At her job as a banker, 35-year-old Lee Ju-hee treasures her small, fairytale-like desk. It’s covered in pink products including a mini humidifier, a mini fan, a small air purifier and a tumbler steriliser. Pink is her favourite colour; she even has a pink keyboard.

  Lee’s desk is among a growing number of highly personalised workspaces in professional settings, often called ‘deskterior’, which is a portmanteau of ‘desk’ and ‘interior’. It is a movement to make office spaces feel like home in a country with the longest working hours of any developed nation.

Expression of individuality

As interest in deskteriors has grown, a new market for quirky office supplies has appeared: there are wireless keyboards, laptop stands, colourful desk mats, sitting cushions, mood lights, action figures, wrist guards, small plants and air fresheners. You can even find mini water purifiers and small vacuum cleaners for desks. Many of them have cute characters to appeal to young South Koreans.

Finding small happiness

Lee Hyang-eun, a professor of design engineering at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, says that the deskterior phenomenon is more than just a way to reduce stress and make the office more comfortable; rather, it’s a symbol of a shift in how people approach work, especially young people.

Still, not every generation quite understands the trend. In Lee Ju-hee’s office, her male bosses in their 50s think her deskterior is “just too much” for a conservative financial field. But the rest of her young colleagues love Lee’s choices — and that’s good, since her pink deskterior isn’t going away any time soon.

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1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A Deskterior is a movement to make office spaces feel like home.

B People of all ages like deskteriors because they are cute.

C The work hours in South Korea are shorter than those in America.

D In Lee Ju-hee’s office, everyone likes her pink deskterior.

解析：选A。细节理解题。根据第二段It is a movement to make office spaces feel like home in a country with the longest working hours of any developed nation.可知：这（个性化办公桌）是一场让办公空间有如家感觉的活动，故选A。

2.According to Lee Hyang-eun, the deskterior phenomenon is ________.

A just a way to help young people reduce stress

B just a way to make the office more comfortable

C a symbol of a shift in how young people approach work

D a symbol that young people don’t like long hours of work

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据第四段最后一句可知：（李香恩表示）它（个性化办公桌的现象）象征着人们尤其是年轻人工作方式的转变，故选C。

3.Which word can’t be used to describe the underlined phrase “quirky office supplies”?

A Cute.

B Outdated.

C Lovely.

D New.

解析：选B。细节理解题。由划线单词后的句子可知，这些东西都是新奇的，有可爱个性的，B项“过时的”不能用来形容这些办公用品，故选B。

4.What is the author’s purpose of writing this article?

A To introduce some office supplies with cute characters.

B To tell us how many hours young South Koreans work in a year.

C To introduce a young banker’s small, fairytale-like desk.

D To tell us a new fashion called deskterior among young South Koreans.

解析：选D。主旨大意题。通读全文，文章介绍了在工作时间比任何发达国家都要长的韩国，年轻人用个性化办公桌彰显个性、发现小快乐，以应对长时间的工作，故选D。