But photos showing outdoor activities, such as sailing on a sunny day or walking in the woods, can greatly distract workers and thus 30 their productivity.
答案：(B) lower
語意「照片會大大分散工人的注意力，因此『降低』他們的生產力」，lower（降低）符合這個負面效果；reform（改革）、switch（切換）、demand（要求）都不合。
lower 你最熟的是形容詞「較低的、下面的」——本份考卷第一篇的 lower lashes（下睫毛）就是這個用法。所以輪到它當動詞「降低」時，你反而會遲疑。這種一個字跨兩種詞性的情況在克漏字裡很常見，看到空格時先確定「這裡需要什麼詞性」，再回頭想這個字有沒有那種用法。
先確認詞性。空格前是 and thus，前面已經有一個動詞 can greatly distract workers，and 連接的必須是對等的成分，所以還原成完整寫法是：photos can greatly distract workers and photos can thus lower their productivity.——助動詞 can 後面接原形動詞，空格一定是動詞原形，四個選項都是原形，這一步先確定「要動詞」。再看方向。thus（因而）表示後面是前面的結果；前面是 distract workers（分散注意力），是負面的，所以後面接的也必須是負面結果，只有 lower（降低）符合。這裡也可以順便回頭看全篇的結論：workers are actually most productive when the weather is lousy，照片提醒了好天氣，注意力被拉走，生產力自然往下掉。
reform（改革）用在制度或組織，像 reform the education system（改革教育制度），不會用來講生產力。switch（切換、轉換）是換成另一個，常見 switch to another channel（轉到別台），但這裡沒有「換成什麼」。demand（要求）語意上和 distract 接不起來。
lower productivity（降低生產力）、raise the price（提高價格）、lower the price（降低價格）、distract someone from（使某人分心而無法……）、reform（改革）、switch to（改用、換成）、focus on（專注於）、remind someone of（使某人想起）。
Research has proven that weather plays a part in our moods: Warmer temperatures and exposure to sunshine increase positive thinking, whereas cold, rainy days bring anxiety and fatigue. 26 , many people believe that bad weather can reduce productivity and efficiency.
There is, however, a significant 27 between such beliefs and the actual effect of weather on people's performance at work. Using empirical data from laboratory experiments 28 observations of a mid-sized Japanese bank in real life, researchers find that weather conditions indeed influence a worker's focus. When the weather is bad, individuals tend to focus more on their work rather than thinking about activities they could 29 outside of work. But photos showing outdoor activities, such as sailing on a sunny day or walking in the woods, can greatly distract workers and thus 30 their productivity.
The findings conclude that workers are actually most productive when the weather is lousy—and only if nothing reminds them of good weather.