My students often tell me that they don’t have “enough time” to do all their schoolwork.
My reply is often a brief “You have as much time as the president.” I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that “not enough time” is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done.
Once in graduate school(研究院), I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard. His answer to me was, “That’s irrelevant. What’s important is the quality of your work,Since then I have had time to think carefully about the “hard worker” dodge (诀窍), and I have come to some conclusions — all relevant to the problem of how much time we have.
If you analyze(分析) the matter, you can identify two parts of the problem: There is, of course, the matter of “time”, which we can think of as fixed. Then there is the problem of “work” during that time. But, as my professor suggested, it’s not how hard one works but the quality of the product that’s important.
That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work. That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone’s office: “Don’t work harder. Work smarter.” There is a lot of sense in that idea.
If you can’t get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of the work. That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits. Since “work” for students usually means “homework”, the expression “work habits” should be read as “study habits”.
Then, as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing. If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that pay off in all your studies.From the passage, we know that the author is probably _______ .
A.an educator | B.a poet |
C.a novelist | D.an engineer |
We can infer from the second paragraph that we students still _______ .
A.can meet the president |
B.have enough time |
C.can get everything done well |
D.should accept the explanation |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word in paragraph 2?
A.unnecessary | B.different |
C.irrelated | D.funny |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The author’s students make good use of their time to do all their homework. |
B.The author tried to tell the professor that he/she (author) had done a good job. |
C.You’ll try to improve your skills in reading and writing if you’re a clever student. |
D.You can’t improve the quality of the work if you can’t get more time. |
What’s the passage mainly about?
A.Don’t work harder; work smarter. |
B.Students don’t have enough time. |
C.No one can get more time. |
D.Read better and write better. |
Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon, and a peasant at night. This saying is all about the importance of breakfast. And now scientists can tell us just why it’s so important. According to a study carried out at Imperial College London, UK, skipping the first meal of the day not only means you eat more at lunch, but also that your brain wants to find more unhealthy foods.
The study suggests that there is a special part of our brain called the orbitofrontal cortex (眶额皮层), which plays an important part in making choices about what we eat. It is used for identifying the taste of food, especially when skipping breakfast. It is more likely to target high-calorie foods when you’re on an empty stomach.
Scientists did an experiment on this. Dr Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London, scanned (扫描) the brains of 21 men and women, around the age of 25. On the first day, these people skipped breakfast before the scans. On the second day, they had cereal (谷物), bread and jam as breakfast. After the scan on both days, they had their lunch.
When the volunteers had skipped breakfast, they ate around 20 percent more at lunch, compared with days when they had eaten breakfast.Their brain scans also showed the orbitofrontal cortex was especially responsive to high-calorie foods. “We believe that bit identifies the value of foods – how pleasant, how delicious something is,” Goldstone told The Guardian.From Paragraph 1, we learn that _____.
A.scientists found out why eating breakfast is important |
B.it’s easy to lose weight without breakfast |
C.there’s no need to have good food for supper |
D.eating breakfast makes your brain smarter |
Which of the following is NOT true about the orbitofrontal cortex?
A.It is part of our brain. |
B.It tells people to eat breakfast. |
C.It decides which food we like. |
D.It is active toward high-calorie food. |
Which is the correct order for the experiment on the first day?
①The volunteers skipped breakfast.
②The volunteers had lunch.
③The volunteers had a brain scan.
A.①②③ | B.③②① | C.①③② | D.③①② |
In the experiment, the volunteers without breakfast ate about 20% _____ at lunch.
A.of the usual breakfast |
B.more than the usual breakfast |
C.of the usual lunch |
D.more than the usual lunch |
Which of the following can be the title for this passage?
A.Breakfast still most important |
B.Three meals a day |
C.Experiments on breakfast |
D.Experiments on lunch |
Some people learn a second language easily. Other people have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language,such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The first step is to feel confident about learning English. If you believe that you can learn,you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes.
The second step is to practice your English. For example,write a journal every day. You will get used to writing in English,and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. After several weeks,you will see that your writing is improving. Besides,you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes,but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.
The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class,think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult,but you tried to understand it. Write these achievements in your journal.
You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English,and you will have more confidence in yourself.What is important to learn English?
A.To read English every day. |
B.To make a record of your mistakes. |
C.To buy a dictionary. |
D.To practice English every day and make a record of your achievements. |
When you learn English,you do not need to________.
A.be patient |
B.make mistakes |
C.express your ideas in English |
D.understand everything all at once |
Which is NOT helpful for you to enjoy learning English?
A.To communicate in English. |
B.To worry about making mistakes. |
C.To think about what has been done after classes. |
D.To make a record of your achievements. |
How many ways are given to learn English in the passage?
A.Two ways. | B.Three ways. |
C.Four ways. | D.Five ways. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
A.It is very important to learn a second language. |
B.Some people learn a second language easily while other people do not. |
C.There are ways to help you learn a second language more easily. |
D.Don't worry about making mistakes when learning a second language. |
Before you make friends,you have to decide who you want to be your friends. Most people like to have friends who like to do the same kind of things as they do.
The quickest way to make a friend is to smile. When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk to. It may not be easy at first to smile,but remember most people will stay away from a scared or angry looking face.
One easy way to start a conversation with someone is to say something nice about them. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn’t it make you want to keep talking to that person?
Ask your new friends questions about themselves. Who’s their favorite singer, where do they live and what do they do after school are all good questions to start a conversation. Make sure you have something to add to the conversation too. When someone asks you a question,do have an answer for them. There’s nothing that will stop a conversation quicker than a shrug for an answer.
Kids who show an interest in other kids and who are kind and friendly make good friends. Remember that everyone wants to be around people who like to do similar things and people who are nice to them.This passage gives us some advice on________.
A.how to make friends |
B.what kind of people you can make friends with |
C.how to start a conversation |
D.the importance of smile |
Most people like to make friends with those________.
A.who smile to everyone |
B.who share the same interest |
C.who are fond of talking |
D.who say nice things to them |
According to the third paragraph,most people enjoy talking to one________.
A.who is always smiling |
B.who seems to be friendly all the time |
C.who praises you |
D.who points out your shortcomings(缺点) |
What do the underlined words “a shrug for an answer” mean?
A.Being very proud. |
B.Making no answer. |
C.Knowing nothing. |
D.Asking for an answer. |
From the passage,if a kid wants to make good friends,he should________.
A.show an interest in others |
B.be kind and friendly |
C.smile to others |
D.All the above |
You’ve probably heard of a lot about the Internet,but what is it?
The Internet is a computer network that uses the telephone system to connect together millions of computers around the world. Maybe that isn’t very exciting but once you’re connected to the Internet,there are lots of different things you can do.You can send electronic messages or emails to your friends (as long as they’re on the Internet,too),or you can sort through all kinds of information on something called the World Wide Web.
You don’t need to know how the Internet works in order to use it,but if you understand the basics,it may help you work out many technical problems you have—and of course you can help your friends with your Net knowledge!
You may think that your telephone is just for talking. But as long as you have the equipment, you can use a telephone line to send computer data as well as sounds. If you connect your computer with the telephone system it can receive information from, and send information to other computers (as long as they are connected with the telephone system,too).
Because there is not an organization which operates the Internet,no one exactly knows how many people are connected to it. It’s thought that there could be 60 million people on the Net,connected up to over 15 million computers!If you want to join the Internet,you need,first of all,to________.
A.learn how to operate a computer |
B.know how to make a telephone call |
C.have a telephone |
D.learn how to type on a computer |
You can keep in touch with your friends by email.The condition is that________.
A.they also have their own telephones |
B.they also have their own computers |
C.you have already known their telephone numbers |
D.they are also connected to the Internet |
According to the writer,it’s better to________.
A.work out its technical problems besides using the Internet |
B.use the Internet besides working out its technical problems |
C.sort through all kinds of information on www |
D.help your friends with your Net knowledge |
With both your computer and telephone,you can________.
A.see the others face while calling up |
B.receive information from other computers |
C.send information to other computers |
D.both B and C |
How many people are connected to the Internet according to the statistics?
A.60 million. | B.15 million. |
C.75 million. | D.No one knows. |
Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together.Others say that the opposite is true;that international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred.There is probably some truth in both arguments,but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood. Not only was there the incident of tragedy involving murder of athletes,but the Games were also ruined by less incidents caused principally by minor national contests.
One country received its secondplace medals with visible anger after the hockey final.There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey(曲棍球) match,the losers objecting to the final decisions.They were convinced that one of their goals should not have been disallowed and that their opponents’(对手) victory was unfair. Their manager was in a rage when he said,“This isn’t hockey. Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension(中止) of the team for at least three years.
The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia,after a disputable end to their contest.The game had ended in disorder.It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point,but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play.A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other,and another player popped it into the basket. It was the first time the US had ever lost an Olympic basketball match. An appeal jury(评审委员会)debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand. The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals.
Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game. The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals or in nonnational teams,might be too much to hope for. But in the present organization of Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism(爱国主义).The author thinks that in recent years Olympic Games have________.
A.showed little international friendship |
B.greatly encouraged international brotherhood |
C.created goodwill between the nations |
D.created only misunderstanding and hatred |
What did the manager mean by saying “This isn’t hockey.Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished.” in Paragraph 2?
A.This is not a standard hockey match. |
B.The federation would not exist any longer after this match was over. |
C.His team would not enter the game in three years. |
D.The unfair decision ruined both hockey and the Federation. |
The basketball match showed that________.
A.aggressive patriotism was shown in the incident |
B.the Russian team should not have taken advantage of the last three seconds |
C.the appeal jury was too inefficient in making a decision |
D.the American team should have taken the first place |
The author gives two examples in the 2nd and the 3rd paragraphs in order to show that________.
A.contests often end in disorder |
B.no contests are fair in the Olympic Games |
C.competition discourages international friendship |
D.unfair decisions are common in sports |
Which statement best summarizes this passage?
A.Athletes should compete as individuals. |
B.The organization of the Olympic Games must be improved. |
C.Any team that has disrespectful behavior should be suspended. |
D.Different teams often have disputes when fighting for the first place. |