第547期:英語美文 學會真正的提問

The Sponge and Panning for Gold: Alternative Thinking Styles

世上從不缺少答案，但缺少的是能真正問對問題的人。我們人類正是通過不斷的提問，才能確保將有限的時間花費在最重要的事情上。提問，是一門藝術，因爲這是一個自我反思的過程。愛因斯坦曾經說：問題的提出經常比解決更重要。因爲問題的提出反應了你看待問題的視野和角度，如果能站在合時宜的角度提出正確的問題，解決方案也就自然而然出來了。

今天分享一篇很棒的書摘Asking The Right Questions-A Guide to Critical Thinking.這本書的中文譯名叫做《學會提問》，作者是美國的尼爾.布朗和斯圖爾特.基利。這篇書摘的關鍵詞就是The Sponge Thinking Style & Panning for Gold Thinking Style(海綿式思維和淘金式思維)，作者意在通過對比這兩種思維方式所產生的影響，從我們接受信息的維度讓我們更加深刻認清自己思維和學習的方式。

New Words:

puppet n. 木偶；傀儡；
imagery n.意象；比喻；
pan vi. 淘金；在淘洗中收穫金子
gravel n. 碎石；砂礫
underline vt. 強調；在…下面劃線；
evaluate vt. 評價；估價；

Absorbing information provides a productive start toward becoming a thoughtful person, the sponge approach has a serious disadvantage: It provides no method for deciding which information and opinions to believe and which to reject. If a reader relied on the sponge approach all the time, he would believe whatever he read last. The idea of being the mental puppet of whomever one happens to encounter is horrible imagery for a person and a community. Decisions become accidents of association, instead of reflective judgments.
要成爲一個有思想的人，被動吸收外部世界的信息確實爲你提供了一個富有成效的起點，但海綿式思維卻有個極嚴重，極致命的缺點，對各種紛至沓來的信息和觀點如何做出取捨，它提供不了任何方法。如果讀者始終以來海綿式思維方式，他就會對自己最新讀到的一切深信不疑。

We think you would rather choose for yourself what to absorb and what to ignore. To make this choice, you must read with a special attitude—a question-asking attitude. Such a thinking style requires active participation. The writer is trying to speak to you, and you should try to talk back to him, even though he is not present.
我們認爲，你一定要願意自己掌握主動權，選擇該相信什麼忽略什麼。要做出決定和取捨，就要帶着一定的態度去讀書，即帶着問題去讀書。這種思維方式需要你積極主動的參與進來。作者在向你細說原委，而你則隨時準備與之辯駁，雖然作者本人並不在場。

We call this interactive approach the panning-for-gold style of thinking. The process of panning for gold provides a model for active readers and listeners as they try to determine the worth of what they read and hear. The task is challenging and sometimes tedious, but the reward can be tremendous. To distinguish the gold from the gravel in a conversation requires you to ask frequent questions and to reflect on the answers.
我們把這種互動方式稱之爲淘金式思維。淘金的過程爲積極主動的讀者和聽衆提供了一種可效仿的模式，他們得儘快決定自己的所見所聞到底價值幾何。在一場互動的對話中披沙揀金，需要你不斷地提問並思考問題的答案。

Let us examine more closely how the two approaches lead to different behavior.
我們不妨進一步，檢視一下這兩種思維方式會導致怎樣不同的行爲。

What does the individual who takes the sponge approach do when he reads material? He reads sentences carefully, trying to remember as much as he can. He may underline or highlight key words and sentences. He may take notes summarizing the major topics and major points. He checks his underlining or notes to be sure that he is not forgetting anything important. His mission is to find and understand what the author has to say. He memorizes the reasoning, but doesn't evaluate it.
採取海綿式思維的讀者通常會怎樣讀書呢？他逐字逐句的細讀，竭盡地記住所讀的材料，他可能做筆記來概括主題和要點，他不時複習書本上劃線部分或是重溫筆記。確保自己沒有遺忘任何重要的知識點。他的主要任務就是找出作者的觀點並充分加以理解。他記住作者說理辯論的全部過程，但不對其做任何評價。

What does the reader who takes the panning-for-gold approach do? Like the person using the sponge approach, he approaches his reading with the hope that he will acquire new knowledge. There the similarity ends. The panning-for-gold approach requires that the reader asks himself a number of questions designed to uncover the best available decisions or beliefs. The reader who uses the panning-for-gold approach frequently questions why the author makes various claims. He writes notes to himself in the margins indicating problems with the reasoning. He continually interacts with the material. His intent is to critically evaluate the material and formulate personal conclusions based on the evaluation.
採取淘金式思維的讀者又會怎麼做呢？像採用海綿式思維的讀者一樣，他也希望在閱讀的過程中獲取新知識，但是兩者間的相處之處僅此而已。淘金式思維要求讀者文自己一系列既定的問題，旨在找出最佳判斷或是最合理的看法。淘金式思維的讀者常常質疑作者爲何要提出各種各樣的主張。他在書本的頁面寫批註，提醒自己注意作者推理和論述中存在的問題。他無時不刻在和自己的閱讀材料互動，目的是批判性地評價所讀的材料，在客觀評價的基礎上得出自己的結論。

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