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 other students sitting around them, who, most likely, are doing nothing either.
Paralyzed (使失去活力) 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 break the spell (魔咒).
According to a recent report, 95 percent of us procrastinate at some point and 20 percent of the world’s population are always procrastinating. The figures are disappointing. Procrastinators are less wealthy, less healthy and less happy than those who don’t delay. 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. The behavior of procrastinators often makes them feel ashamed, inconveniences others and annoys loved ones.
Pelling also points out that procrastination feels particularly delinquent (过失的)in a society that thinks of speedy action as admirable, and, at times, even as a moral good.
Fortunately, social scientists have thrown their weight behind efforts to understand this behavioral mistake and offer strategies to control it. Piers Steel, a Canadian social scientist and author of The Procrastination Equation, believes human is “designed” to procrastinate. Nevertheless, he suggests a couple of good ways to get through the task at hand.From the first two paragraphs we can learn that_________.
A.procrastination is beneficial to many students |
B.many students are under great pressure in their study |
C.many students have the habit of delaying finishing their tasks |
D.lots of college students work hard to write good essays on time |
Which behavior belongs to procrastination?
A.Never dream away the time. |
B.Always complete the tasks ahead of time. |
C.Never put off till tomorrow what should be done today. |
D.Always wait to work until the “good mood” or “good time”. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?
A.Procrastination makes people waste their time. |
B.Procrastinators usually complete their tasks perfectly. |
C.Speedy action is considered as a moral standard in the society. |
D.Procrastination is common among people. |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
A.Measures to deal with procrastination. |
B.Approaches to handling the study pressures. |
C.More examples to illustrate procrastination. |
D.Introduction to the book The Procrastination Equation. |
These days, there’s a popular cartoon named happy sheep and gray wolf. It’s an excellent Chinese cartoon, which tells the stories of happy sheep and gray wolf. The poor gray wolf is always trying hard to catch the sheep, but the sheep could always run away from the danger. The sheep are so clever and lovely that the cartoon gets all the children’s love. At the same time, the cartoon is full of humor. The children could learn more knowledge and enjoyment from it.
The cartoon is shown repeatedly on many TV channels.The Zhejiang Channel broadcasts the cartoon on weekends and the vacations; the Sichuan Channel broadcasts the cartoon for an hour in the evening; the Shandong Channel broadcasts it in the morning, while CCTV-3 broadcasts it at noon every day.
On one hand, the cartoon gets the children’s love because the happy sheep is really clever. He always has a way to work out any problem and save his friends. What’s more , there’re many things about happy sheep and gray wolf, such as the books, the toys, the pencil-box, the clothings, and so on. Children are happy to buy them. On the other hand, many adults (大人) also like the cartoon, for the gray wolf is regarded as the perfect husband with skills and effort. He invents many things just to catch a sheep for his wife. Though he is often hit by his wife, he always makes her happy without complaining (抱怨).
We can learn more from the cartoon, including the skills, the stories, the details, the humor, and so on. We could see the humor of Chinese type during the cartoon. But I don’t like its being shown so often. It may make the children spend more time on watching TV and it is bad for their health and study. The underlined word “cartoon” in the first paragraph is ________.
A.a kind of picture | B.a kind of sheep |
C.a kind of film | D.a kind of book |
Which channel is not mentioned in the passage.
A.Zhejiang Channel | B.Shandong Channel | C.Sichuan Channel | D.CCTV-1 |
Why do many adults also like the cartoon Happy Sheep and Gray Wolf?
A.Because they like men like gray wolf. |
B.Because they are still young. |
C.Because they want to make their children happy. |
D.Because there are many things about the happy sheep and the gray wolf. |
The author doesn’t like its being shown repeatedly because ________
A.he thinks children will feel bored after seeing it again and again |
B.he is afraid that children’s health and study will be affected |
C.he doesn’t like the cartoon himself. |
D.he thinks it is a waste of money |
The following are the world-renewed attractions in London, so don’t miss them while touring there.
Shakespeare’s Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe, which officially opened in 1997, is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, built in 1599, and brings Shakespeare’s world to life. As a visitor to the exhibition,you’ll discover how shows were produced in the theatres during Shakespeare’s time. The guide-storytellers take you on a fascinating half-hour tour.
Price: Adult £9.00;Child(5-15) £6.50; Student £7.50; Under 5 FREE.
The Tower of London
The tower, nearly 100 feet high, with walls 15 feet thick, was built in the early 1080s. King Henry Ⅲ made this tower his home. King Edward V and his younger brother were murdered inside by their uncle. Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by her half sister Mary who felt that her throne(王位)was being threatened(威胁). In 1603, part of the tower became a museum.
Price: Adult £16.50; Child (5-15) £9.50; Under 5 FREE; Student £13.50; Family (two adults with three children) £46.00.
Banqueting(宴会) House
Banqueting House is the remains of Whitehall Palace which was built in 1529 and was home to the English kings. It was destroyed by fire. Famous for its architecture and painting, the building is also known for being the scene of Charles I’s execution(处决)。
Price: Adult £4.50; Child £2.25; Student (with ID) and senior citizen (60+) £3.00; Under 5 FREE.
Tower Bridge Exhibition
Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the world. At the Tower Bridge Exhibition you can enjoy breath-taking views from the high-level walkways and learn about the history of the bridge and how it was built. You can then visit the Victorian engine rooms, home to the original steam engines that used to power the bridge.
Price: Adult£6.00; Child (5-15) £3.00; Under 5 FREE; Senior citizen(60+) £4.50; Student£4.50.Which of the following places has the longest history?
A.Whitehall Palace. | B.The Globe Theatre. |
C.The Tower of London. | D.Tower Bridge. |
If two parents with their 4-year-old son visit Tower Bridge, they should pay .
A.£12 | B.£15 | C.£9 | D.16 |
Queen Elizabeth I was shut up in the tower for two months by Mary mainly because .
A.Mary didn’t like her |
B.she tried to steal Mary’s treasure |
C.Mary feared she would become the Queen |
D.she intended to murder Mary |
How many places used as a king’s home are mentioned in this passage?
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
About three hundred words in the English language come from the names of people. Many of these words are technical words. When there is a new invention of discovery, a new word may be coined(杜撰) after the inventor or scientist.
It is interesting to observe how many common words have found their way into the language from the names of people. Lord Sandwich, who lived from 1718-1792, used to sit at the gambling(赌博) table eating bread with meat in between. As the Lord was the only one among his friends who ate bread in that way, his friends began to call the bread “sandwich” for fun. Later on,the word became part of the English language.
The word “boycott” means to refuse to have anything to do with somebody or something. It comes from a man called Captain Boycott. He was a land agent in 1880 and he collected rents and taxes for an English landowner in Ireland. But the Captain was a very harsh(苛刻的) man. He treated his poor tenants (佃户) very badly. His tenants decided not to speak to him at all. Eventually word got back to the landowner and the Captain was removed(免除). The word “boycott” became popular and was used by everyone to mean the kind of treatment that was received by Captain Boycott.A few hundred ___________ come from the names of people.
A.new inventions | B.languages | C.English words | D.new discoveries |
“Sandwich” is a word coined (杜撰) by ____________.
A.Lord Sandwich | B.the friends of Lord Sandwich |
C.inventors | D.scientists |
The tenants did not like ___________.
A.to collect rents and taxes | B.the English landowner |
C.the harsh land agent | D.to speak |
Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.
Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.
E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were,but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.
The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun -see a great movie perhaps and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may be tired of telling the story.
With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.
E-mail is also an inexpensive way to stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.
We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch. They don’t take the place of any of the old ways.The purpose of this passage is to ________.
A.explain how to use the Internet |
B.describe the writer’s joy of keeping up with the latest technology |
C.tell the value and usefulness of the Internet |
D.introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet |
The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to ________.
A.spend less time working | B.have more time with his child |
C.work at home on weekends | D.work at a speed comfortable to him |
The best title for this passage is ________.
A.Computer: New Technological Advances |
B.Internet: New Tool to Maintain Good Friendship |
C.Computers Have Made Life Easier |
D.Internet: a Convenient Tool for Communication |
Put on your sunglasses and enjoy the island, the sun and the blue sea. Malta combines (结合) learning English with the Mediterranean way of life: you will have a language course and a great holiday at the same time.
Your language course
Our school lies in Sliema, only a few meters from the sea, the beach road and cafés. The school is in an old Maltese building. Our teachers use a modern teaching method and you will learn English quickly.
Brief information
Class size: 10, at most 15 students |
Minimum (最小) age: 13 |
Language levels: all |
Internet access: in the Internet cafe |
The leisure (休闲) programmes
Our school and team leaders organize varied leisure programmes. There will be a welcome party on your first day. You will also take part in beach volleyball, and beach parties.
Other activities include: Discos, visit to Popeye Village, Water Park, bowling, cinema, ice skating (different prices).
Accommodation
Family: You will live in friendly host families that the school has known for years. All families are near the school (20 minutes on foot or by bus).
Supervision (监督)
Our team of friendly teachers, team leaders and host families will always be there for you. There is also an emergency phone number for parents and students.
Dear parents, please note that there are periods of time when your children are unsupervised, for example on the way to school. We are happy to discuss any questions you may have. Please contact us by phone or email.If you want to attend the English course in Malta, you should ______.
A.be at least 13 years old | B.have a higher English level |
C.learn English without the Internet | D.be watched all the time |
Where will you live if you attend the English course in Malta?
A.In an old Maltese building. | B.In a local family. |
C.In a café in Sliema. | D.In Popeye village. |
What information can you get from the passage?
A.There are at least 15 students in a class. |
B.You can take part in any activity for free. |
C.You will have a good time while learning English. |
D.It takes you 20 minutes to go to school by bus. |
The passage is mainly written for ______.
A.travelers to Malta | B.teachers planning to work abroad |
C.host families wishing for students | D.teenagers learning English |