2014年考研英语新概念必背作文精选业余爱好

　　Lesson 46 Hobbies业余爱好

　　A gifted American psychologist has said, Worry is aspasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold of something and will not let itgo. It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition. Thestronger the will, the more futile the task. One can only gently insinuatesomething else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightlychosen, if it is really attended by the illumination of another field ofinterest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes andthe process of recuperation and repair begins.

　　The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore apolicy of the first importance to a public man. But this is not a business thatcan be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will.The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process. The seeds must becarefully chosen; they must fall on good ground; they must be sedulouslytended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.

　　To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least twoor three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in lifeto say: I will take an interest in this or that. Such anattempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire greatknowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet get hardly anybenefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like whatyou do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: thosewho are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who arebored to death. It is no use offering the manual laborer, tired out with a hardweeks sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseballon Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professionalor business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for sixdays, to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.

　　As for the unfortunate people who can command everything they want,who can gratify every caprice and lay their hands on almost every object ofdesire----for them a new pleasure, a new excitement is only an additionalsatiation. In vain they rush frantically round from place to place, trying toescape from avenging boredom by mere clatter and motion. For them discipline inone form or another is the most hopeful path.

　　It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beingsare divided into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whosepleasure is pleasure; and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Ofthese the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The longhours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not onlythe means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplestand most modest forms. But Fortunes favored children belong to the secondclass.Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are neverlong enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays, when they come, aregrudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation. Yet to bothclasses, the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of adiversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose workis their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it atintervals from their minds.

　　一位天才的美国心理学家曾经说过：烦恼是感情的发作，此时脑子纠缠住了某种东西又不肯松手。在这种情况下，你和头脑争吵让它松手是无济于事的。这种意志越是强烈，这种尝试越是徒劳。你只能缓和而巧妙地让另一种东西进入痉挛僵持的头脑中。如果选得合适，而且的确受到别的领域的情趣的启迪，那么渐渐地，往往也是很顺利地，原先不适当的紧张就会松弛下来，恢复和修整的过程就会开始。

　　因此，对一个从事社会活动的人来说，培养一种业馀爱好和各种新的兴趣是头等重要的作法。但这并非一日之功，也不是单凭意志一蹴而就的事。精神上多种情趣的培养是一个长期的过程。要想在需要的时候可随手摘取充满生机的果实，那就必然从精选良种做起，然后将其植入肥沃的土地，还需要勤勉地护理。

　　一个人要想真正感到幸福和平安，至少应有两三种爱好，而且都比较实际。到了晚年才开始说：我会对这个或那个发生兴趣，已没有用了。这种愿望只能加剧精神紧张。一个人可能会获得与其日常工作无关的某些课题的渊博知识，而没有从中得到什么实益或宽慰。干你所喜欢的事是没有用的，你得喜欢你所干的事。泛泛地说，人可以分为 3类：劳累至死的人、忧虑至死的人、无聊至死的人。对于流汗出力干了一周苦活的体力劳动者来说，让他们在星期六下午再踢足球或打垒球是不合适的;同样，对于为严肃的公务操劳或烦恼了6天的政界人士、专业技术人员、商人来说，在周末再让他们为琐事而动脑子和忧虑也是无益的。

　　至于那些能任意支配一切的可怜的人，他们能够恣意妄为，能染指一切追求的目标。对这种人来说，多一种新的乐趣、多一种新的刺激只是增加一分厌腻而已。他们到处狂奔乱跑，企图以闲聊和乱窜来摆脱无聊对他们的报复，但这是徒劳的。对他们来说，用某种形式的纪律约束他们一下才能有希望使他们走上正道。

　　也可以这样说，理智的、勤劳的、有用的人可以分为两类：第一类是分清工作是工作，娱乐是娱乐的人;第二类人的工作和娱乐是一回事。这两类人当中，第一类人是大多数，他们能够得到补偿。在办公室或工厂里长时间的工作给他们带来了酬劳，这不仅是谋生的手段，而且还带来了寻找乐趣的强烈欲望。那怕是最简单的、最低等的乐趣。但是，命运之神的宠儿是第二类人，他们的生活是一种自然的和谐，对他们来说，工作时间总不会太长，每天都是假日，而通常的假期到来时，他们却惋惜这假期强制打断了他们埋头从事的工作。然而对这两种人来说，都需要换一换脑子，改变一下气氛，转移一下注意力，这是不可缺少的。说实在的，把工作当作享受的那些人可能最需要每隔一段时间把工作从头脑中撇开。