Question

    Last spring, I started a new exercise class. As someone who dislikes doing jumping jacks, burpees, and push-ups, I found the workouts surprisingly enjoyable, at least for a while. But after several months, I was overly familiar with the class routine, and my excitement had been replaced with boredom.

A 2016 study for the American Psychological Association estimated that 63 percent of us suffer from boredom regularly. And research shows that chronically(长期地) bored people tend to fall into depression, drug abuse and anxiety.

But boredom isn’t a character weakness. It’s a state caused by something called hedonic(享乐的) adaptations, or the tendency to get used to things over time. This explains why activities and even relationships that were initially satisfying can sometimes lose their appeal.

Humans are remarkably good at growing accustomed to changes in our lives, both positive and negative, according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside. This is a good thing when we are faced with adjusting to setbacks such as losing a loved one or a job. But becoming insensitive to positive events can prove harmful. Think about the last time you got a raise, bought a car, or moved. At first, these experiences can bring immense joy. But over time, they become part of the routine. We are ready for the next new thing to excite us.

While boredom can be a downer when it removes the pleasure from our lives, it can provide a sort of service. “If our emotional reactions didn’t weaken with time, we couldn’t recognize new changes that may signal rewards or threats,” Lyubomirsky says. In other words, we’d ignored cues signaling us to make important decisions about our relationships and safety.

It’s not unlike how our reactions change when we fall in love or experience loss. Being caught in the glow of happiness or the web of sadness can make us distracted or forgetful. We may miss signals that indicate whether we’re about to make a smart move or a disastrous one. The good news is that understanding the connection between hedonic adaptation and boredom can help us.

A study published in 2018 in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin showed that finding unusual ways to get along with familiar people, places, and things can make everyday experiences feel exciting. In other words, sometimes you’ve just got to shake things up!

1.The author talked about his new exercise class in Paragraph 1 to ______.

A.introduce the topic of boredom B.show the negative effects of exercise

C.prove the significance of exercise D.encourage people to work out regularly

2.What did the 2016 study find about boredom?

A.Three in five people are bound to live with boredom.

B.Occasional boredom has no side effects at all.

C.Lasting boredom may affect people negatively.

D.63 percent of people are victims of anxiety disorder.

3.Why do some people suffer from boredom?

A.They possess some character weaknesses.

B.They adjust themselves to negative changes.

C.They get accustomed to previous happenings.

D.They have difficulty handling human relations.

4.What can we infer from Paragraphs 4 and 5?

A.Emotional reactions result in decision making.

B.Emotional reactions determine the social relationship.

C.Boredom leads to being distracted or forgetful.

D.Boredom helps the discovery of new changes.

5.At the end of the passage, the author might continue to write about ______.

A.the tiny excitement of familiarity B.some fresh ideas for keeping life fresh

C.the reasons for accepting boredom D.some methods to mix things up

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.C

4.D

5.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章作者先用自己的经历引入话题----人为何会感觉无聊。之后作者分析了原因，强调了影响。最后提出了如何让日常生活变得兴奋的方法。

1.

推理判断题。作者在第一段Last spring, I started a new exercise class. As someone who dislikes doing jumping jacks, burpees, and push-ups, I found the workouts surprisingly enjoyable, at least for a while. But after several months, I was overly familiar with the class routine, and my excitement had been replaced with boredom讲到刚开始的时候他非常喜欢健身班，但是几个月后，作者对课程的常规过于熟悉了，作者的兴奋被无聊所取代。接着从第二段开始，作者就开始剖析人会对原先新鲜的事物产生“无聊感”的原因。由此可见第一段举的例子就为了引出文章的主题---关于无聊的主题。故选A项。

2.

细节理解题。根据文章第二段A 2016 study for the American Psychological Association estimated that 63 percent of us suffer from boredom regularly. And research shows that chronically bored people tend to fall into depression, drug abuse and anxiety（美国心理协会2016年的一项研究估计，63%的人经常感到无聊。研究表明，长期感到无聊的人容易抑郁、滥用药物和焦虑）可知，长期的无聊会产生诸如抑郁，滥用药物，焦虑等不良的后果。故选C项。

3.

推理判断题。根据对文章第三段But boredom isn’t a character weakness. It’s a state caused by something called hedonic adaptations, or the tendency to get used to things over time. This explains why activities and even relationships that were initially satisfying can sometimes lose their appeal.（但无聊并不是性格上的弱点。这是一种被称为享乐适应的状态，也就是随着时间的推移习惯事物的倾向。这就解释了为什么最初令人满意的活动甚至关系有时会失去吸引力）和第四段Humans are remarkably good at growing accustomed to changes in our lives, both positive and negative（人类非常善于适应生活中的变化，包括积极的和消极的）以及第四段But becoming insensitive to positive events can prove harmful. Think about the last time you got a raise, bought a car, or moved. At first, these experiences can bring immense joy. But over time, they become part of the routine. We are ready for the next new thing to excite us（但对积极事件无动于衷可能是有害的。想想你最近一次加薪、买车或搬家的情景。首先，这些经历可以带来巨大的快乐。但随着时间的推移，它们变成了日常生活的一部分。我们准备好迎接下一个让我们兴奋的新事物）综合分析可知，人类很善于习惯生活中的一些变化，因为这种习惯导致最初让人满意的活动很快就会失去吸引力，他们很快就会变成我们日常生活的一部分。也正是因此才导致了无聊的产生。综合分析，故选C项。

4.

推理判断题。根据第四段But over time, they become part of the routine. We are ready for the next new thing to excite us（但随着时间的推移，它们变成了日常生活的一部分。我们准备好迎接下一个让我们兴奋的新事物）和第五段While boredom can be a downer when it removes the pleasure from our lives, it can provide a sort of service. “If our emotional reactions didn’t weaken with time, we couldn’t recognize new changes that may signal rewards or threats。（当厌倦从我们的生活中带走乐趣时，它是一种令人沮丧的东西，但它也能提供某种服务。“如果我们的情绪反应没有随着时间而减弱，我们就无法识别可能是奖赏或威胁信号的新变化）综合分析可知，无聊也不都是有害的。有时候无聊有助于我们迎接下一个新事物或者新变化。故选D项。

5.

推理判断题。根据最后一段 A study published in 2018 in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin showed that finding unusual ways to get along with familiar people, places, and things can make every day experiences feel exciting. In other words, sometimes you’ve just got to shake things up（2018年发表在《个性与社会心理学公报》上的一项研究表明，寻找不同寻常的方式与熟悉的人、地方和事物相处，会让日常经历变得令人兴奋。换句话说，有时候你只是需要改变一下）可知，最后一段作者提到通过改变可以让你的日常变得令人兴奋。所以可以推测，后文作者要写的会是一些关于如何保持生活新鲜的想法。故选B项。