Were you constantly bored as a child? Maybe that helped you to develop your ability to be creative.
Boredom can be a good thing for children, according to Dr Teresa Belton, researcher at the University of East Anglia’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning. After interviewing authors, artists and scientists in Britain, she’s reached the conclusion that cultural expectations that children should be constantly active could block the development of their imagination.
British actress and writer Meera Syal grew up in a small mining village with few distractions. The researcher said: “Lack of things to do urged her to talk to people she wouldn’t otherwise have engaged with and try activities she wouldn’t, under other circumstances, have experienced, such as talking to elderly neighbors and learning to bake cakes.”
Belton added: “Boredom made her write. Meera Syal kept a diary from a young age, filling it with observations, short stories, poems. ”
The researcher didn’t ignore the old saying the devil finds work for idle hands, though. Belton pointed out that young people who don’t have the interior resources to deal with boredom creatively may end up smashing up bus shelters or taking cars out for a joyride.
How about watching TV and videos on the computer? The researcher believes that nothing replaces standing and staring at things and observing your surroundings.
It’s the sort of thing that stimulates the imagination, she said, while the screen “tends to short circuit that process and the development of creative capacity. ”
Dr Belton concluded: “For the sake of creativity, perhaps we need to slow down and stay offline from time to time. ”
1.Dr Teresa Belton did her research by_______.
A.studying cultural differences
B.interviewing professionals
C.keeping a diary
D.observing the surroundings
2.Which of the following best describes the village where Meera Syal grew up?
A.Modern and open
B. Tiny and unexciting
C. Poor and underdevelopment
D. Remote and violent
3.The expression “the devil finds work for idle hands” probably means that people are more likely to_____?
A.do what they should not do if they meet devils.
B.achieve nothing if they work with devils
C.do more work if they didn’t work hard when they were young.
D.get involved in trouble if they have nothing to do with their time.
4.What is Dr Belton’s advice for youngsters?
A.Observe the world around them.
B.Get information online from time to time.
C.Remain constantly active.
D.Read as many books as possible.
5.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Deal with boredom wisely.
B.Learn from a young age.
C.Enjoy village life.
D.Forget old sayings.
【答案解析】
1.【答案】B。
解析：細節(jié)題。根據(jù)第二段“After interviewing authors, artists and scientists in Britain, she’s reached the conclusion that...”一句可知，她做研究的主要方式是 interviewing(訪談), 而訪談的對象是 authors(作家), artists(藝術(shù)家)and scientists(科學(xué)家)，這些人可概括為 professionals(專業(yè)或職 業(yè)人士)，因此 B 為正確答案。
2.【答案】B。
解析：細節(jié)題。此題正確選項 B 也用了同義替換的命題方式。B 項中的“tiny”替代了第二段第一句中的“small”一詞， “unexciting(平淡 單調(diào)的)” 替代了“with few distractions(鮮有消遣娛樂)”。
3. 【答案】D。
解析：句子語義題。第五段緊跟 “the devil finds work for idle hands”的是“...young people who don’t have the...cars out for a joyride.”這一句，大意是說，“若沒有創(chuàng)造性的心理途徑打發(fā)無聊的時光，年輕人往往會打砸公交候車亭或偷車去兜風(fēng)”。選項 D“不知如何打發(fā)時間的人往往會惹是生非”能很好地概括原文這一句的意思。
4. 【答案】A。
解析：細節(jié)題。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第三段最后一句“The researcher believes that nothing replaces standing and staring at things and observing your surroundings.”可知，對年輕人來說，“沒有什么可以替代靜立并細察周圍事 物的了”，因此 A 為正確選項。請注意，選項 A 是對原文的反話正說，這也 是常用的命題手段之一。
5. 【答案】A。
解析：主旨題。這題不難，綜觀全文可知本文主要想說，只要正 確對待，無聊也可能是創(chuàng)造力的源泉。因此A“正確對待無聊”為正確答案。
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