2015年考研英语阅读理解测试题5

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2015年考研英语阅读理解测试题5

发表时间：2014/8/31 22:00:39 来源：互联网点击关注微信：

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]

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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?