你覺得自己懶嗎？如果答案是肯定的，那你是否該為此擔憂？人們對于 “懶” 的看法可謂見仁見智，專家們對此更是各持己見。有人認為，如果生活可以更輕松省力，那何樂而不為？有人則認為懶人辦事效率低下，而且對周遭的事物漠不關心。聽 “隨身英語” 節目就這一話題展開討論，看看你同意哪種觀點。

詞匯：laziness 懶惰

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.

詞匯表

lift a finger 幫忙，盡舉手之勞
sloppiness 懶散
relaxation 消遣，放松
laziness 懶惰
inertia 惰性
slothfulness 懶散，懈怠
idleness 懶散，無所事事
apathy 漠不關心，懈怠
unproductive 效率低的，徒勞的
restlessness 焦躁不安
irritability 煩躁，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 休養期
apathetic 懈怠的，（對重要事情）無動于衷的
couch potato “沙發土豆”，總看電視的人，懶惰的人
frenetic 極為忙碌的，瘋狂的
chill out 放松一下
goblin mode “躺平模式”，心安理得地好吃懶做的行為和生活態度

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

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.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

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. 閱讀課文并回答問題。 

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.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

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.