四级真题2020年12月第二套 Passage One
四级真题2020年12月第二套 Passage One


①　Boredom has, paradoxically, become quite interesting to academics lately. In early May, London’s Boring Conference celebrated seven years of delighting in dullness. At this event, people flocked to talks about weather , traffic jams and vending-machine sounds, among other sleep-inducing topics.

②　What, exactly, is everybody studying? One widely accepted psychological definition of boredom is“the distasteful experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity.” But how can you quantify a person’s boredom level and compare it with someone else’s? In 1986,psychologists introduced the Boredom Proneness Scale,designed to measure an individual’s overall tendency to feel bored.By contrast,the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale, developed in 2008, measures a person’s feelings of boredom in a given situation.
③　Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including inattentive driving, mindless snacking, excessive drinking, and addictive gambling. In fact,many of us would choose pain over boredom. One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of women would rather self-administer electric shocks than sit alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Researching this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers to watch boring, sad, or neutral films, during which they could self-administer electric shocks. The bored volunteers shocked themselves more and harder than the sad or neutral ones did.
④　But boredom isn’t all bad. By encouraging self-reflection and daydreaming, it can spur creativity. An early study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association exercises. Once all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more and more inventive answers to combat boredom.A British study took these findings one step further, asking subjects to complete a creative challenge (coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item). One group of subjects did a boring activity first,while the others went straight to the creative task. Those whose boredom pumps had been primed were more productive.
⑤　In our always-connected world, boredom may be a hard-to-define state, but it is a fertile one.Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone for a while, and you might unlock your next big idea.

1.1. When are people likely to experience boredom, according to an accepted psychological definition?

A When they don’t have the chance to do what they want.

B When they don’t enjoy the materials they are studying.

C When they experience something unpleasant.

D When they engage in some routine activities.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据题干关键词 accepted psychological definition定位至第二段第二句。该句提到,一个被广泛接受的关于无聊的心理学定义是“渴望但又无法参加令人满意的活动而产生的令人不快的经历”。故答案选A项。

2.2. What does the author say boredom can lead to?

A Determination.

B Mental deterioration.

C Concentration.

D Harmful conduct.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据题干关键词 boredom can lead to定位至第三段首句。该句提到,无聊与一些行为问题有关,包括分心驾驶、漫不经心地吃零食、过度饮酒和赌博成瘾。这些行为都是不好的行为习惯,故答案选D项。

3.3. What is the finding of one team of psychologists in their experiment?

A Volunteers prefer watching a boring movie to sitting alone deliberating.

B Many volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.

C Male volunteers are more immune to the effects of boredom than females.

D Many volunteers are unable to resist boredom longer than fifteen minutes.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据题干关键词 finding ofone team of psychologists定位至第三段第三句。该句提到，一个心理学家小组发现,三分之二的男性和四分之一的女性宁愿自我电击,也不愿独坐思考15分钟。可知,“许多志愿者宁愿自我伤害也不愿忍受无聊”,故答案选B项。

4.4. Why does the author say boredom isn’t all bad?

A It stimulates memorization.

B It allows time for relaxation.

C It may promote creative thinking.

D It may facilitate independent learning.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据题干关键词 boredom isn't all bad 定位至第四段首句。该句提到,但无聊并不都是坏事。通过鼓励自我反省和幻想,它可以激发创造力。故答案选C项。

5.5. What does the author suggest one do when faced with a challenging problem?

A Stop idling and think big.

B Look around oneself for stimulation.

C Unlock one’s smartphone.

D Allow oneself some time to be bored.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据题干关键词 author suggest定位至末段。该段第二句提到,看着油漆变干或者水沸腾,或者至少把你的智能手机暂时收起来一会儿,你可能会解锁你的又一个了不起的创意。说明,当你做一些无聊的事情时,让头脑放松,可能会想出了不起的创意;那么在面对具有挑战性的问题时,也可以这么做。故答案选D项。