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  3. Where do good ideas come from? For centuries, all credit for these mysterious gifts went to faith, fortune and some fair muses.

Where do good ideas come from? For centuries, all credit for these mysterious gifts went to faith, fortune and some fair muses.

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问题     Where do good ideas come from? For centuries, all credit for these mysterious gifts went to faith, fortune and some fair muses. But to assume creativity is some lofty trait enjoyed by the few is both foolish and unproductive, argues Jonah Lehrer in "Imagine" , a smart new book about "how creativity works". Drawing from a wide array of scientific and sociological research—and everything from the poetry of W. H. Auden to the films of Pixar—he makes a convincing case that innovation cannot only be studied and measured, but also nurtured and encouraged.
    Just outside St Paul, Minnesota, sits the corporate headquarters of 3M. The company sells more than 55,000 products, from streetlights to computer touch-screens, and is ranked as the third-most innovative in the world. But when Mr. Lehrer visits, he finds employees engaged in all sorts of frivolous activities, such as playing pinball and wandering about the campus. These workers are actually pushed to take regular breaks, as time away from a problem can help spark a moment of insight. This is because interrupting work with a relaxing activity lets the mind turn inward, where it can subconsciously puzzle over subtle meanings and connections. "That’s why so many insights happen during warm showers," says Joydeep Bhattacharya, a psychologist at Goldsmiths, University of London.
    But this is just one reason for 3M’s creative output. The company also encourages its employees to take risks, not only by spending masses on research (nearly 8% of gross revenue), but also by expecting workers to spend around 15% of their time pursuing speculative ideas. Most of these efforts will fail, but some will generate real profit for the company. The reason why this approach works—and why it has been imitated by other crafty companies such as Google—is because many breakthroughs come when people venture beyond their area of expertise.
    This is why young people tend to be the most innovative thinkers in nearly any field, from physics to music. The ignorance of youth "comes with creative advantages," writes Mr. Lehrer, as the young are less Jill by custom and experience. Still, he reassures readers that anyone can stay creative as long as he works "to maintain the perspective of the outsider". This can be done by considering new problems at work, travelling to new countries or simply spending more time staring " at things we don’t fully understand. "
    This is an inspiring and engaging book that reveals creativity as less a sign of rare genius than a natural human potential. Mr. Lehrer points to William Shakespeare, for example, as someone who was largely a man of his time; the culture of Elizabethan London nurtured quite a few poets—much like ancient Athens gave rise to a glut of thinkers and Renaissance Florence inspired many fine artists. Shakespeare knew his way with a pen, but he also lived in a culture that put a premium on ideas, spread education, introduced new patents for inventions and did not always rigorously enforce censorship laws.
    Mr. Lehrer concludes with a call for better policy to "increase our collective creativity". He suggests allowing more immigration, inviting more risk and enabling more cultural borrowing and adaptation. He also warns that the work demands a lot of time, sweat and gut. Or as Albert Einstein put it: "creativity is the residue of time wasted. "
According to Paragraphs 2 and 3, which of the following statements about the company 3M is true?
选项 A、The company has been so successful in nurturing the collective creativity that other companies follow suit.
B、The company has been subjected to great financial loss by encouraging employees to take risks irrationally.
C、The company lays more emphasis on individuality and creativity than on collaboration.
D、The company expected its employees to spend 15% of their time on speculating ways to increase productivity.
答案A
解析 本题考文中与3M公司相关的一系列细节。文中第二段提到3M公司通过强制员工休息的方法来激发他们的创造力。第三段提到3M公司还通过鼓励员工冒险的方式来激发创造力。[A]正确，3M公司鼓励员工冒险的方法成效显著，连谷歌在内的许多公司都争相效仿“…it has been imitated by other crafty companies such as Google”。[B]错误，3M公司鼓励员工冒险，其中很多的冒险方案都失败了，但是那些成功的方案给公司带来了巨大的利益“Most of these efforts will fail，but some will generate real profit for the company”。[C]错误，3M公司确实注重个性和创造力，但是不注重合作精神的说法文中并没有体现出来。[D]偷换概念，3M公司鼓励员工每天花15％的时间来做大胆的设想(spend around 15％ of their time pursuing speculative ideas)，而不是花15％的时间来思考提升生产力的方法。
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