Question

Nowadays more and more people are trapped in too busy work to relax themselves. We have no time to tell a bed-time story to our children, or enjoy a nice dinner with our family, or take a break to think about how we live the precious life, or even meet friends. All we notice is that the distinctions that used to guide and steady us ------ between Sunday and Monday, public and private, here and there ------ are gone. We have more ways to communicate, but less and less to say. Partly because we’re so busy communicating.

Maybe that’s why more and more people I know, even if they have no religious commitment, seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. Some friends of mine try to go on long walks every Sunday, or to “forget” their cell phones at home. A series of tests in recent years has shown that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy, as well as deep thought, depends on neural processes that are “inherently slow. ” The very ones our high-speed lives have little time for.

In my own case, I turn to eccentric and often extreme measures to try to keep my sanity and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all. I’ve not yet used a cell phone and I’ve never Tweeted or entered Face book. I try not to go online till my day’s writing is finished, and I moved from Manhattan to rural Japan.

None of this is a matter of principle or asceticism (苦行主义): it’s just pure selfishness. Nothing makes me feel better-----calmer, clearer and happier----than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music. It’s actually something deeper than mere happiness: it’s joy, which the monk David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.” That is the highest of the highest we have been longing for----The Joy of Quiet.

1.The writer sometimes doesn’t do anything because ________.

A．he is out of work .                       B．whatever he does make no sense

C．he is worried about his writing.             D．he can enjoy himself in his leisure time.

2.When the writer uses the word “forget” , his real meaning is _______.

A．Somebody really forgets his cell phone at home.

B．Somebody thinks cell phone is not a suitable means of communication.

C．Somebody hates modern techniques such as the cell phone.

D．Somebody leaves his cell phone at home on purpose.

3.Which of the following is right?

A．It is better to go back to the ancient times since we are so busy now.

B．The writer is unwilling to help others since he is selfish.

C．Slowing down to find time and space to think and enjoy oneself is urgent.

D．We have more to say because we have more ways to communicate.

4.What does the underlined word mean?

A．difference         B．sameness          C．simplicity          D．complication

5.What is the main idea of the article?

A．The importance of spending time in quiet.

B．We can do some sports such as yoga to relax.

C．Principle or asceticism is important in one’s life.

D．The more we communicate, the more we will be closer.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.D

2.D

3.C

4.A

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：文章讲述了现代社会人们越来越忙碌，很少进行休息。对这一现象进行阐明并发表了作者自己的看法，结合自己的做法，作者最后点明主题要享受平静带来的乐趣。

1.推断题。作者有时候喜欢什么都不干，结合倒数第一段Nothing makes me feel better-----calmer, clearer and happier----than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, a piece of music.和倒数第二段可知，作者之所以这样是因为自己渴望宁静所带来的欢乐，故选D。

2.推断题。第二自然提到我认识的人，他们并非出于宗教方面的原因可是也去参加瑜伽、太极、远足，并且故意不拿手机。可知这样做是为了享受宁静。故选D.

3.判断题。文章并没有提到要我们返回古代，排除A。文章并非讲作者很自私，排除B。文章第一段We have more ways to communicate, but less and less to say.可知我们交流方式多了，但说的更少了。排除D。慢下来去宣召时间和空间进行思考和享受是很多缺少的，是比较紧迫的事情。故选C.

4.推断题。根据前文我们没有是时间去思考我们如何度过宝贵的一生，我们只注意到周日和周一、公共和私有、这儿和那儿的区别，这些曾引领我们、使我们生活稳定。故选A.

5.主旨题。文章讲述了现代社会人们越来越忙碌，很少进行休息。对这一现象进行阐明并发表了作者自己的看法，结合自己的做法，作者最后点明主题要享受平静带来的乐趣。所以呼吁人们要懂得在宁静中花费时间的重要性。故选A。

考点：夹叙夹议文体

点评：此类文体首先对现代社会的现象进行阐述，最后结合自己的情况，提出自己的观点。对于此类文章的作答，需要把握好作者实质要表达的感情色彩，是褒还是贬。将这一观点始终把握在答题的过程中，以此为出发点。结合问题中所给的信息同时利用排除法即可作答。