Question

There is a lot of misunderstanding about studying. Most students have not been taught the principles behind really effective working. Imagine a graph showing the amount a person learns against the number of hours he works in a day. If he doesn’t do any work, he learns nothing (point 0). If he does an hour’s work he learns a certain amount (point 1). If he does two hours’ work he learns about twice as much (point 2). If he does more work he’ll learn still more (point 3). However, if he tries to do twenty-three and a half hours’ work in a day, he will be so tired that he’ll hardly remember anything: what he learns will be very little (point 4). If he did less work he’d learn more (point 5).

Now whatever the exact shape of the graph’s curve(曲线), made by joining these points, it must have a high point. Point “X” is the very maximum anyone can learn in the day. And this represents the optimum(最适度), the best, amount of work to do. It is the best possible compromise between adequate time at the books and fatigue(劳累). Fatigue is an absolutely real thing; one can’t escape it or ignore it. If you try to ignore it and press yourself to work past the optimum, you will only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best – and then become very tired and lose your power of concentration.

The skill in being a student consists of getting one’s daily study as near the optimum point as possible. I cannot tell you what the optimum is. It differs with the type of work, it differs from person to person, and even in the same person it varies from week to week. You must try to find your own. Every day you study, bear this principle of the optimum in mind. When you feel yourself getting fatigued, if you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again and not taking it in, that’s a pretty good sign you’ve reached your highest point for the day and should stop. Most ordinary students find their optimum at five hours a day. Yours may be a little more or a little less – but if you get in five hours’ good work a day, you will be doing well.

Now, what are you doing with yourself when you aren’t working? Before examinations some students do nothing at all except sit in a chair and worry. Here is another misunderstanding. People often think that the mind works like the body; it does not. If one wanted to save one’s physical energy in order to cut the maximum amount of firewood, one would lie flat on a bed and rest when one wasn’t chopping. But the mind cannot rest. Even in sleep you dream, even if you forget your dreams. The mind is always turning. It gets its relaxation only by variety. That is what makes the mind rest.

When you’ve finished your optimum number of hours you must stop. You must not then sit around in the chair thinking about the work – that only tires without any learning. You must get out and do something. It doesn’t matter what – anything so long as you are actively doing something else but work.

1.According to the passage, _______.

A．the longer you study every day, the more you will learn

B．you’ll achieve better learning results if you work three hours every day

C．the less work you do, the better you will learn

D．your work efficiency will decrease once you exceed a certain point of work

2.Fatigue can result in ________.

A．loss of memory	B．a need for relaxation
C．a lot of anxiety	D．loss of concentration

3.The passage tells us that a person’s optimum number of working hours _______.

A．follows a regular pattern with each individual

B．changes regularly from week to week

C．can be partly determined by the sort of work he is doing

D．should be determined before he gets too tired

4.The only way the mind can relax is by ________.

A．doing a variety of things in turn

B．not thinking about anything

C．turning continuously

D．getting oneself in a state of fatigue

5.After you have reached the optimum point of study in a day, you should ________.

A．lie in bed and rest

B．do something else actively

C．do some physical labor

D．stop thinking about your studies

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.C

4.A

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：1.D 推理题。根据第一段后3行if he tries to do twenty-three and a half hours’ work in a day, he will be so tired that he’ll hardly remember anything: what he learns will be very little (point 4). If he did less work he’d learn more (point 5).说明如果你超过了一定的学习时间，学习的效果会大大下降。故D正确。

2.D 细节题。根据第二段最后两句you will only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best – and then become very tired and lose your power of concentration.说明如果一个人过去劳累，那么在注意力集中程度方面会有大的下降，故D正确。

3.C 细节题。根据第三段2，3行It differs with the type of work, it differs from person to person, and even in the same person it varies from week to week.说明劳累的时间可能会受工作的种类，受个人情况的影响，故C正确。

4.A 细节题。根据文章倒数第二段最后两行It gets its relaxation only by variety. That is what makes the mind rest.说明让思维放松的方法是轮流做一些别的事情，故A正确。

5.B 细节题。根据文章最后一段最后两行You must get out and do something. It doesn’t matter what – anything so long as you are actively doing something else but work.说明当人到达劳累点的时候，要去做一些另外的活动，故B正确。

考点：考查教育类阅读