英语听力精选进阶版 6418

Were you constantly bored as a child? Maybe that helped you to develop your innate¹ ability to be creative.

Boredom² can be a good thing for children, according to Dr Teresa Belton, researcher at the University of East Anglia's School of Education and Lifelong Learning. After interviewing authors, artists and scientists in Britain, she's reached the conclusion that cultural expectations that children should be constantly active could hamper³ the development of their imagination.

British comedienne and writer Meera Syal grew up in a small mining village with few distractions⁴. The researcher said: "Lack of things to do spurred her to talk to people she wouldn't otherwise have engaged with and try activities she wouldn't, under other circumstances, have experienced, such as talking to elderly neighbours and learning to bake cakes."

Belton added: "Boredom made her write. Meera Syal kept a diary from a young age, filling it with observations, short stories, poems, and diatribe⁵."

The academic didn't ignore the old saying the devil finds work for idle hands, though. Belton pointed⁶ out that young people who don't have the interior resources to deal with boredom creatively may end up smashing up bus shelters or taking cars out for a joyride.

How about watching TV and videos on the computer? The academic believes that nothing replaces standing⁷ and staring at things and observing your surroundings.

It's the sort of thing that stimulates⁸ the imagination, she said, while the screen "tends to short circuit that process and the development of creative capacity".

Dr Belton concluded: "For the sake of creativity, perhaps we need to slow down and stay offline from time to time."

Quiz 测验

1. What didn't Meera Syal's village have much of?

Distractions.

2. What did the writer keep from a young age?

A diary.

3. Is this statement true or false? According to Dr Belton, watching TV stimulates the imagination.

False. The academic says that it interrupts the development of creativity that only standing and staring at the surroundings can encourage.

4. What is Dr Belton's advice for youngsters who like computers?

Stay offline from time to time.

5. Which word in the article means something you are born with?

Innate.

Glossary⁹ 词汇表

innate 天生的

expectation 期待

to hamper 妨碍

the imagination 想象力

distractions 使人分心的事物

to spur 去激发

to engage 使从事、忙于

circumstances 环境

a diatribe 酷评

an academic 学术界人士

the devil finds work for idle hands 游手好闲，造恶之源

interior resources 内在方法

to smash up 去砸烂

a bus shelter 公车候车亭

a joyride （用偷来的车）开快车兜风

to stare 凝视，张大眼睛看

the surroundings 周围景物事物

to short circuit 去短路

for the sake of 为了...的缘故或目的

offline 线下

1 innate   

adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的

参考例句：

• You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
• Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。

2 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

3 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

4 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 diatribe   

n.抨击，抨击性演说

参考例句：

• He launched a diatribe against the younger generation.他对年轻一代发起了长篇抨击。
• The book is a diatribe against the academic left.这本书对学术左派进行了长时间的谩骂。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。