When I say “work is rest”, some people will say I’m crazy. But that’s the way it is—we need to rest. Without rest, we will die. At a minimum, we won’t have the energy to work.
Nobody forces us to be so stupid about this. We just don’t know how to rest properly. We rest in ways that are not restful, even stressful. Some of our ways of rest interfere (妨碍) with our working energy. Instead of sleep, we go to the movies and clubs, drink or have a smoke with friends. This is because we misunderstand the meaning of “rest.”
We should remember that rest means not working, both physically and mentally. Only then is it real rest. When tired, rest. It’s simple. Actually, dogs and cats are smarter about this than people. People are stupid enough to rest in ways that destroy their capacity (能力) to work.
Rest and work always go together. There must be a balance: work during the day and rest at night. When the sun comes up, one has plenty of strength to work well and enjoy it. In other words, rest is a kind of investment, so that one has the strength and energy to continue working. So we need rest to work, recognizing that we can’t have one without the other. Rest is what recharges our batteries. We need enough time to charge up adequately to the tasks we undertake. Thus, we need to rest correctly; otherwise, illness will occur and also can affect the efficiency of our work.
Rest can’t be skimped. Without enough rest, good work is impossible. This is why we say that rest is another kind of work.

1. 1.

   Which of the following is the best rest according to this passage?

   1. A.
      Going to the movies and clubs.    
   2. B.
      Drinking or having a smoke with friends.
   3. C.
      Sleeping at home.                         
   4. D.
      Playing cards with family members.
2. 2.

   The underlined word “skimped” in the last paragraph most probably means _____.

   1. A.
      not supplied with enough of what is needed
   2. B.
      strengthened in spite of the conditions
   3. C.
      recharged during the time of working            
   4. D.
      invested without any of the cost
3. 3.

   We can know from this passage that _____.

   1. A.
      dogs and cats are smarter than we human beings
   2. B.
      rest can make us work more efficiently
   3. C.
      it’s not proper to sleep in the daytime for people.
   4. D.
      rest is more important than work for people
4. 4.

   Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?

   1. A.
      Rest is another kind of work.                    
   2. B.
      How to form the habit of sleeping.
   3. C.
      Sufficient rest leads to success.              
   4. D.
      Why people need to rest.

When I say “work is rest”, some people will say I’m crazy. But that’s the way it is—we need to rest. Without rest, we will die. At a minimum, we won’t have the energy to work.

Nobody forces us to be so stupid about this. We just don’t know how to rest properly. We rest in ways that are not restful, even stressful. Some of our ways of rest interfere (妨碍) with our working energy. Instead of sleep, we go to the movies and clubs, drink or have a smoke with friends. This is because we misunderstand the meaning of “rest.”

We should remember that rest means not working, both physically and mentally. Only then is it real rest. When tired, rest. It’s simple. Actually, dogs and cats are smarter about this than people. People are stupid enough to rest in ways that destroy their capacity (能力) to work.

Rest and work always go together. There must be a balance: work during the day and rest at night. When the sun comes up, one has plenty of strength to work well and enjoy it. In other words, rest is a kind of investment, so that one has the strength and energy to continue working. So we need rest to work, recognizing that we can’t have one without the other. Rest is what recharges our batteries. We need enough time to charge up adequately to the tasks we undertake. Thus, we need to rest correctly; otherwise, illness will occur and also can affect the efficiency of our work.

Rest can’t be skimped. Without enough rest, good work is impossible. This is why we say that rest is another kind of work.

53. Which of the following is the best rest according to this passage?

A. Going to the movies and clubs.     

B. Drinking or having a smoke with friends.

C. Sleeping at home.                         

D. Playing cards with family members.

54. The underlined word “skimped” in the last paragraph most probably means _____.

A. not supplied with enough of what is needed

B. strengthened in spite of the conditions

C. recharged during the time of working            

D. invested without any of the cost

55. We can know from this passage that _____.

A. dogs and cats are smarter than we human beings

B. rest can make us work more efficiently

C. it’s not proper to sleep in the daytime for people.

D. rest is more important than work for people

56. Which of the following is the main idea of this passage?

A. Rest is another kind of work.                     

B. How to form the habit of sleeping.

C. Sufficient rest leads to success.              

D. Why people need to rest.

One morning a few years ago, Harvard President Neil Rudenstine overslept. For this busy man, it was a sort of alarm: after years of non-stop hard work, he might wear himself out and die an early death.

Only after a week’s leave—— during which he read novels, listened to music and walked with his wife on a beach—— was Rudenstine able to return to work.

In our modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest. Amazingly, within this world there is a universal but silly saying: “I am so busy.”

We say this to one another as if our tireless efforts were a talent by nature and an ability to successfully deal with stress. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, and to be unable to find time to relax—— this has become the model of a successful life.

Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the guide telling us where to go, the food providing is with strength, the quiet giving us wisdom.

How have we allowed this to happen? I believe it is this: we have forgotten the Sabbath, the day of the week—— for followers of some religions—— for rest and praying. It is a day when we are not supposed to work, a time when we devote ourselves to enjoying and celebrating what is beautiful. It is a good time to bless our children and loved ones, give thanks, share meals, walk and sleep. It is a time for us to take a rest, to put our work aside, trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world.

Rest is s spiritual and biological need; however, in our strong ambition to be successful and care for our many responsibilities, we may feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest. The Sabbath gives us permission to stop work. In fact, “Remember the Sabbath” is more than simply permission to rest; it is a rule to obey and a principle to follow.

The “alarm” in the first paragraph refers to “_______”.

A. a signal of stress

B. a warning of danger

C. a sign of age

D. a spread of disease

According to Paragraph 4, a successful person is one who is believed to _______.

A. be able to work without stress

B. be more talented than other people

C. be more important than anyone else

D. be busying working without time to rest

Some people feel guilty when taking time to rest because they _______.

A. think that taking a rest means lacking ambitions

B. fail to realize that rest is an essential part of life

C. fail to realize that religions force them to rest

D. think that taking a rest means being lazy

What is the main idea of this passage?

A. We should balance work with rest.

B. The Sabbath gives us permission to rest.

C. It is silly for anyone to say “I am busy.”

D. We should be available to our family and friends.