Matt Cutts: Try Something New for 30 Days
难度级别：★★★
燕山大学 刘立军 宋葳 编写
◇INTRODUCTION
Is there something you've always meant to do, wanted to do, but just ... haven't? Matt Cutts suggests: Try it for 30 days. This short, lighthearted talk offers a neat way to think about setting and achieving goals.
◇BEFORE VIEWING
TASK 1: VOCABULARY PREVIEW
1. rut n. (可数名词) a boring way of life that does not change 刻板乏味的生活。例如：
·I gave up my job because I felt I was stuck in a rut. 我放弃了我的工作，因为我觉得那种生活呆板无聊。
·If you don't go out and meet new people, it's easy to get into a rut. 如果你不出门结识新朋友，你的生活就容易变得刻板乏味。
2. nerd n. ① a person who is boring, stupid and not fashionable 令人厌烦的人；愚蠢的人；落伍的人② a person who is very interested in computers 电脑迷
3. from scratch:
① without any previous preparation or knowledge 从头开始；从零开始。例如：
·I learned German from scratch in six months. 我从零学起，六个月学会了德语。
② from the very beginning, not using any of the work done earlier 从头（做起）；从零开始。例如：
·They decided to dismantle the machine and start again from scratch. 他们决定拆掉机器，从头再来。
4. turn out: to be discovered to be; to prove to be 原来是；证明是；结果是
用法：
① (+ that 从句)
It turned out that she was a friend of my sister. 她原来是我姐姐的朋友。
② (+ 带 to 的不定式)
·The job turned out to be harder than we thought. 这工作结果比我们想象的要难。
·The house they had offered us turned out to be a tiny apartment. 他们向我们提供的房子原来是很小的公寓套间。
5. give it a shot: 试图做某事，试一试; 试试看。例如：
·I've never played billiards, but I'll give it a shot. 我从没有玩过撞球, 但我愿意尝试一下。
TASK 2: TOPIC PREVIEW
Discuss the following question with your partner.
What can you do within 30 days?
◇VIEWING
TASK 3:
Fill in the blanks with the information you hear in the speech.
| | Signal words and expressions | | Example |
Topic | | | Try something new for 30 days | |
Introduction | | | Statement: Think about something you've always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It turns out 30 days is just about the right amount of time to (1) ____________ or (2) _____________ - like watching the news from your life. | |
Body | Reason 1 | The first was | The first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was (3) ____________. | Take a picture every day for a month |
| Reason 2 | I also noticed that | I also noticed that as I started to do more and harder 30-day challenges, my (4) _______________ grew. | l Bike to work l Hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro |
| Reason 3 | I also figured out that | I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can (5)__________________. | Write a 50,000-word novel |
| Reason 4 | So here's one last thing I'd like to mention. | I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were (6) _________________. There's nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they're a ton of fun. But they're (7) __________________. | Give up sugar for 30 days |
Conclusion | | So here's my question to you | What are you waiting for? I (8) ________________ you the next 30 days are going to pass (9) _______________, so why not think about something you have always wanted to (10) __________ for the next 30 days. |
|
◇AFTER VIEWING
TASK 4: DISCUSSION
What did you learn from this speech? Discuss it within your group and then share your ideas in the class.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
◇BEFORE VIEWING
TASK 2: TOPIC PREVIEW
I can do many things in a month. Take practicing English listening as an example, I listen to the BBC English news for a month in order to improve my English listening ability step by step. The problem is what to listen and how to listen. I am sure I will improve a lot if I take the effective listening learning strategies.
◇VIEWING
TASK 3:
(1) add a new habit
(2) subtract a habit
(3) much more memorable
(4) self-confidence
(5) do anything for 30 days
(6) more likely to stick
(7) less likely to stick
(8) guarantee
(9) whether you like it or not
(10) try and give it a shot
◇AFTER VIEWING
TASK 4:
I benefit a lot from this speech and I will try to do something new for 30 days, which is jogging for one hour a day for 30 days. I guess it should get much easier at first and it should get much harder later. Once I build enough muscle mass, I will not get sore anymore. I will try to improve my jogging speed little by little.
附件：TRANSCRIPT
Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days
0:11
A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut, so I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock, and try something new for 30 days. The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you've always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It turns out 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news from your life.
0:42
There's a few things I learned while doing these 30-day challenges. The first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable. This was part of a challenge I did to take a picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. I also noticed that as I started to do more and harder 30-day challenges, my self-confidence grew. I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work. For fun!
1:14
(Laughter)
1:16
Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
1:27
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days. Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful.
2:11
(Laughter)
2:13
But for the rest of my life, if I meet John Hodgman at a TED party, I don't have to say, "I'm a computer scientist." No, no, if I want to, I can say, "I'm a novelist."
2:25
(Laughter)
2:28
So here's one last thing I'd like to mention. I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick. There's nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they're a ton of fun. But they're less likely to stick. When I gave up sugar for 30 days, day 31 looked like this.
2:50
(Laughter)
2:53
So here's my question to you: What are you waiting for? I guarantee you the next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot for the next 30 days.
3:11
Thanks.
3:13
(Applause)