Passage 5
体裁：议论文 话题：工作与生活 时间：8分钟
(2014·山东省实验中学诊断性测试)Managers and office busybodies might be keen on a clean desk-but it seems that in terms of productivity，they could have it all wrong.A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking，say researchers from Germany.
The researchers found in a series of linked studies—using a messy desk and a messy shop front - that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos，as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand.That is，visual and mental clutter(杂乱) forces human beings to focus and think more clearly.For instance，famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl have been notorious for their untidy desks.
“Messy desks may not be as detrimental as they appear to be，as the problemsolving approaches they seem to cause can boost work efficiency or enhance employees' creativity in problem solving，” say the authors.
Oddly，the effect seems to work most on conservatives—political liberals are less liable to be worried about mess in the first place，say the researchers.
“Business and government managers often promote ‘clean desk' policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks，for the purpose of boosting work efficiency and productivity，” writes a researcher，Jia Liu of the University of Groningen.“This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can clutter one's mind and complicate one's judgments.”
“However，not all evidence supports this conventional link between a messy environment and a messy mind.” The scientists tested people's response in various “messy” environments，including a messy shop front，a disorganized desk，and even a work environment where a language task “reminded” people of messiness.
The authors found in the series of six studies that people tended towards simplicity in their thinking.
“They categorized products in a simpler manner，were willing to pay more for a Tshirt that depicts a simplelooking picture，and sought less variety in their choices，” said the researchers.
【语篇导读】 本文是议论文，论述了干净的办公室及工作环境对雇工有着积极的影响。
1.According to the text，a proper way to lead people towards clearer thinking is to________.
A.make a list of priorities
B.simplify the tasks at hand
C.follow famous people
D.mess up their mind
解析 细节理解题。由第二段可知答案。
答案 B
2.Why did the author take Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl for example?
A.To tell readers untidy desks can make you as famous as celebrities.
B.To convince readers that untidiness is not all that bad.
C.To inform readers of one way to success-untidy desks.
D.To attract readers and show the author's wide range of knowledge.
解析 推理判断题。由Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl之前的句子...visual and mental clutter(杂乱)forces human beings to focus and think more clearly.和短语for instance可知作者用这两个人来证明不整洁的办公桌可能有利于使思路清晰。
答案 B
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.A messy environment will certainly lead to a messy mind.
B.A clean environment will do great harm to work efficiency.
C.People tend to clear up the mess before thinking clearly.
D.All people are not in favor of “clean desk” in the office.
解析 细节理解题。由第四段可知答案。
答案 D
4.The underlined word “detrimental” probably means________.
A.disadvantageous B.useful
C.beneficial D.accessible
解析 猜测词义题。由第三段“凌乱的办公桌也许并没有看起来的那么不利，它们所激发出的解决问题的方式可以提高工作效率，或者增强员工处理问题时的创造力”可推知词义。
答案 A
5.What is the main idea for this passage?
A.The messier the desks are，the more efficient the employees are.
B.Messy desks in the office can have a positive effect on employees.
C.We should make our office messy to improve our work efficiency.
D.Clean desks can boost the employees' productivity and creativity.
解析 主旨大意题。根据第一段中的A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking...可知。
答案 B
