BBC Take Away English (The dange

一项调查发现，目前每个工作日中14%的时间竟然被用于“上网闲逛”。在各国的办公室里，员工在上班时间查看社交媒体网站、网上购物、阅读新闻、浏览八卦等已很常见。人们为什么会养成“上网闲逛”的习惯呢？这个习惯怎么改？

cyberloafing
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article

Time to own up. When you’re sitting at your computer, do you work solidly all day? Or do you allow yourself to become distracted now and again… to open a few extra tabs, check social media, read a spot of news, browse the latest fashion trends, maybe catch up on some celebrity gossip, and look at some…

Stop! You’re ‘cyberloafing’. The unwieldy word is a combination of ‘cyber’, which means ‘related to computers’, and ‘loafing’, which means ‘relaxing in a lazy way’. We do it, and we do it a lot. A study from the University of Texas suggests we are guilty of this form of procrastination for 14% of our working day. On a Friday afternoon, I expect it’s more than that.

I’ll admit to indulging in the odd bout of cyberloafing myself. In fact I’ve already done it in the course of writing this story. OK, more than once.

But it’s a slippery slope. It can damage your productivity and even your career. Because according to the Univeristy of Texas research, each time a worker gets sidetracked by the internet it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back to work.

More than that, cyberloafing has a dark side, according to a report published in The Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace. It argues that cyberloafing is connected to several negative personality traits. People who cyberloaf are more likely to be manipulative, self-interested and narcissistic. Furthermore, people with these traits are less likely to feel remorse about avoiding work, and less concerned about getting caught.

Why do we do it? For some, it’s undoubtedly an escape from the drudgery of what they’re supposed to be doing. Or a way of avoiding tackling that ever growing in-tray. Some might get a feeling of satisfaction, get a buzz from finding a great deal online. But overall, it’s something that takes you away from what you’re actually being paid to do, or paying to do: if you’re a student.

When you have the whole world of the internet at your fingertips, it’s hard to resist.

How do we nip it in the bud? If you can truly ask yourself why you are cyberloafing, then that can help identify the base problem. And if that sounds like too much hard work, you could just switch off the internet for a couple of hours!

vocabulary

own up 承认，坦白（错误）
Time to own up. 坦白时间到
work solidly 扎扎实实地/连续地 工作
now and again 不时的
feel remorse about 感到后悔
tab （浏览器）窗口
gossip 八卦，流言蜚语
unwieldy [ʌnˈwi:ldi] 笨拙的
indulge in 沉溺于
odd 偶尔的
bout（某活动的）一阵

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slippery slope 滑坡效应，下坡路
= downhill
It’s a slippery slope.
It's all downhill. （情况）每况愈下

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productivity 生产率
get sidetracked 使分心，注意力被转移了
=get/be/become distracted
dark side 阴暗面，黑暗面
sideeffect 副作用
in-tray 公文格，收文篮
drudgery 辛苦的，烦恼的事情

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@文章中形容人品质的词：
manipulative 有控制欲的，爱摆布（他人）的
self-interested 利己主义的，只为自己着想的
narcissistic [ˌnɑ:sɪ'sɪstɪk] 自我欣赏的，自恋的

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get a buzz 让人感到异常兴奋
at your fingertips 近在手边
to nip (something) in the bud 防患于未然

make sentences

1. Don’t spend too much on your credit card. It’s a slippery slope. You will get into serious financial trouble（陷入严重的经济问题中）.

2. Stop looking at yourself in the mirror. You really are narcissistic.

3. I’ll admit I do like the odd muffin now and again. Even though I’m putting on weight.

4. With a smartphone, you have the world at your fingertips. It can do so many things.

5. I’ve been working solidly all morning. I need a break.

question

Why can you say cyberloafing has a ‘dark side’?

answer

One study linked cyberloafing with negative personality traits, including being manipulative, narcissistic and self-interested.

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So in the meantime, let me just close those extra tabs…