Question

    People have speculated (思索) for centuries about a future without work. Some imagine that the coming work-free world will be defined by inequality: A few wealthy people will own all the capital, and the masses will struggle in a wasteland. A different prediction holds that without jobs to give their lives meaning, future people will simply become lazy and depressed.

But it doesn’t necessarily follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with dissatisfaction. Such visions are based on the downsides of being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment. In the absence of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could provide strikingly different circumstances for the future of labor and leisure.

These days, spare time is relatively rare for most workers. “When I come home from a hard day's work, I often feel tired,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different — perhaps different enough to throw himself into a hobby with the enthusiasm usually reserved for professional matters.”

Daniel Everett, an anthropologist (人类学家) at Bentley University studied a group of hunter-gathers in the Amazon called the Piraha for years. According to Everett, while some might consider hunting and gathering work, hunter-gatherers don’t. “They think of it as fun,” he says. “They don’t have a concept of work the way we do.”

Everett described a typical clay for the Piraha: A man might get up, spend a few hours fishing, have a barbecue, and play until the evening. Does this relaxing life lead to the depression and purposelessness seen among so many of today’s unemployed? “I’ve never seen anything like depression there, except people who are physically ill,” Everett says. While many may consider work necessary for human life, work as it exists today is a relatively new invention in the course of human culture. “We think it’s bad to just sit around with nothing to do,” says Everett. “For the Piraha, it’s quite a desirable state.”

1.What might be some people’s attitude towards the work-free world?

A.Objective. B.Negative.

C.Skeptical. D.Cautious.

2.What does the underlined word “downsides” in Paragraph 2 probably refer to?

A.Risks. B.Losses.

C.Challenges. D.Disadvantages.

3.John Danaher might agree that _____.

A.work plays an important role in our future life

B.people don’t know how to balance work and life

C.people’s work-free future life will be full of charm

D.higher unemployment makes life tougher for workers

4.Why is Daniel Everett’s study mentioned?

A.To justify John Danaher’s opinion. B.To show a future life without work.

C.To compare different views on work. D.To introduce the Piraha in the Amazon.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。作者围绕不用工作的未来是什么样子而展开讨论。文章介绍了人们不同的观点。

1.

推理判断题。根据第一段中的Some imagine that the coming work-free world will be defined by inequality: A few wealthy people will own all the capital, and the masses will struggle in a wasteland. A different prediction holds that without jobs to give their lives meaning, future people will simply become lazy and depressed.可知，一些人认为，未来不用工作的世界将被不平等所定义：少数富人将拥有所有资本，而大众将在荒原上挣扎。另一种预测认为，没有工作来赋予他们的生活意义，未来的人们只会变得懒惰和沮丧。由此可知，有些人对不用工作的世界所持有的态度可能是消极的。故选B。

2.

词句猜测题。第一段中说到不用工作的坏处，而下文则说不用工作的好处。划线词前的Such visions指的是第一段中那些消极的观点，再根据划线词后的being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment可知，以就业为基础的社会中，失业肯定是不好的事情。由此判断，第一种观点是基于不用工作的缺点展开的。由此推知，划线词downsides意为“缺点”。故选D。

3.

推理判断题。根据第三段中John Danaher所说的话In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different — perhaps different enough to throw himself into a hobby with the enthusiasm usually reserved for professional matters.可知，在一个我不需要工作的世界里，我可能会感到相当不同——也许不同到足以让自己投入到一个爱好中去，而这种热情通常只存在于专业事务中。由此可知，John Danaher可能会同意，人们未来不用工作的生活将充满魅力。故选C。

4.

推理判断题。第三段讲述了John Danaher对于未来的观点，人们未来不用工作的生活将充满魅力，接下来后两段阐述Daniel Everett的对于例子，通读文章最后两段，可以看出Daniel Everett的研究内容刚好佐证了John Danaher的观点。故选A。