為大家準(zhǔn)備了雅思閱讀練習(xí)題：Is life miserable without passion?雅思模擬試題在雅思備考過(guò)程中所起的作用不可小覷，通過(guò)模擬練習(xí)題，我們可以很直接地了解到自己的備考狀況，從而可以更有針對(duì)性地進(jìn)行之后的復(fù)習(xí)。希望以下內(nèi)容能夠?qū)Υ蠹业难潘紓淇加兴鶐椭?更多雅思報(bào)名的最新消息，最專業(yè)的雅思備考資料，將第一時(shí)間為大家發(fā)布。
The problem with following your passion
滿懷激情帶來(lái)的問(wèn)題
In a recent biography of Elon Musk, Bloomberg technology writer Ashlee Vance documents how the entrepreneur(企業(yè)家) transformed the electric car industry, launched rockets into space, developed solar technology and devised plans to colonize Mars. Vance emphasizes Musk’s diligence and unwavering(不動(dòng)搖的) zeal(熱情), not just his intelligence and eccentricities(奇思妙想，怪異). Like Steve Jobs, Musk is a mercurial(反復(fù)無(wú)常的)perfectionist, prone to moments of rage, spurred by passion. (與Steve Jobs一樣，Musk也是一個(gè)追求完美的人，性格反復(fù)無(wú)常，容易著急上火，激情四溢。)
It’s tempting to read about someone like Elon Musk and conclude that passion is a prerequisite(前提)for success. And months from now, it’s likely that a suite of commencement(畢業(yè)典禮)speakers will stand in front of class after class of new graduates, remarking that “the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” as Steve Jobs told the Stanford class of 2005.
But is passion really an essential condition for leading a successful life? That idea has come under attack in the last few years. Passion is increasingly labeled as mere post hoc(事后的) storytelling, an empty cliché(老生常談)that makes for a good narrative(激情越來(lái)越被標(biāo)簽為事后歸因的故事，是為了講出好故事而說(shuō)的空洞套話。). Cal Newport, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and author of So Good They Can’t Ignore You, insists the passion mantra(頌歌) is not just unoriginal but misleading. The goal shouldn’t be to find your passion—as if it has been there, undiscovered, from the beginning—but to create one.
Recently, a team of psychologists led by Patricia Chen, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, published research that gives us new insights into the relationship between passion and work. The team polled 794 people and found that about 70 percent believed passion is about matching an intrinsically(內(nèi)在地)rewarding skill with a certain line of work—what Chen calls the fit theory.(該研究團(tuán)隊(duì)調(diào)查了794個(gè)人后發(fā)現(xiàn)，大約70%的人都相信，所謂激情就是一種內(nèi)在的激勵(lì)技能與某種工作相匹配了——陳將其稱為“匹配理論”。Under this paradigm(模式), it’s easy to explain people like Musk and Jobs: They persevered because their work tapped(開(kāi)發(fā))into a fundamental joy of theirs.
The other 30 percent of participants in the study indicated that passion for work is developed and cultivated over time—what Chen calls the develop theory.(另外30%的受調(diào)查者認(rèn)為，工作激情是在時(shí)間中培養(yǎng)出來(lái)的——陳將其稱為“培養(yǎng)理論”。)According to this view, which is similar to what Newport endorses, we should think of our skills and proclivities(傾向)as malleable(可以塑造的)instead of fixed. Passion is the result of persistent and deliberate practice.
Across four studies, the psychologists found that those who think passion can be developed were just as likely to be satisfied with their job in the long run as those who searched for a perfect fit. (在所有4項(xiàng)研究中，心理學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些認(rèn)為激情是可以培養(yǎng)的人與那些尋求匹配的人，從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)看，同樣可能從工作中獲得滿足。)These findings suggest, Chen and her team note, that people can “achieve similar levels of well-being at work by endorsing(贊同)either the fit or develop theory.”
This piece of research helps psychologists better understand the nature of passion, yet it still pivots off a very narrow definition, in which to be passionate about something is essentially to enjoy particular challenges that would otherwise be grueling(痛苦的). (這項(xiàng)研究幫助心理學(xué)家們更好地理解激情的性質(zhì)，然而該研究仍基于一個(gè)非常狹窄的定義，即，對(duì)某事充滿激情本質(zhì)上就是喜歡某些原本令人痛苦的挑戰(zhàn)。)Moreover, it assumes such passion is the basis for a rewarding professional life.
We’d like to introduce two more concepts to broaden what we mean when we talk about passion. Psychological research shows that life satisfaction correlates with the ability to assess something from multiple viewpoints. (心理學(xué)研究表明，人生的滿足感與多角度評(píng)價(jià)事物的能力相關(guān)。)And so by widening the meaning of passion, we also allow ourselves more opportunities to find meaning and satisfaction in the lives we lead.
In German, the word for passion is Leidenschaft, which literally means the ability to endure adversity(不利情況，逆境). It is a much less rosy word, not the graduation bromide(溴化物;老套的安慰話) its English counterpart(對(duì)等物;對(duì)應(yīng)物)has become. If you’re passionate about something in Germanic cultures, you don’t necessarily enjoy it. Leidenschaft is about knowing the pursuit will be unpleasant but tolerating it because the outcome is worth the cost. Critically, Germans can be passionate about an activity without feeling the need to pursue it as a profession or worry about higher ideals. From this view, work is a means to an end, enabling the pursuit of passion during non-work time.
In Eastern Europe, passion can also be understood as cierpienie (which roughly translates to “suffering” in Polish). It’s a word that describes having a calling, but without any implications of deriving pleasure. You have no choice but to endure it, even when the outcome is not necessarily positive.
A good example is Phil Hansen, an artist who developed permanent nerve damage in his hand from spending years practicing pointillism(點(diǎn)畫派)—a drawing and painting technique in which small dots are used to create a larger image. Because of his jittery hand, Hansen could no longer draw straight lines; his previously round dots began to look like “tadpoles.” He eventually dropped out of art school and gave up art completely.
When his doctor suggested that he “embrace the shake,” Hansen decided to develop a new approach to art that relied on his handicap. The result was a new genre of creative work. Hansen made portraits out of matches, grease and food. He still used his hands to draw, but instead of creating images from perfect dots, he drew pictures composed entirely of squiggles.
In the American sense of the word, art is Hansen’s passion. But it’s more accurate to describe his life with cierpienie. He still experiences joint pain and he still can’t draw straight, so he has no choice but to endure his limitation. Despite his glowing TED Talk, the outcome is usually negative, as is the case with all creative work. The final product invariably results from dozens of failed ones.
Although it’s important to value work that is intrinsically fulfilling, let’s stop advertising the myopic(短視的)idea that life without passion—whether it is something to be found or created—is not worth living. Working adults aren’t either passionate and fulfilled or lifeless and miserable. That’s an overly simplified worldview, in which the dreary desk workers of the world are constantly pitted against the Elon Musks. (工作中的成年人并非只有“要么充滿激情和成就，要么沒(méi)有生機(jī)和痛苦”兩種選擇。那種世界觀過(guò)于簡(jiǎn)單，這種觀點(diǎn)長(zhǎng)期讓世界上那些枯燥的案頭工作人員與Elon Musk們處于對(duì)立狀態(tài)。)
Instead, we should recast our own American concept of passion to include other definitions that embrace a broader sense of what a meaningful life could look like. “Having too few constructs or insufficiently validated ones can create problems, particularly when life is moving quickly and you are trying to make sense of it,” Cambridge University psychologist Brian Little writes in his book Me, Myself and Us. “Your constructs can cage you in.” (“建構(gòu)太少，或者你的建構(gòu)得不到充分證實(shí)，這都會(huì)帶來(lái)問(wèn)題，尤其是當(dāng)生命匆匆，你想從中找到意義的時(shí)候，”劍橋大學(xué)心理學(xué)家Brian Little在其《我，我自己和我們》中寫道?！澳愕姆N種建構(gòu)可能將你自己困住?！?
Vocabulary
Entrepreneur 企業(yè)家
Unwavering 不動(dòng)搖的
Zeal 熱情
Eccentricity 怪異性
Mercurial 水性楊花的;易變的
Prerequisite 前提
Commencement 畢業(yè)典禮;開(kāi)始
Post hoc 事后的
Cliché 陳詞濫調(diào)
Mantra 頌歌
Intrinsically 內(nèi)在地
Paradigm 模式
Proclivity 傾向
Malleable 可以鍛造的;可以改變的
Endorse 同意;簽署
Grueling 痛苦的
Adversity 不利情況;敵人
Counterpart 對(duì)等物
Myopic 短視的
The problem with following your passion
滿懷激情帶來(lái)的問(wèn)題
In a recent biography of Elon Musk, Bloomberg technology writer Ashlee Vance documents how the entrepreneur(企業(yè)家) transformed the electric car industry, launched rockets into space, developed solar technology and devised plans to colonize Mars. Vance emphasizes Musk’s diligence and unwavering(不動(dòng)搖的) zeal(熱情), not just his intelligence and eccentricities(奇思妙想，怪異). Like Steve Jobs, Musk is a mercurial(反復(fù)無(wú)常的)perfectionist, prone to moments of rage, spurred by passion. (與Steve Jobs一樣，Musk也是一個(gè)追求完美的人，性格反復(fù)無(wú)常，容易著急上火，激情四溢。)
It’s tempting to read about someone like Elon Musk and conclude that passion is a prerequisite(前提)for success. And months from now, it’s likely that a suite of commencement(畢業(yè)典禮)speakers will stand in front of class after class of new graduates, remarking that “the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” as Steve Jobs told the Stanford class of 2005.
But is passion really an essential condition for leading a successful life? That idea has come under attack in the last few years. Passion is increasingly labeled as mere post hoc(事后的) storytelling, an empty cliché(老生常談)that makes for a good narrative(激情越來(lái)越被標(biāo)簽為事后歸因的故事，是為了講出好故事而說(shuō)的空洞套話。). Cal Newport, an assistant professor at Georgetown University and author of So Good They Can’t Ignore You, insists the passion mantra(頌歌) is not just unoriginal but misleading. The goal shouldn’t be to find your passion—as if it has been there, undiscovered, from the beginning—but to create one.
Recently, a team of psychologists led by Patricia Chen, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, published research that gives us new insights into the relationship between passion and work. The team polled 794 people and found that about 70 percent believed passion is about matching an intrinsically(內(nèi)在地)rewarding skill with a certain line of work—what Chen calls the fit theory.(該研究團(tuán)隊(duì)調(diào)查了794個(gè)人后發(fā)現(xiàn)，大約70%的人都相信，所謂激情就是一種內(nèi)在的激勵(lì)技能與某種工作相匹配了——陳將其稱為“匹配理論”。Under this paradigm(模式), it’s easy to explain people like Musk and Jobs: They persevered because their work tapped(開(kāi)發(fā))into a fundamental joy of theirs.
The other 30 percent of participants in the study indicated that passion for work is developed and cultivated over time—what Chen calls the develop theory.(另外30%的受調(diào)查者認(rèn)為，工作激情是在時(shí)間中培養(yǎng)出來(lái)的——陳將其稱為“培養(yǎng)理論”。)According to this view, which is similar to what Newport endorses, we should think of our skills and proclivities(傾向)as malleable(可以塑造的)instead of fixed. Passion is the result of persistent and deliberate practice.
Across four studies, the psychologists found that those who think passion can be developed were just as likely to be satisfied with their job in the long run as those who searched for a perfect fit. (在所有4項(xiàng)研究中，心理學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些認(rèn)為激情是可以培養(yǎng)的人與那些尋求匹配的人，從長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)看，同樣可能從工作中獲得滿足。)These findings suggest, Chen and her team note, that people can “achieve similar levels of well-being at work by endorsing(贊同)either the fit or develop theory.”
This piece of research helps psychologists better understand the nature of passion, yet it still pivots off a very narrow definition, in which to be passionate about something is essentially to enjoy particular challenges that would otherwise be grueling(痛苦的). (這項(xiàng)研究幫助心理學(xué)家們更好地理解激情的性質(zhì)，然而該研究仍基于一個(gè)非常狹窄的定義，即，對(duì)某事充滿激情本質(zhì)上就是喜歡某些原本令人痛苦的挑戰(zhàn)。)Moreover, it assumes such passion is the basis for a rewarding professional life.
We’d like to introduce two more concepts to broaden what we mean when we talk about passion. Psychological research shows that life satisfaction correlates with the ability to assess something from multiple viewpoints. (心理學(xué)研究表明，人生的滿足感與多角度評(píng)價(jià)事物的能力相關(guān)。)And so by widening the meaning of passion, we also allow ourselves more opportunities to find meaning and satisfaction in the lives we lead.
In German, the word for passion is Leidenschaft, which literally means the ability to endure adversity(不利情況，逆境). It is a much less rosy word, not the graduation bromide(溴化物;老套的安慰話) its English counterpart(對(duì)等物;對(duì)應(yīng)物)has become. If you’re passionate about something in Germanic cultures, you don’t necessarily enjoy it. Leidenschaft is about knowing the pursuit will be unpleasant but tolerating it because the outcome is worth the cost. Critically, Germans can be passionate about an activity without feeling the need to pursue it as a profession or worry about higher ideals. From this view, work is a means to an end, enabling the pursuit of passion during non-work time.
In Eastern Europe, passion can also be understood as cierpienie (which roughly translates to “suffering” in Polish). It’s a word that describes having a calling, but without any implications of deriving pleasure. You have no choice but to endure it, even when the outcome is not necessarily positive.
A good example is Phil Hansen, an artist who developed permanent nerve damage in his hand from spending years practicing pointillism(點(diǎn)畫派)—a drawing and painting technique in which small dots are used to create a larger image. Because of his jittery hand, Hansen could no longer draw straight lines; his previously round dots began to look like “tadpoles.” He eventually dropped out of art school and gave up art completely.
When his doctor suggested that he “embrace the shake,” Hansen decided to develop a new approach to art that relied on his handicap. The result was a new genre of creative work. Hansen made portraits out of matches, grease and food. He still used his hands to draw, but instead of creating images from perfect dots, he drew pictures composed entirely of squiggles.
In the American sense of the word, art is Hansen’s passion. But it’s more accurate to describe his life with cierpienie. He still experiences joint pain and he still can’t draw straight, so he has no choice but to endure his limitation. Despite his glowing TED Talk, the outcome is usually negative, as is the case with all creative work. The final product invariably results from dozens of failed ones.
Although it’s important to value work that is intrinsically fulfilling, let’s stop advertising the myopic(短視的)idea that life without passion—whether it is something to be found or created—is not worth living. Working adults aren’t either passionate and fulfilled or lifeless and miserable. That’s an overly simplified worldview, in which the dreary desk workers of the world are constantly pitted against the Elon Musks. (工作中的成年人并非只有“要么充滿激情和成就，要么沒(méi)有生機(jī)和痛苦”兩種選擇。那種世界觀過(guò)于簡(jiǎn)單，這種觀點(diǎn)長(zhǎng)期讓世界上那些枯燥的案頭工作人員與Elon Musk們處于對(duì)立狀態(tài)。)
Instead, we should recast our own American concept of passion to include other definitions that embrace a broader sense of what a meaningful life could look like. “Having too few constructs or insufficiently validated ones can create problems, particularly when life is moving quickly and you are trying to make sense of it,” Cambridge University psychologist Brian Little writes in his book Me, Myself and Us. “Your constructs can cage you in.” (“建構(gòu)太少，或者你的建構(gòu)得不到充分證實(shí)，這都會(huì)帶來(lái)問(wèn)題，尤其是當(dāng)生命匆匆，你想從中找到意義的時(shí)候，”劍橋大學(xué)心理學(xué)家Brian Little在其《我，我自己和我們》中寫道?！澳愕姆N種建構(gòu)可能將你自己困住?！?
Vocabulary
Entrepreneur 企業(yè)家
Unwavering 不動(dòng)搖的
Zeal 熱情
Eccentricity 怪異性
Mercurial 水性楊花的;易變的
Prerequisite 前提
Commencement 畢業(yè)典禮;開(kāi)始
Post hoc 事后的
Cliché 陳詞濫調(diào)
Mantra 頌歌
Intrinsically 內(nèi)在地
Paradigm 模式
Proclivity 傾向
Malleable 可以鍛造的;可以改變的
Endorse 同意;簽署
Grueling 痛苦的
Adversity 不利情況;敵人
Counterpart 對(duì)等物
Myopic 短視的