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圣誕的鐘聲即將敲響，我猜，此刻一定有些讀者像我一樣仍需要逛街買禮物。這兒提供了一些禮物，只不過是學(xué)習(xí)活動(dòng)的方式，你可以考慮送給生活中的終身學(xué)習(xí)者。大多數(shù)禮物是數(shù)字化的，因此你大可不必為禮物能否準(zhǔn)時(shí)準(zhǔn)地到達(dá)而擔(dān)憂。 1. Learn to Save the World $25 at a Time 1. 學(xué)著每次為世界存儲(chǔ)25美元 I thought I’d start with one that might not seem obvious. Kiva is a nonprofit that facilitates micro-lending to entrepreneurs across the world. By lending as little as US $25, you can help a shop owner in Ghana increase her inventory or a small farmer in Costa Rica build a greenhouse. (Examples of projects I have helped fund through my Kiva account.) Naturally, you can’t help but learn a lot along the way. US $25 gets you a downloadable Kiva gift card to fund a friend or family member’s account. 2. Monkey Around at a Zoo or Museum 2. 去動(dòng)物園或博物館打發(fā)時(shí)間 I’m lucky to live not too far from the North Carolina Zoo and we also have fantastic museums in our area. Just do a quick Google search and you will almost certainly come up with great museum or zoo annual membership options in the vicinity of someone on your list. 很幸運(yùn)，我家離北卡羅來納動(dòng)物園不遠(yuǎn)并且在我們這個(gè)地方有很多極好的博物館。你在谷歌上搜索一下，就可以找到距離你要送上禮物的朋友較近的、非常不錯(cuò)的動(dòng)物園或博物館。挑選一個(gè)為朋友注冊成為年度會(huì)員。 3. Take Note 3. 做筆記 Readers here know I am an advocate of taking and reviewing notes, and I’m slowly becoming addicted to Evernote, the note-taking application that syncs your notes across the Web, your desktop, your iPad, and your mobile phone. For US $5 a month, or $45 a year, you can snag a premium subscription that offers some great extra features for the avid learners in your life. (Note the gift option on the right side of the page.) 這兒的讀者都知道我提倡做筆記和溫習(xí)筆記。我也慢慢迷上了Evernote。Evernote是一個(gè)做筆記的應(yīng)用程序，它可以通過萬維網(wǎng)，你的桌面、ipad、手機(jī)實(shí)現(xiàn)筆記同步。每月5美元或者每年45美元可以得到一個(gè)Evernote prmium的優(yōu)惠。Evernote prmium可為你生活中狂熱的學(xué)習(xí)者提供其它更強(qiáng)的筆記功能。 4. Experiment 4. 實(shí)驗(yàn) The array of gadgets, gizmos, and kits that the amateur scientist now has access to is really quite astounding. Check out the wide selection at Edmunds Scientific. 一些由非專業(yè)人員發(fā)明的小裝置、小工具、小玩意很令人瞠目結(jié)舌。你可以從Edmunds Scientific網(wǎng)站上查找到更多的此類東西。 5. Amazing Lectures to Go 5.去聽驚人的講座 Anybody who says the lecture is dead hasn’t experienced the great content available from the Teaching Company or LearnOutLoud. I’d call it brain candy, but it is far too nutritious for that metaphor. Lately, I’ve been particularly enjoying Robert Greenberg’s How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, but there are selections to cover all interests available from both sites. Pick a topic, and grab a gift certificate. 一個(gè)人之所以認(rèn)為講座枯燥乏味是因?yàn)樗麖膩頉]有在Teaching Company和LearnOutLoud這兩個(gè)網(wǎng)站上聽講座的體驗(yàn)。我將講座比作頭腦糖果，但這個(gè)比喻稍顯夸張。最近，我尤其對羅伯特·格林伯格的講座“如何傾聽和理解音樂”感興趣。這兩個(gè)網(wǎng)站上的講座涵蓋方方面面的主題。選擇一個(gè)主題然后就可得到一個(gè)禮物卡（類似于代金券） 6. Get Schooled In Rock 6. 接受搖滾樂教育 With its latest release, Rock Band 3 in “Pro” mode has become a serious learning tool. If being the next Jimi Hendrix is your thing, you can now opt for an actual Fender Squire Stratocaster, touted as “a fully functional, full-sized, six-string electric guitar that also functions as a game controller.” Or opt for the wireless drum or keyboard options and start building actual musical skills from basic up to expert level. 隨著最新的“pro”版的發(fā)行，Rock Band 3（一種音樂視頻游戲）已發(fā)展成為一個(gè)很好的學(xué)習(xí)工具。如果你想成為下一個(gè)Jimi Hendrix（一位著名的美國吉他演奏家，歌手，和作曲人，被公認(rèn)為是流行音樂史中最重要的電吉他演奏者），現(xiàn)在可以選擇一把全功能、全規(guī)格的芬達(dá)牌六弦電吉他或者選擇無線鼓或者選擇鍵盤來學(xué)習(xí)音樂基本技能及其專業(yè)技能。 7. Train the Brain 7. 訓(xùn)練你的大腦 Lifelong learners are always looking for ways to beef up the ‘ol gray matter. Give the learner in your life a boost with Lumosity Brain Games. 終身學(xué)習(xí)者總是在找尋增強(qiáng)大腦反應(yīng)靈活度的方法，Lumosity Brain Games網(wǎng)站上提供了許多訓(xùn)練大腦的游戲。找一些推薦給你生活中的終身學(xué)習(xí)者。 8. Learn a Language 8. 學(xué)習(xí)一種語言 Ah, a mainstay of New Year’s resolutions: “This year I am going to learn to speak ___________.” Help the learner in your life keep that resolution with some great language learning options like those from Transparent.com and Visual Spanish (FREE Spanish Lessons!). 大多數(shù)人的新年計(jì)劃為：“在新的一年里，我將要學(xué)習(xí)……（某一種語言）”Transparent網(wǎng)站和Visual Spanish網(wǎng)站（免費(fèi)的西班牙語課程）提供很棒的語言學(xué)習(xí)項(xiàng)目來幫助學(xué)習(xí)者完成計(jì)劃。 9. Give to Learn 9． 捐款 There are so many ways in which nonprofits support our learning and the learning of others, but they can’t do their work without adequate funding. You can hardly go wrong in choosing an organization to contribute to, but if you are looking for ideas, one of my favorites is Heifer International. Also, note that Wikipedia – a key resource for pretty much every lifelong learner these days – is currently in the midst of a big fundraising drive. 非營利機(jī)構(gòu)支持我們或其他人學(xué)習(xí)的方式有很多。但是沒有充足的資金，這些機(jī)構(gòu)就不能正常運(yùn)作。如果你咨詢我該向哪個(gè)機(jī)構(gòu)捐款，我推薦Heifer International。值得注意的是現(xiàn)在Wikipedia（當(dāng)下許多終身學(xué)習(xí)者的重要資源地）也需要籌集資金。 10. Read …wait for it… a book 10. 讀書 Yes, that’s right. The good ‘ol book, in paper form, is still one of the greatest gifts there is. If you aren’t sure what a good book might be, check out the New York Times list of 100 Notable Books of 2010 or its Modern Library selection of Top 100 Novels. Whatever you choose, my recommendation for buying is to find a local independent bookstore, if one still exists in your area. We’re lucky here in my area to have the great Flyleaf Books. 是的，一本紙質(zhì)的好書仍是其中一個(gè)非常重要的禮物。如果你對好書的界定而模糊不清，就查找紐約時(shí)報(bào)所列的2010年100本名著及現(xiàn)代文學(xué)所列的排名前100位的小說。不論你選擇哪一本，我建議你，如果你所在的地方有獨(dú)立的書店，那就在當(dāng)?shù)刭I。很幸運(yùn)，我所在的地方有一個(gè)不錯(cuò)的Flyleaf Books（書店名）。 Got other ideas? Please share them in the comments. 還有其它好主意嗎？請?jiān)谠u論中分享 Happy Holidays, 節(jié)日快樂 Jeff |
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