1． 把握中心思想层

2． 概括段落大意层

3． 深入剖析文章层

4． 摘录背诵佳句层

5． 换位思考命题层

       现在以历年真题为例说明如何实施上述的五层递进学习法。在每篇文章的后面，“文章结构与内容”对应上述学习法的1与2，“核心词汇”、“难句分析”与“参考译文”对应上述学习法的3，“佳句摘录”对应上述学习法的4，而“试题详解”对应上述学习法的5。关于“五层递进学习法”的具体内容，请阅读本人博客中的同名文章。 

Passage 5

Discoveries in science and technology are thought by “untaught minds” to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at the mold on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for nine years before he made his discovery. Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.

The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take the most shots at the goal—and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovators and others is one of approach. Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs, and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise. What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions, professional innovators see as solid possibilities.

“Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done,” wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority. This accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient:“How come nobody thought of that before?”

The creative approach begins with the proposition that nothing is as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best-known and apparently simplest route. The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are bound to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends.

Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer.

17. What does the author probably mean by “untaught mind” in the first paragraph?

［A］ A person ignorant of the hard work involved in experimentation.

［B］ A citizen of a society that restricts personal creativity.

［C］ A person who has had no education.

［D］ An individual who often comes up with new ideals by accident.

18. According to the author, what distinguishes innovators from non-innovators?

［A］ The variety of ideas they have.

［B］ The intelligence they possess.

［C］ The way they deal with problems.

［D］ The way they present their findings.

19. The author quotes Rudolph Flesch in Paragraph 3 because .

［A］ Rudolph Flesch is the best-known expert in the study of human creativity

［B］ the quotation strengthens the assertion that creative individuals look for new ways of doing things

［C］ the reader is familiar with Rudolph Flesch’s point of view

［D］ the quotation adds a new idea to the information previously presented

20. The phrase “march to a different drummer” (the last line of the passage) suggests that highly creative individuals are .

［A］ diligent in pursuing their goals

［B］ reluctant to follow common ways of doing things

［C］ devoted to the progress of science

［D］ concerned about the advance of society

文章结构与内容

 文章结构：花开两朵型。本文谈论的两个方面是创新者（innovators）和非创新者（noninnovators），作者主要讨论创新者的特点。文章开始指出不知情者以为发明创造是灵感或戏剧性的产物，作者指出这是一个误解，因为发明创造很艰辛，只有那些具有创造力、不断探索做事新方法的人才能成为创新者。阅读时注意文中关于创新这一概念的不同表达法。

核心词汇

1. in blinding flashes 以灵感的形式（blinding耀眼的，使人失明的；flash 闪光）

2. dramatic 戏剧性的，显著的（名词drama戏剧）

3. penicillin 青霉素

4. there and then 在当时当地，当场，立即（=then and there）

5. antibacterial 抗菌的（同根词antiwar反战的---anti反，抗）

6. come out of 来源于，来自（=come from）

7. laborious 艰苦的，努力的（名词labor 劳动，工作）

8. trial and error反复试验；试错法（即通过反复试验以避免错误、找到正确思路的方法）

9. block 阻挡，封锁

10. score 得（分）

11. take …shots at the goal 射门…次

12. so it goes with… …也一样

13. innovation 创新，革新

14. innovator 创新者（同根词innovative 创新的---nov新）

15. work on 努力干，致力于

16. follow through 坚持到底，坚持到完成

17. practicable 可行的（名词practicability）

18. abstraction  空想，幻想的事物；抽象（动词abstract 抽取，提取；a. 抽象的； n. 摘要 ）

19. authority 权威，权力

20. account for 解释（原因等）；占（比例、数量等）

21. seemingly 似乎，表面上

22. proposition 主张；命题 （同根词opposition---pos放置）

23. set out 开始，出发

24. alternate 其他的，二者选一的（同义词alternative）

25. in the long run从长远来看，最终（同义词 in the long term）

26. be bound to 注定，必定

27. dead end 绝境，死胡同；尽头

28. march to a different drummer 标新立异；相信一套不同的原则

29. ignorant of 对…无知，不了解

30. restrict 限制（同根词strict严格的）

31. come up with 提出，想出

32. assertion 主张，论断

难句分析

1. Discoveries in sciences and technology are thought by “untaught minds” to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents.

［结构分析］ 本句的主干是Discoveries… are thought ... to ...or as...，其中to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents 是主语discoveries的补语，对其作补充解释。注意：untaught minds的意思是“不了解科学实验艰苦过程的人”，而blinding flashes的意思是“耀眼的瞬间（即灵感）”。

[参考译文] “不知其中艰辛的人”认为发明创造是灵感或戏剧化事件的结果。

2. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at the mold on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then.

［结构分析］ 本句是一个复合句，主干是Sir Alexander Fleming did not ... look at and get the idea...，中间是插入成分as legend would have it（象传说中那样），阅读时可以先跳过去。

[参考译文] 亚历山大·佛莱明爵士并不像传说中的那样，看到一块奶酪上的霉菌就立刻有了发明青霉素的想法。

3. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.

［结构分析］ 本句包含两个分句，后一个分句的主语是the best players，谓语是miss 和have their shots blocked（他们的射门被挡住）两个并列的部分，最后的比较结构much more frequently than they score作状语。注意：作者此处把创新者比喻为足球运动员，而把创新比喻为踢足球，那么创新成功就等于射门成功。

[参考译文] 创新就像踢足球，即使是最好的球员也会将球射失，而且他们的射门被挡住的时候多，得分的时候少。

4. The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take the most shots at the goal—and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity.

［结构分析］ 这是一个并列句：第一个分句的主干是The point is that…，后面that引导的表语从句的主干是the players…are the ones…，其中有两个定语从句，分别修饰主语the players和表语the ones；破折号之后的部分是第二个分句。

[参考译文] 问题是，得分最多的球员正是那些射门次数最多的---任何领域的创新都是如此。

5. “Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there is no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done,” wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority.

［结构分析］ 本句开始是直接引语，其主干为Creative thinking may mean simply the realization...，realization后面的that引导的同位语从句that there is no particular virtue…修饰the realization；这一同位语从句中的介词结构in doing things the way they have always been done作状语，其中they have always been done是一个定语从句，修饰the way（the way前面可以视为省略了介词in）。注意：there is no virtue in…的意思是“…没有什么道理”。类似结构有：there is no point in… …没有道理。

[参考译文] 语言专家鲁道夫·佛莱士写道：“创造性思维往往只源于下列认识---以传统方法做事未必就好”。

6. This accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient: “How come nobody thought of that before?”

［结构分析］ 本句的主干是This accounts for our reaction…，其中宾语reaction 后面的介词结构to seemingly simple innovations…作reaction的定语，而innovations后面又带两个定语，一个是like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels，另一个是that引导的定语从句that make life more convenient。注意：how come的意思是“…是怎么回事”。

[参考译文] 这说明了我们对塑料垃圾袋和带轮旅行箱之类看似简单却令生活更方便的发明的反应：“以前怎么就没人想到这一点呢？”

试题详解

17．词义题。这类题的干扰选项是含有表面意思的选项。C“没有受过教育的人”是问题中的词汇“untaught minds”的表面意思，是干扰选项。可以根据上下文确定该词组的准确意思。从一段第二句开始，作者以Alexander Fleming为例，说明untaught minds的观点“科技中的发现不是灵光一闪或戏剧化事件的结果”不对，认为“发明和创新是辛勤的试验和不断的错误之后的结果(Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error)”。由此可知untaught minds “对试验中的艰苦工作不了解”，因此A为正确答案。

18．事实细节题。本题问“创新者与非创新者的差别”，这一点在二段第二句提到：The prime difference between innovators and others is one of approach  (创新者和其他人的主要不同在于方法)，C“他们处理问题的方法”符合此意，为正确答案。查找原文时首先要注意difference是问题中动词词组distinguishes…from的同义词，其次difference前的prime提示这里是考试的重点。

19．事实细节题。本题问作者在三段引用R．Flesch的话的用意。先看R．Flesch的原话：Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there’s no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done(创造性思维的含义也许就是认识到没有必要总是循规蹈矩地做事情)，这等于说可以尝试新方法，这与作者在前面所说的“创新者寻找新方法”是一致的，加强了作者的论述。因此B为正确答案。

20．词义题。这句话是对全文的总结，因为单独成句的段落常概括全文的中心。这句话的主语是highly creative individuals，就是上文所说的innovators，这些人不因循守旧，符合此意的是B，所以是正确答案。注意：也可以根据问题中的different直接选B。

参考译文

“不知其中艰辛的人”认为发明创造是灵感或戏剧化事件的结果。亚历山大·佛莱明爵士并不像传说中的那样，看到一块奶酪上的霉菌就立刻有了发明青霉素的想法。在做出发现之前，他已经花了九年时间试验抗菌物质。发明和创新几乎总是来自艰辛的尝试和错误。创新就像踢足球，即使是最好的球员也会将球射失，而且他们的射门被挡住的时候多，得分的时候少。

问题是，得分最多的球员正是那些射门次数最多的——任何领域的创新都是如此。创新者和其他人的主要不同在于方法。人人都有想法，但是创新者自觉钻研自己的想法，并将这些想法坚持到底，直到这些想法被证明可行或不可行为止。普通人认为是奇思怪想的抽象的东西，在职业创新者的眼中却是实在的可能性。

语言专家鲁道夫·佛莱士写道：“创造性思维往往只源于下列认识——以传统方法做事未必就好”。这说明了我们对塑料垃圾袋和带轮旅行箱之类看似简单却令生活更方便的发明的反应：“以前怎么就没人想到这一点呢？”

创造性方法始于这样一个主张：一切事情的真实情况都不像它们所表现出来的样子。创新者从不认为做一件事情的方法只有一种。在面临从A走到B的问题时普通人会自动走那条最为人熟悉、并且从表面上看起来最简单的路线。创新者会寻找其他路线——这些路线从长远来看会更加容易，而且即使通向死胡同也注定更加有趣、更富挑战性。

    具有高度创造性的人的确有与众不同的想法。

佳句摘录

Inventions and innovations almost always come out of laborious trial and error.

Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.

What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions, professional innovators see as solid possibilities.

The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are bound to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends.