英语四级阅读理解练习：工作和娱乐

英语四级阅读理解练习：工作和娱乐在英语学习过程中，阅读理解能力是学习者发展语言能力的基础和手段。国内的各类英语考试中几乎都有阅读理解题型，大学英语四级考试也不例外。大学英语四级阅读理解试题是试卷中分值最重的题型，为了提高大家的阅读水平，下面是店铺为大家带来英语四级阅读练习，希望对大家的学习有所帮助!英语四级阅读理解练习：工作和娱乐Whatdowemeanbyleisure,andwhyshouldweassumethatitrepresentsaproblemtobesolvedbythearts?Thegreatagesofartwerenotconspicuousfortheirleisure—atleast,artwasnotanactivityassociatedwithleisure.Itwasacraftlikeanyother,concernedwiththemakingofnecessarythings.Leisure,inthepresentmeaningoftheword,didnotexist.Leisure,beforetheIndustrialRevolution,meantnomorethan"time"or"opportunity";"Ifyourleisureserved,Iwouldspeakwithyou."saysoneofShakespeare'scharacters.Phraseswhichwestilluse,suchas"atyourleisure",preservethisoriginalmeaning.Butwhenwespeakofleisurenowadays,wearenotthinkingofsecuringtimeoropportunitytodosomething;timeisheavyonourhands,andtheproblemishowtofillit.Leisurenolongersignifiesaspacewithsomedifficultysecuredagainstthepressureofevents:ratheritisapervasiveemptinessforwhichwemustinventoccupations.Leisureisavacuum,adesperatestateofvacancy—avacancyofmindandbody.Ithasbeencommandeered(强占)bythesociologistsandthepsychologists:itisaproblem.Ourdiurnalexistenceisdividedintotwophases,asdistinctasdayandnight.Wecallthemworkandplay.Weworksomanyhoursaday,and,whenwehaveallowedthenecessaryminimumforsuchactivitiesaseatingandshopping,therestwespendinvariousactivitieswhichareknownasrecreations,anelegantwordwhichdisguisesthefactthatweusuallydonotevenplayinourhoursofleisure,butspendtheminvariousformsofpassiveenjoymentorentertainment—notfootballbutwatchingfootballmatches;notacting,buttheatre-going;notwalking,butridinginamotorcoach.Weneedtomake,therefore,ahard-and-fast(不能变通的)distinctionnotonlybetweenworkandplaybut,equally,betweenactiveplayandpassiveentertainment.Itis,Isuppose,thedeclineofactiveplay—ofamateursport—andtheenormousgrowthofpurelyreceptiveentertainmentwhichhasgivenrisetoasociologicalinterestintheproblem.Ifthegreaterpartofthepopulation,insteadofindulginginsport,spendtheirhoursofleisure"viewing"televisionprogrammes,therewillinevitablybeadeclineinhealthandphysique.And,inaddition,therewillbeapsychologicalproblem,forwehaveyettotracethementalandmoralconsequencesofaprolongeddietofsentimentalorsensationalspectaclesonthescreen.Thereis,ifweareoptimistic,thepossibilitythatthedietistoothinandunnourishingtohavemuchpermanenteffectonanybody.Ninefilmsoutoftenseemtoleaveabsolutelynoimpressiononthemindorimaginationofthosewhoseethem:fewpeoplecangiveacoherentaccountofthefilmtheysawtheweekbeforelast,andatlongerintervalstheymustrelyonthemanagementtoseethattheydonotsitthroughthesamefilmtwice.Wehavetoliveartifwewouldbeaffectedbyart.Wehavetopaintratherthanlookatpaintings,toplayinstrumentsratherthangotoconcerts,todanceandsingandactourselves,engagingalloursensesintheritualanddisciplineofthearts.Thensomethingmaybegintohappentous:toworkuponourbodiesandoursouls.Itisonlywhenentertainmentisactive,participatedin,practiced,thatitcanproperlybecalledplay,andassuchitisanaturaluseofleisure.Inthatsenseplaystandsincontrasttowork,andisusuallyregardedasanactivitythatalternateswithwork.Itistherethatthefinalandmostfundamentalerrorentersintoourconceptionofdailylife.Workitselfisnotasingleconcept.Wesayquitegenerallythatweworkinordertomakealiving:toearn,thatistosay,sufficienttokenswhichwecanexchangeforfoodandshelterandalltheotherneedsofourexistence.Butsomeofusworkphysically,cultivatingtheland,mindingthemachines,diggingthecoal;othersworkmentally,keepingaccounts,inventingmachines,teachingandpreaching,managingandgoverning.Theredoesnotseemtobeanyfactorcommontoallthesediverseoccupations,exceptthattheyconsumeourtime,andleaveuslittleleisure.Wemaynextobservethatoneman'sprofessionorworkisoftenanotherman'srecreationorplay.Themerchantattheweekendbecomesahunter(hehasnotyettakentomining);theclerkbecomesagardener;themachine-tenderbecomesabreederofbull-terriers(叭喇狗)Thereis,ofcourse，asoundinstinctbehindsuchtransformations.Thebodyandmindareunconsciouslyseekingcompensation—muscularcoordination,mentalintegration.Butinmanycasesadissociationissetupandtheindividualleadsadoublelife—onehalfJekyll,theotherhalfHyde(有善恶双重性格的人)-ThereisaprofoundmoralbehindthatstoryofStevenson's,forthecompensationwhichadisintegratedpersonalitymayseekwilloftenbeofananti-socialnature.TheNaziparty,forexample,initsearlydayswaslargelyrecruitedfromthebored—notsomuchfromtheunemployedasfromthestreet-cornersocietyoflistlesshooligans.Scientificstudieshavebeenmadeofstreet-cornersociety,outofwhichcrime,gangsterdom,andfascisminevitablydevelop.Itisasocietywithleisure—thatistosay,sparetime—andwithoutcompensatoryoccupation.ItdoesnotneedaSatantofindmischiefforsuchidlehands.Theywillspontaneouslyitchtodosomething:muscleshavealifeoftheirownunlesstheyaretrainedtopurposefulactions.Actions,orratheractivities,aretheobviousreflextoleisure;theyconsumeit,andleavetheproblemsolved.Butworkisalsoactivity,andifwereachtheconclusionthatallourtimemustbefilledwithoneactivityoranother,thedistinctionbetweenworkandplaybecomesrathermeaningless,andwhatwemeanbyplayismerelyachangeofoccupation.Wepassfromoneformofactivitytoanother;onewecallwork,andforthatwereceivepay;theotherwecallplay,andforthatwereceivenopay—onthecontrary,weprobablypayasubscription.1.TheIndustrialRevolutionbroughtaboutachangeinthenatureofpeople'sworkaswellasintheamountoftimeittook.2.Passiveentertainment,whichhasincreasedinourage,leadstoadeclineinhealthandmayalsocreatepsychologicalproblems.3.Thedivisionofactivitiesintoworkandplayisunsatisfactorybecauseitconcealstheimportantdistinctionbetweenactiveentertainmentandpa