Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 4

To combat the trap of putting a premium on being busy, Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, recommends building a habit of “deep work”—the ability to focus without distraction.

There are a number of approaches to mastering the art of deep work—be it lengthy retreats dedicated to a specific task; developing a daily ritual; or taking a “journalistic” approach to seizing moments of deep work when you can throughout the day. Whichever approach, the key is to determine your length of focus time and stick to it.

Newport also recommends “deep scheduling” to combat constant interruptions and get more done in less time. “At any given point, I should have deep work scheduled for roughly the next month. Once on the calendar, I protect this time like I would a doctor’s appointment or important meeting,” he writes.

Another approach to getting more done in less time is to rethink how you prioritise your day—in particular how we craft our to-do lists. Tim Harford, author of Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, points to a study in the early 1980s that divided undergraduates into two groups: some were advised to set out monthly goals and study activities; others were told to plan activities and goals in much more detail, day by day.

While the researchers assumed that the well-structured daily plans would be most effective when it came to the execution of tasks, they were wrong: the detailed daily plans demotivated students. Harford argues that inevitable distractions often render the daily to-do list ineffective, while leaving room for improvisation in such a list can reap the best results.

In order to make the most of our focus and energy, we also need to embrace downtime, or as Newport suggests, “be lazy”.

“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body… [idleness] is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done,” he argues.

Srini Pillay, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, believes this counterintuitive link between downtime and productivity may be due to the way our brains operate. When our brains switch between being focused and unfocused on a task, they tend to be more efficient.

“What people don’t realise is that in order to complete these tasks they need to use both the focus and unfocus circuits in their brain,” says Pillay.

36. The key to mastering the art of deep work is to

[A]

keep to your focus time. 

[B]

list your immediate tasks. 

[C]

make specific daily plans. 

[D]

seize every minute to work. 

37. The study in the early 1980s cited by Harford shows that

[A]

distractions may actually increase efficiency. 

[B]

daily schedules are indispensable to studying. 

[C]

students are hardly motivated by monthly goals. 

[D]

detailed plans may not be as fruitful as expected. 

38. According to Newport, idleness is

[A]

a desirable mental state for busy people. 

[B]

a major contributor to physical health. 

[C]

an effective way to save time and energy. 

[D]

an essential factor in accomplishing any work. 

39. Pillay believes that our brains’ shift between being focused and unfocused

[A]

can result in psychological well-being. 

[B]

can bring about greater efficiency. 

[C]

is aimed at better balance in work. 

[D]

is driven by task urgency. 

40. This text is mainly about

[A]

ways to relieve the tension of busy life. 

[B]

approaches to getting more done in less time. 

[C]

the key to eliminating distractions. 

[D]

the cause of the lack of focus time. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

36. [A] keep to your focus time.
解析：定位到第二段最后一句：“无论采取哪种方法，关键（the key）是确定你的专注时长并坚持下去（determine your length of focus time and stick to it）”。“stick to”对应选项中的“keep to”，故选A。

37. [D] detailed plans may not be as fruitful as expected.
解析：定位到第五段。研究人员最初假设（assumed）详尽的每日计划最有效，但结果证明他们错了（they were wrong）：详细计划让学生失去动力（demotivated），且分心常导致计划失效。这意味着详细计划并不像预期（expected）的那样有成效（fruitful），故选D。

38. [D] an essential factor in accomplishing any work.
解析：定位到第七段 Newport 的原话：“[闲散] 矛盾的是，对于完成任何工作都是必要的（[idleness] is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done）”。“necessary”对应“essential factor”，选D。

39. [B] can bring about greater efficiency.
解析：定位到第八段 Pillay 的观点：“当大脑在任务专注与不专注之间切换时，它们往往效率更高（tend to be more efficient）”。选项中的“bring about greater efficiency”是原文的同义替换，选B。

40. [B] approaches to getting more done in less time.
解析：主旨题。文章开篇提到“深度工作”，第三段提到“deep scheduling”是为了“get more done in less time”，第四段提到“另一种方法（Another approach）”也是为了“getting more done in less time”。全文依次介绍了深度工作、排期技巧、重构清单、科学休息四种方法，最终目的都是“在更短时间内做更多事”。故选B。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. 复杂的并列结构与虚拟引导：
"There are a number of approaches...—be it lengthy retreats dedicated to a specific task; developing a daily ritual; or taking a “journalistic” approach..."
【解析】破折号后是对 `approaches` 的补充说明。使用了 `be it... or...`（无论是...还是...）引导让步状语，其中包含三个并列项：1. 漫长的隐退；2. 养成每日仪式；3. 采取“记者式”方法。这种结构常用于列举。

2. 让步状语从句与对比结构：
"While the researchers assumed that the well-structured daily plans would be most effective... they were wrong: the detailed daily plans demotivated students."
【解析】`While` 引导让步状语从句，表达“尽管...”。主句 `they were wrong` 简短有力，引出后面的结论。冒号后解释了“错在哪里”，即详细计划反而挫伤了学生的积极性。

3. 比较级与同位语的嵌套：
"Idleness... it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body..."
【解析】这是一个 `as... as...` 同级比较结构。将“闲散对大脑的必要性”类比为“维生素D对身体的必要性”，使得抽象的心理学概念变得非常具体形象。