第二步：精读重点段落

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

第8段
"They've tried to institutionalize the kind of behavior that brought their business into being — a certain amount of risk-taking, a frontier mentality, a willingness to try things to see if they work, regardless of whether they fit institutional norms. Well, that's the kind of can-do attitude that Burning Man is famous for."

• Bring into being 使……形成／使……存在
• Regardless of 不管

第14段
The Internet industry, generally, is built on a premise that the more people share, the more they receive over the long run. Wikipedia, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and the free open-source software that runs much of the Internet, Linux, is all built on the voluntary contributions of millions of people.

• Be built on a premise that 建立在……前提上
• Much of 许多的
• Much of a + 名词 称得上……的（表示程度）

第16段
At Burning Man, sharing is the economy. It's rather appealing to the Silicon Valley elite to see an entire city function on an economic idea that is at the heart of the knowledge economy. It's an important glimpse of why the founders are so optimistic that a loosely regulated field of tech startups can outweigh the potential downsides of unregulated sharing.

• Appealing to 有吸引力的
• A glimpse of 瞥见／初步了解
• A Outweigh B A比B更有价值更重要

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

Why Silicon Valley billionaires are obsessed with Burning Man

Gregory Ferenstein

[1] It's a special time of year in San Francisco, when neighborhoods empty, and executives from major internet giants join 70,000 people in pilgrimage to the experimental mecca of Burning Man.

• pilgrimage n. vi. 朝圣／漫游
• mecca n. 麦加

[2] Burning Man is located in a temporary 5-square-mile city erected in the bare flatland of the Nevada desert. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Larry Page, and Tesla's Elon Musk have all joined their fellow burners in years past, weathering blistering heat and unpredictable sandstorms to enjoy a week of dancing and interactive art.

• erected v. adj. 竖立
• bare adj. v. 赤裸／无遮蔽的
• flatland n. 平地
• blistering adj. 猛烈的／极热的

[3] Burning Man has since become a totem for the Internet industry's unique culture. Indeed, when Tesla's Elon Musk was asked about Silicon Valley, HBO's satirical series on tech culture, he reportedly said, "I really feel like [Director] Mike Judge has never been to Burning Man, which is Silicon Valley ... If you haven’t been, you just don’t get it."

• totem n. 图腾
• satirical adj. 讽刺的

[4] Silicon Valley billionaires could vacation anywhere in the world. Yet they volunteer to be part of a crazy social experiment with thousands of strangers in the blistering desert.

[5] When I asked Burning Man founder Larry Harvey why the tech elite would vacation in the desert, he rephrased the question. "Why Silicon Valley would be smitten with the idea of an unlimited blank slate to do things that have never been done?" He laughed, "It doesn't seem like much of a mystery."

• smite v. 打击／摧毁
• slate n. vt. 石板

What does Burning Man’s culture have in common with Silicon Valley?

[6] Burning Man is an experiment in what a city would look like if it were architected for wild creativity and innovation. The goal is to be expressive and experimental — scientifically, artistically, sexually, or spiritually. For techies, it's a chance to try out untested gadgets and go nuts with the oddest social experiences imaginable.

• gadgets n. 小玩意／诡计

[7] For example, Harvey pointed to Google's famous "20 percent time" management strategy, where employees are allowed 20 percent of their time to do anything they want: build a new product, learn a new skill, or try out a new experience.

[8] "They've tried to institutionalize the kind of behavior that brought their business into being — a certain amount of risk-taking, a frontier mentality, a willingness to try things to see if they work, regardless of whether they fit institutional norms. Well, that's the kind of can-do attitude that Burning Man is famous for."

• mentality n. 心态／精神力

[9] Indeed. Google Co-founder Larry Page once floated the idea of Burning Man-like zones where entrepreneurs could be free to try out new products in a regulation-free area. During Google's annual developers meeting in 2013, he noted:

• floated n. v. 漂浮／散播

[10] "We don’t want our world to change too fast. But maybe we could set apart a piece of the world. I like going to Burning Man, for example, an environment where people can try new things. I think as technologists, we should have some safe places where we can try out new things and figure out the effect on society, without having to deploy it to the whole world."

• deploy n. v. 部署／展开

How does an economy work without money or barter?

• barter v. n. 以物易物

[11] Throughout the festival, it's expected that everyone brings something to hand out for free: art, food, or a service. With enough generosity, it's presumed that everyone will have their needs met — and then some.

[12] Up until last year, billionaire Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz ran a grilled cheese camp that dished out hundreds of delicious sandwiches. Mark Zuckerberg joined him in the melty give-away two years ago.

[13] "I wanted to experience gifting because it would make the world better off." Moskovitz wrote, in a blog post defending the influx of rich entrepreneurs. "Without exception, those executives come back from their first year with a decreased interest in zero-sum competition and a deep appreciation of the fully connected and mutually supportive community."

• influx n. 流入

[14] The Internet industry, generally, is built on a premise that the more people share, the more they receive over the long run. Wikipedia, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and the free open-source software that runs much of the Internet, Linux, is all built on the voluntary contributions of millions of people.

[15] Indeed, when the Atlantic's James Bennett asked Mark Zuckerberg to give himself a political label, he told the audience, that he was "pro-knowledge economy". "Knowledge has the productive property, which is that me knowing something doesn't prevent you from knowing it. ... It ends up being positive sum."

• property n. 性质／财产

[16] At Burning Man, sharing is the economy. It's rather appealing to the Silicon Valley elite to see an entire city function on an economic idea that is at the heart of the knowledge economy. It's an important glimpse of why the founders are so optimistic that a loosely regulated field of tech startups can outweigh the potential downsides of unregulated sharing.

• glimpse n. v. 瞥见

With all these rich friends, how does Burning Man hope to spread its influence?

[17] With the expanding bank account of Burning Man's umbrella company, Black Rock City LLC, Harvey wants to cover the world in more Burning Man-like events and art installations. He thinks he can inspire more community and experimental attitudes through pop-up events.

• installations n. 装置／就职

[18] Harvey's vision has already found influential friends to carry the torch. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is building an interactive acts experience within his $300 million project to turn Downtown Las Vegas into an innovation hub.

[19] "The hive switch got turned on by raves. It was a feeling of unity with the other people in the space, unity with the music and with one another," Hsieh explained to Playboy Magazine "That’s why I go to Burning Man. The art, especially at night, just puts you in a state of awe."

• hive n. 蜂房／熙攘喧闹的人群
• raves n. v. 胡言乱语
• unity n. 团结／一致／联合

[20] Perhaps the goal was best summed by Harvey when he told me, "Burning Man is a place where you wash your own brain."