Section B: Information Matching
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.
Learning to say no
[A] Not doing something will always be faster than doing it. This philosophy applies in many areas of life. For example, there is no meeting that goes faster than not having a meeting at all. This is not to say you should never attend another meeting, but the truth is that we say 'yes' to too many things we don't actually want to do.
[B] How often do people ask you to do something and you just reply, 'Sure.' Three days later, you're overwhelmed by how much is on your to-do list. We become frustrated by our obligations even though we were the ones who said 'yes' to them in the first place. Even worse, people will occasionally fight to do things that waste time. You don't have to do something just because it exists. It's worth asking if things are necessary. Many of them are not, and a simple 'no' will be more productive than whatever work the most efficient person can cope with. But if the benefits of saying 'no' are so obvious, then why do we say 'yes' so often?
[C] We say 'yes' to many requests not because we want to do them, but because we don't want to be seen as rude or unhelpful. Often, we have to consider saying 'no' to someone we will interact with again in the future—our co-worker, our spouse, our family and friends. Saying 'no' to our superiors at work can be particularly difficult. In these situations, I like the approach recommended in Essentialism by Greg McKeown. He writes, 'Remind your superiors what you would be neglecting if you said 'yes' and force them to deal with the trade-off. For example, if your manager comes to you and asks you to do X, you can respond with 'Yes, I'm happy to make this the priority. Which of these other projects should I deprioritize to pay attention to this new project?''
[D] Collaborating with others is an important element of life. The thought of straining the relationship outweighs the commitment of our time and energy. For this reason, it can be helpful to be gracious in your response. Do whatever favors you can, and be warm-hearted and direct when you have to say no. But even after we have accounted for these social considerations, many of us still seem to do a poor job of managing the trade-off between yes and no. We find ourselves over-committed to things that don't meaningfully improve or support those around us, and certainly don't improve our own lives.
[E] Perhaps one issue is how we think about the meaning of yes and no. The words 'yes' and 'no' get so often used in comparison with each other that it feels like they carry equal weight in conversation. In reality, they're not just opposite in meaning, but of entirely different magnitudes in commitment. When you say 'no', you're only saying 'no' to one option. When you say 'yes', you're saying 'no' to every other option. I like how economist Tim Harford put it, 'Every time we say 'yes' to a request, we're also saying 'no' to anything else we might accomplish with the time.' Once you're committed to something, you've already decided how that future block of time will be spent. In other words, saying 'no' saves you time in the future. Saying 'yes' costs you time in the future. 'No' is a form of time credit. You retain the ability to spend your future time however you want. 'Yes' is a form of time debt. You have to pay back your commitment at some point.
[F] 'No' is a decision. 'Yes' is a responsibility. Saying 'no' is sometimes seen as a luxury that only those in power can afford. And it's true: turning down opportunities is easier when you can fall back on the safety net provided by power, money, and authority. But it's also true that saying 'no' is not merely a privilege reserved for the successful. It's also a strategy that can help you become successful. Saying 'no' is an important skill to develop at any stage of your career because it retains the most important asset in life: your time. As investor Pedro Sorrentino put it, 'If you don't guard your time, people will steal it from you.' You need to say 'no' to whatever isn't leading you toward your goals.
[G] Nobody embodied this idea better than Steve Jobs, who said, 'People think focus means saying 'yes' to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying 'no' to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.' Jobs had another great quote about saying 'no': 'I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying 'no' to 1,000 things.'
[H] Over time, as you continue to improve and succeed, your strategy needs to change. The opportunity cost of your time increases as you become more successful. At first, you just eliminate the obvious distractions and explore the rest. As your skills improve and you learn to separate what works from what doesn't, you have to continually increase your threshold for saying 'yes'. You still need to say 'no' to distractions, but you also need to learn to say 'no' to opportunities that were previously good uses of time, so you can make space for better uses of time. It's a good problem to have, but it can be a tough skill to master.
[I] What is true about health is also true about productivity: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. More effort is wasted doing things that don't matter than is wasted doing things inefficiently. And if that is the case, elimination is a more useful skill than optimization. I'm reminded of the famous Peter Drucker quote, 'There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.'
36. People often grant a request just because they want to appear polite and helpful.
37. It's no easy job learning to say 'no' to opportunities that were once considered worth grasping.
38. When you decline a request, you are saving your future time.
39. People sometimes struggle to do things that are simply a waste of time.
40. Doing efficiently what is not worth doing is the most useless effort.
41. It is especially difficult for people to decline to do what their superiors ask them to do.
42. People agree to do too many things they are in fact unwilling to do.
43. According to one famous entrepreneur, innovation means refusal to do an enormous number of things.
44. It is an essential aspect of life to cooperate with other people.
45. Refusing a request is sometimes seen as a privilege not enjoyed by ordinary people.
Answers & Explanations
36. C。解析：题干中的 appear polite and helpful (显得有礼貌且乐于助人) 对应 [C] 段首句：not because we want to do them, but because we don't want to be seen as rude or unhelpful。
37. H。解析：题干中的 opportunities that were once considered worth grasping (曾被认为值得抓住的机会) 对应 [H] 段：say 'no' to opportunities that were previously good uses of time... a tough skill to master (很难掌握的技能)。
38. E。解析：题干中的 saving your future time (节省未来的时间) 对应 [E] 段：In other words, saying 'no' saves you time in the future。
39. B。解析：题干中的 struggle to do things... waste of time (挣扎着做浪费时间的事) 对应 [B] 段：Even worse, people will occasionally fight to do things that waste time。
40. I。解析：题干中的 Doing efficiently what is not worth doing... useless (高效地做不值得做的事是最无用的) 对应 [I] 段末尾引用的德鲁克名言：There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all。
41. C。解析：题干中的 decline... superiors (拒绝上级) 对应 [C] 段第三句：Saying 'no' to our superiors at work can be particularly difficult。
42. A。解析：题干中的 too many things they are in fact unwilling to do (太多实际上不愿做的事) 对应 [A] 段末尾：the truth is that we say 'yes' to too many things we don't actually want to do。
43. G。解析：题干中的 entrepreneur (企业家, 指乔布斯) 以及 innovation means refusal... (创新意味着拒绝做大量的事) 对应 [G] 段末尾：Innovation is saying 'no' to 1,000 things。
44. D。解析：题干中的 cooperate (合作) 是 essential aspect (重要方面) 对应 [D] 段首句：Collaborating with others is an important element of life。
45. F。解析：题干中的 privilege not enjoyed by ordinary people (不被普通人享受的特权) 对应 [F] 段第二句：Saying 'no' is sometimes seen as a luxury that only those in power can afford (只有权势者才能负担的奢侈品)。
全文翻译
[A] 不做某事总是比做某事快。这个哲学适用于生活的许多领域。例如，没有比根本不开会更快的会议了。这并不是说你再也不该参加任何会议，但事实是我们对太多实际上并不想做的事情说了"是"。
[B] 有多少次人们请你做某事，而你只是回答"当然"？三天后，你被待办事项清单上堆积如山的事情压得喘不过气。我们对自己的义务感到沮丧，尽管我们是当初说"是"的人。更糟糕的是，人们偶尔会争着做一些浪费时间的事。你不必仅仅因为某件事存在就去做。值得问一问事情是否必要。许多事情并不必要，一个简单的"不"将比最高效的人所能应付的任何工作都更有成效。但如果说不的好处如此明显，那为什么我们如此频繁地说"是"呢？
[C] 我们对许多请求说"是"，不是因为我们想做它们，而是因为我们不想被视为粗鲁或不帮忙。通常，我们不得不考虑对我们将来还会与之互动的人说不——我们的同事、配偶、家人和朋友。对工作中的上级说"不"尤其困难。在这些情况下，我喜欢格雷格·麦基翁在《精要主义》中推荐的方法。他写道："提醒你的上级，如果你说'是'，你将忽略什么，并迫使他们处理权衡。例如，如果你的经理来找你要求你做X，你可以回应说'是的，我很乐意将此事列为优先。那么，为了关注这个新项目，我应该把其他哪些项目的优先级降低？'"
[D] 与他人合作是生活的重要元素。拉紧关系的顾虑超过了我们对时间和精力的承诺。出于这个原因，在回应中保持优雅是有帮助的。尽可能帮忙，在不得不说"不"时要热心而直接。但即使我们已经考虑了这些社交因素，我们许多人似乎在管理是与否之间的权衡方面仍然做得很差。我们发现自己过度承诺于那些没有有意义地改善或支持周围人的事情，当然也没有改善我们自己的生活。
[E] 也许一个问题是我们如何看待"是"和"不"的含义。这两个词如此经常被拿来比较，以至于感觉它们在对话中具有同等的分量。实际上，它们不仅在含义上相反，而且在承诺的程度上完全不同。当你说"不"时，你只是对一个选项说"不"。当你说"是"时，你是对其他所有选项说"不"。我喜欢经济学家蒂姆·哈福德的说法："每次我们对一个请求说'是'，我们也在对我们可能用那段时间完成的任何其他事情说'不'。"一旦你对某事做出了承诺，你就已经决定了未来那段时间将如何度过。换句话说，说"不"为你节省了未来的时间。说"是"花费了你未来的时间。"不"是一种时间信用。你保留了未来时间如何使用的能力。"是"是一种时间债务。你必须在某个时候偿还你的承诺。
[F] "不"是一个决定。"是"是一种责任。说"不"有时被视为只有掌权者才能承担的奢侈。这确实是真的：当你可以依靠权力、金钱和权威提供的安全网时，拒绝机会更容易。但这也是真的：说"不"不仅仅是留给成功者的特权。它也是一种可以帮助你变得成功的策略。在职业生涯的任何阶段，说"不"都是一项重要的技能，因为它保留了生活中最重要的资产：你的时间。正如投资者佩德罗·索伦蒂诺所说："如果你不保护你的时间，人们会从你这里偷走它。"你需要对任何不引导你朝着目标前进的事情说"不"。
[G] 没有人比史蒂夫·乔布斯更好地体现了这一理念，他说："人们认为专注意味着对你必须专注的事情说'是'。但完全不是这个意思。它意味着对那一百个其他好主意说'不'。你必须仔细选择。"乔布斯还有一句关于说"不"的精彩名言："实际上，我对我没有做的事情和我做过的事情一样感到自豪。创新就是对1000件事情说'不'。"
[H] 随着时间的推移，随着你不断进步和成功，你的策略需要改变。时间的机会成本随着你变得更加成功而增加。起初，你只是消除明显的干扰并探索其余部分。随着你的技能提高，你学会区分有效和无效的，你必须不断提高你说"是"的门槛。你仍然需要对干扰说"不"，但你也需要学会对以前是利用时间的好机会说"不"，这样你才能为更好地利用时间腾出空间。这是一个好问题，但也可能是一项难以掌握的技能。
[I] 关于健康的真理同样适用于生产力：一分预防胜过十分治疗。做不关紧要的事所浪费的精力，比做事效率低所浪费的精力更多。如果情况如此，那么消除是比优化更有用的技能。我想起了彼得·德鲁克的名言："没有什么比高效地做根本不应该做的事更无用了。"
核心短语与亮点句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- overwhelmed by：被...压倒；应接不暇
- in the first place：起初；首先
- trade-off：权衡；折中
- outweigh：超过；比...更重要
- time credit / time debt：时间信用 / 时间债务（精妙的比喻）
- turn down：拒绝（机会或请求）
- fall back on：依靠；退而求其次
- threshold for saying "yes"：说“是”的门槛
【亮点句型解析】
- When you say "no", you're only saying "no" to one option. When you say "yes", you're saying "no" to every other option. (排比对比)：
这句话深刻揭示了拒绝与接受的经济学本质。当你拒绝时，你只拒绝了一个选项；当你接受时，你其实变相拒绝了在这个时间内能做的所有其他事。 - An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (经典谚语)：
“一分预防胜过十分治疗。” 在这里作者巧妙地将其迁移到“生产力”领域，强调“排除多余任务”比“优化任务过程”更有效。 - Innovation is saying "no" to 1,000 things. (名言警句)：
简洁有力地定义了成功的核心：专注。