一 words ＆expressions

1. Klara, a teacher from Ukraine, must have been a very special woman, for she responded positively to this unorthodox courtship and agreed to László’s proposals.

unorthodox:different from what is usual or accepted 非正统的；非传统的；不正规的

造句：Most doctors don’t approve of unorthodox medicine.

2. When he was wooing Klara, he outlined his theories and explained that he was looking for a wife who would collaborate with him to test his theories on their own children.

woo：If a man woos a woman, he gives her a lot of attention in an attempt to persuade her to marry him（男子）向…求爱，向…求婚

造句：He wooed her with honeyed words.

3. Mario Lemieux’s experience points up another salient feature of prodigies’ early experience

salient：the salient points or features of something are the most important or most noticeable parts of it重要的; 显著的，突出的

造句：The  presentation succinctly covered all the salient points of the case .

4. However, the student who makes it to the end of this arduous road will have joined an elite cadre of people who can say categorically that they have reached the pinnacle of human achievement.

cadre:small group of trained people who form the basic unit of a military, political or business organization（军队、政治或商业组织的）骨干队伍，干部队伍

pinnacle:the most successful, powerful, exciting etc part of something颠峰; 顶点; 鼎盛时期

造句：My father is at the very pinnacle of his career.

二 summary＆thoughts

第七章讲的是怎样走向卓越

第一阶段：产生兴趣

在我们小的时候会喜欢一起东西，喜欢与它多多互动。这是我们培养热爱的第一步。我们在成长的过程中培养起来的兴趣是我们在这方面取得卓越的第一步。

第二阶段：变得认真

父母和老师都是引导我们的引路者，可以为我们的成长护航。可是走向卓越终是自己的事情，我们内心与行动上必须认真对待。

第三阶段：全力投入

随着年龄的增大，人们的技能出现退化，很大程度上是因为他们减少或停止了练习。同时，心理的适应能力要比身体强。所以，我们的投入要持之以恒，不要三天打鱼，两天晒网。

第四阶段：开拓创新

有创造性的、不安分的、有进取心的人总是不满足于现状，他们寻找各种方法来向前推进，做一些别人没有做过的事情。一旦开拓者们展示了某件事情可以怎样做好，其他人便能学习那一技能，并跟着做。