Here's one very simple yet potentially lifechanging advice I first heard from Brian Tracy. 1 Instead use that hour to read books that could improve your life.
If you're in sales, Google or browse Amazon for what other people think are the best and most useful books on improving your sales.
2 . Maybe you want to improve your health, become a more energetic person with a better looking body. Or maybe you want to improve your productivity, your relations or perhaps do some general personal development.
One hour a day is not much. But if you read for one hour a day on weekdays, that's about 260 hours a year. 3 If applied everyone knows what great things and feelings could come into your life this year.
Also, all that cool information and useful advice will start to open up your mind. You will start to see more possibilities in your everyday life.
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1. I really don't have the money...
Answer: Visit your local library or search their database if they got a website. Or look for used copies in places like amazon.com or some more local alternative if you're outside of the US.
2. Yeah, ok, but I really don't have the time...
Answer: Buy the books as audio books and listen to them in the car while driving to and from work. Or transfer them to your mp3-player and listen while riding your bike/bus to work or school. Recently selling audio books directly through mp3-downloads have become popular. It's probably something we will see more and more as people and companies discover this easy (and if the technology works) smooth way of shopping.
So start browsing for recommendations on books or ask your friends and colleagues.
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| A． Now, you might think something like this: |
| B． This of course applies to all fields, not just the work related ones. |
| C． All these possibilities in your everyday life will help solve the following problems: |
| D． And shut of the TV a little earlier and start reading this week. |
E. That's a lot of books and loads of useful advice.
F. Cut down on the TV at night by just one hour.
G. In a word, more recommendations on books will help you find good books.
STAGE
| Keep it in the air: The Chaoyang Theater is one of the Beijing theaters to present acrobatics(杂技 ) all year round．Top acrobatic artists invited from all over the country perform for Chinese and foreign tourists．The program contains trick cycling, leaping through hoops and Chinese magic tricks．Some of the artists have won prizes in international competitions． Time: 7∶15 p．m．Daily Place: 36, Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District Tel: 65072421, 65071818 |
| Use your head: Green Hat is a new drama given by a group of young Chinese actors．It’s a rewrite of American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel The Scarlet Letter． It describes the heroine’s great courage in finding the true love against the public disagreement． Time: 7∶15 p．m．until March 5, except Mondays Place: China Children’s Theater Tel: 66037255, 66037265 |
| Mix and match: Story of Puppets tells of a fairy, Zixia, who looks for true love in the human world．After watching a puppet play Peony Pavilion, she thinks there must be true love in reality, so she uses magic to turn the puppet characters into humans, wanting to fall in love with the puppet hero．But things don’t go as she planned．．．Li Liuyi, the director of the play has made several successful attempts to present different traditional operas in one play．This time he combines Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Pingju Opera along with a band, using the structure of modern drama． Time: 7∶ 30 p．m．until March 10, except Mondays Place: Small Playhouse of Beijing People’s Art Theater Tel: 65250123 |
| Peking Opera: The Beijing Peking Opera Troupe will give two performances at the Chang’an Grand Theater．Each performance includes two classical excerpts(选段)．One is Wenxi(a play focusing on singing and dancing); the other is Wuxi (a play full of acrobatic dancing)．The first night will be The Crossroad and Presenting a Pearl of the Rainbow Bridge．And the second night will see the performance of The Goddess of Heaven Scatters Flowers and Havoc in Heaven． Time: 7∶30 p．m．February 27, 28 Place:Chang’an Grand Theater Tel: 86531043 |
We can learn from the text that________．
| A．story of puppets is a play held in China Children’s Theater |
| B．the artists who have won prizes will perform magic tricks |
| C．on March 5 there will be two plays for us to choose |
| D．the artists in the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe are from all over the country |
If a tourist wants to see a performance on March 15, he can call_______to book a ticket．
| A．86531043 | B．65250123 | C．66037255 | D．65071818 |
According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
| A．The director of the Story of Puppets combines different operas in it． |
| B．Green Hat is based on a famous novel acted by some American artis |
| C．Top Acrobatic artists will present their performances around our country． |
| D．The Beijing Peking Opera Troupe will give two performances with the same excerpts． |
Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 110. Mr. John Evans had never found the time or the money-to make the trip from his home near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital, he just could not refuse.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. Mr. Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. "There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings (1 shilling =" 1/20" pound) return from Swansea—too much I thought. All my money went to the family then." he said.
During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a whistle-stop tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the Houses of Parliament(国会).
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided to move him about if he gets tired. "I don’t like the chair business--people will think I am getting old," he said.
His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized--no alcohol, no cigarette and no anger. Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwel, he quipped," I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket. "It was reported that Mr. Evans’s healthy long life was to a certain extent due to his ______.
| A．wine drinking | B．proper smoking | C．mild temper | D．sense of humor |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．A single trip from Mr. Evans’s home to the White City used to be ten shillings. |
| B．The first place for Mr. Evans to visit is the Houses of Parliament. |
| C．He appreciated people’s arrangement of a wheelchair during his visit. |
| D．Mr. Evans once made the journey to London at the turn of the century. |
The word "quip" in the last sentence most probably means _______.
| A．to make a witty remark | B．to express a happy message |
| C．to make a wish | D．to tell a joke |
What might be the best title for this passage?
| A．110-Year-Old Tourist | B．Secret for Long and Healthy Life |
| C．Free Return Ticket | D．Sightseeing in London |
The 1980s was called the “Me Decade” because for many this time was marked by a fascination with the self. The idea that each person has a self may seem natuaral to us, but this concept is actually quite new. The idea that each human life is unique developed between the 11th and 15th centuries in Europe. Before that time, individuals were considered in relation to a group, and even today, many eastern cultures place more emphasis on the importance of a collective self than on a unique and independent self.
Both eastern and western cultures see the self as divided into an inner, private self and an outer, public self. But where they differ is in terms of which part is seen as the“real you.” Western culture tends to promote the idea of individuality—a self that is separated from other selves. In contrast, many eastern cultures focus on an inter-independent self that gets its diversity in large part from inter-relationship with others.
For example, a Confucian(孔子) idea stresses the importance of “face”—other people’s views of the self and maintaining one’s desired status in their eyes. In the past, some Asian cultures developed clear rules about the specific clothes and even colors that people in certain social classes and occupations were allowed to display, and these live on today in Japanese style manuals. This style of dress is at odds with such western practices as “casual Fridays,” which encourage employees to dress informally and express their unique selves. Which is true about the self according to the text?
| A．Many eastern cultures see the self connected with others. |
| B．Those born in the 1980s are generally most self-centered than others. |
| C．The concept that eac person has a self may seem strange to eastern cultures |
| D．Western cultures regard the self as an outer, public self while eastern cultures don’t. |
What does the 2nd paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．How eastern and western cultures see the self. |
| B．Eastern cultures contrast sharply with western cultures |
| C．Both eastern and western cultures appreciate the importance of self |
| D．Eastern cultures are as important as western cultures |
A Japanese dress code is mentioned in the last paragraph to _________.
| A．explain the importance of “face” |
| B．say how traditional the Japanese are |
| C．emphasize the importance of eastern cultures |
| D．show how eastern cultures see the self in relation to others |
The underlined phrase “at odds with” most probably means_______.
| A．in agreement with | B．in disagreement with |
| C．in comparison with | D．in need of |
Do you now who Stefani Germanotta is? Perhaps not, but you’ll almost certainly know the star called Lady Gaga, a 24-year-old American famous for her cutting edge pop videos and strange fashion sense. She was the biggest winner at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid on November 7, 2010. Her awards included the best female artist and the best song.
Her popularity doesn’t end there. The BBC reports that the University of South Carolina has a sociology course about the life, work and rise to fame of Lady Gaga. The course is due to start in spring 2011. “We’re going to look at Lady Gaga as a social event,” said professor Mathieu, who will teach Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame.
Germanotta, in fact, is a college student. She learned to play the piano by age 4. At age 17, she was one of the only 20 young people to get early admission to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, the famous music school. Yet after her second semester, she took a big risk—she decided to quit and concentrate on a music career. But hwo did she manage to go from nowhere to supar star in just two years?
She may well have had a plan for the top. She created “The Ultimate Pop Burlesque Show” with another artist. It was the first of many strange images. The pair gained enough attention to get a spot at a famous music festival in Chicago. Later, a record company signed Germanotta.
While Lady Gaga enjoys popularity, there are critics accusing her of regularly using rude language in her lyrics(歌词) and wearing overly sexy clothing. According to the article, Lady Gaga is famous for _______.
| A．her fashion shows | B．her strange images |
| C．her talents in university | D．her winning awards |
Which of the following is the correct order for the stages of Gaga’s career?
| a. She appeared in a music festival in Chicago b. She won the award—the best female c. She decided to quit school d. She created a show with another artist e. She was signed by a record company f. Her success has become a university course
|
I sometimes wonder if old Finchley has the right personality to be a research scientist. He keeps asking when he’ll be coming back. After all, it was his own fault. Nobody tries out what has just been invented on themselves any more but Finchley. Well, he must have pumped about a thousand c. c. s into himself before I noticed he was clearly becoming smaller.
It was funny watching him, because his clothes remained the same in size. They simply piled up around him so that he looked like a small boy in his father’s clothes. But he kept getting smaller and smaller. As my colleague Dawson and I watched him, he disappeared! All we could see was Finchley’s clothes on the floor. They looked so strange, because the lab coat was on top, shirt and trousers inside and, I suppose, underclothes inside again. It gave me a strange feeling, and I think Dawson was a bit shaken, too.
Dawson was sitting on his chair in front of a microscope he’d been using to examine a family of mites(螨虫). He looked through the scope kind of absently again, and was nearly scared to lose awareness when he found old Finchley waving back from the other end.
It seems as if Finchley had taken a free ride on a dust mite and landed on the land of the mite family. Of course, we didn’t know till Finchley told us later. But anyhow, as I said, Dawson nearly passed out. He jumped off his chair and pointed at the microscope, to shocked to speak.Finchley disappeared because ________.
| A．he took something poisonous |
| B．he was changed into a dust mite |
| C．his father’s clothes totally covered him up |
| D．what he and his colleagues invented resulted in his disappearace |
It frightened Dawson to see Finchley _______.
| A．got into his scope by accident | B．was waving through his telescope |
| C．suddenly got lost in his clothes | D．gradually disappeared in the lab |
It can be inferred that Finchley, Dawson and the writer have possibly invented _____.
| A．some kind of medicine | B．a new powerful microscope |
| C．a machine to make people small | D．a new way to make a culture of mite |
It can probably be concluded that Finchley ________.
| A．passed out there and then | B．is not fit to be a scientist |
| C．is a devoted scientist | D．will remain tiny all the time |
b—f—c—d—a—e