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TimHarford_2018S-_释放你天生创造力的强大方式_
'"To do two things at once is to do neither." 同时做两件事 则两件都做不成。
It's a great smackdown of multitasking , isn't it, often attributed to the Roman writer Publilius Syrus, although you know how these things are, he probably never said it. 这是对多任务工作方式的 一个巨大打击。 这一概念常被认为是罗马作家 普布利留斯·西罗斯提出的, 但你也知道这是怎么一回事 他可能从来没有说过这句话。
smackdown:n.攻击波(摔跤比赛名); multitasking:n.多重任务处理;多重任务执行; attributed:v.归于(attribute的过去式,过去分词);属性化; Roman:n.罗马人;古罗马语;adj.罗马的;罗马人的;
What I'm interested in, though, is -- is it true? 我感兴趣的是,它正确吗？
I mean, it's obviously true for emailing at the dinner table or texting while driving or possibly for live tweeting at TED Talk, as well. 我想,这一概念应该是正确的, 若你在餐桌上发邮件, 或在开车时发短信,也可能是 在TED演讲现场推文。
emailing:n.电子信函;vt.给…发电子邮件; dinner table:n.餐桌;同一桌进餐; tweeting:吱吱地叫(小鸟鸣叫);在社交网站Twitter上发微博(tweet的现在分词);
But I'd like to argue that for an important kind of activity, doing two things at once -- or three or even four -- is exactly what we should be aiming for. 但我想说的是, 在做一种重要的活动时 双管齐下, 甚至是三、四管齐下 正是我们应该追求的目标。
Look no further than Albert Einstein. 看看爱因斯坦就知道了。
In 1905, he published four remarkable scientific papers. 1905 年,他出版了 四篇出色的科学论文。
remarkable:adj.卓越的;非凡的;值得注意的; scientific:adj.科学的,系统的;
One of them was on Brownian motion, it provided empirical evidence that atoms exist, and it laid out the basic mathematics behind most of financial economics. 其中一个有关布朗运动。 它提供了原子存在的实证, 并阐明了大多数金融经济学背后的 基本数学原理。
provided:conj.假如; v.提供; (provide的过去分词和过去式) empirical:adj.经验主义的,完全根据经验的;实证的; evidence:n.证据,证明;迹象;明显;v.证明; atoms:n.[物]原子(atom的复数); mathematics:n.数学;数学运算; financial:adj.金融的;财政的,财务的;
Another one was on the theory of special relativity . 另一个是关于 狭义相对论。
relativity:n.相对论;相关性;相对性;
Another one was on the photoelectric effect, that's why solar panels work, it's a nice one. 还有一个有关光电效应。 这就是太阳能电池板的工作原理。
photoelectric:adj.[电子]光电的; panels:n.面板(panel的复数); v.嵌镶(panel的第三人称单数形式);
Gave him the Nobel prize for that one. 让他得了诺贝尔奖。
Nobel prize:n.诺贝尔奖;
And the fourth introduced an equation you might have heard of: 第四篇论文介绍了一个 你可能听说过的方程:
equation:n.方程式,等式;相等;[化学]反应式;
E equals mc squared. E?=?mc^2
So, tell me again how you shouldn't do several things at once. 所以你能再告诉我 你不应该同时做几件事情？
Now, obviously, working simultaneously on Brownian motion, special relativity and the photoelectric effect -- it's not exactly the same kind of multitasking as Snapchatting while you're watching "Westworld." 现在,很明显,同时研究 布朗运动,特殊相对论和光电效应, 这种多任务处理与 你在看《西部世界》时 发Snapchat不太一样。
simultaneously:adv.同时地;
Very different. 非常不一样。
And Einstein, yeah, well, Einstein's -- he's Einstein, he's one of a kind , he's unique . 而且,爱因斯坦, 他是独特的,独一无二的。
one of a kind:独一无二; unique:adj.独特的,稀罕的;[数]唯一的;n.独一无二的人或物;
But the pattern of behavior that Einstein was demonstrating , that's not unique at all. 但爱因斯坦所展示的行为 并不独特。
demonstrating:n.演示;v.证明;示威;显示;(demonstrate的现在分词)
It's very common among highly creative people, both artists and scientists, and I'd like to give it a name: slow-motion multitasking. 在极具创造力的人中很常见, 包括艺术家和科学家, 我想给它起个名字: 慢动作多任务处理。
highly:adv.高度地;非常;非常赞许地; creative:adj.创造性的; slow-motion:adj.缓慢的;慢动作的;高速度摄影的;
Slow-motion multitasking feels like a counterintuitive idea. 慢动作多任务处理 感觉像是一个违反直觉的想法。
counterintuitive:adj.违反直觉的;
What I'm describing here is having multiple projects on the go at the same time , and you move backwards and forwards between topics as the mood takes you, or as the situation demands. 我在这描述的是 同时在承担多个项目, 但你可以随着自己的心情或 情况的变化 在项目之间移动。
describing:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的现在分词) multiple:adj.数量多的;多种多样的;n.倍数; on the go:adj.忙个不停的;活跃的; at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时; mood:n.情绪,语气;心境;气氛;
But the reason it seems counterintuitive is because we're used to lapsing into multitasking out of desperation. 但是它看起来违反常理的原因 在于我们习惯于出于绝望 而一心多用。
lapsing:n.过失; v.[法](权利、任期等)终止,失效; (lapse的现在分词);
We're in a hurry, we want to do everything at once. 我们很着急; 我们想同时做所有事情。
If we were willing to slow multitasking down, we might find that it works quite brilliantly . 如果我们 愿意放慢多任务处理, 我们会发现 它非常出色。
brilliantly:adv.灿烂地;辉煌地;光亮地;
Sixty years ago, a young psychologist by the name of Bernice Eiduson began a long research project into the personalities and the working habits of 40 leading scientists. 六十年前,一位年轻的心理学家 伯妮丝 · 艾杜森 开始了一个漫长的研究项目, 深入了解 40 名领先科学家的 个性和工作习惯。
psychologist:n.心理学家,心理学者; by the name of:名叫;以…的名义; personalities:n.性格;个性;人格;气质;名人;(personality的复数)
Einstein was already dead, but four of her subjects won Nobel prizes, including Linus Pauling and Richard Feynman. 爱因斯坦已逝世,但她研究的其他四位 都得过诺贝尔奖, 包括莱纳斯 · 鲍林 和理查德 · 费曼。
Linus:n.莱纳斯;
The research went on for decades, in fact, it continued even after professor Eiduson herself had died. 这项研究持续了几十年。 事实上,在艾杜森教授去世之后, 它仍在继续。
And one of the questions that it answered was, "How is it that some scientists are able to go on producing important work right through their lives?" 它回答的一个问题是 一些科学家是如何在有生之年 不断从事并出产重要成果？
What is it about these people? 这些人到底是怎么回事？
Is it their personality , is it their skill set, their daily routines, what? 是他们的个性？他们的技能？ 还是他们的日常生活？
personality:n.性格;个性;人格;魅力;气质;名人;特色;
Well, a pattern that emerged was clear, and I think to some people surprising. 出现的模式很明显, 对一些人来说,也许是令人惊讶的
emerged:v.(从隐蔽处或暗处)出现;暴露;露出真相;显现;(emerge的过去分词和过去式)
The top scientists kept changing the subject. 顶尖的科学家会 不断改变研究主题。
They would shift topics repeatedly during their first 100 published research papers. 他们会不断变换研究方向 在他们发表的前100篇研究论文中。
shift:n.移动;变化;手段;轮班;v.移动;转变;转换; repeatedly:adv.反复地;再三地;屡次地;
Do you want to guess how often? 你想猜猜变了多少次吗？
Three times? 三次？
Five times? 五次？
No. On average, the most enduringly creative scientists switched topics 43 times in their first 100 research papers. 不对。 在发表的前一百篇研究论文中 变换了43次主题。
enduringly:adv.耐久地;永久地;
Seems that the secret to creativity is multitasking in slow motion . 看来,创造力的秘诀是多任务处理, 慢动作地进行。
slow motion:adj.缓慢的;慢动作的;高速度摄影的;
Eiduson's research suggests we need to reclaim multitasking and remind ourselves how powerful it can be. 艾杜森的研究表明, 我们需要改造多任务处理, 并提醒自己 它的有用之处。
reclaim:v.开拓;回收再利用;改造某人,使某人悔改;n.改造,感化;再生胶; remind:v.提醒;使想起;
And she's not the only person to have found this. 而且她不是唯一发现这个的人。
Different researchers, using different methods to study different highly creative people have found that very often they have multiple projects in progress at the same time, and they're also far more likely than most of us to have serious hobbies. 不同的研究人员 使用不同的方法 来研究不同的, 具有高度创造力的人, 他们发现这些人经常会 同时进行多个项目, 而且他们 比我们大多数人更有可能
Slow-motion multitasking among creative people is ubiquitous . 慢动作多任务处理在创意者之间 无处不在。
ubiquitous:adj.普遍存在的;无所不在的;
So, why? 那为什么呢？
I think there are three reasons. 我认为有三个原因,
And the first is the simplest. 第一个是最简单的。
Creativity often comes when you take an idea from its original context and you move it somewhere else. 创意往往出现于 把一个想法从原始情景中提取出来, 并把它转移到其他地方。
original:n.原件;原作;原物;原型;adj.原始的;最初的;独创的;新颖的; context:n.环境;上下文;来龙去脉;
It's easier to think outside the box if you spend your time clambering from one box into another. 跳出固有思维框架会变简单 若你可以自由移动于 已有的多框架之间。
think outside the box:跳出固有思维模式;跳脱框架思考;解放思想; clambering:vi.攀登,爬上;vt.爬,攀登;n.攀登,爬上;
For an example of this, consider the original eureka moment. 例如, 考虑最初的尤里卡时刻——
eureka:int.有了！;找到了！;
Archimedes -- he's wrestling with a difficult problem. 阿基米德。
Archimedes:n.阿基米德(古希腊数学家,物理学家,发明家,学者); wrestling:n.摔跤运动;v.摔跤;奋力对付;全力解决;(wrestle的现在分词)
And he realizes, in a flash , he can solve it, using the displacement of water. 在一瞬间,他意识到可以用 水的位移来解决这个问题。
in a flash:瞬间;立刻; displacement:n.取代,位移;[船]排水量;
And if you believe the story, this idea comes to him as he's taking a bath, lowering himself in, and he's watching the water level rise and fall. 如果你相信那个故事, 这是当他泡澡事想到的办法, 降低自己身位,观察 水位上升和下降。
And if solving a problem while having a bath isn't multitasking, 如果在泡澡时解决问题 还不是多任务处理,
I don't know what is. 我不知道什么是了。
The second reason that multitasking can work is that learning to do one thing well can often help you do something else. 多任务处理非常有效的 第二个原因是 学做一件事 常常可以帮助你做别的事情。
Any athlete can tell you about the benefits of cross-training . 任何运动员都会 告诉你交叉训练的好处。
athlete:n.运动员,体育家;身强力壮的人; cross-training:n.交叉培训;岗位轮换培训;v.对…进行交叉训练(cross-train的ing形式);
It's possible to cross-train your mind, too. 其实你也可以交叉训练 你的头脑。
A few years ago, researchers took 18 randomly chosen medical students and they enrolled them in a course at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where they learned to criticize and analyze works of visual art. 几年前,研究人员 随机选择了18个医科学生, 让他们去听一门 在费城艺术博物馆的课程, 在那里他们学会了鉴赏 视觉艺术作品。
randomly:adv.随便地,任意地;无目的,胡乱地;未加计划地; enrolled:v.(使)加入;注册;登记;(enroll的过去分词和过去式) Philadelphia:n.费城(美国宾夕法尼亚州东南部港市); criticize:v.批评;批判;挑剔;指责;评论;评价; analyze:v.对…进行分析,分解(等于analyse); visual:adj.视觉的,视力的;栩栩如生的;
And at the end of the course, these students were compared with a control group of their fellow medical students. 在课程结束时, 这些学生与 医学院的同窗对照组进行了比较。
compared:adj.比较的,对照的; v.相比; (compare的过去式和过去分词)
And the ones who had taken the art course had become substantially better at performing tasks such as diagnosing diseases of the eye by analyzing photographs. 那些参加艺术课程的人在 分析照片诊断眼部疾病等任务方面 完成得更好。
substantially:adv.实质上;大体上;充分地; performing:adj.表演的;演奏的;v.做;执行;演出;运转(perform的现在分词) diagnosing:n.诊断;v.诊断(diagnose的现在分词); diseases:n.[医]病(disease的复数);[医]疾病;[植保]病害;疾病种类; analyzing:adj.分析的;v.分析(analyze的现在分词);
They'd become better eye doctors. 他们成为更好的眼科医生。
So if we want to become better at what we do, maybe we should spend some time doing something else, even if the two fields appear to be as completely distinct as ophthalmology and the history of art. 因此,如果我们想 在自己的工作上变得更好, 也许我们应该花一些时间 做别的事情, 即使这两个领域看似毫无联系 就像是眼科医疗和艺术史一样。
distinct:adj.明显的;独特的;清楚的;有区别的; ophthalmology:n.[眼科]眼科学;
And if you'd like an example of this, should we go for a less intimidating example than Einstein? OK. 如果你想要一个例子—— 让我们去看看不如爱因斯坦 那么极端的例子？好的。
intimidating:adj.吓人的;令人胆怯的;v.恐吓;威胁;(intimidate的现在分词)
Michael Crichton, creator of " Jurassic Park" and "E.R." 迈克尔 · 克里顿,创造了 《侏罗纪公园》和《急诊室故事》。
Jurassic:adj.侏罗系的;侏罗纪的;n.侏罗纪;
So in the 1970s, he originally trained as a doctor, but then he wrote novels and he directed the original "Westworld" movie. 在 20 世纪 70 年代, 他最初受过训练成为医生, 但后来他写了小说, 他执导了 最初的《西部世界》电影。
originally:adv.原来;起初; novels:n.小说;(novel的复数)
But also, and this is less well-known , he also wrote nonfiction books, about art, about medicine, about computer programming. 但还有——这不太为人所知—— 他还写纪实文学, 有关艺术、医药 和计算机编程。
well-known:adj.著名的;众所周知的;清楚明白的; nonfiction:n.非小说的散文文学;
So in 1995, he enjoyed the fruits of all this variety by penning the world's most commercially successful book. 所以在 1995 年, 他享受这些的果实, 通过书写了 世界上最商业成功的书籍
variety:n.多样;种类;杂耍;变化,多样化; commercially:adv.商业上;通商上;
And the world's most commercially successful TV series . 和创造了世界上最成功的商业电视剧
series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书;
And the world's most commercially successful movie. 和商业电影。
In 1996, he did it all over again. 1996 年,他又做到了。
There's a third reason why slow-motion multitasking can help us solve problems. 慢动作多任务处理可以帮助解决问题 有第三个原因是
It can provide assistance when we're stuck. 当我们陷入困境时, 它可以提供帮助。
This can't happen in an instant . 这可以在瞬间发生。
in an instant:瞬间;马上;
So, imagine that feeling of working on a crossword puzzle and you can't figure out the answer, and the reason you can't is because the wrong answer is stuck in your head. 所以想象一下, 在玩填字游戏时的感觉 你无法想出一个答案。 而你想不出的原因
crossword puzzle:纵横字谜游戏;
It's very easy -- just go and do something else. 这很容易解决。
You know, switch topics, switch context, you'll forget the wrong answer and that gives the right answer space to pop into the front of your mind. 切换主题,切换环境。 你会忘记错误的答案, 让出空间, 使正确的答案弹入脑中。
But on the slower timescale that interests me, being stuck is a much more serious thing. 但在我感兴趣的较慢的时间尺度上, 被卡住是一个更严重的事情。
timescale:时间量程;时标;
You get turned down for funding . 你的资金申请被拒绝了。
funding:n.基金;资金;提供资金;v.为…提供资金;拨款给;(fund的现在分词)
Your cell cultures won't grow, your rockets keep crashing. 你的细胞培育不会生长。
Nobody wants to publish you fantasy novel about a school for wizards . 没有人愿意发表 你的关于一所巫师学校的奇幻小说。
publish:v.出版;发表;公布; fantasy:n.幻想; adj.虚幻的; v.空想; wizards:n.术士;巫师;奇才(wizard的复数);
Or maybe you just can't find the solution to the problem that you're working on. 或者,也许你无法找到 解决你正在处理的问题的方法。
solution:n.解决方案;溶液;溶解;解答;
And being stuck like that means stasis , stress, possibly even depression . 像那样被卡死, 意味着停滞,压力, 甚至抑郁症。
stasis:n.[医]郁积,停滞;血行停滞; depression:n.沮丧;洼地;不景气;忧愁;
But if you have another exciting, challenging project to work on, being stuck on one is just an opportunity to do something else. 但是,如果你还有另一个令人兴奋的、 具有挑战性的项目, 被困在一个项目上只是 一个做其他事情的机会。
We could all get stuck sometimes, even Albert Einstein. 有时候我们都会被卡住, 爱因斯坦也是这样。
Ten years after the original, miraculous year that I described , 在我刚刚描绘的奇迹年的十年后,
miraculous:adj.不可思议的,奇迹的; described:v.描述;形容;把…称为;做…运动;(describe的过去分词和过去式)
Einstein was putting together the pieces of his theory of general relativity, his greatest achievement. 爱因斯坦在把他的广义相对论的 碎片理论拼凑在一起, 这是他最大的成就,
And he was exhausted . 但也让他疲惫不堪。
exhausted:adj.筋疲力尽的; v.使筋疲力尽; (exhaust的过去分词和过去式)
And so he turned to an easier problem. 于是,他转向了一个 较容易的问题。
He proposed the stimulated emission of radiation . 他提出了受激发射（SER）,
proposed:adj.建议的;推荐的;v.提议;建议;计划;求婚;(propose的过去分词和过去式) stimulated:adj.受激的;v.刺激(stimulate的过去式和过去分词); emission:n.(光、热等的)发射,散发;喷射;发行; radiation:n.辐射;放射线;放射疗法;
Which, as you may know, is the S in laser. 你可能知道, 它的缩写就激光（laser）中的”ser“。
So he's laying down the theoretical foundation for the laser beam , and then, while he's doing that, he moves back to general relativity, and he's refreshed. 他为激光束奠定了理论基础。 然后,当他正研究这个时, 他又回去研究广义相对论,
theoretical:adj.理论的;理论上的;假设的;推理的; foundation:n.基础;地基;基金会;根据;创立; beam:n.光线; v.发射(电波);
He sees what the theory implies -- that the universe isn't static . 他明白了理论所暗示的, 即宇宙不是静止的。 它是不断扩大的。
implies:v.意味着(imply的第三人称单数);蕴含;暗指; static:adj.静止的; n.[物]静电(干扰);
It's expanding . 它是不断扩大的。
expanding:v.扩大,增加,增强细谈;详述;(expand的现在分词)
It's an idea so staggering , Einstein can't bring himself to believe it for years. 这是一个如此惊人的想法, 多年,爱因斯坦自己都不相信它。
staggering:adj.惊人的; v.蹒跚; (stagger的现在分词)
Look, if you get stuck and you get the ball rolling on laser beams , you're in pretty good shape. 你看,如果你卡住了, 你得在激光束上下下功夫, 这样你的状态会相当不错。
the ball rolling:开始著手某事; beams:[建]梁;
(Laughter) （笑声）
So, that's the case for slow-motion multitasking. 所以 慢动作多任务就是这样。
And I'm not promising that it's going to turn you into Einstein. 我并不能保证 它会把你变成爱因斯坦。
I'm not even promising it's going to turn you into Michael Crichton. 我甚至没法保证它会 把你变成迈克尔 · 克里顿,
But it is a powerful way to organize our creative lives. 但它是一个有效的方式 来组织我们的创意生活。
organize:v.组织;安排;处理;分配;管理;
But there's a problem. 但有一个问题。
How do we stop all of these projects becoming completely overwhelming ? 当所有项目变得完有些难以应付时, 我们怎么来阻止它呢？
overwhelming:adj.势不可挡的; v.压倒; (overwhelm的现在分词)
How do we keep all these ideas straight in our minds? 我们如何将所有这些想法保持 在脑海中？
Well, here's a simple solution, a practical solution from the great American choreographer , Twyla Tharp. 这里有一个简单的解决方案, 这是来自伟大的美国编舞家 崔拉 · 夏普的实用方案。
practical:adj.实际的;真实的;客观存在的;n.实习课;实践课; choreographer:n.编舞者,舞蹈指导;
Over the last few decades, she's blurred boundaries , mixed genres , won prizes, danced to the music of everybody, from Philip Glass to Billy Joel . 在过去的几十年里, 她跨界, 混合流派,获奖无数, 她伴随着从菲利普 · 格拉斯到 比利 · 乔尔的音乐起舞。
blurred:adj.模糊不清的; v.玷污; (blur的过去式和过去分词) boundaries:n.边界;分界线;(boundary的复数) genres:n.流派(genre的复数);体裁;种类; Joel:n.约珥(圣经人物);(圣经中的)约耳书;
She's written three books. 她写了三本书。
I mean, she's a slow-motion multitasker , of course she is. 我的意思是,她是一个慢动作 多任务机,当然,她是。
multitasker:一心多用的能手;多任务操作者;多工人员;
She says, "You have to be all things. 她说,“你必须成为一切。
Why exclude ? 为什么要排除呢？
exclude:v.不包括;不放在考虑之列;防止…进入;阻止…参加;
You have to be everything." 你必须成为一切。”
And Tharp's method for preventing all of these different projects from becoming overwhelming is a simple one. 夏普不让这些不同的项目 使她喘不过气的方法很简单。
She gives each project a big cardboard box, writes the name of the project on the side of the box. 她给每个项目一个大的纸箱, 在盒子侧面写上项目的名称,
cardboard:n.[纸]硬纸板;纸板箱;卡纸板;adj.不真实的;硬纸板制的; on the side of:拥护…;站在…一边;赞助;
And into it, she tosses DVDs and books, magazine cuttings , theater programs, physical objects, really anything that's provided a source of creative inspiration. 她把DVD、书籍、 杂志剪报、戏剧单, 各种物品扔进去,任何会成为灵感源泉的物品。
tosses:v.扔,抛,掷;(使)摇摆,挥动,颠簸;(toss的第三人称单数) cuttings:n.钻屑;插条(cutting的复数);粉屑; physical:adj.[物]物理的;身体的;物质的;符合自然法则的;n.体格检查; source:n.来源;水源;原始资料;
And she writes, "The box means I never have to worry about forgetting. 她写道:“盒子意味着 我永远不必担心遗忘。
One of the biggest fears for a creative person is that some brilliant idea will get lost because you didn't write it down and put it in a safe place. 对于一个有创造力的人的 最大的恐惧是 一些绝妙的主意会被忘记 因为你没有把它写下来, 并把它保存下来。
I don't worry about that. Because I know where to find it. 我不用担心, 因为我知道在哪里可以找到它。
It's all in the box." 都在盒子里。”
You can manage many ideas like this, either in physical boxes or in their digital equivalents . 你可以通过这种方式管理许多想法, 无论是在盒子 还是利用电子设备。
digital:adj.数字的;手指的;n.数字;键; equivalents:n.[化学]当量(equivalent的复数);同等设备;等同物;
So, I would like to urge you to embrace the art of slow-motion multitasking. 所以,我想力劝大家接受 慢动作多任务工作,
embrace:n.拥抱,怀抱;v.拥抱;乐意采纳(思想、建议等);信奉;包括;
Not because you're in a hurry, but because you're in no hurry at all. 不是因为你想匆忙完成一件事, 而是因为你根本不着急。
And I want to give you one final example, my favorite example. 我想给你们最后一个例子, 我最喜欢的例子:
Charles Darwin. 查尔斯 · 达尔文,
A man whose slow-burning multitasking is so staggering, 他的慢动作多任务处理能力 非常惊人,
slow-burning:慢燃;
I need a diagram to explain it all to you. 我需要一个图表来向你解释一切。
We know what Darwin was doing at different times , because the creativity researchers Howard Gruber and Sara Davis have analyzed his diaries and his notebooks. 我们知道达尔文 在不同的时间做了不同的事, 因为创造力研究人员 霍华德 · 格鲁伯和萨拉 · 戴维斯 分析了他的日记 和他的笔记本。
at different times:在不同的时间;在不同的时代; analyzed:v.分析(analyze的过去式和过去分词);检讨;
So, when he left school, age of 18, he was initially interested in two fields, zoology and geology . 所以当他18岁离开学校时, 他最初对两个领域感兴趣: 动物学和地质学。
initially:adv.最初,首先;开头; zoology:n.动物学;动物区系; geology:n.地质学;地质情况;
Pretty soon, he signed up to be the onboard naturalist on the " Beagle ." 不久,他报名成为 小猎犬船上的博物学家。
onboard:adv.在船上;在飞机上;在板上;adj.随车携带的; naturalist:n.自然主义者; adj.自然的(等于naturalistic); Beagle:n.(一种猎兔用)小猎犬;密探;警官;vi.打探消息;由小猎犬指引追猎;
This is the ship that eventually took five years to sail all the way around the southern oceans of the Earth, stopping at the Galápagos, passing through the Indian ocean. 这艘船最终花了五年时间 在地球的南部海洋中航行, 停靠在加拉帕戈斯, 穿过印度洋。
eventually:adv.最后,终于;
While he was on the "Beagle," he began researching coral reefs . 当他在小猎犬号上时, 他开始研究珊瑚礁。
coral:n.珊瑚;珊瑚虫;adj.珊瑚的;珊瑚色的; reefs:n.礁石(reef的复数形式); v.收帆;
This is a great synergy between his two interests in zoology and geology, and it starts to get him thinking about slow processes . 这让他在研究动物学和地质学之间 有了巨大协同作用, 并开始让他 思考缓慢进程。
synergy:n.协同;协同作用;增效; processes:n.过程; v.处理(process的第三人称单数形式);
But when he gets back from the voyage , his interests start to expand even further: psychology , botany; for the rest of his life, he's moving backwards and forwards between these different fields. 但是当他的航程结束后, 他的兴趣开始进一步扩大—— 心理学,植物学, 他的余生, 他就在这些不同的领域之间移动。
voyage:v.航行;远行;(尤指)远航;n.航行;(尤指)航海; psychology:n.心理学;心理状态;
He never quite abandons any of them. 他从来没有抛弃过任何一项。
abandons:n.狂热;放任;vt.遗弃;放弃;
In 1837, he begins work on two very interesting projects. 1837 年,他开始了 两个非常有趣的项目,
One of them: earthworms . 其中之一,蚯蚓,
earthworms:n.蚯蚓;(earthworm的复数)
The other, a little notebook which he titles "The transmutation of species ." 另一个则是名为 《物种的演变》的笔记本。
transmutation:n.变形;变化;演变; species:n.[生物]物种;种类;
Then, Darwin starts studying my field, economics. 然后,达尔文开始研究 我的领域,经济学。
He reads a book by the economist Thomas Malthus. 他读了一本 经济学家托马斯 · 马尔萨斯的书,
And he has his eureka moment. 他有了他的尤里卡瞬间。
In a flash, he realizes how species could emerge and evolve slowly, through this process of the survival of the fittest. 他意识到物种如何能够 通过适者生存 缓慢地出现和进化。
evolve:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成; survival:n.幸存,残存;幸存者,残存物;
It all comes to him, he writes it all down, every single important element of the theory of evolution , in that notebook. 当想到这一切时 他把这些都写下来 —— 进化论的每一个重要元素 他都写进了笔记本里。
element:n.元素;要素;原理;成分;自然环境; evolution:n.演变;进化;发展;渐进;
But then, a new project. 但随后,他又有了一个新的项目:
His son William is born. 他的儿子威廉的诞生。
Well, there's a natural experiment right there, you get to observe the development of a human infant . 这是一个很自然的实验—— 你可以观察 一个人类婴儿的发育。
observe:v.观察;看到;庆祝;监视; infant:n.婴儿;幼儿;未成年人;adj.婴儿的;幼稚的;初期的;未成年的;
So immediately, Darwin starts making notes. 因此, 达尔文立即开始做笔记。
Now, of course, he's still working on the theory of evolution and the development of the human infant. 当然,他同时还在 研究进化论, 以及人类婴儿的生长。
But during all of this, he realizes he doesn't really know enough about taxonomy . 但同时, 他意识到自己 对分类学的了解不够。
taxonomy:n.分类学;分类法;
So he starts studying that. 于是,他开始研究这个, 最后他花了 8 年时间
And in the end, he spends eight years becoming the world's leading expert on barnacles . 成为世界领先的藤壶专家。
barnacles:n.[无脊椎]藤壶(barnacle的复数);刑具;
Then, " Natural Selection ." 还有《自然选择》
Natural Selection:n.自然选择;物竞天择;
A book that he's to continue working on for his entire life, he never finishes it. 这本书,他的余生持续在写这本书,
'"Origin of Species" is finally published 20 years after Darwin set out all the basic elements . 《物种起源》 出版于 达尔文开始列出基本原理的 二十年后。
finally:adv.终于;最终;(用于列举)最后;彻底地; elements:n.要素;基本部分;少量;一群;(element的复数)
Then, the " Descent of Man," controversial book. 之后,《人类的由来》 这本极具争议的书出版了。
Descent:n.下降;血统;袭击;vt.除去…的气味;使…失去香味; controversial:adj.有争议的;有争论的;
And then, the book about the development of the human infant. 接下来是一本关于 人类婴儿发育的书,
The one that was inspired when he could see his son, William, crawling on the sitting room floor in front of him. 这本书的灵感来自于他所观察到 他的儿子威廉 在客厅地板上爬来爬去。
inspired:adj.受到启发的; v.鼓舞; (inspire的过去分词和过去式) crawling:v.爬行;匍匐行进;(crawl的现在分词) sitting room:n.起居室;客厅;
When the book was published, William was 37 years old. 当这本书出版时, 威廉已经是37岁了,
And all this time, Darwin's working on earthworms. 这一切发生时, 达尔文一直在研究蚯蚓。
He fills his billiard room with earthworms in pots, with glass covers. 他在台球室里放满了 玻璃罩罐子里的蚯蚓。
billiard:adj.台球的;撞球用的;n.连撞两球所得的分数;
He shines lights on them, to see if they'll respond . 他把灯照在它们身上, 看它们是否会回应。
respond:vi.回答;作出反应;承担责任;n.应答;唱和;
He holds a hot poker next to them, to see if they move away. 他把剑叶兰在它们旁边 看看它们是否会移动。
He chews tobacco and -- 他咀嚼烟草,并向蚯蚓吹气
(Blows)
He blows on the earthworms to see if they have a sense of smell. 看看它们是否有嗅觉。
He even plays the bassoon at the earthworms. 他甚至为蚯蚓吹奏巴松管。
bassoon:n.低音管,巴松管;
I like to think of this great man when he's tired, he's stressed, he's anxious about the reception of his book "The Descent of Man." 我喜欢想像这个伟人, 当他累了、 有压力时,他很担心他的书《人类的起源》会受到欢迎。
You or I might log into Facebook or turn on the television. 你我感到压力时,可能会刷脸书或 看电视。
Darwin would go into the billiard room to relax by studying the earthworms intensely . 达尔文则会走进入台球室, 通过深入研究蚯蚓来放松。
relax:v.放松,休息;松懈,松弛;变从容;休养; intensely:adv.强烈地;紧张地;热情地;
And that's why it's appropriate that one of his last great works is the " Formation of Vegetable Mould Through The Action of Worms." 达尔文的最后一件伟作是 《腐植土的产生与蚯蚓的作用》, 这一点也不足为奇。
appropriate:adj.适当的;恰当的;v.占用,拨出; Formation:n.形成;编队;组成;队形; Mould:n.结晶器;霉;模型;霉菌;v.铸;形成;[建筑]用线条(或雕刻)装饰;(使)发霉;
(Laughter) （笑声）
He worked upon that book for 44 years. 他在那本书上工作了 44 年。
We don't live in the 19th century anymore. 我们不再生活在 19 世纪了。
I don't think any of us could sit on our creative or scientific projects for 44 years. 我不认为我们任何人可以 在我们的创意或科学项目上花 44 年。
But we do have something to learn from the great slow-motion multitaskers. 但是,我们确实要向 那些伟大的慢动作多任务者学习,
From Einstein and Darwin to Michael Crichton and Twyla Tharp. 从爱因斯坦和达尔文, 到迈克尔·克里顿和崔拉·夏普
The modern world seems to present us with a choice. 现代世界 似乎给我们一个选择。
If we're not going to fast-twitch from browser window to browser window, we have to live like a hermit , focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else. 如果我们不打算在浏览器窗口之间 快速切换, 我们就得像隐士一样生活—— 专注于一件事, 排除一切。
browser:n.[计]浏览器;吃嫩叶的动物;浏览书本的人; hermit:n.(尤指宗教原因的)隐士;隐居者; exclusion:n.排除;排斥;驱逐;被排除在外的事物;
I think that's a false dilemma . 我认为这是一个虚假的困境。
dilemma:n.困境;进退两难;两刀论法;
We can make multitasking work for us, unleashing our natural creativity. 我们可以让多任务工作帮主我们, 释放我们的自然创造力。
unleashing:v.发泄;突然释放;使爆发(unleash的现在分词)
We just need to slow it down. 我们只需要慢下来。
So ... 所以,
Make a list of your projects. 列出你的项目。
Put down your phone. 放下你的手机。
Pick up a couple of cardboard boxes. 拿起几个纸箱。
And get to work. 开始吧！
Thank you very much. 非常感谢。
(Applause) （掌声）