Give it five minutes
I used to be a hothead. Whenever anyone said anything, I’d think of a way to disagree. I’d push back hard if something didn’t fit my world-view.
It’s like I had to be first with an opinion?—?as if being first meant something. But what it really meant was that I wasn’t thinking hard enough about the problem. The faster you react, the less you think. Not always, but often.
This came to a head back in 2007. I was speaking at the Business Innovation Factory conference in Providence, RI. So was Richard Saul Wurman. After my talk Richard came up to introduce himself and compliment my talk. That was very generous of him. He certainly didn’t have to do that.
And what did I do? I pushed back at him about the talk he gave. While he was making his points on stage, I was taking an inventory of the things I didn’t agree with. And when presented with an opportunity to speak with him, I quickly pushed back at some of his ideas. I must have seemed like such an asshole.
His response changed my life. It was a simple thing. He said “Man, give it five minutes.” I asked him what he meant by that? He said, it’s fine to disagree, it’s fine to push back, it’s great to have strong opinions and beliefs, but give my ideas some time to set in before you’re sure you want to argue against them. “Five minutes” represented “think”, not react. He was totally right. I came into the discussion looking to prove something, not learn something.
This was a big moment for me.
Richard has spent his career thinking about these problems. He’s given it 30 years. And I gave it just a few minutes. Now, certainly he can be wrong and I could be right, but it’s better to think deeply about something first before being so certain you’re right.
There’s also a difference between asking questions and pushing back. Pushing back means you already think you know. Asking questions means you want to know. Ask more questions.
Learning to think first rather than react quick is a life-long pursuit. It’s tough. I still get hot sometimes when I shouldn’t. But I’m really enjoying all the benefits of getting better.
If you aren’t sure why this is important, think about this quote from Jonathan Ive regarding Steve Jobs’ reverence(respect) for ideas:
And just as Steve loved ideas, and loved making stuff, he treated the process of creativity with a rare and a wonderful reverence. You see, I think he better than anyone understood that while ideas ultimately can be so powerful, they begin as fragile, barely formed thoughts, so easily missed, so easily compromised, so easily just squished.
That’s deep. Ideas are fragile. They often start powerless. They’re barely there, so easy to ignore or skip or miss.
There are two things in this world that take no skill: 1. Spending other people’s money and 2. Dismissing an idea.
Dismissing an idea is so easy because it doesn’t involve any work. You can scoff at it. You can ignore it. You can puff some smoke at it. That’s easy. The hard thing to do is protect it, think about it, let it marinate, explore it, riff on it, and try it. The right idea could start out life as the wrong idea.
So next time you hear something, or someone, talk about an idea, pitch an idea, or suggest an idea, give it five minutes. Think about it a little bit before pushing back, before saying it’s too hard or it’s too much work.
Those things may be true, but there may be another truth in there too: It may be worth it.
1.Which of the following best describes the word hothead from the first paragraph?
A. Supportive B. Fast C. Nervous D. Aggressive
2.What did the author do while Richard was talking in the business conference?
A. He kept notes for things that he did not agree with.
B. He pushed Richard and beat him.
C. He was preparing for his own speech.
D. He was getting ready to compliment him.
3.Which of the following is the reason for quoting Jonathan Ive?
A. The author thinks Steve Job is the best when it comes to creativity.
B. The author is inspired by Steve Job's attitude towards new ideas.
C. The author respects Steve Job because he is creative and he likes ideas.
D. The author thinks Steve Job has ideas that are strong and powerful and are hard to miss.
4.What is the core argument that the author put forward?
A. Dismissing ideas is an effortless thing to do so you should always protect ideas carefully.
B. The right idea always starts from a wrong idea and you need to protect it from being dismissed.
C. One should be careful when it comes to judge a new idea.
D. Every idea, whether powerful or fragile deserves five minutes
科目:高中英語 來源:2015-2016學(xué)年天津靜海第一中學(xué)高二12月調(diào)研英語試卷(解析版) 題型:單項填空
— I failed the exam.
— ______! You still have another chance.
A. Don’t mention it
B. Cheer up
C. What a pity
D. That’s all right
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Arthur Miller (1915-2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary, drawn like so many others by the "Great American Dream". However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence(堅持,強調(diào)) on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is "burnt out" and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment(感傷): if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.
1.Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?
A. He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.
B. He was attracted by the "Great American Dream"
C. He hoped to make his son a dramatist.
D. His family business failed.
2.The play Death of a Salesman________.
A. exposes the cruelty of the American business world
B. discusses the ways to get promoted in a company
C. talks about the business career of Arthur Miller
D. focuses on the skills in doing business
3. What can we learn about Willy Loman?
A. He treats his employer badly.
B. He runs the Wagner Company
C. He is a victim of the American system.
D. He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Arthur Miller and his family
B. The awards Arthur Miller won
C. The hardship Arthur Miller experienced
D. Arthur Miller and his best-known play
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科目:高中英語 來源:2015-2016學(xué)年廣東汕頭金山中學(xué)高二上12月月考英語卷(解析版) 題型:單項填空
---Do these paintings ________ you?
--- No, not really. They don’t ________ to me at all.
A. interest to you; make any sense
B. appeal for you; attract
C. appeal to; make sense
D. interest; attract
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科目:高中英語 來源:2015-2016學(xué)年廣東汕頭金山中學(xué)高二上12月月考英語卷(解析版) 題型:單項填空
Had he spent more time practicing speaking English before, he _______ able to speak it much better now.
A. will be B. would be C. has been D. would have been
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–Thank you for your assistance, without ________ I might have been in danger.
--That’s all right, anyone in my place ________ the same thing.
A. that; will do B. which; would have done
C. it, would D. which; can have done
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科目:高中英語 來源:2016屆江蘇蘇州中學(xué)高三10月月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:單項填空
It is said that body language ________ 55 per cent of a first impression while what you say just 7 per cent.
A. lies in B. accounts for
C. consists of D. goes with
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科目:高中英語 來源:2015-2016學(xué)年山東壽光現(xiàn)代中學(xué)高二10月月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity(逆境). But it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography(傳記), she remembers with great fondness when her good friend-Sean became the first person to encourage her and help her build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition(志向) to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to(注定)be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Though there were many difficulties, Rowling continued her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn’t until l990 that she first came up with the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls(回憶), it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my great disappointment, I didn’t have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details came up in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, bespectacled(戴眼鏡的)boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother died after a ten-year fight with serious diseases, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with depression(診斷患有抑郁癥). Unemployed, she finished her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her friend’s encouragement as well as her ambition to write.
1. Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?
A.Her friend Sean. B.Her mother.
C.Her daughter. D.Her husband.
2.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.
A.a(chǎn)t the age of 6 B.on a train journey
C.a(chǎn)fter her mother’s death D.in her secondary school
3.She felt disappointed on the train because_________.
A.her train was delayed for four hours
B.she didn’t have a pen with her
C.her mind suddenly went blank
D.no one would offer her help
4.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is_________.
A.open-minded B.warm-hearted
C.good-natured D.strong-willed
5.The text mainly tells us_________.
A.a(chǎn)dversity makes a good novelist
B.the courage to try is a special ability
C.you can have a wonderful idea everywhere
D.encouragement helps one succeed
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科目:高中英語 來源:2015-2016學(xué)年北大附中河南分校高二12月月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:完形填空
完形填空,閱讀下面短文。從短文后各題所給的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中,選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項,并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
John Madden is a great sports player, coach and National Football League (NFL) commentator (解說員). He brought his excitement and ________ for the sport to television audiences (觀眾) ________ he commentated on a game. John Madden is________for his friendly and humorous personality (個性). He is also known for ________ football as he announces the games. This helps people understand and ________ the sport even more.
In April 2009, John Madden retired ________ an NFL commentator. Madden is 47 years old. He says he wants to ________ more time with his family, ________ his five grandchildren. Madden says to make his decision to retire is really ________ because he loves everything about football.
He started as a ________ player, but a wound to his knee in 1958 ________ his short career (生涯). He began his career as a head football___________ in 1969, when he was ___________to lead the Oakland Raiders. He coached the team for about ten years and ________ a big victory in 1977. Two years later, he retired and became a ___________ commentator for the NFL.
Madden has commentated on eleven Superbowl __________during his thirty-year announcing career. He has __________ sixteen Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Analyst / Personality on television. His ___________game as a football commentator before he retired was this year’s Superbowl in February. John Madden’s ___________ on the sport of football continues. His video game, "Madden NFL", is the best-selling (暢銷的) sports video game in history. It has ___________ more than 70,000,000 copies during the last twenty years.
注:Superbowl:超級杯,美國國家足球聯(lián)盟的年度冠軍賽
1.A.secret B.space C.anger D.love
2.A.how B.when C.what D.where
3.A.famous B.happy C.good D.nervous
4.A.buying B.showing C.explaining D.teaching
5.A.enjoy B.touch C.miss D.take
6.A.like B.for C.as D.with
7.A.collect B.spend C.use D.waste
8.A.except B.usually C.always D.especially
9.A.exciting B.difficult C.interesting D.serious
10.A.basketball B.football C.volleyball D.baseball
11.A.continued B.forced C.ended D.left
12.A.game B.announcer C. coach D.player
13.A.given B.kept C.rewarded D.chosen
14.A.led to B.began with C.belonged to D. communicated with
15.A.music B.sports C.food D.video
16.A.games B.prizes C.results D.news
17.A.found B.shared C.won D.tried
18.A.great B.best C.last D.personal
19.A.forecast B.information C.study D.influence
20.A.produced B.sold C.sent D.printed
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