During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction(干扰) in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street—so I can focus”. His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout(布局) . But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works.

The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking. They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background, from total silence to 50 decibels(分贝), 70 decibels, and 85 decibels. The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant; however, the participants in the 70 decibels group—those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop—significantly outperformed the other groups. Since the effects were small, this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.

But since the results at 70 decibels were significant, the study also suggests that the right level of background noise—not too loud and not total silence—may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability. The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander, without making it impossible to focus. This kind of “distracted focus” appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.

So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus. Indeed, the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process, and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.

1.Why does the interviewer prefer a coworking space?

A It helps him concentrate.

B It blocks out background noise.

C It has a pleasant atmosphere.

D It encourages face-to-face interactions.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据第一段的“That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street—so I can focus. (这就是为什么我在街对面的公用办公空间有会员资格——这样我就可以集中精力了)”可知，作者提到的这名采访者喜欢共享办公空间的原因是那里可以帮助他集中精力。故选A。

2.Which level of background noise may promote creative thinking ability?

A Total silence.

B 50 decibels.

C 70 decibels.

D 85 decibels.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“the participants in the 70 decibels group...significantly outperformed the other groups.(音量为70分贝的那组参与者……的表现明显好于其他组)”和第三段中的“But since the results at 70 decibels were significant ... may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability.” (但由于70分贝的结果很显著……实际上可能会提高一个人的创造性思维能力)”可知，70分贝的那组参与者表现好于其他组，所以70分贝的噪音背景环境更有可能促进创造性思维能力。故选C。

3.What makes an open office unwelcome to many people?

A Personal privacy unprotected.

B Limited working space.

C Restrictions on group discussion.

D Constant interruptions.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus.”(问题可能是，在我们的办公室里，当我们试图集中注意力时，我们无法阻止自己卷入别人的谈话中)”可知，开放式办公室不受人们欢迎的原因是，我们无法避免持续地卷入别人的谈话中，受到很多干扰。故选D 。

4.What can we infer about the author from the text?

A He’s a news reporter.

B He’s an office manager.

C He’s a professional designer.

D He’s a published writer.

解析：选D。D推理判断题。根据第一段中的“During an interview for one of my books...(在关于我的一本书的一次采访中……)”可知，作者提到有人就自己的一本书采访自己，由此可以推断，作者是一位作家。故选D。