Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I hardly went to bed before midnight, and I would always get up late the next morning.
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity (效率) was always higher. So I set out to become a habitual early riser. But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep. Eventually some sleep research showed that my strategy was wrong.
The most common wrong strategy is this: supposing you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail.
There are two main schools (流派) of thought on sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day. The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. However, I have found both are wrong if you care about productivity. If you sleep at fixed hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. You’re wasting time lying in bed awake.
My solution is to combine both methods. I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time. So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5 a.m.), but I go to bed at different times every night.
However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning are my ways. If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own.According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________.
| A．people who stay up until the next morning |
| B．people who get up early in the morning |
| C．people who feel sleepy in the morning |
| D．people whose productivity is the lowest in the morning |
Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?
| A．Because he / she wanted to have more sleep time. |
| B．Because he / she wanted to do morning exercise. |
| C．Because he / she wanted to test which school is better. |
| D．Because he / she found that the productivity was higher. |
The author experienced all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．going to bed after midnight |
| B．asking scholars for advice on sleeping habits |
| C．getting up early occasionally |
| D．pressing off the alarm to go on sleeping |
What’s the author’s sleep pattern?
| A．Going to bed early and getting up early. |
| B．Going to bed late and getting up late. |
| C．Going to bed when sleepy and getting up at a fixed early time. |
| D．Going to bed early and getting up late. |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．main schools of thought on sleep patterns |
| B．how to have a good sleep |
| C．wrong strategies for getting up early |
| D．how to become an early riser |
Build the Dream is a website produced by Travis Perkins, one of the UK's leading builders merchants, to assist with self-builds, renovations, extensions and improvements. Go with the first step; find land, get planning permission and cost your project. Start out with our advice and practical help on costing your project—labor, materials and those hidden extras. All of the information you need on all aspects of building your project, from sourcing building materials to understanding building regulations and from site safety to hiring tools and equipment.
Click for details
Cost Your Project. Our cost-effective estimating and take-off service gets your project off to a flying start. Your material and labor costs are set out by build stage to help you control your project costs.
☆Use Our Estimating Service
All Your Toolhire Needs, All in One Place
☆Visit the Travis Perkins Hire Website
Branch Finder. We supply more than 120,000 products across our 1200+ branch network to satisfy your self-build needs. Use our Branch Finder Service your local branch.
☆Use Our Branch Finder Service
Code For Sustainable Homes. The Code for Sustainable Homes sets new national standards for the sustainable design and construction of new homes.
☆Read More About the Code for Sustainable Homes
Finishing Touches. We can provide everything you need to complete your project including Kitchens, Tiles, Doors, Floors & Windows and Landscaping Materials.
Building Materials. We supply over 120,000 products from the leading manufacturers.
☆Read more about Building MaterialsIf you want to do self-builds, the first step to follow is to________ .
| A．get permission; cost project; finish touches |
| B．cost project; build project; finish touches |
| C．find land; cost project; build project |
| D．find land; get permission; cost project |
Where will you click when you need to hire tools?
| A．Use Our Estimating Service |
| B．Use Our Branch Finder Service |
| C．Visit the Travis Perkins Hire Website |
| D．Read more about Building Materials |
What does Code For Sustainable Homes do?
| A．Assists with self-builds. |
| B．Sets national standards for design and constructions. |
| C．Offers help on costing your project, and so on. |
| D．Offer the information on all aspects. |
What’s the aim of Build the Dream?
| A．To build one’s dream. |
| B．To supply building materials. |
| C．To help leading manufacturers. |
| D．To attract people to do self-builds. |
It remains a curiosity and a bit of a historical mystery why we don't all drive on the same side of the road. The fact is that most people are right-handed; that's why, for much of history, drivers have stuck to the left. Ancient Romans using two-wheeled carriages are believed to have held the reins(缰绳) with their right hands and a whip with their left; to avoid whipping the near drivers, they favored the left-hand side the road. It's also easier for right-handers to get on a horse from the left, so riders were attracted to that side to avoid the near traffic as they climbed on and off. Finally, knights(骑士) and the other drivers favored the left so they could do battle, if necessary, with their good hand.
So why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there's no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, people in upper class drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasantry to the right. During the violence, fearful rich people sought to mix with the peasantry by traveling on the right as well. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-handed conquest, like Great Britain, kept their left-handed tradition.Who had a major effect on “keep-right” traffic law?
| A．Ancient Romans | B．Hitler |
| C．Napoleon | D．Austrians |
What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered. |
| B．Hitler ordered right-hand traffic in Austria. |
| C．Great Britain escaped right-handed conquest. |
| D．The reasons that most of the world drives on the right side. |
What does the word peasantry in the last paragraph mean?
| A．People in upper class. |
| B．Right-handers. |
| C．Drivers. |
| D．Poor people. |
Apart from Great Britain, which country mentioned in the text keeps left-hand
traffic?
| A．France | B．Ancient Rome |
| C．Russia | D．Germany |
A jobless man Hambley applied for the position of "office boy" at Microsoft. The HR manager interviewed him then watched him cleaning the floor as a test.
"You are employed" he said. "Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in, as well as date when you may start."
Hambley replied "But I don't have a computer, neither an email."
"I'm sorry", said the HR manager. "If you don't have an email that means you do not exist. And who doesn't exist, cannot have the job."
The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do, with only ten dollars in his pocket. He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy ten kilograms tomatoes. He then sold the tomatoes in a door to door round. In less than two hours, he succeeded to double his capital（本金）. He repeated the operation three times, and returned home with sixty dollars.
Hambley realized that he can survive by this way, and started to go earlier every day, and return late. Thus, his money doubled every day. Shortly, he bought a cart, then a truck, and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles. Five years later, Hambley is one of the biggest food retailers in the US.
He started to plan his family's future, and decided to have a life insurance. He called an insurance broker(代理人), and chose a protection plan. When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his email. Hambley replied, "I don't have an email."
The broker answered curiously, "You don't have an email, and yet have succeeded to build a company. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?" Hambley thought for a while and replied, "Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!" Hambley was refused by the HR manager because he________.
| A．didn’t have an email |
| B．didn’t exist |
| C．couldn’t clean the floor. |
| D．was dishonest |
In less than two hours, Hambley succeeded in earning ________ dollars.
| A．twenty | B．sixty | C．ten | D．thirty |
What do the underlined words “the retailers”refer to?
| A．People that sell insurance. |
| B．People that sell goods to the public. |
| C．People that double their capital |
| D．People that have their own truck. |
What is Hambley’s opinion on Network?
| A．It’s helpful |
| B．He wanted to use it later. |
| C．An office boy should use it. |
| D．It doesn’t mean everything. |
（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
Elephants are trained, at an early age, not to escape. One leg of a baby elephant is tied with a rope to a wooden post planted in the ground. The rope limits the baby elephant to an area determined by the length of the rope. At first the baby elephant tries to break free from the rope, but the rope is too strong. Soon the elephant learns that he cannot break the rope in any case. This space defined by the rope becomes the elephant's comfort zone.
As the elephant grows up it could easily break the rope, but it does not even try because it was conditioned as a baby to think that it still could not break free. As a result, the large elephant remains tied and stays in a small space.
This metaphor(隐喻) can be used to describe what happens to human beings as we become trapped in a comfort zone. Just as the elephant's space determines what it can do, our comfort zone determines what we are able to achieve. Fortunately, humans are born with the ability to make conscious choices. The elephant doesn't try to break the rope free while we can easily leave our comfort zone.
In order to expand our potential and succeed in life, we must expand our comfort zone into unfamiliar fields. You will never realize what you are truly able to achieve if you remain in your comfort zone. The area where the baby elephant can move around is decided by ________.
| A．the space covered by the elephant |
| B．the length of the rope |
| C．the elephant’s comfort zone |
| D．the wooden post planted in the ground |
The large elephant does not try to break the rope, because ________.
| A．the rope is too strong |
| B．a wooden post is planted in the ground |
| C．the elephant likes the small space |
| D．the elephant thinks it still could not break free |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．How to train elephants |
| B．A cautious elephant |
| C．A comfort zone |
| D．Expand your comfort zone |
“In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline（自律）with all of them came first.” — Harry S. Truman
That is the quotation (引语) that had me thinking yesterday. Discipline（纪律）, in particular self-discipline, is what will get us through most things in life, from writing this simple post to Achieving Greatness for You and I. You may ask, “Why is discipline important in writing this post?” For people who have tried writing, you would know how hard it might get sometimes to actually sit down and finish the whole article in one period without getting up every few minutes to get a drink, a snack or toilet break etc.
Just with most things in life, often we lack the self-discipline to see us through what we are hoping to do or achieve. One area where self-discipline is clearly important is in losing weight. Some people are constantly looking for quick fix to their weight problem; they will jump at anything that is claimed to help them lose weight in the shortest time. They may lose weight fast, but they will find the result short-term especially if they do not change the way they live and the food they eat.
A friend of mine shared his experience going through the journey from 115 kilograms to 56 kilograms in around one year. His journey of losing weight started from a trip with his daughter to the doctor for her check-up. He playfully weighed himself on the weighing machine while his daughter was having the check-up. The doctor saw his weight and made a remark, “If you maintain that balloon weight, you cannot see your grandchildren.”
That made him decide, “Enough is enough!” Not only that, he felt tired easily and his excessive (过多的) weight made him feel like a walking balloon. In that moment of awakening, he made decisions to change his lifestyle and eating habits.What does the author mainly talk about in the passage?
| A．His writing hobby. |
| B．The best way to lose weight. |
| C．The importance of self-discipline. |
| D．How to live a healthy life. |
We know from the second paragraph that the author __________ .
| A．can write easily after finishing his routines |
| B．doesn’t think writing is an easy job |
| C．writes just for fun |
| D．must have achieved much in his writing |
The author’s friend was determined to lose weight when he __________ .
| A．had a trip with his daughter and her family |
| B．knew the doctor was just making fun of him |
| C．was much touched by the doctor’s remark |
| D．realized that he would become a grandparent soon |
The author holds the belief（信念）that __________ .
| A．we can’t achieve anything in life without self-discipline |
| B．only great men need self-discipline |
| C．self-discipline is most needed in losing weight |
| D．self-discipline has something to do with one’s lifestyle |