【原创】Recently a series of reports appeared online in the United States and the United Kingdom lamenting(叹息) the “Lazy French”. A new labor law in France had apparently banned organizations from e-mailing their employees after 6 p.m. In fact, it turned out to be more a case of “lazy journalists” than “lazy French”: as The Economist explained, the “law” was not a law at all, but a labor agreement aimed at improving health among a group of professionals.
Brits and Americans have long suspected that the French are goofing off(吊儿郎当) while they – the good corporate soldiers—continue to toil away. They are proud about it, too. In the age of the smartphone, there’s no such things as “downtime”(停工期), and we claim that we are happier—and more productive – for it.
Are we, though? After reviewing thousands of books, articles and papers on the topic and interviewing dozens of experts in different fields, I don’t think so. When we are checking business news in bed or responding to co-workers. But, actually, we’re mostly just getting the small, easy things done. Being busy is not equal to being effective.
And let’s not forget about the surrounding play, which often distracts us from accomplishing our most important tasks. Facebook and Twitter report that their sites are most active during office hours. After all ,the employee who’s required to respond to her boss on Sunday morning will think nothing of responding to friends on Wednesday afternoon. Constant connection means that we’re “always at work”, yes, but also that we’re “never at work”—fully.
Some parts of the workforce do rely on constant connection. But others should be given proper breaks. The great technology historian, Melvin Kranzberg, said, “Technology is neither good nor bad, and nor is it neutral(中立的).” That statement should become a real principle of the information age. We must actively decide on our levels of technology engagement at different times to maximize productivity, success and happiness.
The author mentions “lazy French” at the beginning of the passage in order to __________.

A．criticize them for how they work

B．introduce the subject of working styles

C．show the way they work

D．explain how they differ from Americans and Brits

Why did the author review many materials and interview many experts?

A．It was his work to do that.

B．He needed to prepare plenty of materials for his work.

C．He wanted to prove that his working style was correct.

D．He wanted to find out which way of working was better.

What can we conclude from the passage?

A．We should make better use of technology.

B．Being busy makes us happier and more productive.

C．Small tasks can be done at home, but important ones must be done in the office.

D．In terms of working style, we should learn from the French.

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