Text 1
Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting
our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar
routine. "Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting herd," William
Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even
the word "habit" carries a negative connotation.
So it seems antithetical to talk about habits in the same
context as creativity and innovation. But brain researchers have discovered
that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel synaptic paths,
and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto
new, innovative tracks.
But don't bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they're there to stay. Instead, the
new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that
can bypass those old roads.
"The first thing needed for innovation is a fascination
with wonder," says Dawna Markova, author of "The Open Mind" and
an executive change consultant for Professional Thinking Partners. "But we
are taught instead to 'decide,' just as our president calls himself 'the
Decider.' " She adds, however, that "to decide is to kill off
all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the
many other possibilities."
All of us work through problems in ways of which we're unaware,
she says. Researchers in the late 1960 covered that humans are born with the
capacity to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically,
procedurally, relationally (or collaboratively) and innovatively. At puberty,
however, the brain shuts down half of that capacity, preserving only those
modes of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so
of life.
The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis
and procedure, meaning that few of us inherently use our innovative and
collaborative modes of thought. "This breaks the major rule in the
American belief system — that anyone can do anything," explains M. J.
Ryan, author of the 2006 book "This Year I Will..." and Ms. Markova's
business partner. "That's a lie that we have perpetuated, and it fosters
commonness. Knowing what you're good at and doing even more of it creates
excellence." This is where developing new habits comes in.
21. The view of Wordsworth
habit is claimed by being ________.
A. casual B.
familiar C. mechanical D. changeable
22. The researchers have
discovered that the formation of habit can be ________
A. predicted B.
regulated C. traced D. guided
23. "ruts"(in
line one, paragraph 3) has closest meaning to ________
A. tracks B.
series C. characteristics D. connections
24. Ms. Markova's comments
suggest that the practice of standard testing ________?
A, prevents new habits form being formed
B, no longer emphasizes commonness
C, maintains the inherent American thinking model
D, complies with the American belief system
25. Ryan most probably
agree that
A. ideas are born of a relaxing mind
B. innovativeness could be taught
C. decisiveness derives from fantastic ideas
D. curiosity activates creative minds
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