ItwasJuly1976.Anunmannedspaces-优题课

Famous people often say that the key to becoming both happy and successful is to "do what you love．" But mastering a skill， even one that you deeply love，（1）　　a huge amount of dull work． Anyone who want to master a skill must run through the cycle of practice，（2）　　feedback， modification， and increasing improvement again， again and again． Some people seem able to concentrate on practicing an activity like this for years and take pleasure in their gradual improvement． Yet others find this kind of focused， time﹣intensive work to be （3）　　or boring． Why？

The difference may turn on the ability to enter into a state of "flow，" the feeling of being completely （4）　　in what you are doing． Whether you call it being "in the zone，" or something else， a flow state is a special experience． Since Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi developed the （5）　　of flow in the 1970's， it has been a mainstay of positive﹣psychology research． Flow states can happen in the course of any activity， and they are most common when a task has well﹣defined goals and is at a（n）（6）　　skill level， and where the individual is able to （7）　　their performance to clear and immediate feedback．

Csikszentmihalyi suggested that those who most （8）　　entered into flow states had an "autotelic personality （自带目的性人格）" a disposition to seek out challenges and get into a state of flow． While those without such a personality see difficulties， autotelic individuals see opportunities to build skills． Autotelic individuals are receptive and open to new challenges． They are also （9）　　and have low levels of self﹣centeredness． Such people， with their capacity for "disinterested interest" have a great （10）　　over others in developing their innate abilities．

Fortunately for those of us who aren't （11）　　blessed with an autotelic personalily， there is evidence that flow states can be （12）　　by environmental factors．（13）　　， the learning framework prescribed by Montessori schools seems to encourage flow states．

While there isn't （yet） a pill that can turn mundane practice into a thrilling activity for anyone， it is heartening that we seem， at least to some （14）　　， to be able to nudge ourselves toward flow states． By giving ourselves unstructured， open﹣ended time， minimal （15）　　， and a task set at a moderate level of difficulty， we may be able to love what we're doing while we put in the hard work practicing the things we loving doing．

（1）A． inquires	B． requires	C． acquires	D． gains
（2）A． preventable	B． maintainable	C． sustainable	D． critical
（3）A． frustrating	B． encouraging	C． concerning	D． instructing
（4）A． improved	B． indicated	C． involved	D． inspired
（5）A． concept	B． receipt	C． reception	D． condition
（6）A． alternative	B． appropriate	C． approximate	D． sufficient
（7）A． make	B． adopt	C． adapt	D． adjust
（8）A． fully	B． really	C． readily	D． accidentally
（9）A． generous	B． persistent	C． courageous	D． resistant
（10）A． addict	B． advance	C． advantage	D． admire
（11）A． necessarily	B． obviously	C． gradually	D． occasionally
（12）A． forbidden	B． functioned	C． fastened	D． facilitated
（13）A． In particular	B． For example	C． In conclusion	D．In comparison
（14）A． intention	B． degree	C． purpose	D． extension
（15）A． temptation	B． charming	C． attractions	D． distractions

When most of us get a text message on our cell phone from an unknown person，we usually say " sorry，（1）　　number!" and move on． But when Dennis Williams（2）　　a text that clearly wasn't intended for him， he did something （3）　　．

On March 19， Dennis got a group text （4）　　him that a couple he didn't know were at the hospital， waiting for the（5）　　of a baby．

"Congratulations! But I think someone was mistaken，" Dennis （6）　　． The baby was born and update texts were （7）　　quickly from the overjoyed grandmother， Teresa． In her （8）　　， she didn't seem to realized that she was （9）　　the baby′s photos with a complete stranger． "Well， I don't （10）　　you all but I will get there to take pictures with the baby，" replied Dennis before asking which room the new （11）　　were in．

Much to the family's surprise， Dennis stuck to his（12）　　! He turned up at the hospital（13）　　gifts for the new mother Lindsey and her baby boy． Lindsey′s husband was totally（14）　　by the unexpected visit． "I don't think we would have randomly invited him over but we（15）　　it and the gifts．"

Teresa（16）　　 a photo of the chance meeting on a social networking website（17）　　by the touching words：" What a（18）　　this young man was to our family! He was so（19）　　and kind to do this． " The post has since gained the （20）　　of social media users all over the world， receiving more than 184，000 shares and 61， 500 likes in just three days．

（1）

A．

unlucky

B．

secret

C．

new

D．

wrong

（2）

A．

received

B．

translated

C．

copied

D．

printed

（3）

A．

reasonable

B．

special

C．

necessary

D．

practical

（4）

A．

convincing

B．

reminding

C．

informing

D．

warning

（5）

A．

wake﹣up

B．

recovery

C．

growth

D．

arrival

（6）

A．

responded

B．

interrupted

C．

predicted

D．

repeated

（7）

A．

coming in

B．

setting out

C．

passing down

D．

moving around

（8）

A．

opinion

B．

anxiety

C．

excitement

D．

effort

（9）

A．

comparing

B．

exchanging

C．

discussing

D．

sharing

（10）

A．

accept

B．

know

C．

believe

D．

bother

（11）

A．

parents

B．

doctors

C．

patients

D．

visitors

（12）

A．

dream

B．

promise

C．

agenda

D．

principle

（13）

A．

bearing

B．

collecting

C．

opening

D．

making

（14）

A．

discouraged

B．

relaxed

C．

astonished

D．

defeated

（15）

A．

admit

B．

need

C．

appreciate

D．

expect

（16）

A．

found

B．

selected

C．

developed

D．

posted

（17）

A．

confirmed

B．

simplified

C．

clarified

D．

accompanied

（18）

A．

pity

B．

blessing

C．

relief

D．

problem

（19）

A．

smart

B．

calm

C．

sweet

D．

fair

（20）

A．

sympathy

B．

attention

C．

control

D．

trust

We have all heard how time is more valuable than money， but is it （1）　　to have too much time？

I （2）　　back in high school I spent most of my day at school since I also （3）　　a team sport． By the time I got home， I only had a few hours to do my homework， and I had to do it（4）　　．

When I got into college， things（5）　　． I suddenly found myself out of class before noon time． Because of all this （6）　　time， there was no sense of （7）　　to do my school work immediately． I was performing this action of waiting until it later became a （8）　　． Once that happened， I just kept（9）　　my studying further and further back in my day． Then I got to the point where I was （10）　　really late at night to get my work done．

One day I（11）　　a former classmate of mine who was （12）　　a lot of money running a sideline （副业）． Since his regular job was （13）　　， I asked him why he just didn't do his sideline full﹣time． He said without the job， he would （14）　　have too much time and would just do what I did back in（15）　　． He said that if he （16）　　the job， he would lose his （17）　　to work and succeed．

So， try （18）　　your time with other work． This is why there is a（19）　　that if you want something done， ask a （20）　　person to do it．

（1）

A．

true

B．

fair

C．

strange

D．

possible

（2）

A．

remember

B．

admit

C．

understand

D．

expect

（3）

A．

watched

B．

loved

C．

coached

D．

played

（4）

A．

at last

B．

right away

C．

of course

D．

as usual

（5）

A．

happened

B．

repeated

C．

changed

D．

mattered

（6）

A．

extra

B．

difficult

C．

valuable

D．

limited

（7）

A．

duty

B．

achievement

C．

urgency

D．

direction

（8）

A．

burden

B．

relief

C．

risk

D．

habit

（9）

A．

pushing

B．

taking

C．

setting

D．

calling

（10）

A．

hanging out

B．

staying up

C．

jogging round

D．

showing off

（11）

A．

met

B．

helped

C．

treated

D．

hired

（12）

A．

raising

B．

wasting

C．

demanding

D．

making

（13）

A．

safe

B．

important

C．

boring

D．

rewarding

（14）

A．

luckily

B．

hardly

C．

hopefully

D．

simply

（15）

A．

childhood

B．

college

C．

town

D．

business

（16）

A．

quit

B．

found

C．

accepted

D．

kept

（17）

A．

heart

B．

chance

C．

drive

D．

way

（18）

A．

saving

B．

filling up

C．

giving up

D．

trading

（19）

A．

message

B．

story

C．

saying

D．

fact

（20）

A．

careful

B．

busy

C．

reliable

D．

kind

Raynor Winn and her husband Moth became homeless due to their wrong investment． Their savings had been（1）　　to pay lawyers' fees． To make matters worse， Moth was diagnosed（诊断）with a （2）　　disease． There was no （3）　　， only pain relief．

Failing to find any other way out， they decided to make a （4）　　journey， as they caught sight of an old hikers'（徒步旅行者）guide．

This was a long journey of unaccustomed hardship and （5）　　recovery． When leaving home， Raynor and Moth had just ￡320 in the bank． They planned to keep the（6）　　low by living on boiled noodles， with the（7）　　hamburger shop treat．

Wild camping is（8）　　in England． To avoid being caught， the Winns had to get their tent up（9）　　and packed it away early in the morning． The Winns soon discovered that daily hiking in their 50s is a lot（10）　　than they remember it was in their 20s． Raynor（11）　　all over and desired a bath． Moth， meanwhile， after an initial（12）　　， found his symptoms were strangely （13）　　by their daily tiring journey．

（14）　　， the couple found that their bodies turned for the better， with re﹣found strong muscles that they thought had（15）　　forever． "Our hair was fried and falling out， nails broken， clothes（16）　　to a thread， but we were alive．"

During the journey， Raynor began a career as a nature writer． She writes， "（17）　　had taken every material thing from me and left me torn bare， an empty page at the end of a（n）（18）　　written book． It had also given me a （19）　　， either to leave that page （20）　　or to keep writing the story with hope． I chose hope．"

（1）

A．

drawn up

B．

used up

C．

backed up

D．

kept up

（2）

A．

mild

B．

common

C．

preventable

D．

serious

（3）

A．

cure

B．

luck

C．

care

D．

promise

（4）

A．

business

B．

walking

C．

bus

D．

rail

（5）

A．

expected

B．

frightening

C．

disappointing

D．

surprising

（6）

A．

budget

B．

revenue

C．

compensation

D．

allowance

（7）

A．

frequent

B．

occasional

C．

abundant

D．

constant

（8）

A．

unpopular

B．

lawful

C．

attractive

D．

illegal

（9）

A．

soon

B．

early

C．

late

D．

slowly

（10）

A．

harder

B．

easier

C．

cheaper

D．

funnier

（11）

A．

rolled

B．

bled

C．

ached

D．

trembled

（12）

A．

struggle

B．

progress

C．

excitement

D．

research

（13）

A．

developed

B．

controlled

C．

reduced

D．

increased

（14）

A．

Initially

B．

Eventually

C．

Temporarily

D．

Consequently

（15）

A．

gained

B．

kept

C．

wounded

D．

lost

（16）

A．

sewn

B．

washed

C．

worn

D．

ironed

（17）

A．

Doctors

B．

Hiking

C．

Lawyers

D．

Homelessness

（18）

A．

well

B．

partly

C．

neatly

D．

originally

（19）

A．

choice

B．

reward

C．

promise

D．

break

（20）

A．

loose

B．

full

C．

blank

D．

missing

We're told that writing is dying． Typing on keyboards and screens （1）　　written communication today． Learning cursive （草书）， joined﹣up handwriting was once （2）　　in schools． But now， not so much． Countries such as Finland have dropped joined﹣up handwriting lessons in schools （3）　　typing courses． And in the U． S．， the requirement to learn cursive has been left out of core standards since 2013． A few U． S． states still place value on formative cursive education， such as Arizona， but they're not the（4）　　．

Some experts point out that writing lessons can have indirect （5）　　． Anne Trubek， author of The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting， argues that such lessons can reinforce a skill called automaticity． That's when you've perfected a task， and can do it almost without thinking．（6）　　you extra mental bandwidth to think about or do other things while you're doing the task． In this sense， Trubek likens handwriting to （7）　　．

"Once you have driven for a while， you don't （8）　　think 'Step on gas now'（or） 'Turn the steering wheel a bit'，" she explains． "You just do it． That's what we want children to （9）　　when learning to write． You and I don't think 'now make a loop going up for the 'I' or 'now look for the letter 'r' on the keyboard'．" Trubek has written many essays and books on handwriting， and she doesn't believe it will die out for a very long time， "if ever"． But she believes students are learning automaticity faster with keyboards than with handwriting： students are learning how to type without looking at the keys at （10）　　ages， and to type faster than they could write， granting them extra time to think about word choice or sentence structure． In a piece penned （if you'll pardon the expression） for the New York Times last year， Trubek argued that due to the improved automaticity of keyboards， today's children may well become better communicators in text as （11）　　takes up less of their education． This is a（n）（12）　　that has attracted both criticism and support．

She explains that two of the most common arguments she hears from detractors regarding the decline of handwriting is that not （13）　　it will result in a "loss of history" and a "loss of personal touch"．

On the former she （14）　　that 95% of handwritten manuscripts can't be read by the average person anyway "that's why we have paleographers，" she explains， paleography being the study of ancient styles of writing while the latter refers to the warm （15）　　we give to handwritten personal notes， such as thank﹣you cards． Some educators seem to agree， at least to an extent．

（1）

A．

abandons

B．

dominates

C．

enters

D．

absorbs

（2）

A．

compulsory

B．

opposite

C．

crucial

D．

relevant

（3）

A．

in want of

B．

in case of

C．

in favour of

D．

in addition to

（4）

A．

quantity

B．

minimum

C．

quality

D．

majority

（5）

A．

responsibility

B．

benefits

C．

resources

D．

structure

（6）

A．

granting

B．

getting

C．

bringing

D．

coming

（7）

A．

sleeping

B．

driving

C．

reviewing

D．

operating

（8）

A．

eventually

B．

constantly

C．

equivalently

D．

consciously

（9）

A．

adopt

B．

reach

C．

acquire

D．

activate

（10）

A．

slower

B．

later

C．

faster

D．

earlier

（11）

A．

handwriting

B．

adding

C．

forming

D．

understanding

（12）

A．

trust

B．

look

C．

view

D．

smile

（13）

A．

containing

B．

spreading

C．

choosing

D．

protecting

（14）

A．

commits

B．

counters

C．

completes

D．

composes

（15）

A．

associations

B．

resources

C．

procedures

D．

interactions