If you live in America in the 21^st century you'll probably have to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they are doing:"Busy!""Crazy busy!".It is,pretty obviously,a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:"That's a good problem to have,"or"Better than the opposite."

Notice it isn't generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are.What those people are is not busy but tired.Exhausted!Dead on their feet.It's almost always people whose busyness is purely self-imposed:work and obligations they've taken on voluntarily,classes and activities they've "encouraged" their kids to participate in.They're busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety,because they're addicted to busyness and dread that they might have to face in its absence.

Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren't either working or doing something to promote their work.It's something they have chosen.Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance(令人安心的保证），a measure against emptiness,obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or tiny or meaningless if you are so busy,completely booked,in demand every hour of the day.

Idleness is not just a vacation.It is as necessary to the brain as vitamin D is to the body,and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as ugly as rickets.The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole,for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration."Idle dreaming is often the essence of what we do,"wrote Thomas Pynchon.Archimedes' "Eureka"in the bath, Newton's apple :history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments.

1.When many Americans say"Crazy busy", they mean______.

A．they are really tired of their present situation

B．they are really proud of their present life

C．they are complaining about their current work

D．their life are full of all kinds of problems

2.The writer mentions Archimedes' "Eureka"and Newton's apple to show that________.

A．history is full of interesting stories

B．Archimedes and Newton were very busy, so they made great discoveries

C．people may get inspiration when they are idle

D．inspirations come from hard work

3.The word "its" in the second paragraph refers to_______________________________.

A．ambition          B．anxiety           C．busyness          D．dread

4.From the article,we can infer that ___________________________________.

A．generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU tell you they are busy

B．"Dead on their feet" means "being tired out"

C．all the kids are self-imposed due to the drive and motivation

D．The author seems to agree that idleness is better than busyness

 

Even when you’re extremely busy, you aren’t using your time with 100% efficiency. There are gaps in everyone’s schedule where they aren’t doing anything important. Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time where you aren’t working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could.

Why aren’t you completely efficient? It’s because time isn’t the limiting factor. If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions(消遣). Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate(拖延) and slow down on tasks throughout the day.

The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention. Energy levels limit your productivity because when you’re tired, you can have ample time and still not get everything done. Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time.

You might not be able to insert another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices. But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling anything. The reason it’s hard to “find time” isn’t a lack of time. It’s because you don’t have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day.

I first suspected time wasn’t the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago. I was insanely （发疯地）busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly. I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise. However, after a few weeks off, due to illness, I stopped exercising. I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was incredibly light. Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise. It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone. How can I explain this odd experience? I believe you have known it.

1.If someone can’t work with 100% efficiency, the most important limiting factor is ________.

A．a schedule without gaps                           B．breaks and distractions

C．the limited time                              D．the limited energy

2.According to paragraph 4, everyone, including the extremely busy people, can ___________.

A．work without any rest                        B．focus on many things at a time

C．find some more time in a day            D．do some exercise regularly

3.After a few weeks off, what was the change of the writer’s life?

A．He had a longer daily to-do lists with over twenty items.

B．He stopped doing exercise because of the lack of energy.

C．He found it hard to find time to exercise because he was busier.

D．He pushed most of the things later and later in his schedule.

4.The writer gives the example of himself in the last paragraph in order to ___________.

A．prove what the real limiting factor is

B．show us how busily he needs to work

C．explain how important a healthy body is

D．tell us what an odd experience he has

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A．Are You Really Lack of Time?          B．How Can You Work Efficiently?

C．What Makes Your Energy Limited?       D．When Should You Do Exercise?

 

Even when you’re extremely busy, you aren’t using your time with 100% efficiency. There are gaps in everyone’s schedule where they aren’t doing anything important. Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time where you aren’t working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could.

Why aren’t you completely efficient? It’s because time isn’t the limiting factor. If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions(消遣). Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate(拖延) and slow down on tasks throughout the day.

The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention. Energy levels limit your productivity because when you’re tired, you can have ample time and still not get everything done. Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time.

You might not be able to insert another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices. But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling anything. The reason it’s hard to “find time” isn’t a lack of time. It’s because you don’t have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day.

I first suspected time wasn’t the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago. I was insanely busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly. I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise. However, after a few weeks off, due to illness, I stopped exercising. I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was incredibly light. Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise. It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone. How can I explain this odd experience? I believe you have known it.

26. If someone can’t work with 100% efficiency, the most important limiting factor is ________.

A．a schedule without gaps                          B．breaks and distractions

C．the limited time                                  D．the limited energy

27. According to paragraph 4, everyone, including the extremely busy people, can ___________.

A．work without any rest                            B．focus on many things at a time

C．find some more time in a day                         D．do some exercise regularly

28. After a few weeks off, what was the change of the writer’s life?

A．He had a longer daily to-do lists with over twenty items.

B．He stopped doing exercise because of the lack of energy.

C．He found it hard to find time to exercise because he was busier.

D．He pushed most of the things later and later in his schedule.

29. The writer gives the example of himself in the last paragraph in order to ___________.

A．prove what the real limiting factor is                

B．show us how busily he needs to work

C．explain how important a healthy body is         

D．tell us what an odd experience he has

30. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Are You Really Lack of Time?          B．How Can You Work Efficiently?

C．What Makes Your Energy Limitedd?     D．When Should You Do Exercise?

Even when you’re extremely busy, you aren’t using your time with 100% efficiency. There are gaps in everyone’s schedule where they aren’t doing anything important. Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time where you aren’t working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could.

Why aren’t you completely efficient? It’s because time isn’t the limiting factor. If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions(消遣). Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate(拖延) and slow down on tasks throughout the day.

The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention. Energy levels limit your productivity because when you’re tired, you can have ample time and still not get everything done. Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time.

You might not be able to insert another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices(牺牲). But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling anything. The reason it’s hard to “find time” isn’t a lack of time. It’s because you don’t have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day.

I first suspected time wasn’t the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago. I was insanely busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly. I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise. However, after a few weeks off, due to illness, I stopped exercising. I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was incredibly light. Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise. It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone. How can I explain this odd experience? I believe you have known it.

26. If someone can’t work with 100% efficiency, the most important limiting factor is ________.

A．a schedule without gaps                    B．breaks and distractions

C．the limited time                        D．the limited energy

27. According to paragraph 4, everyone, including the extremely busy people, can ___________.

A．work without any rest                 B．focus on many things at a time

C．find some more time in a day            D．do some exercise regularly

28. After a few weeks off, what was the change of the writer’s life?

A．He had a longer daily to-do lists with over twenty items.

B．He stopped doing exercise because of the lack of energy.

C．He found it hard to find time to exercise because he was busier.

D．He pushed most of the things later and later in his schedule.

29. The writer gives the example of himself in the last paragraph in order to ___________.

A．prove what the real limiting factor is        

B．show us how busily he needs to work

C．explain how important a healthy body is   

D．tell us what an odd experience he has

30. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Are You Really Lack of Time?            B．How Can You Work Efficiently?

C．What Makes Your Energy Limited?       D．When Should You Do Exercise?