Passage One

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

When it's five o'clock, people leave their office. The length of the workday, for many workers, is defined by time. They leave when the clock tells them they're done.

These days, the time is everywhere: not just on clocks or watches, but on cell-phones and computers. That may be a bad thing, particularly at work. New research shows that clock-based word schedules hinder morale(士气)and creativity.

Clock-timers organize their day by blocks of minutes and hours. For example: a meeting from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., research from 10 a.m. to noon, etc. On the other hand, task-timers have a list of things they want to accomplish. They work down the list, each task starts when the previous task is completed. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.

What, then, are the effects of thinking about time in these different ways? Does one make us more productive? Better at the tasks at hand? Happier? In experiments conducted by Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier, they had participants organize different activities-from project planning, holiday shopping, to yoga-by time or to-do list to measure how they performed under "clock time" vs "task time". They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives. Task timers are happier and more creative, but less productive. They tend to enjoy the moment when something good is happening, and seize opportunities that come up.

The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in the business culture. Smart companies, they believe, will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.

This might be a small change to the way we view work and the office, but the researchers argue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by clock time. While most people will still probably need, and be, to some extent, clock-timers, task-based timing should be used when performing a job that requires more creativity. It'll make those tasks easier, and the task-doers will be happier.

57.What does the author think of time displayed everywhere?

A.It makes everybody time-conscious.

B.It is a convenience for work and life.

C.It may have a negative effect on creative work.

D.It clearly indicates the fast pace of modern life.

58. How do people usually go about their work according to the author?

A.Theycombine clock-based and task-based planning.

B.Theygive priority to the most urgent task on hand.

C.They set a time limit for each specific task.

D.Theyaccomplish their tasks one by one.

59. What did Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier find in their experiments about clock-timers?

A.Theyseize opportunities as they come up.

B.They always get their work done in time.

C.Theyhave more control over their lives.

D.Theytend to be more productive.

60. What do the researchers say about today's business culture?