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
37. The study in the early 1980s cited by Harford shows that
38. According to Newport, idleness is
39. Pillay believes that our brains’ shift between being focused and unfocused
40. This text is mainly about
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。
全文翻译
为了对抗重视忙碌的陷阱，《深度工作：在分心世界中专注成功的规则》的作者卡尔·纽波特建议培养"深度工作"的习惯——即不分心地专注的能力。
掌握深度工作艺术有多种方法——无论是致力于特定任务的长时间闭关；养成日常仪式；还是在一天中随时抓住深度工作时刻的"新闻式"方法。无论哪种方法，关键是确定你的专注时间长度并坚持下去。
纽波特还推荐"深度排程"来对抗持续的中断并在更短时间内完成更多。"在任何给定时间点，我应该为下个月左右安排深度工作。一旦上了日历，我就会像保护医生预约或重要会议一样保护这段时间，"他写道。
在更短时间内完成更多的另一种方法是重新思考你如何优先安排你的一天——特别是我们如何制定待办事项清单。《杂乱：无序的力量改变我们的生活》的作者蒂姆·哈福德指出1980年代早期的一项研究，该研究将本科生分为两组：一些人被建议设定每月目标和学习活动；另一些人被更详细地逐日规划活动与目标。
虽然研究人员假设结构良好的每日计划在执行任务时最有效，但他们错了：详细的每日计划使学生失去动力。哈福德认为，不可避免的分心常常使每日待办清单失效，而在这样的清单中留出即兴发挥的空间可以收获最好的结果。
为了充分利用我们的专注力和精力，我们还需要接受休息时间，或者如纽波特所建议的，"懒惰一点"。
"闲散不仅是假期、放纵或恶习；它对大脑如同维生素D对身体一样不可或缺……[闲散]自相矛盾地是完成任何工作所必需的，"他论证道。
哈佛医学院精神病学助理教授斯里尼·皮莱认为，休息时间与生产力之间这种违反直觉的联系可能是由于我们大脑的运作方式。当我们的大脑在专注于任务和不专注于任务之间切换时，它们往往更有效率。
"人们没有意识到的是，为了完成这些任务，他们需要同时使用大脑中的专注回路和非专注回路，"皮莱说。
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。
"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。
"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。
"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。