Consider, forinstance, the depletion of atmospheric ozone, which has waned (v.(使)变苍白, (使)呈病态) the Earth to thepoint that it threatens the very survival of the human species. Also, we arenow learning that dear-cutting the world's rainforests can set into motion achain of animal 9 extinction that threatens the delicate(adj.精巧的, 精致的) balance upon whichall animals—including humans--depend. Also consider that a financialcrisis---or a political crisis or natural disaster in one country can spelltrouble for foreign companies, many of which are now multinational in that theyrely on the labor forces, equipment, and raw materials of other nations. Environmental,economic, and political problems such as these all carry grave social consequences--increasedcrime, unemployment, insurrection, hunger, and so forth. Solving these problemsrequires global cooperation--which a global university can facilitate.


Notwithstanding(adj.虽然，尽管) theforegoing reasons why a global university would help solve many of our mostpressing social problems, the establishmentof such a university poses certain problems of its own which must be addressedin order that the university can achieve its objectives. First, participant nationswould need to overcome a myriad(adj.无数的, 一万的, 种种的) ofadministrative and political impediments. All nations would need to agree on which problems demand the university's attentionand resources, which areas of academic research are worthwhile, as well as agreeingon policies and procedures for making, enforcing, and amending these decisions.Query whether a functional global university is politically feasible, giventhat sovereign(adj.至高无上的, 君主的, 独立自主的) nations naturallywish to advance their own agendas.


A secondproblem inherent in establishing a global university involves the risk that certainintellectual and research avenues would become officially sanctioned (v. 批准，认可) whileothers of equal or greater potential value would be discouraged, or perhapseven proscribed (v.禁止). A telling example ofthe inherent danger of setting and enforcing official research prioritiesinvolves the Soviet government's attempts during the 1920s to not only controlthe direction and the goals of its scientists' research but also to distort theoutcome of that research---ostensibly （adv.表面上）for the greatest good of the greatest number of people.Not surprisingly, during this time period no significant scientific advancesoccurred under the auspices（n.资助，赞助） of the Soviet government. The Soviet lesson provides animportant caveat to administrators of a global university: Significant progressin solving pressing social problems requires an open mind to all sound ideas,approaches, and theories---krespective of the ideologies of their proponents.


A finalproblem with a global university is that the world's preeminent（adj.出类拔萃的） intellectual talent might be drawn to the sorts of problems to which theuniversity is charged with solving, while parochial social problem go unsolved.
While this is not reasonenough not to establish a global university, it nevertheless is a concern thatuniversity administrators and participant nations must be aware of inallocating resources and intellectual talent.


To sumup, given the increasingly global nature or the world'ssocial problems, and the escalating（adj.逐步上升的） costs of addressing these problems, a global university makes good sense.And, since all nations would have a common interest in seeing this endeavorsucceed, my intuition is that participating nations would be able to overcomewhatever procedural and political obstacles that might stand in the way ofsuccess. As long as each nation is careful not to neglect its own unique socialproblems, and as long as the university's administrators are careful to remainopen-minded about the legitimacy and potential value of various avenues of intellectualinquiry and research, a global university might go along way toward solvingmany of the world's pressing social problems.

西格马UID：2897124

unwarranted
adj.
无根据的, 未获保证的, 无保证的, 未获承认的





enduring
adj.
持久的, 不朽的





wan
adj.
苍白的, 无血色的, 病态的, 暗淡的, 无力的

v.
(使)变苍白, (使)呈病态





delicate
adj.
精巧的, 精致的, 病弱的, 脆弱的, 微妙的, 棘手的, 灵敏的, 精密的





myriad
n.
无数, 无数的人或物, <诗>一万

adj.
无数的, 一万的, 种种的





sovereign
n.
君主, 统治

adj.
至高无上的, 君主的, 独立自主的, 完全的





sanction
n.
批准, 同意, 支持, 制裁, 认可

v.
批准, 同意, 支持, 鼓励, 认可







proscribe
vt.
剥夺公权, 使失去法律保护

充军, 放逐

禁止; 排斥

[古]公布(被处罪者的)姓名





ostensibly
adv.
表面上





auspices
n.
由...主办及赞助





preeminent
adj.
优秀的, 杰出的, 卓越的; 显著的





escalate
vi.
乘自动[升降]梯上升; 用传送带往上输送

(战争等)逐步升级

迅速上涨, (物价工资等)飞快增加

西格马UID：2897124

本文作者首先就global university来解决social problem的话题提出了自己的观点：赞同，但同时存在问题需要解决。



赞同原因1：Students can bring diverse culture & educational perspectives to theproblem they seek to solve.
赞同原因2：Global cooperation helps to solve environmental, economic & politicalproblems
存在的问题1：Participate nations need to overcome a myriad of administrative &political impediments.
存在的问题2：Certain intellectual & research avenues would become officiallysanctioned while others of equal or greater potential value would beproscribed. (eg. by Soviet government)
存在的问题3：Parochial social problem unsolved (the resources and intellectual talentshould be allocated equally by university)


适合Issue:
11. All nations should help support the development of a globaluniversity designed to engage students in the process of solving the world'smost persistent social problems. [7]

*11. 所有的國家應共同支持建立一所全球性大學，讓學生們參與到解決世界上最持久、難以解決的社會問題的過程中

西格马UID：2897124

完毕~

西格马UID：2897124

第三篇
说明：
本文选自北美范文
GRE红宝词汇用红色标出
红色或加粗为每段中心句




"In the age of television, reading books is not as important as itonce was. People can learn as much by watching television as they can byreading books."


The speaker contends（v.据理力争，主张） that people learn just as much from watchingtelevision as by reading books, and therefore that reading books is not asimportant for learning as it once was. I strongly disagree. I concede（v.承认为正确，让步） that in afew respects television, including video, can be a more efficient and effectivemeans of learning. In most respects, however, these newer media serve as poorsubstitutes for books when it comes to learning.


Admittedly, television holds certain advantages over books for impartingcertain types of knowledge. For the purpose of documenting and conveying（v.运载，运送，表达）temporal, spatial(adj. 有关空间的，在空间的) events and experiences, film and video generally provide amore accurate and convincing record than a book or other written account. Forexample, it is impossible for anyone, no matter how keen an observer andskilled a journalist, to recount in complete and objective detail such eventsas a Ballanchine ballet, or the scene at the intersection of Florence andNormandy streets during the 1992 Los Angeles riots（n.暴乱, 骚动）. Besides, since the world isbecoming an increasingly eventful place, with each passing day it becomes amore onerous（adj.繁重的, 费力的） task for journalists, authors, and book publishers to recountthese events, and disseminate（v.散步，传播） them in printed form. Producers of televisedbroadcasts and videos have an inherent advantagein this respect. Thus the speaker'sclaim has some merit when it comes to arts education and to learning aboutmodern and current events.


However, the speaker overlooks（v.忽视，俯视） several respects m which books areinherently superior（v.优越的，出众的） to television as a medium for learning. Watching televisionor a video is no indication that any significant learning is taking place; thecomparatively passive nature of these media can render （vt.呈递,
致使）them ineffectual in thelearning process. Also, books are far more portable than television sets.Moreover, books do not break, and they do not depend on electricity, batteries,or access to airwaves or cable connections---aU of which may or may not beavailable in a given place. Finally, the effort required to read activelyimparts a certain discipline which serves any person well throughout a lifetimeof learning.


The speaker also ignores the decided tendency on the part of owners andmanagers of television media to ffiter information in order to appeal（v.吸引） to thewidest viewing audience, and thereby maximize profit. And casting the widestpossible net seems to involve focusing on the sensational---that is, an appealto our emotions and baser instincts rather than our intellect and reasonableness.The end result is that viewers do not receive complete, unfiltered, and balancedinformation, and therefore cannot rely on television to develop informed and intelligentopinions about important social and political issues.


Another compelling argument against the speaker's claim has to do with howwell books and television serve their respective archival (adj.档案的) functions. Booksreadily enable readers to review and cross-reference material, while televisedbroadcasts do not. Even the selective review of videotape is far more troublethan it is worth, especially if a printed resource is also available. Moreover,the speaker's claim carries the implication that all printed works, fiction andnon-fiction alike, not transferred to a medium capable of being televised, areless significance as a result. This implication serves to discredit theinvaluable contributions of all the philosophers, scientists, poets, and othersof the past, upon whose immense（adj.巨大的） shoulders society stands today.


A final argument that books are made no less useful by television has todo with the experience of perusing the stacks in a library, or even abookstore. Switching television channels, or even scanning a video library,simply cannot duplicate（v.复制） this experience. Why not? Browsing among books allowsfor serendipity(n.有意外发现珍宝的运气)--unexpectedly coming across an interesting and informative bookwhile searching for something else, or for nothing in particular. Moreover, browsingthrough a library or bookstore is a pleasurable sensory experience for many people--anexperience that the speaker would have us forego(vt.(在位置时间或程度方面)走在...之前, 居先) forever.


In sum, television and video can be more efficient than books as a meansof staying abreast of current affairs, and for education in the arts thatinvolve moving imagery. However, books facilitate learning in certain ways thattelevision does not and cannot. In the final analysis, the optimal approach isto use both media side by side--television to keep us informed and to providemoving imagery, along with books to provide perspective and insight on that informationand imagery.

西格马UID：2897124

contend
v.
斗争, 竞争, 主张


concede
vt.
勉强, 承认, 退让
vi.
让步


convey
vt.
传导， 运［传， 输］送
传［表， 转］达
【律】让与， 转让（财产等）


riot
n.
暴乱, 骚动, (植物, 疾病等)蔓延, 放荡, 暴动
v.
骚乱, 放纵, 挥霍, 参加骚动


onerous
adj.
繁重的; 麻烦的
【律】负有法律义务的


disseminate
vt.
撒, 播
传播, 散布


overlook
vt.
俯瞰, 耸出, 远眺, 没注意到
n.
眺望, 俯瞰中的景色


superior
n.
长者, 高手, 上级
adj.
较高的, 上级的, 上好的, 出众的, 高傲的


render
vt.
呈递, 归还, 着色, 汇报, 致使, 放弃, 表演, 实施
vi.
给予补偿
n.
交纳, 粉刷, 打底


appeal
n.
请求, 呼吁, 上诉, 吸引力, 要求
vi.
求助, 诉请, 要求
vt.
控诉


archival
adj.
档案的; 档案里的


immense
adj.
极广大的, 无边的, <口>非常好的


duplicate
adj.
复制的, 副的, 两重的, 两倍的, 完全相同
n.
复制品, 副本
vt.
复写, 复制, 使加倍, 使成双

西格马UID：2897124

文章首段作者以strongly disagree表达自己对题目所述观点的否定态度，同时表明自己观点：newer media serve as poor substitutes for books when it comes to learning.

第二段作者承认了 TV has certain advantages over books: provide more accurate and convincing record.

第三段为作者的第一论点：As medium for learning, books are superior to TV.
                                        --there is no significant learning is taking place on TV
                                        --books are more portable than TV sets
                                        --books do not break and depend on electricity
                                        --effort required to read book actively do well for one’s lifetime

第四段为作者的第二论点：owners and managers of TV media select information in order to appeal to the widest viewing rate, theeby maximize profit.

第五段为作者第三论点：books serve better archival function than TV

第六段为作者第四论点：valuable experience of perusing the stacks in a library or bookstore

最后一段总结并延伸提出最佳解决方案：the optimal approach is to use both media side by side--television to keep us informed and to provide moving imagery, along with books to provide perspective and insight on that information and imagery.

适合Issue:
38. "In the age of television, reading books is not as important as it once was. People can learn as much by watching television as they can by reading books."   
电视时代的读书已经不像以前那么重要了。人们通过看电视学到的和他们读书所能学到的一样多。

98. "Colleges and universities should offer more courses on popular music, film, advertising, and television because contemporary culture has much greater relevance for students than do arts and literature of the past."
大学应该开设更多关于流行音乐、电影、广告和电视的课程，因为当代文化比起过去的文学和艺术与学生们更加息息相关。

151. "High-speed electronic communications media, such as electronic mail and television, tend to prevent meaningful and thoughtful communication."
高速电子通讯媒体，例如电子邮件和电视，在逐渐地抑制有意义的和有思想性的交流。

西格马UID：2897124

完毕！