2023年12月四级第1套仔细阅读 Passage 1 原文翻译及答案解析

One of my bad habits is saying "busy" when people ask me how I'm doing. Sometimes it's because I actually am busy, but other times it's because that's what I think I'm supposed to say. That's what important people say. That's what people who get promoted say. But working long hours doesn't drive better results. Never taking a vacation won't lead to a promotion. So why are we so proud to talk about how busy we are all the time?

我的一个坏习惯是当别人问我过得怎么样时，我说“忙”。有时是因为我真的很忙，但其他时候是因为我觉得我应该这么说。重要的人是这么说的，那些得到晋升的人也是这么说的。但长时间工作并不能带来更好的结果。从不休假也不会导致晋升。那么，我们为什么总是那么自豪地谈论自己有多忙呢？

In 2016, researchers from Columbia, Harvard, and Georgetown conducted a study to figure it out. They found busy people are perceived to be of high status, and interestingly, these status attributions are heavily influenced by our own beliefs about social mobility. In other words, the more we believe that one has the opportunity for success based on hard work, the more we tend to think that people who skip leisure and work all the time are of higher standing.

2016年，哥伦比亚大学、哈佛大学和乔治城大学的研究人员进行了一项研究来弄清楚这一点。他们发现，忙碌的人被认为地位很高，有趣的是，这些地位归因深受我们自己对社会流动性的信念影响。换句话说，我们越相信基于努力工作就能成功，就越倾向于认为那些放弃休闲、一直工作的人地位更高。

That's why we feel like we have to appear busy, and there's a real perception that if someone is knee-deep in meetings, emails, and stress, then they're probably a big deal. This culture of busyness is making it hard for employees to find work-life balance. According to a recent study, one in five highly engaged employees is at risk of burnout (精疲力竭).

这就是为什么我们觉得必须显得忙碌，而且有一种真实的观念认为，如果某人深陷于会议、邮件和压力中，那么他们可能是个大人物。这种忙碌文化使员工难以找到工作与生活的平衡。根据最近的一项研究，五分之一高度投入的员工面临精疲力竭的风险。

Personally, I'm going to stop saying "busy" when people ask me how I am. It sounds self-righteous (自以为是的) and sets the wrong tone. Phrases like "I have limited access to email" and "I'll respond as soon as I get back" sound like you're being held against your will from working as opposed to making the most of your time off.

就我个人而言，当别人问我过得怎么样时，我将不再说“忙”。这听起来自以为是，并且设置了错误的基调。像“我有限地访问电子邮件”和“我一回来就会回复”这样的短语，听起来像是你被迫不能工作，而不是在充分利用你的休假时间。

That's why we recently launched the Out of Office Email Generator, a free tool you can use before your next long weekend or trip. You can share loud and proud that you won't be checking email until you're back. Managers need to think twice about emailing their teams on the weekend and talking about how busy they are. Leaders should take time off themselves and encourage employees to do the same.

这就是为什么我们最近推出了“外出办公邮件生成器”，这是一个免费工具，你可以在下一个长周末或旅行前使用。你可以大声且自豪地分享，在你回来之前不会查看电子邮件。经理们需要三思而后行，在周末给团队发邮件并谈论他们有多忙。领导者自己应该休假，并鼓励员工也这样做。