Section B: Information Matching

Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.

Stop thinking and start doing

[A] Most people have a dream in life, a vision of who or what they'd like to be in the future. At a minimum, everyone has interests and values that determine what they want out of their lives. Even so, trying to set achievable goals that you'll work for over the course of many years can be extremely challenging. It can be hard to know where to even begin, and the things you hope to achieve may seem impossible. But if you're well prepared you may be able to set goals for your life that are just as fulfilling to work toward as to achieve.

[B] We all have goals that we want to achieve in our lives. These goals may include learning a new language, eating healthier and losing weight becoming a better parent, saving more money, and so on. It can be easy to assume that the gap between where you are now and where you want to be in the future is caused by a lack of knowledge. This is why we buy courses on how to start a business or how to lose weight fast or how to learn a new language in three months. We assume that if we knew about a better strategy, then we would get better results. We believe that a new result requires new knowledge.

[C] What I'm starting to realize, however, is that new knowledge does not necessarily drive new results. In fact, learning something new can actually be a waste of time if your goal is to make progress and not simply gain additional knowledge.

[D] It all comes down to the difference between learning and practicing. Thomas Sterner, in his book The Practicing Mind, explains the key difference between practicing and learning. He says: “When we practice something, we are involved in the deliberate repetition of a process with the intention of reaching a specific goal.” Here the words “deliberate” and “intention” are key, because they define the difference between actively practicing something and passively learning it.

[E] Learning something new and practicing something new may seem very similar but these two methods can have profoundly different results. Here are some additional ways to think about the difference. Let's say your goal is to get stronger and more fit. You can research the best instructions on weight lifting technique, but the only way to build strength is to practice lifting weights. Let's say your goal is to grow your startup. You can learn about the best way to make a sales pitch, but the only way to actually land customers is to practice making sales calls. Let's say your goal is to write a book. You can talk to a bestselling author about writing, but the only way to become a better writer is to practice publishing consistently.

[F] Passive learning creates knowledge. Active practice creates skill. Let's consider a couple more reasons to prioritize active practice over passive learning. First, passive learning can be a stick that supports inaction. In many cases, learning is actually a way to avoid taking action on the goals and interests that we say are important to us. For example, let's say you want to learn a foreign language. Reading a book on how to learn a foreign language quickly allows you to feel like you are making progress (“Hey, I'm figuring out the best way to do this!”). Of course, you're not actually practicing the action that would deliver your desired outcome (speaking the foreign language).

[G] In situations like this one, we often claim that we are preparing or researching the best method, but these rationalizations allow us to feel like we are moving forward when we are merely spinning our wheels. We make the mistake of being in motion rather than taking action. Learning is valuable until it becomes a form of procrastination.

[H] Another point to consider is that practice is learning, but learning is not practice. Passive learning is not a form of practice because although you gain new knowledge, you are not discovering how to apply that knowledge. Active practice, meanwhile, is one of the greatest forms of learning because the mistakes you make while practicing reveal important insights.

[I] Even more importantly, practice is the only way to make a meaningful contribution with your knowledge. You can watch an online course about how to build a business or read an article about a terrible disaster in a developing nation, but that knowledge is unproductive unless you actually launch your business or donate to those in need. Learning by itself can be valuable for you but if you want to be valuable to others, then you have to express your knowledge in some way.

[J] The last important point to consider is that practice focuses your energy on the process. Thomas Sterner once said, “Progress is a natural result of staying focused on the process of doing anything.” The state of your life right now is a result of the habits and beliefs that you have been practicing each day. When you realize this and begin to direct your focus toward practicing better habits day-in and day-out, continual progress will be the logical outcome. It is not the things we learn nor the dreams we visualize that determine our results, but rather the habits that we practice each day. Fall in love with boredom and focus your energy on the process, not the product.

[K] What does this all mean? Is passive learning useless? Of course not. In many cases, learning for the sake of learning can be a beautiful thing. Not to mention that soaking up new information can help you make more informed decisions when you do decide to take action. That said, the main point of this article is that learning by itself does not lead to progress. We often hide behind information and use learning as an excuse to delay the more difficult and more important choice of actually doing something. Spend less time passively learning and more time actively practicing. Stop thinking and start doing.

36. Acquisition of new knowledge may not guarantee the progress that you aim to make.

37. Your current situation in life is built on the beliefs and habits you have been practicing daily.

38. Knowing the best way to learn a foreign language will not enable you to speak it without actual practice.

39. People may find it demanding to create a goal which will take a long time to achieve.

40. Learning and practicing seem to be very much alike, but the two processes can lead to quite different outcomes.

41. Absorbing new information is helpful in making better decisions prior to action.

42. Sometimes we may feel like we are making progress by doing some research or making preparations, but actually we are staying at the starting point.

43. We are inclined to think that a lack of knowledge prevents us from advancing to a better future.

44. Learning can benefit you by itself but only practice can turn what you learn into meaningful contributions.

45. Practice involves repeating a process intentionally to attain a particular objective.

Answers & Explanations

36. C。解析：题干中的 Acquisition of new knowledge may not guarantee the progress（获取新知识未必能保证取得进步）对应 [C] 段的 new knowledge does not necessarily drive new results... a waste of time if your goal is to make progress（新知识不一定推动新结果...如果你的目标是取得进步，学习新东西实际上可能是浪费时间）。

37. J。解析：题干中的 Your current situation in life is built on the beliefs and habits you have been practicing daily（你当前的生活状态建立在你每天实践的信念和习惯之上）对应 [J] 段的 The state of your life right now is a result of the habits and beliefs that you have been practicing each day（你当前的生活状态是你每天实践的习惯和信念的结果）。

38. F。解析：题干中的 Knowing the best way to learn a foreign language will not enable you to speak it without actual practice（知道学外语的最佳方法，如果不去实际练习也无法让你说出来）对应 [F] 段的 Reading a book on how to learn a foreign language quickly allows you to feel like you are making progress... you're not actually practicing the action that would deliver your desired outcome (speaking the foreign language)（读一本关于如何快速学习外语的书会让你觉得自己在进步...你实际上并没有练习能带来你期望结果的行动——说外语）。

39. A。解析：题干中的 find it demanding to create a goal which will take a long time to achieve（发现设定一个需要很长时间才能实现的目标很费力/困难）对应 [A] 段的 trying to set achievable goals that you'll work for over the course of many years can be extremely challenging（尝试设定需要多年努力才能实现的目标可能极具挑战性）。demanding 同义替换 extremely challenging。

40. E。解析：题干中的 Learning and practicing seem to be very much alike, but the two processes can lead to quite different outcomes（学习和实践看似相似，但这两个过程会导致截然不同的结果）对应 [E] 段首句 Learning something new and practicing something new may seem very similar but these two methods can have profoundly different results（学习新事物和练习新事物似乎很相似，但这两种方法可能会产生截然不同的结果）。outcomes 同义替换 results。

41. K。解析：题干中的 Absorbing new information is helpful in making better decisions prior to action（吸收新信息有助于在行动前做出更好的决定）对应 [K] 段的 soaking up new information can help you make more informed decisions when you do decide to take action（吸收新信息可以帮助你在决定采取行动时做出更明智的决定）。absorbing 同义替换 soaking up。

42. G。解析：题干中的 feel like we are making progress by doing some research or making preparations, but actually we are staying at the starting point（感觉通过研究或准备在取得进展，但实际上我们停留在起点）对应 [G] 段的 we often claim that we are preparing or researching... allow us to feel like we are moving forward when we are merely spinning our wheels（我们经常声称我们在准备或研究...这让我们觉得我们在前进，而我们只是在原地打转）。staying at the starting point 完美对应 spinning our wheels（徒劳无功/原地打转）。

43. B。解析：题干中的 We are inclined to think that a lack of knowledge prevents us from advancing（我们倾向于认为知识匮乏阻止了我们前进）对应 [B] 段的 It can be easy to assume that the gap between where you are now and where you want to be... is caused by a lack of knowledge（人们很容易认为你现在的处境和你想去的地方之间的差距是由知识匮乏引起的）。be inclined to think 同义替换 It can be easy to assume。

44. I。解析：题干中的 Learning can benefit you by itself but only practice can turn what you learn into meaningful contributions（学习本身有益，但唯有实践能将知识转化为有意义的贡献）对应 [I] 段的 Learning by itself can be valuable for you but... practice is the only way to make a meaningful contribution with your knowledge（学习本身对你来说是有价值的，但...实践是用你的知识做出有意义贡献的唯一途径）。

45. D。解析：题干中的 Practice involves repeating a process intentionally to attain a particular objective（实践涉及为了达到特定目标而刻意重复一个过程）对应 [D] 段的 When we practice something, we are involved in the deliberate repetition of a process with the intention of reaching a specific goal（当我们练习某事时，我们参与了为了达到特定目标而刻意重复一个过程）。intentionally 对应 deliberate / with the intention of，objective 对应 goal。

全文翻译

[A] 大多数人都有一个人生梦想，一个关于他们未来想成为谁或什么的愿景。至少，每个人都有决定他们想要从生活中获得什么的兴趣和价值观。即便如此，试图设定在多年时间里为之努力的、可实现的目标可能是极具挑战性的。可能很难知道从何开始，你希望实现的事情可能看起来不可能。但如果你做好了充分准备，你也许能为你的人生设定既值得努力也值得实现的目标。

[B] 我们都有想要在生活中实现的目标。这些目标可能包括学习一门新语言、吃得更健康和减重、成为更好的父母、存更多钱等等。人们很容易认为，你现在的位置和你未来想达到的位置之间的差距是由缺乏知识造成的。这就是为什么我们购买关于如何创业、如何快速减肥或如何在三个月内学会一门新语言的课程。我们假设如果我们知道更好的策略，我们就会得到更好的结果。我们相信新的结果需要新的知识。

[C] 然而我开始意识到的是，新的知识不一定带来新的结果。事实上，如果你的目标是取得进步而不仅仅是获取额外知识，学习新东西实际上可能是浪费时间。

[D] 这都归结为学习和练习之间的区别。Thomas Sterner 在他的书《练习的心态》中解释了练习和学习之间的关键区别。他说："当我们练习某事时，我们是在有意识地重复一个过程，意图达到一个特定目标。"这里"有意识地"和"意图"是关键，因为它们定义了主动练习某事和被动学习它之间的区别。

[E] 学习新东西和练习新东西可能看起来非常相似，但这两种方法可以有截然不同的结果。以下是一些思考这种区别的额外方式。假设你的目标是变得更强壮、更健康。你可以研究举重技术的最佳指导，但增强力量的唯一方法是练习举重。假设你的目标是发展你的创业公司。你可以学习如何进行最佳销售展示，但真正获得客户的唯一方法是练习打销售电话。假设你的目标是写一本书。你可以与畅销书作家讨论写作，但成为更好的作家的唯一方法是持续练习出版。

[F] 被动学习创造知识。主动练习创造技能。让我们再考虑几个优先考虑主动练习而非被动学习的理由。首先，被动学习可能是一根支持不作为的拐杖。在许多情况下，学习实际上是一种避免采取行动的方式，回避我们声称对我们很重要的目标和兴趣。例如，假设你想学一门外语。阅读一本关于如何快速学外语的书让你感觉自己在进步（"嘿，我在找出做到这一点的最佳方法！"）。当然，你并没有真正练习能带来你期望结果的行为（说那门外语）。

[G] 在这种情况下，我们常常声称我们在准备或研究最佳方法，但这些合理化让我们在只是在原地打转时却感觉自己在前进。我们犯了处于运动中而非采取行动的错误。学习是有价值的，直到它变成一种拖延的形式。

[H] 另一个要考虑的点是练习就是学习，但学习不是练习。被动学习不是练习的一种形式，因为尽管你获得了新知识，你并没有发现如何应用这些知识。同时，主动练习是最伟大的学习形式之一，因为你在练习中犯的错误揭示了重要的洞见。

[I] 更重要的是，练习是用你的知识做出有意义贡献的唯一方式。你可以观看关于如何创业的在线课程或阅读关于发展中国家可怕灾难的文章，但除非你实际上启动你的企业或向需要帮助的人捐款，这些知识都是无用的。学习本身对你有价值，但如果你想对他人有价值，那么你必须以某种方式表达你的知识。

[J] 最后要考虑的要点是练习将你的精力集中在过程上。Thomas Sterner 曾说过："进步是保持专注于做任何事情的过程的自然结果。"你现在的生活状态是你每天都在练习的习惯和信念的结果。当你意识到这一点并开始将注意力集中在日复一日地练习更好的习惯上时，持续的进步将是合乎逻辑的结果。决定我们结果的不是我们学到的东西，也不是我们想象的梦想，而是我们每天练习的习惯。爱上无聊，将精力集中在过程而非产品上。

[K] 这一切意味着什么？被动学习没用吗？当然不是。在许多情况下，为了学习而学习可以是一件美好的事情。更不用说吸收新信息可以帮助你在决定采取行动时做出更明智的决定。话虽如此，本文的主要观点是，学习本身并不会带来进步。我们经常躲在信息后面，用学习作为借口来推迟更困难、更重要的选择——真正做某事的选择。花更少的时间被动学习，更多的时间主动练习。停止思考，开始行动。

核心搭配与高分句型

【核心搭配与高频短语】

• come down to：归结为，实质上是（It all comes down to the difference between...）
• in the name of：以...的名义，代表（in the name of self-awareness，注：此处引用了其他真题的高频词备考，本文类似表达是 for the sake of）
• for the sake of：为了...的缘故/目的（learning for the sake of learning）
• spin one's wheels：徒劳无功，原地打转（we are merely spinning our wheels）
• day-in and day-out：日复一日地（practicing better habits day-in and day-out）
• soak up：吸收（信息/知识等）（soaking up new information）
• prioritize A over B：将A置于B之前优先考虑（prioritize active practice over passive learning）
• be hardwired for：天生就倾向于，本能地（注：本词为高频考点补充）

【亮点句型解析】

• Not... nor... but rather... (既不是...也不是...而是...)：
  "It is not the things we learn nor the dreams we visualize that determine our results, but rather the habits that we practice each day."
  （决定我们结果的既不是我们学到的东西，也不是我们想象的梦想，而是我们每天实践的习惯。）这是一个非常经典的强调句型（It is... that...），中间嵌套了三重对比（不是A，也不是B，而是C）。不仅节奏感强，而且逻辑非常严密，是四六级写作的王牌句型。
• Unless 引导的条件状语从句：
  "...but that knowledge is unproductive unless you actually launch your business or donate to those in need."
  （...但除非你真的创业或捐款给需要帮助的人，否则那些知识是毫无成效的。）unless 相当于 if not，从反面强调了“行动（launch/donate）”对于知识变现的绝对必要性。