184. Study alone or with a group of students?

Each and every student has his/her own preference for study. Some prefer to study alone, while others prefer to study with a group of students. Both methods have their own relative merits.

While alone, the focus of study can be easily kept, with little distraction which always accompanies a group of students. And at the same time, while references are adequate, to study alone is not only possible but it is also helpful to cultivate the ability to solve problems, and furthermore enhance one'independence. Moreover, by keeping focus and developing independence,students become more and more competitive, which is often deemed as a necessary quality.

When learning with a group, discussing and debating become possible, which usually develop a perfect environment to develop critical thinking skills, and where many problems can even be solved unconsciously. While references are not easily accessible, and students' knowledge varies from one to another, they can complement each other, and therefore save much time and energy. Furthermore, learning with a group simultaneously cultivates students' good sense of cooperation, which is usually considered as an essential virtue.

As of me, my preference depends on what subject I am learning or the phase in which I am. Different subjects may bring different choices. For example, if I was practicing piano, I'd better practice alone. If I was doing physical experiments, team work is always needed. Different phases also make choices different. Suppose I was learning a foreign language. If I was practicing my basic pronunciation, I'd better learn by myself. For an adult learner, a tape recorder is fairly adequate. But if I were to practice my spoken skills, to study alone would be a poor choice. I should look for or create an opportunity to learn with a group, therefore learn more effectively.

译文

184. 独自学习，还是与其他学生一起学习？

每个学生都有自己偏爱的学习方式。有些喜欢独自学习，而有些则喜欢和一群学生一起学习。这两种学习方式相对而言都有着各自的优点。

独自学习时，比较容易集中学习的注意力，一群学生聚在一起时经常会产生的分心事也会比较少。同时，参考书充足，独自学习不仅有可能而且有助于培养解决问题的能力，并且加强一个人的独立性。此外，通过注意力的集中和独立性的发展，学生们会变得越来越具有竞争性，这也经常是一种必要的素质。

在一个小组中学习时，就有可能进行讨论和辩论，那么这样就为发展批判性的思维技巧创造了很好的环境，而且有些问题会在不知不觉中解决。尽管由于人多参考书相对不那么容易得到，而且学生们的知识结构彼此各不相同，但他们可以相互补充，并且由此节约大量的时间和精力。此外，在小组中学习同时能够培养学生们很好的合作意识，这通常也被认为是一种基本的美德。

Word List

• preference ［ˈprefərəns］ n. 偏爱；优先的选择
• deem ［di:m］ n. 认为；相信
• debate ［diˈbeit］ n. 辩论；争论
• merit ［ˈmerit］ n. 优点
• accessible ［əkˈsesəbəl］ adj. 易接近的；可得到的
• distraction ［diˈstrækʃən］ n. 分心；分心的事物
• simultaneously ［saiməlˈteiniəsly］ adv. 同时地
• reference ［ˈrefrəns］ n. 参考
• adequate ［ˈædikwit］ adj. 适当的；足够的
• essential ［iˈsenʃəl］ adj. 基本的；本质的
• virtue ［ˈvə:tju:］ n. 美德；德行
• cultivate ［ˈkʌltəˌveit］ v. 培养
• experiment ［ikˈsperəmənt］ n. 试验
• independence ［ˌindiˈpendəns］ n. 独立；自主
• pronunciation ［prəˌnʌnsiˈeiʃən］ n. 发音
• competitive ［kəmˈpetitiv］ adj. 有竞争性的