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摸鱼也是工作(上)
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摸鱼也是工作：做白日梦、散步和开小差都能带来丰厚回报。熟悉的事物具有强大的潜意识吸引力。
双语精读
Loafing can be work: Daydreaming, promenading and zoning out all pay rich dividends
摸鱼也是工作：做白日梦、散步和开小差都能带来丰厚回报
The familiar exerts a powerful subliminal appeal.
熟悉的事物具有强大的潜意识吸引力。
The "name-letter effect" refers to the subconscious bias that people have for the letters in their own name, and for their own initials in particular. They are more likely to choose careers, partners and brands that start with their initials (Joe becomes a joiner, marries Judy and loves Jaffa cakes).
“姓名的字母效应”指的是人们对自己姓名中的字母，尤其是首字母存在的潜意识偏见。他们更有可能选择以自己名字的首字母开头的职业、伴侣和品牌（比如Joe成为了joiner [木工]，与Judy结婚，喜欢Jaffa蛋糕）。
A related bias, the "well-travelled-road effect", describes the tendency of people to ascribe shorter travelling times to familiar routes than is actually the case.
与之相关的另一种偏向是“熟路效应”，即人们倾向于认为熟悉的道路所需要的行程时间更短，而忽略了实际情况。
A bias towards the familiar shows up at work, too. One such prejudice is about what exactly constitutes work. Being at a desk counts as work, as does looking at a screen above a certain size. Responding to email and being in a meeting are indubitably forms of work.
对熟悉事物的偏向也体现在工作中。其中一种偏见是关于哪些行为能算工作。坐在办公桌前是工作，盯着大尺寸屏幕也是工作。回复邮件和开会无疑都是工作的形式。
So is any activity that might elicit sympathy if performed on the weekend-typing, taking a phone call from the boss, opening any type of spreadsheet.
任何在周末进行便可能会引发同情的活动，比如打字、接老板电话、打开任何一种电子表格等等，也是工作。
This prejudice helps to explain worries about "proximity bias", the risk that white-collar employees who spend lots of time in the office are more likely to advance than remote workers who are less visible. That is because being inside an office building is itself something that counts as work.
这种偏见有助于解释人们对“接近偏见”的担忧，即长时间待在办公室的白领员工比不常出现在人们视线中的远程员工更有可能获得晋升。这是因为待在办公楼里本身就算是一种工作。
Pre-pandemic research showed that "passive face-time"-the mere fact of being seen at your desk, without even interacting with anyone-led observers to think of people as dependable and committed.
疫情前的研究表明，“被动会面”，即仅仅是被人看到坐在办公桌前这一事实，甚至不需要与任何人互动，就会让观察者认为这些人是可靠且忠诚的。
But these familiar forms of work can deceive, for two reasons. The first is that what looks like a Stakhanovite effort may be no such thing.
但这些熟悉的工作形式可能具有欺骗性，原因有二。首先，看似斯塔汉诺夫式（工作狂式）的努力可能并不是真的在努力。
Keyboard-tappers may just be updating their LinkedIn profiles. Attendees at a meeting are often present in body but not in spirit. Even when actual work is being done, it may not be the most productive use of people's time.
敲键盘的人可能只是在更新他们的领英个人资料。出席会议的人往往是身体出席，精神缺席。就算实际工作正在进行处理，也可能没有最有效地利用人们的时间。
The second is that things that look like the opposite of work-loafing about, to use the technical term-can be very useful indeed.
其次，那些看起来与工作背道而驰的事，用专业术语来讲就是“游手好闲”，实际上可能非常有用。
Take daydreaming. In most workplaces, staring into space for hours on end is frowned upon; security guards and models can get away with it, but few others.
拿做白日梦来说，在大多数工作场所，连续几个小时盯着天看是不可取的；保安和模特可以这么做而免受惩罚，但其它人几乎都不能这样。
Yet letting the mind wander is not simply part of being human; it can also be a source of creativity, a way to unlock solutions to thorny problems.
然而，允许思维漫游不仅仅是显示人性的一部分；它也可能是创造力的源泉，是解决棘手问题的一种方法。
词汇预习
source [高考]
美[sɔːrs] | 英[sɔːs]
n. 来源；发源地；原始资料 v. 从...获得
productive [高考]
美[prəˈdʌktɪv] | 英[prəˈdʌktɪv]
adj. 富有成效的；多产的；生产性的；具有创造性的
visible [高考]
美[ˈvɪzəbl] | 英[ˈvɪzəbl]
adj. 看得见的；可见的；显而易见的 n. 物质世界；看得见的事物；直观教具
bias [高考]
美[ˈbaɪəs] | 英[ˈbaɪəs]
n. 偏见；偏爱；斜纹 vt. 使偏心
mere [高考]
美[mɪr] | 英[mɪə(r)]
adj. 仅仅的；只不过的 n. 小湖；池塘 n. (Mere)人名；(日)目连(姓)；(西)梅雷
unlock [高考]
美[ˌʌnˈlɑk] | 英[ˌʌnˈlɒk]
v. 开锁；开启；揭开；显露
advance [高考]
美[ədˈvæns] | 英[ədˈvɑːns]
n. 前进；进展；预付金 v. 前进；预付；增长；推进 adj. 预先的；提前的
appeal [高考]
美[əˈpiːl] | 英[əˈpiːl]
n. 恳求；呼吁；上诉；吸引力 n. (体育比赛中)诉请裁决 v. 呼吁；有吸引力；求助；诉请
wander [高考]
美[ˈwɑːndər] | 英[ˈwɒndə(r)]
v. 漫游，闲逛；迷路；走神；(目光)游离；蜿蜒 n. 游荡，溜达，徘徊
security [高考]
美[sɪˈkjʊrəti] | 英[sɪˈkjʊərəti]
n. 安全；保证；证券；债券；抵押；防护措施
remote [高考]
美[rɪˈmoʊt] | 英[rɪˈməʊt]
adj. 遥远的；偏僻的；远程的；(感情等)距离很大 n. 远程操作
sympathy [高考]
美[ˈsɪmpəθi] | 英[ˈsɪmpəθi]
n. 同情；同情心；同感；赞同；慰问
prejudice [高考]
美[ˈpredʒudɪs] | 英[ˈpredʒudɪs]
n. 偏见；伤害 vt. 伤害；使 ... 存偏见；使偏袒
technical [高考]
美[ˈteknɪkl] | 英[ˈteknɪkl]
adj. 技术的；技能的；工艺的；专门技术的
tendency [高考]
美[ˈtendənsi] | 英[ˈtendənsi]
n. 趋势；倾向；秉性
actual [高考]
美[ˈæktʃuəl] | 英[ˈæktʃuəl]
adj. 实际的；事实上的
passive [高考]
美[ˈpæsɪv] | 英[ˈpæsɪv]
adj. 被动的；消极的 n. 被动性
collar [高考]
美[ˈkɑːlər] | 英[ˈkɒlə(r)]
n. 衣领；项圈；[机]轴环 vt. 抓住；为 ... 戴上项圈；为 ... 上领子
in particular [高考]
美[ɪn pər'tɪkjələr] | 英[ɪn pə'tɪkjələ(r)]
特别； 尤其
on end [高考]
美[ɑːn end] | 英[ɒn end]
竖着地； 连续地
deceive [高考]
美[dɪˈsiːv] | 英[dɪˈsiːv]
vt. 欺骗 vi. 行骗
email [四级]
美['imeɪl] | 英['i:meɪl]
vt. 发电子邮件；给……发电子邮件 n. 电子邮件，电子信函
elicit [四级]
美[iˈlɪsɪt] | 英[iˈlɪsɪt]
vt. 引出；诱出；探出
get away with [四级]
美[ɡet əˈweɪ wɪð] | 英[ɡet əˈweɪ wɪð]
v. 侥幸逃脱(惩罚)
white-collar [六级]
美[ˌwaɪt ˈkɑːlər] | 英[ˌwaɪt ˈkɒlə(r)]
adj. 白领阶层的
ascribe [六级]
美[əˈskraɪb] | 英[əˈskraɪb]
v. 归因于；归于
subconscious [专八]
美[ˌsʌbˈkɑnʃəs] | 英[ˌsʌbˈkɒnʃəs]
adj. 潜意识的；下意识的 n. 潜意识
dependable [考研]
美[dɪˈpɛndəbəl] | 英[dɪˈpendəbl]
adj. 可靠的；可信赖的
joiner [托福]
美[ˈdʒɔɪnɚ] | 英[ˈdʒɔɪnə(r)]
n. 木匠；社团活跃分子
subliminal [托福]
美[sʌbˈlɪmənəl] | 英[ˌsʌbˈlɪmɪnl]
adj. 下意识的；潜意识的
重点讲解
Loafing can be work: Daydreaming, promenading and zoning out all pay rich dividends
摸鱼也是工作：做白日梦、散步和开小差都能带来丰厚回报
zone out 入睡；失去知觉；走神
（英文解释：to fall asleep, become unconscious or stop paying attention）
【例】I just zoned out for a moment.
我刚睡着了一会儿。
The familiar exerts a powerful subliminal appeal.
熟悉的事物具有强大的潜意识吸引力。
exert v.
1. 运用；行使；施加
【例】exerts influence／pressure／authority 施加影响／压力／运用权威
The moon exerts a force on the earth that causes the tides.
月球对地球的吸引力引起潮汐。
2. 耗费(自己的精力)
【例】In order to be successful he would have to exert himself.
他必须努力才能成功。
The "name-letter effect" refers to the subconscious bias that people have for the letters in their own name, and for their own initials in particular. They are more likely to choose careers, partners and brands that start with their initials (Joe becomes a joiner, marries Judy and loves Jaffa cakes).
“姓名的字母效应”指的是人们对自己姓名中的字母，尤其是首字母存在的潜意识偏见。他们更有可能选择以自己名字的首字母开头的职业、伴侣和品牌（比如Joe成为了joiner [木工]，与Judy结婚，喜欢Jaffa蛋糕）。
initial adj. & n. & v.
1. 作形容词，最初的；开始的；第一的
【例】My initial reaction was to decline the offer.
我最初的反应是要婉言谢绝这个提议。
2. 作名词，（名字的）首字母
3. 作动词，用姓名的首字母作标记（或签名）于
【例】Please initial each page and sign in the space provided.
请在每一页上用姓名的首字母签署并在规定的空白处签字。
A related bias, the "well-travelled-road effect", describes the tendency of people to ascribe shorter travelling times to familiar routes than is actually the case.
与之相关的另一种偏向是“熟路效应”，即人们倾向于认为熟悉的道路所需要的行程时间更短，而忽略了实际情况。
ascribe v.
1. 认为…是（某人）所写
【例】This play is usually ascribed to Shakespeare.
通常认为这部剧是莎士比亚所写。
2. 把…归因于；认为…是由于
【例】He ascribed his failure to bad luck.
他认为自己的失败是运气不好。
A bias towards the familiar shows up at work, too. One such prejudice is about what exactly constitutes work. Being at a desk counts as work, as does looking at a screen above a certain size. Responding to email and being in a meeting are indubitably forms of work.
对熟悉事物的偏向也体现在工作中。其中一种偏见是关于哪些行为能算工作。坐在办公桌前是工作，盯着大尺寸屏幕也是工作。回复邮件和开会无疑都是工作的形式。
indubitably adv. 无疑地，不容置疑地，不容置疑地
【例】He was, indubitably, the most suitable candidate.
他无疑是最合适的人选。
So is any activity that might elicit sympathy if performed on the weekend—typing, taking a phone call from the boss, opening any type of spreadsheet.
任何在周末进行便可能会引发同情的活动，比如打字、接老板电话、打开任何一种电子表格等等，也是工作。
elicit v. 引出；探出；诱出
【搭配】elicit sth (from sb)
【例】Her tears elicited great sympathy from her audience.
她的眼泪博得观众的无限同情。
This**** prejudice helps to**** explain worries about "proximity**** bias****", the risk**** that**** white-collar**** employees who spend lots**** of**** time**** in**** the office**** are more**** likely**** to**** advance than**** remote**** workers who are less**** visible.**** That**** is**** because being inside**** an**** office**** building**** is**** itself**** something that**** counts**** as**** work****.****
这种偏见有助于解释人们对“接近偏见”的担忧，即长时间待在办公室的白领员工比不常出现在人们视线中的远程员工更有可能获得晋升。这是因为待在办公楼里本身就算是一种工作。
Pre-pandemic research showed that "passive face-time"—the mere fact of being seen at your desk, without even interacting with anyone—led observers to think of people as dependable and committed.
疫情前的研究表明，“被动会面”，即仅仅是被人看到坐在办公桌前这一事实，甚至不需要与任何人互动，就会让观察者认为这些人是可靠且忠诚的。
no such thing 没有的事
（英文释义：used to say that a particular person, object, etc., does not really exist）
【例】There is no such thing as a unicorn.
根本不存在独角兽这种东西。
But these familiar forms of work can deceive, for two reasons. The first is that what looks like a Stakhanovite effort may be no such thing.
但这些熟悉的工作形式可能具有欺骗性，原因有二。首先，看似斯塔汉诺夫式（工作狂式）的努力可能并不是真的在努力。
no such thing 没有的事
（英文释义：used to say that a particular person, object, etc., does not really exist）
【例】There is no such thing as a unicorn.
根本不存在独角兽这种东西。
Keyboard****-tappers may just**** be**** updating**** their LinkedIn**** profiles****.**** Attendees at**** a meeting are often present in**** body**** but not in**** spirit****.**** Even**** when**** actual**** work**** is**** being done****,**** it**** may not be**** the most**** productive**** use of**** people****’s time****.****
敲键盘的人可能只是在更新他们的领英个人资料。出席会议的人往往是身体出席，精神缺席。就算实际工作正在进行处理，也可能没有最有效地利用人们的时间。
The second**** is**** that**** things**** that**** look**** like**** the opposite**** of**** work****—loafing about,**** to**** use the technical term****—can be**** very**** useful**** indeed****.****
其次，那些看起来与工作背道而驰的事，用专业术语来讲就是“游手好闲”，实际上可能非常有用。
Take daydreaming. In most workplaces, staring into space for hours on end is frowned upon; security guards and models can get away with it, but few others.
拿做白日梦来说，在大多数工作场所，连续几个小时盯着天看是不可取的；保安和模特可以这么做而免受惩罚，但其它人几乎都不能这样。
on end 连续地
（英文释义：continuing without stopping for a specified period of time.）
【例】Sometimes they'll be gone for days on end.
有时他们会连续几天不在。
frown upon 皱眉，不赞成
【例】This practice is frowned upon as being wasteful.
这种做法被认为是浪费而不被赞成。
get away with 逃脱惩罚，侥幸逃脱
【例】The criminals know how to play the system and get away with it.
那些罪犯知道怎样钻制度的空子并逃脱惩罚。
Yet letting the mind wander is not simply part of being human; it can also be a source of creativity, a way to unlock solutions to thorny problems.
然而，允许思维漫游不仅仅是显示人性的一部分；它也可能是创造力的源泉，是解决棘手问题的一种方法。
on end 连续地
（英文释义：continuing without stopping for a specified period of time.）
【例】Sometimes they'll be gone for days on end.
有时他们会连续几天不在。
frown upon 皱眉，不赞成
【例】This practice is frowned upon as being wasteful.
这种做法被认为是浪费而不被赞成。
get away with 逃脱惩罚，侥幸逃脱
【例】The criminals know how to play the system and get away with it.
那些罪犯知道怎样钻制度的空子并逃脱惩罚。
课后练习
The “name-letter-effect” and the “well-travelled-road effect” suggest that ____.
A. performing familiar tasks helps improve efficiency
B. people are unconsciously attracted to familiar things
C. the name of people can influence their career choices
D. people prefer taking the familiar routes when travelling
The “proximity bias” can be explained by the fact that ____.
A. working on the weekend represents a sense of responsibility
B. bosses have prejudice against those who don’t reply to emails
C. people have a traditional view about what counts as work
D. working remotely reduces communication between colleagues
Which of the following statement is true about “passive face-time”?
A. It is a common practice before the pandemic.
B. It demonstrates a person’s ability to work independently.
C. It shows that online interaction is a waste of time.
D. It doesn’t necessarily mean high productivity.
What is the author’s opinion of “loafing about” ?
A. It reduces efficiency and deserves punishment.
B. It helps employees concentrate after a short rest.
C. It motivates workers to generate innovative ideas.
D. It is a thorny problem of staff management.