Section A: Banked Cloze
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
A number of studies have looked at how family life can affect productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. However, there has been (26) ______ little research on the influence of leisure activities. So Ciara Kelly and colleagues recruited 129 hobbyists to look at how the time spent on their hobbies (27) ______ their work life.
The researchers found that when participants spent longer than (28) ______ on their leisure activity, their belief in their ability to perform their job was strengthened. But this was only the (29) ______ when they had a serious hobby that was dissimilar to their job, or when their hobby was similar to their work but they only did it (30) ______. When their hobby was both serious and similar to their job, then spending more time on it actually decreased their work (31) ______.
Why might that be? To maintain a serious hobby, people need to invest significant psychological resources, say the authors—so if the activity has the same kinds of demands as their work, they may be left (32) ______ and unable to perform well at their job. But if their hobby is quite different from their career, it may not (33) ______ in the same way but instead help them develop other knowledge and skills that can (34) ______ their confidence at work. “Consider a scientist who is a keen rock climber,” says Kelly. “Since climbing is so far (35) ______ from their day-to-day work activities, they can still recover from the demands of their job with plenty of resources.”
Word Bank
Answers & Explanations
26. O (surprisingly)。解析：位于 has been 和 little 之间，修饰形容词 little，需要填入副词。上文提到关于家庭生活影响的研究很多，这里形成转折（However），说明关于休闲活动的研究“令人惊讶地 (surprisingly)”少。
27. N (shaped)。解析：在 how 引导的宾语从句中，主语是 the time spent on their hobbies，缺少谓语动词。根据全文时态，需填入过去式动词。表示花在爱好上的时间是如何“塑造/影响 (shaped)”他们的工作生活的。
28. I (normal)。解析：搭配 `longer than normal` 是一个常见的固定短语，意为“比平时/平常 (normal) 更长的时间”。
29. B (case)。解析：固定搭配 `this is only the case when...`，意为“只有在...的情况下才是这样/才是如此”。case 在这里表示“情况/事实”。
30. C (casually)。解析：位于动词短语 did it 之后，需要填入副词修饰动作。前文的 or 连接了两种情况，与前面的 a serious hobby（严肃的爱好）形成对比，这里指代“随便地，漫不经心地 (casually)”做这件事。
31. D (efficiency)。解析：位于 decreased their work 之后，需要填入名词。当爱好既严肃又与工作相似时，花更多时间反而会降低他们的工作“效率 (efficiency)”。
32. F (exhausted)。解析：位于 be left 之后，并与 unable 构成并列，需要填入形容词或过去分词作主语补足语。由于爱好和工作消耗同样的心理资源，人们可能会感到“筋疲力尽 (exhausted)”。
33. H (interfere)。解析：位于情态动词 may not 之后，搭配介词 in，需要填入动词原形。如果爱好与职业完全不同，它可能不会以同样的方式产生“干扰/妨碍 (interfere)”。
34. A (boost)。解析：位于情态动词 can 之后，宾语是 their confidence，需要填入动词原形。发展其他知识和技能可以“提升/增强 (boost)”他们在工作中的信心。
35. L (removed)。解析：固定搭配 `be far removed from`，意为“与...大不相同，与...相去甚远”。攀岩与他们日常的工作活动相去甚远 (removed)。
全文翻译
许多研究探讨了家庭生活如何影响工作场所的生产力和满意度。然而，关于休闲活动影响的研究却很少。因此，Ciara Kelly及其同事招募了129名有爱好的人，研究他们在爱好上花费的时间如何影响他们的工作生活。研究人员发现，当参与者在休闲活动上花费的时间超过平常时，他们对自己完成工作能力的信心会增强。但这只有在他们拥有与工作不相似的严肃爱好，或者当爱好与工作相似但只是偶尔进行时才成立。当他们的爱好既严肃又与工作相似时，花更多时间在上面实际上会降低他们的工作效能。为什么会这样呢？作者说，为了维持严肃的爱好，人们需要投入大量的心理资源——因此，如果这项活动与工作有相同类型的要求，他们可能会精力耗尽，无法在工作中表现出色。但如果他们的爱好与职业完全不同，它可能不会以同样的方式消耗资源，而是帮助他们发展其他知识和技能，从而增强他们在工作中的信心。"想想一位热衷于攀岩的科学家，"Kelly说，"由于攀岩与他们的日常工作活动相去甚远，他们仍然可以从工作需求中恢复过来，拥有充足的资源。"核心搭配与高分句型
【核心搭配与高频短语】
- a number of：许多，大量（A number of studies have looked at...）
- longer than normal：比平常更长，比平时久
- this is the case：情况就是这样，事实如此（this was only the case when...）
- be left exhausted：处于筋疲力尽的状态，被搞得精疲力竭
- invest resources：投入资源（invest significant psychological resources）
- interfere in/with：干涉，妨碍，干扰（interfere in the same way）
- boost confidence：提升信心，增强自信
- be far removed from：与...大相径庭，与...相去甚远（climbing is so far removed from their day-to-day work）
【亮点句型解析】
- How 引导的宾语从句 (研究/探讨的经典句型)：
"...recruited 129 hobbyists to look at how the time spent on their hobbies shaped their work life."
（...招募了129名业余爱好者，以探讨花在爱好上的时间如何影响他们的工作生活。）`how` 引导宾语从句，其中 `spent on their hobbies` 是过去分词短语作后置定语修饰 `time`。这是描述科学研究目的的标杆句型。 - Since 引导的原因状语从句：
"Since climbing is so far removed from their day-to-day work activities, they can still recover from the demands of their job..."
（由于攀岩与他们的日常工作活动相去甚远，他们仍然可以从工作的要求中恢复过来...）`Since` 放句首表示“既然，由于”，用于引出不言自明的原因，比使用 `Because` 更加正式、自然。