Until recently daydreaming was viewed as a waste of time. Or it __________(consider) an unhealthy escape from real life and its duties. But now some people are taking a fresh look at daydreaming. Some think it may be a very ______
____ (health) thing to do. Some researchers are finding that daydreaming may be important to mental health. Daydreaming, they tell us ,____
___(be) a good means of relaxation. But its benefits go beyond this. A number of psychologists have conducted experiments and have reached some
(surprise) conclusions.
Dr. Joan T. Freyberg has concluded that daydreaming contributes to intellectual growth. It also improves (concentrate),attention span, and the ability _____
____ (get) along with others. Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser believed that much of his success was due to the positive use of daydreaming. Florence Nightingale dreamed of becoming a nurse. The young Thomas Edison pictured
as an inventor. For these notable persons, it appears
their daydreams came true. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick offered this advice: “Hold a picture of yourself… in your mind’s eye, ____
______will drew you toward success. Picture yourself
(vivid) as defeated and that alone will make victory impossible.
Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn’t like speaking to crowds. At parties, he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn’t even show up in the first place. He prefers the latter. Yet, with some 22 million video views under his belt, the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most-watched TED Talks presenter of all time.
Sinek’s unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn’t just dumb luck. It’s the result of fears faced and erased, trial and error and tireless practice, on and off stage. Here are his secrets for delivering speeches that inspire, inform and entertain.
Don’t talk right away.
Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage. “A lot of people start talking right away, and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says. “That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear.”
Instead, quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. “I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says, “but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation.”
Show up to give, not to take.
Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas, to get people to follow them on social media, buy their books or even just to like them. Sinek calls these kinds of speakers “takers,” and he says audiences can see through these people right away. And, when they do, they disengage.
“We are highly social animals,” says Sinek. “Even at a distance on stage, we can tell if you’re a giver or a taker, and people are more likely to trust a giver — a speaker that gives them value, that teaches them something new, that inspires them — than a taker.”
Speak unusually slowly.
When you get nervous, it’s not just your heart beat that quickens. Your words also tend to speed up. Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know.
“They want you to succeed up there, but the more you rush, the more you turn them off,” he says. “If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long, deep breath, they’ll wait for you. It’s kind of amazing.”
Turn nervousness into excitement.
Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics. A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question. “Were you nervous?” And all of the athletes gave the same answer: “No, I was excited.” These competitors were taking the body’s signs of nervousness — clammy hands, pounding heart and tense nerves — and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration.
When you’re up on stage you will likely go through the same thing. That’s when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud, “I’m not nervous, I’m excited!”
Say thank you when you’re done.
Applause is a gift, and when you receive a gift, it’s only right to express how grateful you are for it. This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you.
“They gave you their time, and they’re giving you their applause.” Says Sinek. “That’s a gift, and you have to be grateful.”
Passage outline |
Supporting details |
●He is by ●Through his |
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Tips on delivering speeches |
●Avoid talking ●Keep calm and wait a few seconds before talking, which will create an |
●Try to be a giver rather than a taker because in ●Teach audience something new that they can |
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●Speak a bit slowly just to help you stay calm. ●Never speed up while speaking in case you |
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●Switch nervousness to excitement by |
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●Express your |
Many Americans concerned about air pollution are demanding cleaner and cheaper supplies of energy. The demand has resulted in increased research about ethanol fuel. Ethanol is an alcohol that can be mixed with gas. It burns up most of the pollutants in gas. It replaced some of the chemicals that are known to cause cancer.
Some experts say that in the future ethanol will replace some of the oil imported into America. Today ethanol is less than one percent of the total American fuel supply. The head of the National Corn Growers Association, Kieve Hars, says ethanol will provide twenty five percent of the fuel supply by 2010. The organization is involved in the production of ethanol because it can be made from corn.
One company in American Midwest says it is starting to produce ethanol because of demands from people and from the government. The Congress approved the Clean Air Act in 1990. The company says this means the market for ethanol will expand. The company is a major producer of corn starch (淀粉) that can be used to make ethanol.
At Texas University, Professor Mark Holzapple produces ethanol from materials found in solid waste. He has developed a way to turn materials like paper into simple sugar. He then uses yeast (酵母) to turn the sugar into ethanol. Professor Holzappple says two hundred liters of ethanol fuel can be produced from one ton of solid waste.
A professor at the University of Arkansas, John Geddie, is exploring another way to make ethanol. He is using acids on paper material. He says a large factory could produce ethanol from waste paper about the same cost of that of gasoline.
Environmentalists support the use of ethanol because it turns waste into a useful product. Professor Holzapple says law makers in industrial nations need to support the development of this renewable fuel of the future.
根据上面的短文填空,一空一词。
Title: Ethanol: __________________________ and Cheap Fuel
Definition and uses |
A kind of |
It can be mixed with gas. |
It helps remove some |
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It replaces some chemicals known to cause |
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It will take the place of |
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Production |
Ethanol |
From starch |
From material found in solid |
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Opinions |
The public |
Demand the production and use of ethanol |
The |
Approve the Clean Air Act |
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The |
Meet the expanding market |
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Environmentalists |
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Conclusion |
Ethanol, as a renewable fuel, will be produced and used more widely in the world, and it needs the support of law |
It is December thirty-first,2004,the time when the old year dies and the New Year is born.
Many Americans have parties at home and invite all their friends .Many of these events are noisy。People shout and sing. They often blow on small noisemakers when the New Year arrives at midnight. They kiss their husband or wife or the person they are with. They dance to music. Other Americans spend a quiet evening at home .They drink Champagne at midnight to welcome the New Year.
Some people drink too much alcohol at New Year’s Eve celebrations .This can lead to tragic results if a person drinks too much and then drives a car. The National Safety Council says hundreds of people die in road accidents during the holiday.
In recent years ,the danger of accidents has resulted in a new tradition called the “designated driver” One person among a group of friends drinks little or no alcohol during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Then this designated driver can safely drive the other people home. Many American cities also offer free taxi service on New Year’s Eve to take people home safely.
Other Americans observe the coming of the New Year at events without alcohol .More than 220 American cities hold these First Night celebrations. Artists in Boston Massachusetts started the tradition of First Night celebrations. In 1976.They wanted to observe the coming of a New Year. But they did not want to hold noisy drinking parties. So they organized, music, art and other events to observe the holiday.
How Americans Observe New Year’s Day
Ways to celebrate |
Celebrations with alcohol |
Celebrations without alcohol |
At home |
At theatres or |
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Activities |
Drinking parties with |
Attending music |
Making very |
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Kissing each other |
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Dancing to music |
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Main problems |
Many deaths on the road |
None |
Ways |
Making arrangements for some people not |
None |
认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意:每空格1个单词。
Are you a procrastinator?
Following a schedule and doing things on time is extremely important in today's busy world. Unfortunately, not everyone is good at doing this. Many people are procrastinators; they put off doing things that they need to until it's too late.
We all put off doing things at times. Statistics show that 90% of university students will often put off studying for a test or writing an important paper the night before, 25% of university students put off almost everything all the time. This more serious form of procrastination can result in a student dropping out of school. Students who put off doing their assignments once in a while get further and further behind in their studies. Before long, they feel completely helpless. For the chronic(长期的)procrastinator, often the only way to solve this problem is to quit school.
According to recent studies, there are three main reasons that students put off doing things. First, many have poor time-management skills and often try to do too much in too little time. In the end, these students often feel helpless and will put off doing many things they need to. Another reason why students put off doing things is that they feel a subject is boring and have difficulty concentrating on an assignment.These students will often avoid doing something because they don't like it. A third reason why many students put off doing things is that they often worry that their work will never be as good as it should be and fear failure of any kind, which, unfortunately , can often cause these students to put off doing any work at all.
Do you recognize any of these signs in yourself? If so, you may want to do something about your tendency towards procrastination. The following five tips may be helpful.
First, list the things in life that are important to you, and then list the reasons why you are at school or university. Look at the two lists and see where they match. Is there something you need to do in order to achieve a life goal?
Second, chose realistic goals for yourself; don't try to do more than you can.
Third, once you have identified our goals, list them and ask yourself "Which should I do first?" As you become more aware of what you need to do and when you need to do it, you will feel more in control and will be able to complete tasks on time.
Fourth, manage your time wisely. Create a schedule that allows adequate time for accomplishing a goal; for example, your schedule should give you enough time to study for and pass a test, as well as time to relax.
Finally, when you accomplish a goal, do something good for yourself as a reward.
If you believe that you are a chronic procrastinator, you should try to get help before it is too late. Talk to a professional, and discuss the problem. If you are a mild procrastinator, make sure to keep yourself motivated, but don't worry too much. Remember-we all put off doing things at times.
Are you a procrastinator? |
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Frequency of procrastination |
·Everyone puts off doing things ·90% of university students will often put off dong things. ·25% of university students |
·At the beginning, they get further and further behind in their studies. ·Before long, they feel completely helpless. ·For the chronic procrastinator, often he or she has no |
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Main reasons for procrastination |
·First, many are not skillful at managing time well. ·Second, they feel a subject is boring, which makes it difficult for them to ·Third, they expect to do everything |
·First, identify your life goals. ·Second, choose realistic goals for yourself ·Third, list your goals in order of priority. ·Fourth, manage your time in a ·Finally, |
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Advice to procrastinators |
·For a chronic procrastinator, ·For a mild procrastinator, make sure to keep yourself motivated, and don't worry too much. |
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
Aspirin
Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) has been used for many years as a painkiller. It also has an anti-inflammatory (消炎) action and can be used to reduce fever. Aspirin is already recommended for people to prevent stroke and heart attack because it improves one's blood circulation. So many people already take daily aspirin as a heart drug. Although aspirin can cause deadly internal bleeding, which is relatively rare, its benefits for people are great, not only to help increase the length of people's lives, but to prevent and treat cancer, or to stop cancer spread according to the latest research.
Taking a low dose (剂量) of aspirin every day can prevent and Rothwell, from Oxford University, and his colleagues, who carried out the latest work, had already linked aspirin with a lower risk of certain cancers, particularly bowel(肠) cancer. But their previous work suggested people needed to take the drug for about 10 years to get any protection. Now the protective effect occurs much sooner—within three to five years—based on a new analysis of data from 51 trials involving more than 77,000 patients. And aspirin appears not only to reduce the risk of developing many different cancers in the first place, but may also stop cancers spreading around the body.
Taking a low (75 — 300mg) daily dose of aspirin appeared to cut the total number of cancer cases by 25 % after only three years—there were nine cancer cases per 1,000 each year in the aspirin-taking group, compared with 12 per 1,000 for those taking dummy pills. It also reduced the risk of a cancer death by 15% within five years (and sooner if the dose was higher than 300mg). And if patients stayed on aspirin for longer, their cancer death risk went down even further—by 37% after five years.
Low-dose aspirin also appeared to reduce the probability that cancers, particularly bowel, would spread to other parts of the body, and by as much as half in some instances. However, Prof. Rothwell says for most fit and healthy people, the most important things they can do to reduce their lifetime cancer risk is to give up smoking, take exercise and have a healthy diet.
But experts warn that there is still not enough proof to recommend it to prevent cancer cases and deaths and warn that the drug can cause dangerous side effects like stomach bleeding. Prof. Peter Johnson of Cancer Research UK, along with other experts, said it was still a good idea that people thinking of taking aspirin should first consult their doctors because of the possible side effect. And people should get some decisive advice from the government as to whether aspirin should be recommended more widely and the government should also advise the public about the benefits and risks of aspirin.
Aspirin |
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Functions |
To reduce fever To To prevent stroke and |
To cause cause deadly internal |
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Fresh evidences |
To cut the total number of cancer cases by To To make it |
People should discuss with their doctors The public should be |