Everyone knows that laziness is a sin. We have probably all had lectures
pointing out that laziness is immoral, wasteful, and that lazy people will never
amount to anything in life. But laziness can be more harmful than that, and it
is often caused by more complex reasons than simple wishes to avoid work. Some
people who appear to be lazy are suffering from much more serious problems. They
may be so distrustful of their fellow workers that they are unable to join in
any group task for fear of ridicule or for fear of having their ideas stolen.
These people who seem lazy may be paralyzed (丧失活动能力的) by a fear of failure that
prevents fruitful work. Or other sorts of fantasies may prevent work; some
people are so busy planning, sometimes planning great deals or fantastic
achievements, that they are unable to deal with whatever “lesser” work is on
hand. Still other people are not avoiding work; strictly speaking, they are
merely procrastinating (拖延)—rescheduling their day.
Laziness can actually be helpful. Like procrastinators, some people may
look lazy when they are really thinking, planning, contemplating ( 深 思 ) and
researching. We all should remember that some great scientific discoveries
occurred by chance or while some were “goofing off” (磨洋工). Newton wasn’t working
in the orchard when the apple hit him and he discovered the law of universal
gravitation. Sometimes, being “lazy”— that is, taking time off for a rest —is
good for overworked students or executives. Taking a rest can be particularly
helpful to the athlete who is trying too hard or the doctor who’s simply working
himself overtime too many evenings at the clinic. So be careful when you are
tempted to call someone lazy. That person may be thinking, resting, or planning
his or her next book.
1. The underlined word “that” in the first paragraph refers to “______”. A. laziness is immoral B. laziness is wasteful C. lazy people will never amount to anything in life D. all of the above
2. The first paragraph is mostly devoted to the discussion of ______. A. complex reasons that make people seem lazy B. serious problems that lazy people suffer from C. other sorts of fantasies that may prevent work D. great deals that people are busy planning
3. According to the second paragraph, being “lazy” is good for ______. A. a student who is on holiday B. a doctor who is working overtime C. an executive who is on leave D. an athlete who is not training
4. The tone of the passage is ______. A. cautious B. careless C. optimistic D. pessimistic
5. What does the writer intend to tell us in the passage? A. Laziness is definitely a sin. B. Laziness can be of great help all the time. C.Laziness makes people good for nothing. D. Laziness should be properly defined.
答案解析
1.【答案】D。解析：含义题。
题干：第一段中的划线词“that”指______。根据第一段第二、三句 We have probably all had lectures pointing out that laziness is immoral, wasteful, and that lazy people will never amount to anything in life. But laziness can be more harmful than that...(我们可能都听过这样的说教：懒惰是不道德的、浪费的， 懒人将一事无成。但懒惰的危害可能比这更大……)可知，划线词 that 指代的是前面提 到的“懒惰是不道德且浪费的，懒人将一事无成”，A 项“懒惰是不道德的”、B 项“懒 惰是浪费”、C 项“懒惰的人在生活中永远一事无成”三项均包含在内。D 项“上述全 部”概括全面，故选 D。
2.【答案】A。解析：主旨题。
题干：第一段主要讨论的是______。根 据 第 一 段 第 三 句 ...and it is often caused by more complex reasons than simple wishes to avoid work.(这往往是由更复杂的原因造成的，而不是简单地希望逃避工作) 可知，导致懒惰的原因不仅仅是想要逃避工作那么简单，而是更为复杂。下文具体分析了人们懒惰的各种原因。由此可推知，本段主要讨论的是导致人们看起来懒惰的复杂原 因，A 项“让人看起来懒惰的复杂原因”符合第一段主旨大意。B 项“懒人遭受的严重问题”，C 项“其他可能妨碍工作的幻想”，D 项“人们正 忙于计划的大交易”均是第一段中让人看起来懒惰的原因之一，属于以偏概全，需排除。故答案选 A。
3.【答案】B。解析：细节题。
题干：根据第二段，变得“懒惰”对______有帮助。根据题干关键词 is good for 可定位至第二段倒数第三、四句...being ‘lazy’ —that is, taking time off for a rest— is good for overworked students or executives. Taking a rest can be particularly helpful to the athlete who is trying too hard or the doctor who’s simply working himself overtime too many evenings at the clinic.(“懒惰”——也就是请假休息 ——对过度劳累的学生或高管来说是好事。休息对于那些太努力的运动员或者在诊所加 班太多的医生来说特别有帮助)可知，“懒惰”对于劳累过度的学生或者主管来说是有 好处的，且对于努力过度的运动员或连续多日在诊所加夜班的医生来说，休息也是特别 有帮助的，所以 B 项“一位正在加班的医生”符合题意。A 项“一名在度假的学生”、C 项“一位在休假的主管”和 D 项“一位没有在训 练的运动员”均不符合题意。故选 B。
4.【答案】A。解析：态度题。
题干：文章的基调是______。题干问文章的基调，实际上也就是在问作者的态度。通读全文可知，作者首先讲述 了懒惰的危害和导致懒惰的原因，接着在第二段讲述了懒惰的益处。由此可推知，作者 采取了一种客观且严谨的态度对懒惰进行了分析。cautious 小心的，谨慎的;careless 不小心的;optimistic 乐观的;pessimistic 悲观的。故选 A。
5.【答案】D。解析：主旨题。
题干：文中作者想告诉我们什么?通读全文可知，文章探讨了导致懒惰的原因，并阐述了懒惰的某些情况下也会有好 处。再结合第二段最后两句“So be careful when you are tempted to call someone lazy. That person may be thinking, resting, or planning his or her next book.”可知，当你想说某个人 懒惰的时候要小心了，那个人可能在思考、休息或构思自己的下本书。由此可推知，对 懒惰的界定并不是一成不变的，我们应该采取正确的方式来定义它。D 项“懒惰应该得 到恰当的定义”符合文意。A 项“懒惰绝对是一种罪恶”、B 项“懒惰总是很有帮助的”、C 项“懒惰使人一 无是处”均无法正确概括文章主旨。故答案选 D。