The power of deep work

重庆 王 琴

卡尔·纽波特写的《深度工作》一书告诉我们，在无干扰的专注状态下进行的专业活动可以推动认知能力的极限，从而创造更有价值的事物和意义丰富的生活。

主题语境：工作 篇幅：333词 建议用时：7分钟

1 You can get a clear picture about Deep Work by Cal Newport in 5 minutes.Deep Work tells us professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive (认知的) capabilities to their limit.These efforts create new value and improve your skill.The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare,and at exactly the same time, it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy.As a consequence, the few who develop the skill, and then make it the core of their working life, will thrive (蓬勃发展).

2 The book tells us the core abilities for thriving in the new economy, which are the ability to quickly master hard things and the ability to produce at a high level, in terms of both quality and speed.If you can't learn, you can't thrive.If you don't produce, you won't thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.If you haven't mastered deep work, you'll struggle to learn hard things.To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction.

3 The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and habits to your working life designed to maxmize a state of unbroken concentration.To master the art of deep work, therefore, you must take back control of your time and attention from the many entertainments on the Internet that attempt to steal them.Adopt a tool only if its positive impacts on these factors substantially outweigh its negative impacts.It's crucial that you figure out in advance what you're going to do with your evenings and weekends before they begin.

4 In the end of Deep Work, we can know that the ability to concentrate is a skill that gets valuable things done.If you're struggling to use your mind to its fullest capacity to create things that matter, then you'll discover, as others have before you, that depth generates a life rich with productivity and meaning.

Reading Check

Inference1.What is presented in paragraph 1?

A.Accurate analyses.

B.Practical examples.

C.Theoretical introduction.

D.Daring anticipation.

Detail2.Who will have a particular advantage in the new economy?

A.Those who're easy to get along well with.

B.Those who're willing to give others a hand.

C.Those who're very skilled or talented.

D.Those who're good at learning tough things.

Inference3.Which of the following can help develop a deep work habit?

A.Quitting social media.

B.Making a flexible schedule.

C.Forming a simple habit.

D.Using on-demand distraction.

Genre4.What is the text?

A.A news report.

B.An exam paper.

C.A book review.

D.An economic article.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Difficult sentence in the text

Deep Work tells us professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit.《深度工作》告诉我们，在一个没有干扰的专注状态下进行的专业活动，可以将你的认知能力推向极限。

【点石成金】本句中，performed in a state of distraction-free concentration 为过去分词短语作名词activities 的后置定语；that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit 为that引导的定语从句，先行词为distraction-free concentration。

Ⅱ.Text-centered chunks

deep work 深度工作

distraction-free concentration 无干扰的专注；全神贯注

create new value 创造新价值

improve one's skill 提高某人的技能

core ability 核心能力

develop a deep work habit 发展深度工作习惯

maxmize a state of unbroken concentration 使连续专注状态使最大化

positive/negative impact 积极/消极影响

figure out 弄清楚；弄明白；找出

in advance 提前