As the new semester begins,millions of college students across the country are trying hard to remember how best to write a paper-or,more likely,how best to delay that paper.
Procrastination is the thief of time and a lot of students suffer from it.They can spend whole days in the library doing nothing but staring into space,eating snacks,surfing the Internet,watching videos and looking at their pretty peers sitting around them,who,most likely,are doing nothing either.
Paralyzed by their habit to procrastinate,they write micro blogs about their fears,asking their online friends if they sometimes have the same issue.But this does nothing to solve their problems.
According to a recent report by the BBC,95 percent of us procrastinate at some point and 20 percent of the world’s population are procrastinators,complicating their lives with their continual delaying of tasks.
Procrastinators like to find excuses to justify their behavior,but BBC columnist Rowan Pelling says they are all wrong.Many procrastinators tell themselves they are perfectionists who work best under pressure.Pelling says this is nonsense,as work done at the last minute is more likely to have mistakes than work done on time.
She says the behavior of procrastinators often makes them feel flustered and ashamed,inconveniences others,and annoys loved ones.
Fortunately,social seientists have made tireless efforts to understand this behavioral shortcoming and offer strategies to control it.Piers Steel,a Canadian social scientist and author of The Procrastination Equation,believes humankind is“designed”to procrastinate.Nevertheless,he suggests a couple of good ways to get through the task at hand.
The first one is obvious:Break the task down into small pieces and work your way through them methodically.
The second is clever:Give a trusted friend a sum of money and tell them that if you don’t complete the task you have undertaken by a specific time,they can keep it or donate it to a cause you hate..What does the underlined word“Procrastination” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A.A bad habit of putting work or tasks off. |
| B.A thief who steals time and money in college. |
| C.A college student who learns nothing. |
| D.A study way of doing nothing in the library. |
.Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A.College students can have their papers written if they delay them. |
| B.Many students don’t know what to do in the library. |
| C.Students can’t solve their procrastination by writing micro blogs. |
| D.20%of the procrastinators make their life complicated. |
.According to Rowan Pelling,we can learn that procrastinators ____________.
| A.can find reasonable excuses for their behavior |
| B.are able to work best under pressure |
| C.are more likely to avoid mistakes at work |
| D.may upset themselves and their loved ones more frequently |
.Which of the following may Piers Steel support?
| A.Human beings are not born to be procrastinators. |
| B.Complete your tasks or work step by step. |
| C.Give your trusted friend money and ask him to help you finish your tasks. |
| D.You can’t control procrastination but you can avoid it. |
.What’s the best title of the text?
| A.Who steals my time? |
| B.The solutions to procrastination |
| C.I’ll do it tomorrow,I swear! |
| D.Don’t do nothing! |
Chinese college students have graduated to find the job market vary from when they entered school and those so-called “hot courses” might fail to land them good jobs.
Graduates with different majors have very different experiences in the job market. But degrees in finance, economics and a few other fields often guarantee good jobs.
“I have applied to 15 companies online, and most of them show interest in hiring me,” said WangLi, a postgraduate of labor Economics at Southwest University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. He said that all the students of economics, finance and accounting in his university had received at least two job offers.
Students of mining and materials science that were not popular before, however, have observed more employment opportunities than before. The employment rate of graduates from the courses was 100 percent at Guizhou University.
On the contrary, some so-called “hot courses” including law, journalism and computer science that have received large groups of students, failed them in the job market. Experts said high tuition fee of those courses led to blind enrollment expansion.
Another problem which makes it difficult for graduates to find jobs is the gap between school- learned- knowledge and requirements of real career.
In 2007, merely 60percent of computer science graduates were employed. Meanwhile, job vacancies in IT industry exceeded one million. IT companies complained about the large amount of money they spend on pre-career training of new employees. They hope universities adjust their courses to better prepare students for their future work.
In addition to academic background, employers are looking for college graduates with a good sense of responsibility. This merit is followed by a sense of team work, ambition, flexibility, eloquence, independence, confidence, pressure-bearing ability, communication skills and so on.The graduates with degrees in “hot courses” may have difficulty in finding satisfactory jobs probably because ______________.
| A.the graduates with such degrees are of poor quality |
| B.those fields have developed slowly in recent years |
| C.there are too many graduates with such degrees |
| D.enterprises will not employ the graduates with such degrees |
The words “hot courses” in the first paragraph of this passage refers to “________”.
| A.law, journalism and computer science |
| B.economics, finance and accounting |
| C.mining and materials science |
| D.economics, journalism and materials science |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A.Economics, finance and accounting are no longer “hot” now. |
| B.Quite a number of college students don’t work hard at their lessons. |
| C.The quality of some of the college graduates can not meet the demands of companies. |
| D.Universities have already adjusted their courses to prepare students for their future work. |
The author seems to agree that __________.
| A.middle school graduates should choose good universities as well as good majors |
| B.besides academic background, sense of responsibility is also very important |
| C.university students shouldn’t work hard at their lessons |
| D.middle school graduates should not choose these “hot courses” |
When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper:
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.
You may never have another chance.According to the passage, we know that _______.
| A.Jim was always ashamed of himself |
| B.Jim did very well in his studies |
| C.Jim’s parents were patient with him |
| D.Jim failed to finish his high school |
The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 most probably means _______.
| A.annoying | B.aggressive |
| C.impatient | D.thrilling |
By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the author intends to _______.
| A.mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident |
| B.remind people to be cautious of motorcycles |
| C.tell parents to take better care of their children |
| D.suggest people taking the chance to express their love in time |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A.Love your Family. | B.Do it Today. |
| C.Walk with Pride. | D.Appreciate Smiles. |
If you are hungry, what will you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? Just like stomach, even your mind will be hungry. But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such absurd things. So it silently begins to hide your needs and never lets itself grow. When mind loses its freedom to grow, creativity gets its full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think “What happens next?”, “Why can’t I think?”, “Why am I always given the difficult problems?” Well, this is the after-effect of using our brain for thinking of not-so-worthy things.
Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through extensive reading. But why is it reading but not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educational tool used by us right from the childhood. Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to turn to reading for help. You have a number of books in the world which will answer all your “how-to” questions. Once you read a book, you just don’t run your eyes through the lines, but your mind decodes (译解) it and explains it to you. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. Now this seed is unknowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed, if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, which you would never thought of in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity. The more books you read, the wider your mind will become. Also this improves your oratorical (speech-making) skills to a large extent and also makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary. When you start speaking English or any other language fluently with your friends or other people, you never seem to run out of the right words at the right time.
Actually, I had a problem in speaking English fluently, but as I read, I could improve significantly. So guys, do join me and give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading. Now what are you waiting for? Go, grab a book and let me know! What’s the best title of the passage?
| A.Hunger of the mind |
| B.Stomach and Mind |
| C.Feed your Mind by reading |
| D.Reading or Watching TV |
You don’t know your mind is in hunger because _____.
| A.you are not hungry |
| B.you keep it thinking of silly things |
| C.your creativity gets a full stop |
| D.you always meet with difficult problems |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the advantage of reading?
| A.Reading can make your dream come true. |
| B.Reading can contribute to your vocabulary. |
| C.Reading can improve your spoken ability. |
| D.Reading can make people creative. |
The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to _______.
| A.comment and blame | B.introduce and describe |
| C.explain and persuade | D.advise and inform |
Compared to the other parts of the body, our ears don’t ask for much. They don't need to be brushed once a day like your teeth. But they need some special care, especially if you like listening to music with earphones.
Maybe your mum or dad has told you, "Turn that down before you go deaf!" Well, they are quite right. Loud noise might cause hearing loss for a short time or even forever. Think that earphones are a good way to escape from tour parents’ eyes? Well. It may not be as good a way as you expect. American doctors have studied a group of 44,000 people who used earphones more than 15 hours per week. The doctors found that 37,000 of them were getting hearing problems.
If you use earphones for too long a time, your ears might feel painful. You could also lose your hearing for the rest of your life. So don’t wear your earphones too long. Use them less than one hour a day. Want sharp hearing? Don’t forget to do the following: Try to stay away from places where there is too much noise, like a disco. If you have to go, wear earplugs. When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in. Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your mum or dad to help you clean it out.
Keep these things in mind! Then you won't be saying "WHAT???" when you are older.Using earphones "may not be as good a way as you expect" because _______.
| A.your parents know what you're doing |
| B.it can cause hearing problems |
| C.it makes your parents angry |
| D.most of you use them improperly |
If you want sharp hearing, you should _____.
| A.have your ears specially trained |
| B.often wear earplugs and clean out the earwax |
| C.take good care of your ears |
| D.choose what you listen to carefully |
"WHAT???" in the last sentence is an expression showing that the speaker____.
| A.has become impatient |
| B.speaks in a loud voice |
| C.is slow in understanding |
| D.asks for a lot of repetition |
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, and the effect that colors have on human beings. They tell us that we don't choose our favorite color as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress rings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray.
Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a few colorful things. Remember also that you will know your friends and your enemies better when you find out what colors they like and dislike. And don't forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when you choose a piece of handkerchief.According to this passage, _________.
| A.one can choose his color preference |
| B.one is born with his color preference |
| C.one's color preference is changeable |
| D.one has to choose his favorite color as soon as he can see clearly |
We would pay attention to colors because _______.
| A.colors do have effect on our moods |
| B.colors may have effect on our work and study |
| C.light and bright colors make people happy |
| D.you can know your friends better by the colors they like or dislike |
If someone choose a red handkerchief, he will probably do the following things EXCEPT _______.
| A.Becoming a leader. |
| B.Joining the Student Union. |
| C.Always complain and blame others. |
| D.Getting along well with others. |
"I am feeling black" means ______.
| A.I am feeling well | B.I am very happy |
| C.I am excited | D.I am depressed |
The main idea of this passage is ________.
| A.one's color preference shows one's character |
| B.you can brighten your life with wonderful colors |
| C.psychologists have been studying the meaning of color preference |
| D.one's color preference has something to do with his character and colors have effects on human beings |