2007 T-1

文章¶

第一段¶

If you were to examine the birth certificates of every soccer player in 2006’s World Cup tournament, you would most likely find a noteworthy quirk: elite soccer players are more likely to have been born in the earlier months of the year than in the late months. If you then examined the European national youth teams that feed the World Cup and professional ranks, you would find this strange phenomenon to be ever more pronounced.

tournament → n. 锦标赛，联赛
noteworthy → adj. 值得注意的，显著的
quirk → n. 怪癖，怪异的性格（或行为）；（偶然发生的）怪事，奇事
pronounced → adj. 明显的，显著的；讲出来的

第二段¶

What might account for this strange phenomenon? Here are a few guesses: a) certain astrological signs confer superior soccer skills; b) winter-born babies tend to have higher oxygen capacity, which increases soccer stamina; c) soccer-mad parents are more likely to conceive children in springtime, at the annual peak of soccer mania; d) none of the above.

account for → 解释，说明；占据（一定比例）；对 ... 负有责任
astrological → adj. 占星的；占星学的，占星术的
confer → v. 授予，赋予；商讨，交换意见
superior → n. 优越，优势；优越性
capacity → n. 容量，能力
stamina → n. 耐力，持久力，毅力
mad → adj. 生气的，气愤的；狂热的，着迷的
annual → adj. 一年一度的；年度的；（植物）一年生的
peak → n. 巅峰，顶点

第三段¶

Anders Ericsson, a 58-year-old psychology professor at Florida State University, says he believes strongly in "none of the above." Ericsson grew up in Sweden, and studied nuclear engineering until he realized he would have more opportunity to conduct his own research if he switched to psychology. His first experiment, nearly 30 years ago, involved memory: training a person to hear and then repeat a random series of numbers. "With the first subject, after about 20 hours of training, his digit span had risen from 7 to 20," Ericsson recalls. "He kept improving, and after about 200 hours of training he had risen to over 80 numbers."

psychology → n. 心理学；心理特点，心理状态
subject → n. 实验对象；主语；主题；科目
span → n. 跨度；范围

第四段¶

This success, coupled with later research showing that memory itself is not genetically determined, led Ericsson to conclude that the act of memorizing is more of a cognitive exercise than an intuitive one. In other words, whatever inborn differences two people may exhibit in their abilities to memorize, those differences are swamped by how well each person "encodes" the information. And the best way to learn how to encode information meaningfully, Ericsson determined, was a process known as deliberate practice. Deliberate practice entails more than simply repeating a task. Rather, it involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome.

coupled with → 与......相结合：表示两个或多个事物相互关联或同时发生，通常用于强调它们共同产生的影响或结果。
cognitive → adj. 认识的，认知的
intuitive → adj. 直觉的；有直觉力的；易懂的，使用简便的
swamp → vt. 淹没，浸没；掩盖
meaningfully → adv. 有用意地，有目的地，意味深长地
deliberate practice → 刻意练习：一种有目的、有计划的练习方法，旨在通过重复、反馈和修正来提高技能水平。
entail → v. 使必要，需要；使人承担
Rather → adv. 颇，相当；宁愿，最好（would rather）；而不是；更确切地说

第五段¶

Ericsson and his colleagues have thus taken to studying expert performers in a wide range of pursuits, including soccer. They gather all the data they can, not just performance statistics and biographical details but also the results of their own laboratory experiments with high achievers. Their work makes a rather startling assertion: the trait we commonly call talent is highly overrated. Or, put another way, expert performers—whether in memory or surgery, ballet or computer programming—are nearly always made, not born.

take to sth./doing sth → 开始从事某事／做某事；喜欢某事／做某事
startling → adj. 令人吃惊的，不寻常的；极鲜亮的
assertion → n. 断言，明确肯定；使用，主张
trait → n. （人的个性的）特征，特点；遗传特征
ballet → n. 芭蕾舞剧；芭蕾舞团；芭蕾舞；芭蕾舞曲

题目¶

21¶

The birthday phenomenon found among soccer players is mentioned to

[A] stress the importance of professional training.

[B] spotlight the soccer superstars in the World Cup.

[C] introduce the topic of what makes expert performance.

[D] explain why some soccer teams play better than others.

22¶

The word "mania" (Line 4, Paragraph 2) most probably means

[A] fun.

[B] craze.

[C] hysteria.

[D] excitement.

hysteria → n. 歇斯底里；（众人的）狂热情绪的爆发；癔症

23¶

According to Ericsson, good memory

[A] depends on meaningful processing of information. → 高度概括

[B] results from intuitive rather than cognitive exercises. → 反向干扰

[C] is determined by genetic rather than psychological factors. → 反向干扰

[D] requires immediate feedback and a high degree of concentration. → 原文 it 指的是刻意练习，选项中指的是刻意练习，不匹配

24¶

Ericsson and his colleagues believe that

[A] talent is a dominating factor for professional success. → 反向干扰

[B] biographical data provide the key to excellent performance. → 无中生有

[C] the role of talent tends to be overlooked.

[D] high achievers owe their success mostly to nurture. → 同义改写

nurture → v. 培养，促进；养育，培育

25¶

Which of the following proverbs is closest to the message the text tries to convey?

[A] "Faith will move mountains."

[B] "One reaps what one sows."

[C] "Practice makes perfect."

[D] "Like father, like son."

单词记忆¶

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