Question

Being busy can become a way of life. Our lives are always filled with emails and text messages. They make us feel wanted and important, but in a tiring and empty way. Being busy has a dangerous allure（誘惑）. If you are busy all the time, it’s hard to sit quietly with your thoughts or to really feel what you’re feeling. Whynot let everything become a choice — how we spend time, who we reply to and how much or little we write?

Many of us are busy becauseour self-worth goes up when people make demands（需求）on our time. Whydon’t we free ourselves from needing, or even wanting? Why don’t we make the best use of the time and space to be productive in a way that it best serves us? That may be consciously（主動地）keeping ourselves not busy. In fact many great discoverieswere made by people who built white space into their day.

Imagine asking “How are you?” to one of the most successful people you know like Warren Buffet. I’ve never heard anyone at that level answer “busy” though most people believe they are.

What are they doing differently?

First, they aim to project an image that things are under control. Second, they actually have things under control. They’ve had excellent staff, implemented（實施）thoughtful processes and they spend time only on critical tasks that require their attention. They make high-level strategic decisions with a large effect.

It’s time to end the glory of being busy and spend time setting up processes that make sense, rather than simply working more hours. To do this, you need to change yourway of thinking. It’s cool to say you’re busy, but it’s better to be busy helping someone carry a stroller up the subway stairs or busy finishing a book.

How to free us from the trendof being busy? Start with small steps. For one day, be mindful of every daily activity. Consider each thing a choice and decide proactively（預先）if it’s necessary or simply a habit you can get rid of or do in half the time. Next, stop saying how busy you are. Then, figure out what you want to achieve with your day and begin doing it. Put your time and energy where you want it to be.

1.What are many of us busy doing every day?

A. Sitting quietly and think actively.

B. Meeting people’s demands on our time.

C.Making great discoveries.

D. Takinghigh-level decisions.

2.Why don’t successful people like Warren Buffet answer “busy”?

A. Because they value working abilities and attitude.

B. Because they focus on attracting excellent workers.

C. Because they pay more attention to learning management.

D. Because they think well and spend more time on critical tasks.

3.The writer probably agrees that we should ______.

A. stop considering each thing a choice

B. work more hours to achieve our goals

C. answer emails and messages as soon as possible

D. be mindful where we want our time and energy to be

4.What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To advise us to be freedfrom the trend of being busy.

B. To warn us about the danger of leading a busy life.

C. To show us ways to feel good about being busy.

D. To tell us how to fit into the busy modern life.

Answer 1