2019专八阅读理解练习题附答案：无聊成为“逝去的艺术形式

2019专八阅读理解练习题附答案：无聊成为“逝去的艺术形式

　　Our mad attempts to avoid boredom uphold a profitable corner of the entertainment industry, while the variety of books, websites, TV programs and videos aimed at children and called “Boredom Killers” suggests that ennui has no age restriction. This is no new development—obsessive texting is hardly on a level with watching lions rip gladiators to shreds for entertainment, and, as the British public seem to be moving on to a stage where foxhunting is no longer seen as a justifiable, fun diversion, we must be doing something right. However, some experts have recently pointed out that obsessive avoidance of boredom (apart from being quite dull in itself—have you ever tried to have a decent conversation with an extreme sports enthusiast?) denies access to the certain kind of mental space which boredom brings and in doing so leaves us creatively and spiritually malnourished. In other words, boredom is becoming “a lost art form”.

　　Steven Winn of the San Francisco Chronicle puts it in a recent article:“As more and more people seem to recognize, the universal experience of being bored—unengaged, detached, afloat in some private mental inactivity—may be far more precious, fruitful and even profound than a surface understanding might suggest. As ordinary as grey skies and equally pervasive, boredom deserves its own sun-splashed attention and celebration.”

　　This is a very particular understanding of what boredom is, and perhaps this very problem of definition is what lies at the root of the supposed debate. On the one hand, boredom can be defined as a state of listlessness, a lack of interest in that which surrounds us and a general sense of ennui. Of this particular definition, Saul Steinberg wrote, “The life of the creative man is led, directed and controlled by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes.” So in this case, boredom is something we flee from in horror.

　　Another conception of boredom is of a blank, private mental space, invaluable for relaxing and for the fermentation of creative juices. It is this type of boredom which is considered by some to be a lost art form. Informational overload from all quarters means that there can often be very little time for personal thought, reflection, or even just “zoning out”. With a mobile that is constantly switched on and a surplus of entertainments available to distract the naked eye, it is understandable that some people find it difficult to actually get bored in that particular restlessness, introspective kind of way. [418 words]

　　1.The word “ennui”(Line 3, Para.1)most probably means .

　　[A] avoiding boredom [B] lack of creativity

　　[C] love of entertainment [D] the feeling of having nothing to do

　　2.Boredom is becoming “a lost art form” because people .

　　[A] are deprived of deep thought

　　[B] are abandoning old-fashioned amusement

　　[C] indulge in entertainment

　　[D] have no private space

　　3.According to Steven Winn, which of the following is true about boredom?

　　[A] It is a common problem of human beings.

　　[B] It is always feared by creative men.

　　[C] It is important to recognize its significance.

　　[D] It is more valuable than entertainment.

　　4.From the passage, we can learn that boredom .

　　[A] has two contradictory definitions

　　[B] has both strong and weak points

　　[C] is a source of art creation

　　[D] is dying in the information age

　　5.A suitable title for the passage might be .

　　[A] Life without Boredom

　　[B] The Influence of Modern Entertainment

　　[C] Two Types of Boredom

　　[D] The Significance of Boredom

　　核心词汇

　　Celebration(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　n.庆祝;颂扬 例：Her triumph was a cause for celebration. 她的胜利是庆祝的理由。(P2L4)

　　detached(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　a.不带感情的，超然的 ：She wanted him to stop being so cool, so detached, so cynical.她希望他不再那么冷酷无情，那么无动于衷，那么愤世嫉俗。(P2L2)

　　diversion(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　n.消遣，娱乐 ：The city is full of diversions. 城市里的各种娱乐活动比比皆是。(P1L5)

　　introspective(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　a.好内省的，好反省的intro- 向内，在内;-spect- 看 例：prospect 展望(P4L6)

　　justifiable(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　a.有理由的，可证明是正当的 例：justifiable cirticism/pride合理的批评;无可非议的自豪感(P1L5)

　　malnourished(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　a.营养不良的mal-(构成名词、动词和形容词)糟糕;坏;错误。例：malpractice玩忽职守;malfunction故障(P1L9)

　　obsessive(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　a.着迷的，迷恋的;强迫性的 例：an obessive attention to detail过分注重细枝末节。(P1L3)

　　unengaged(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　a.有空的，无事可做的。(P2L2)

　　uphold(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　v.支持，维护(正义等) 例：We have a duty to uphold the law.维护法律是我们的责任。(P1L1)

　　zone(因网站显示原因，本处音标从略)

　　v.将……分成区(或划成带) 例：The town center is zoned for office development. 镇中心被划定为办公开发区。(P4L4)

　　zone out

　　走神，不能集中注意力(P4L4)

　　长难句分析

　　1. Our mad attempts to avoid boredom uphold a profitable corner of the entertainment industry, while the variety of books, websites, TV programs and videos aimed at children and called “Boredom Killers” suggests that ennui has no age restriction.

　　该句主干为Our mad attempts... uphold a profitable corner...。while... age restriction为时间状语从句，其主干为the variety of books, websites, TV programs and videos... suggests that...。aimed at ... Killers为过去分词作后置定语，修饰状语从句的主语。从句that... no age restriction为suggest的宾语。

　　译文：我们逃避无聊的狂热企图为娱乐业提供了一部分丰厚的收益，各种各样为儿童设计并被称为“无聊摧毁者”的书籍、网站、电视节目、音像制品表明无聊没有年龄界限。

　　2. This is no new development—obsessive texting is hardly on a level with watching lions rip gladiators to shreds for entertainment, and, as the British public seem to be moving on to a stage where fox-hunting is no longer seen as a justifiable, fun diversion, we must be doing something right.

　　该句的主干是This is no new development.　破折号表示补充说明，其后部分为对前文的解释。破折号后面部分为and 连接的并列句。后一分句的主干为we must be doing something right，as... fun diversion为原因状语从句。状语从句中，where... fun diversion为定语从句，修饰stage。

　　译文：逃避无聊并不是什么新现象——(如今)这种强迫性地接受信息和(古代人)为了娱乐观看狮子将角斗士撕成碎片无法相提并论。而且，由于英国公众似乎正在进入一个不再视猎捕狐狸为合理的、有趣的消遣的阶段，因此我们一定要做一些更合理的事情。

　　3. However, some experts have recently pointed out that obsessive avoidance of boredom (apart from being quite dull in itself—have you ever tried to have a decent conversation with an extreme sports enthusiast?) denies access to the certain kind of mental space which boredom brings and in doing so leaves us creatively and spiritually malnourished.

　　此句主干为 some experts have recently pointed out that... 。that... malnourished为宾语从句，其主干为obsessive avoidance of boredom... denies access to the certain kind of mental space... 。which... malnourished 为修饰the certain kind of mental space的定语从句。括号内部分是对avoidance of boredom的补充说明。

　　译文：然而，一些专家最近指出，强迫性的逃避无聊(首先，它本身就相当无聊，比如你是否曾经试图与一位狂热的运动爱好者进行一次像样的交谈?)使人无法进入无聊带来的那种思维空间，从而导致我们在创造性和精神上都处于营养不良的状态，

　　4. With a mobile that is constantly switched on and a large amout of entertainments available to distract the naked eye, it is understandable that some people find it difficult to actually get bored in that particular restlessness, introspective kind of way.

　　该句主干为it is understandable that... ，其中it为形式主语,that some people... introspective kind of way 为真正的主语从句。With a mobile... and a large amount of entertainments为介词短语作状语,其中两个名词后又分别跟有从句that is constantly swithed on 和形容词短语 available to distract the naked eye 做后置定语。

　　译文：由于有了不断接听的手机和过多吸引我们眼球的娱乐节目，可以理解为什么一些人发现很难真地以这种坐立不安的、内省的特殊方式感到无聊。

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