評論
打印
One teacher writes that instead of drowning students' compositions in critical red ink,
有一位教師寫道，如果教師不用挑剔的紅墨水把學生們的作文改得一塌糊涂，
the teacher will get far more constructive results by finding one or two things which have been done better than last time, and commenting favorably on them.
而是找出一兩處比上一次做得好的地方并給予好評，他就會得到更富有建設性的結果。
"I believe that a student knows when he has handed in something above his usual standard," writes the teacher,
“我相信，當學生交上一篇超過他平時水平的作文時，他自己心中是有數的，”這位教師寫道，
"and that he waits hungrily for a brief comment in the margin to show him that the teacher is aware of it, too."
“因此，他如饑似渴地等待著老師在頁邊空白處寫上一段簡短的評語從而向他表明老師也意識到了他的進步。”
Behavioral scientists have done countless experiments to prove that any human being tends to repeat an act which has been immediately followed by a pleasant result.
行為科學家已經做過無數試驗，證明任何人都往往會重復一個立即產生出愉快結果的動作。
In one such experiment, a number of schoolchildren were divided into three groups and given arithmetic tests daily for five days.
在一次這樣的試驗中，若干學生被分成三個組，連續五天每天都對他們進行算術測驗。
One group was consistently praised for its previous performance; another group was criticized; the third was ignored.
第一組自始至終都因上次測驗的成績而受到表揚；另一組卻受到批評，而第三組則無人理睬。
Not surprisingly, those who were praised improved dramatically.
毫不令人感到意外的是，那些受到表揚的學生進步顯著。
Those who were criticized improved also, but not so much.
那些受到批評的學生也有進步，但并不那么顯著。
And the scores of the children who were ignored hardly improved at all.
而那些無人理睬的學生，他們的分數卻幾乎沒有什么提高。
Interestingly the brightest children were helped just as much by criticism as by praise, but the less able children reacted badly to criticism, needed praise the most.
有趣的是，最聰明的孩子從批評中得到的幫助跟從表揚中得到的幫助一樣多，但能力較低的孩子卻對批評反應很差，他們最需要表揚。
Yet the latter are the very youngsters who, in most schools, fail to get the pat on the back.
然而后者恰恰是在大多數學校中得不到贊許鼓勵的孩子。
To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort — perhaps a quick phone call to pass on a compliment, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative letter.
給予贊揚只需要給予者付出片刻的思索和片刻的努力——或者是很快地打個電話傳遞一句贊美的話，或者是花五分鐘的時間寫一封感謝信。
It is such a small investment —and yet consider the results it may produce.
投入的時間和精力可謂少矣——然而考慮一下它可能產生的效果吧。
"I can live for two months on a good compliment," said Mark Twain.
馬克·吐溫曾說過：“只憑一句贊美的話我就可以活上兩個月。”
So, let's be alert to the small excellences around us — and comment on them.
所以，讓我們隨時注意周圍各種小小的優點并加以評論吧。
We will not only bring joy into other people's lives, but also, very often, added happiness into our own.
我們將不僅給別人的生活帶來歡樂，而且還常常會給我們自己的生活帶來更多的樂趣。
