随身英语
Is it bad to be lazy? 懒惰是坏事吗？
你觉得自己懒吗？如果答案是肯定的，那你是否该为此担忧？人们对于 “懒” 的看法可谓见仁见智，专家们对此更是各持己见。有人认为，如果生活可以更轻松省力，那何乐而不为？有人则认为懒人办事效率低下，而且对周遭的事物漠不关心。听 “随身英语” 节目就这一话题展开讨论，看看你同意哪种观点。
词汇：laziness 懒惰
Would you call yourself lazy? If you live in a messy house and are reluctant to lift a finger to help out, maybe you are. But laziness is a subjective thing – sloppiness to one person might be a form of relaxation to another. And if you can be bothered to read on, you'll see that opinion is divided on whether laziness is a bad thing.
Generally speaking, we tend to look on our laziness as a negative thing. Inertia, slothfulness, idleness and apathy are used as criticisms and insults against individuals and groups of people. We think of lazy people as unproductive or that they don't really care about things. And when we find ourselves doing nothing, we feel guilty about it. Could this be because we are not instinctively lazy creatures? And is that why we often do things we don't need to do and which are sometimes painful – like running a marathon? Writing for BBC Future, Claudia Hammond explains that "enforced and extended rest, unless we are ill and our bodies demand it, leads not to feelings of being relaxed but of restlessness and irritability."
Others may suggest we are naturally lazy, and that we can't help taking it easy, though it's hard to believe because we're constantly told to do more. But kicking back and living life in the slow lane could be better for our health. A study by psychologist Dr Robert Levine in 1999, for example, concluded that people living in cities with a fast pace of life had the highest rates of coronary heart disease.
Laziness has also been shown to be good for our mental health, so having a nap or some downtime shouldn't be frowned upon. And there are other possible benefits too. Dr Masud Husain, Professor of Neurology at the University of Oxford, told the BBC: "We found that people who have tended to be more apathetic might in some ways be more creative, so that although they might be a couch potato, they might be coming up with one great idea that might be very interesting and useful." So, in our frenetic lives, maybe we should chill out, get into goblin mode and contemplate the benefits laziness can bring.
词汇表
lift a finger 帮忙，尽举手之劳
sloppiness 懒散
relaxation 消遣，放松
laziness 懒惰
inertia 惰性
slothfulness 懒散，懈怠
idleness 懒散，无所事事
apathy 漠不关心，懈怠
unproductive 效率低的，徒劳的
restlessness 焦躁不安
irritability 烦躁，易怒
take it easy 放松，休息
kick back 放松
life in the slow lane 慢半拍的生活
coronary heart disease 冠心病
nap 小睡，打盹
downtime 休养期
apathetic 懈怠的，（对重要事情）无动于衷的
couch potato “沙发土豆”，总看电视的人，懒惰的人
frenetic 极为忙碌的，疯狂的
chill out 放松一下
goblin mode “躺平模式”，心安理得地好吃懒做的行为和生活态度
测验与练习
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. According to one idea, why do we do things we don't need to do?
2. True or false? According to Claudia Hammond, doing nothing for a period of time makes us feel relaxed.
3. According to some experts, how can being lazy help us?
4. According to a study by psychologist Dr Robert Levine, where did people with the highest rates of coronary heart disease live?
5. What kind of idea might a couch potato come up with?
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. My brother is so lazy, he never _______.
relaxation relaxing lifts a finger lifts his finger
2. I can't wait for my holiday when I can _______ on the beach.
couch potato downtime kick back restlessness
3. Sorry for being late. It's been quite _______ at work today.
apathetic frenetic unproductive idleness
4. There's so much on TV to watch these days, I've become a _______.
goblin mode irritability chill out couch potato
5. Since I retired, I've been taking _______.
life in the fast lane a slow lane life life in the slow lane live in the slow lane
答案
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. According to one idea, why do we do things we don't need to do?
We often do things that we don't need to do and which are sometimes painful because we are not instinctively lazy creatures.
2. True or false? According to Claudia Hammond, doing nothing for a period of time makes us feel relaxed.
False. Claudia Hammond explains that "enforced and extended rest, unless we are ill and our bodies demand it, leads not to feelings of being relaxed but of restlessness and irritability."
3. According to some experts, how can being lazy help us?
Being lazy might help our mental health, and, according to Dr Masud Husain, could make us more creative.
4. According to a study by psychologist Dr Robert Levine, where did people with the highest rates of coronary heart disease live?
The study found those living in cities with a fast pace of life had the highest rates of coronary heart disease.
5. What kind of idea might a couch potato come up with?
A couch potato might come up with one great idea that might be very interesting and useful.
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. My brother is so lazy, he never lifts a finger.
2. I can't wait for my holiday when I can kick back on the beach.
3. Sorry for being late. It's been quite frenetic at work today.
4. There's so much on TV to watch these days, I've become a couch potato.
5. Since I retired, I've been taking life in the slow lane.
