你的桌面是亂七八糟還是整潔干凈？英國一項心理學研究顯示，桌上物品的擺放方式可以揭示人格特征。環境心理學家構思出了五種不同的“書桌人格類型”。那么你屬于哪種呢？是內向極簡型、還是愜意雜亂型？《隨身英語》分析這五種書桌所展現的性格特征。

課文內容

Vocabulary: personality 詞匯: 性格

Are you the kind of person whose desk is alwa­­ys spick and span? Or is it a bit of a mess? How you organise your working space can say a lot about you. In fact, environmental psychologist Lily Bernheimer developed five distinct "desk personality types" in a study commissioned by UK co-working firm Headspace Group. Which of them best reflects you?

First up: are you "the clutterer"? Clutter means mess – and Bernheimer says a clutterer's desk is likely to be colourful, chaotic and covered in trinkets. These people are usually more extroverted and welcoming, and love being at the "crossroads" of the office. The hitch is that they're often too busy to tidy up after themselves!

Or perhaps you're "the minimalist"? A polar opposite to the clutterer, the minimalist has nothing unneccessary on his or her desk. These workers are often highly conscientious and disciplined, if a little cautious. But Bernheimer says this does not necessarily mean they're introverts – they just love structure.

Type three is "the expander". Personal space is very important to them, and it creeps ever outwards, even if this is not a consciously aggressive act. Berheimer says: "They may try to claim more and more territory for themselves by moving their coffee cup and their sandwich out further and further."

"The personaliser" is our fourth type, and it’s quite self-explanatory. These people customise their space with photos, mementos and personal objects. "A simple, stylish or unusual workspace tells people that you’re high in the trait called 'openness', which means you're likely to be high in creativity, intellectuality and openness to new experience," says Bernheimer.

And finally, there's "the surveyor". These people feel insecure in the middle of the office, and seek out the quieter corners. From an evolutionary perspective, looking for well-protected spots from which to keep an eye out for potential threats makes sense. Surveyors are often introverted, but also highly productive and creative, if given the space and support they need.

Whichever type you are, making personal statements through presentation is deep in our nature, says Sam Gosling, professor of psychology at the University of Texas: "One of the reasons physical spaces, including one's office desks, can be so revealing is that they're essentially the crystallisation of a lot of behaviour over time."

詞匯表

spick and span 非常整潔清爽的
clutter 雜亂不堪的物品、凌亂的環境
extroverted 性格外向的
welcoming 熱情好客的
hitch 小問題
minimalist 簡約主義者
polar opposite 完全相反的一面，對立面
conscientious 一絲不茍的，非常認真的
disciplined 守規矩的，有紀律性的
introvert 性格內向的
creep 悄然移動
aggressive 咄咄逼人的，氣勢洶洶的
territory 地盤
trait 個人品質，特征
openness 坦率
insecure 不自信的、沒有安全感的
keep an eye out (for) 留意，留心
productive 有成效的
revealing 暴露真相的
crystallisation 縮影

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Which desk personality type is most likely to found in the middle of the room? 

2. Why does Prof Gosling believe desks can tell us a lot about personality?

3. Why do surveyors sit at the edge of an office?

4. Which word means ‘inexpensive, small decorations’?

5. How do expanders increase their personal space?

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Mark and Mary are ______. They can never agree about anything.

extroverted      introverted      expanders      polar opposites

2. Looking at a person's wardrobe can be very ______. You can learn a lot about someone from their clothes.

revealing      insecure      welcoming      crystallising

3. Susie is incredibly ______. She gets up at 6am every day for a swim, without fail.

introverted      hard working      disciplined      conscientious

4. The meeting wasn't ______ at all. We achieved absolutely nothing in three hours.

welcoming      revealing      productive      aggressive

5. My room is always ______. I clean it every single morning.

chaotic      spick and span      cluttered      a mess

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. Which desk personality type is most likely to found in the middle of the room?

Clutterers love being at the “crossroads” of an office. You’re more likely to find them in the middle of the room.

2. Why does Prof Gosling believe desks can tell us a lot about personality?

Prof Gosling believes desks allow us to see the results of how a person behaves in a working environment over a long period of time.

3. Why do surveyors sit at the edge of an office?

Surveyors are introverted and feel insecure when they are at the centre of an office.

4. Which word means ‘inexpensive, small decorations’?

Trinkets.

5. How do expanders increase their personal space?

Expanders move their personal belongings further and further outwards from their own desk space.

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處 。

1. Mark and Mary are polar opposites. They can never agree about anything.

2. Looking at a person’s wardrobe can be very revealing. You can learn a lot about someone from their clothes.

3. Susie is incredibly disciplined. She gets up at 6am every day for a swim, without fail.

4. The meeting wasn’t productive at all. We achieved absolutely nothing in three hours.

5. My room is always spick and span. I clean it every single morning.