Until recently, the acquisition of scientific literacy and the enlargement of general know

ledge on the part of the individual had only been intuitively understood and was best observed in extreme cases. Contrary to the notion of instant "creativity" that was popular in the 1960s, distinguished scientific accomplishment is a matter of opportunity and of continuous and concentrated effort over at least a decade. When Newton was asked how he had managed to surpass the discoveries of his predecessors, in both quantity and quality, he replied, "By always thinking about them." Add to this the comment of Gauss that "if others would but reflect on mathematical truths as deeply and continuously as I have, they would make my discoveries," and it becomes apparent that "instant" scientific discoveries are many long years in the making.

So, too, are accomplishments in many other areas. Psychological studies of the lives of eminent painters, writers, musicians, philosophers, religious leaders, and scientists of previous centuries, as well as prizewinning adolescents in this country today, reveal early, intense concentration on previous work in their fields, often to the near-exclusion of other activities. It appears, though, that science and mathematics, because of their highly specialized and abstract symbolism, may require the greatest concentration and per severance.

The same fundamental thought process, moreover, appear to be required in both elementary and advanced science, as Simon and his colleagues have shown. "The development of literacy, the acquisition of information, and the problem-solving of beginners differ in degree rather than in kind from mental activities of experts. The scarce resources are opportunities and concentration rather than the amount of information available or the processing capacity of the mind, both of which, for practical purposes are unlimited.

The passage says that in the 1960s it was a widespread belief that distinguished scientific accomplishments were ______.

A．made mostly by accident

B．the results of painstaking efforts

C．the results of sudden bursts of creativity

D．made only by distinguished characters