讲解人 · John
原文
But among the broader public, the habit is collapsing.
Two in five Americans did not read a single book in 2025, and daily reading for pleasure has plummeted some 40% over the past two decades.
Experts widely point to the attention economy — supercharged by social media and AI — as a key driver of the shift away from long-form reading.
“Reading long-form fiction, biography, and history demands focused attention, tolerance with ambiguity and unanswered questions or unrevealed nuance in characters and situations, and a willingness to have our preconceptions upended, “ Brooke Vuckovic, a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management told Fortune.
“All of these qualities are requirements of strong leadership.”
Vuckovic also argued that reading cultivates intellectual curiosity, an increasingly prized trait in leadership at a time when many decisions are shaped by algorithms and echo chambers.
Many corporate leaders say it’s the same quality they are currently prioritizing.
Take Indeed’s former CEO Chris Hyams, for example.
He told Fortune that curiosity and openness outweigh credentials when evaluating candidates.
Despite a growing number of Gen Z pushing back against digital “brain rot”, young people are still picking up the fewest books.
Americans aged 18 to 29 read on average 5.8 books in 2025 — the lowest of any generation, according to YouGov.
While AI and other tech may make reading easier to skip, turning away from challenges could backfire for Gen Zers with leadership ambitions.
After all, strategic and critical thinking are among the most sorely needed soft skills at companies today.
带着问题听讲解
- 如何理解 attention economy 这个表达？
- 根据文章，为什么越来越多美国人不再进行长时间阅读？
- 文章认为阅读对个人发展，尤其是领导力，有哪些重要作用？
讲解
重点词汇
elite
/iˈliːt/
n. 杰出人物，精英
- 搭配短语：to recruit financial elites（招募金融精英）搭配短语：elite education（精英教育）
collapse
/kəˈlæps/
v. 崩溃，瓦解；崩坏，倒塌
- 例句：The stock market collapsed following the sudden policy shift.例句：Her carefully maintained composure finally collapsed into sobs.
plummet
/ˈplʌm.ɪt/
v. 骤降，暴跌；（从高处）快速坠落
- 例句：The company's stock price plummeted after the disappointing earnings report.近义词：plunge（v. 急剧下降；猛地跳入、扎进）近义词：slump（v. 猛跌，锐减；重重地坐下、倒下）
- 例句：After the marathon, he slumped onto the bench, too exhausted to speak.
supercharge
/ˈsuː.pɚ.tʃɑːrdʒ/
v.（外部）助推，增强；给……增压
- 相关词汇：supercharger（n. 增压器）例句：This investment will supercharge our expansion into Asian markets.
ambiguity
/ˌæm.bɪˈɡjuː.ə.ti/
n. 模棱两可
- 相关词汇：ambiguous（adj. 模棱两可的，模糊不清的）
- 例句：The ending of the movie is beautifully ambiguous.
unrevealed
/ˌʌn.rɪˈviːld/
adj. 没有揭露出的，未言明的
- 相关词汇：reveal（v. 使显露；揭示，透露）
- 搭配短语：to reveal a secret（揭露一个秘密）
- 搭配短语：to reveal one's identity（透露身份信息）
词根词缀：un-（表示“相反的动作”）- 相关词汇：unlock（v. 开锁）；unveil（v. 揭开，揭示）
nuance
/ˈnuː.ɑːns/
n. 细微差别，微妙之处
- 例句：A great actor can capture every nuance of emotion in a complex role.
preconception
/ˌpriː.kənˈsep.ʃən/
n. 事先形成的观念，先入为主的看法
- 相关词汇：conception（n. 观念，看法）词根词缀：pre-（表示“之前”）
upend
/ʌpˈend/
v.（对制度、观念的）彻底颠覆；使上下颠倒
- 例句：He upended the chessboard in frustration.搭配短语：to upend a traditional theory例句：The emergence of AI upended entire industries.
prioritize
/praɪˈɔːr.ə.taɪz/
v. 优先考虑，优先处理
- 搭配短语：to prioritize A over B（比起 B，更优先考虑 A）
- 例句：The manager asked the team to prioritize quality over speed in this phase.
相关词汇：priority（n. 优先考虑的事，优先事项）- 搭配短语：to give A priority over B（比起 B，更优先考虑 A）
- 例句：Getting this report finished is my top priority.
outweigh
/ˌaʊtˈweɪ/
v. 比……重要；比……重
- 相关词汇：weigh（v. 称体重）
- 相关词汇：weight（n. 体重）
词根词缀：out-（表示“超过，胜过”）- 相关词汇：outnumber（v. 在数量上超过）；outlive（v. 比……活得长）；outperform（v. 比……优秀）
例句：For many patients, the effectiveness of the treatment outweighs any side-effect concerns.
credentials
/krɪˈden·ʃəlz/
n. 资格证书，资质
- 例句：Despite his lack of formal work experience, his impressive academic credentials secured him an interview for the position.搭配短语：professional credentials（专业资质）搭配短语：technical credentials（技术资格）
evaluate
/ɪˈvæl.ju.eɪt/
v. 评估，估计
- 例句：The software was evaluated in terms of its usability and speed.近义词：appraise（v. 评估，评定）
- 例句：The manager appraised her assistant’s work annually.
- 词义辨析：estimate, assess, appraise
- estimate 强调基于有限信息的“估算，推算”；assess 侧重为了某一特定目的来确定东西的价值；appraise 更为正式，强调来自专家、上级的专业评估。
pick sth. up
开始从事……活动，养成……习惯
- 英文释义：to acquire, learn, or start something (such as a skill, habit, or activity) often informally or through practice例句：After retiring, his father decided to pick up gardening to stay active.
turn away from
回避，避开……
- 相关词汇：away（adv. 远离，离开）
- 相关词组：push sb. away（把某人推开）；go away（滚开）；fade away（逐渐消失）
例句：The brand finally turned away from fast fashion and committed to sustainable production.
backfire
/ˌbækˈfaɪr/
v. 适得其反，事与愿违；（引擎的）回火，逆火
- 例句：The marketing campaign backfired and caused a public relations crisis.
sorely
/ˈsɔːr.li/
adv. 极其，非常；剧烈地
- 相关词汇：sore（adj. 疼痛的）搭配短语：to have a sore throat（嗓子疼）近义词：very；extremely；greatly例句：Rain is sorely needed after months of drought.
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