Apple’s so-called iPhone 4 “Death Grip” ----where holding the phone in the left hand weakens the signal ---- may rank among the top marketing failures of the 2010s.
Frustrated iPhone 4 owners don’t need to wait around for Apple to handle the problem. They can solve the calling problems on their own. I’ve got five guaranteed solutions, but you probably won’t like them.________________. In most US states, purchasers can return phones within 14 days - 30 days in states like California. It’s the “buyer’s regret” period, and for some people who can’t make clear calls there surely is some kind of regret. Apple’s newest handset may be the most fashionable phone on the planet, but it is by no means the only choice. Yes, you can use another smart phone and find happiness.
________________. OK, so this might seem like an extreme choice, but, hey, aren’t all those phone calls annoying? I’ve dramatically reduced the number of phone calls and must say it feels good to be free of them. The iPhone has a touchscreen for a reason. Use it. But, please, don’t text and drive.
________________. If you must make phone calls, change your location. Repeatedly test for the Death Grip, but don’t let the sellers know the real reason for moving. Surely they’ll think that anyone willing to wait all night in a line to buy a cell phone is some one who is easily tricked or taken in. Don’t let your iPhone 4 enthusiasm drive up the seller’s counter offer.
________________. Hey, why should Apple be the only one who makes money? The iPhone 4 eBay auctions（拍卖）are crazy. There are “buy it now” prices of $1,000 and auctions with bids（出价）starting above $800. While writing this post, I watched one auction count down 7 minutes to zero, where in the final seconds the winning bid was $1,300 for the 32GB black model, unopened.
_______________. It’s surprising how effectively some people can just ignore problems like they don’t exist. No matter what the situation, they ignore it. “Hey, Johnny, don’t you know Toyota recalled（召回） a bazillion cars for accelerator pedal defects?” You know his answer: “Toyota is the best company on the planet. There is no problem with my car.” I’ve seen this kind of denial behavior among some Mac enthusiasts, too. About Death Grip, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on record firmly stating: “Just avoid holding it in that way.” Apple claims the problem really isn’t iPhone 4 but you. Hey, you can choose to believe that. Denial will fix your problem, because you’ll never admit to having one.
| A．Live in denial |
| B．Sell your iPhone |
| C．Stop making phone calls |
| D．Purchase a car rather than an iPhone |
E. Move to a location with strong carrier signal
F. Return the phone and get one from a different manufacturer（制造商）
下面文章中有5处需要添加小标题。请从（A、B、C、D、E和F）中选出符合各段意思的小标题，选项中有一项是多余选项。
A．Make a list of obstacles and benefits of achieving your goal
B．Enlist the help of others
C．Learn what you need to learn
D．Visualize yourself having achieved each of your goals
E．Get organized and reward yourself each step of the way
F．Put your goals in writing
The goals that guide us
“Not all who wander are lost,” they say, but for the great majority of us, having a road map for the future is a key element to well-being and success, however we choose to define it．This means setting goals for ourselves, and finding ways to achieve them．If you’re a wanderer, it might be time to realize the great significance of setting goals．
It’s simply a fact: when people have goals to guide them, they are happier and achieve more than they would without having them．It’s a brain thing．Achieving a goal you’ve set produces a neurotransmitter （神经传递素） responsible for feelings of pleasure, which will then activate neural circuitry that makes you eager to pursue new challenges．
Of course, a thousand mile journey starts with the first small step．And whether we’re starting on the long journey of a mid-life career switch or the walk to the bedroom to finally organize that closet, it can be hard to gather up the motivation to make that initial step．While setting goals is in itself motivating, sometimes it’s just not enough．Here are some tried-and-true ways you can begin to move toward achieving your goals．
1．
The act of writing down what you are going to do is a strong motivator．Writing down goals prevents you from leaving your goals vague．Be specific．Use action verbs．Let your goals have measurable outcomes．Specify completion dates．Also record what your reward will be for achieving the goal．Make a contract with yourself, then read it each morning and night．This will help you to be more committed to your goal as each day passes．And while you’ve got the pen in your hand．．．
2．
Think of everything that might stand in your way．Then decide what you can do about each obstacle．Design a plan to reduce the influence of each obstacle and increase the chances that you will be successful in reaching your goal．Knowing exactly what you will gain from reaching your goal is a strong motivator．Keeping my checkbook balanced will give me more spending money on the weekends．Walking a mile every morning will help me stay focused at work．
3．
If information or skill is keeping you from achieving your goals, determine ways to fill in the gaps, and build this into your action plan．Be willing to study and work hard to reach your goals．Think about how much time and effort will be required, and ask yourself whether you are really willing and able to do what is necessary．It is better to adjust your goals or your timetable than to proceed with a plan that is unrealistic．
4．
Find someone, a coworker or friend, with whom you share a common goal．Get someone to go to the gym with you, or to quit smoking with you, or to share healthy meals with you．A partner can help you stay committed and motivated．Look for role models, people who have already achieved the goals you seek to reach．Ask them for advice and suggestions．Find how they got where they are, and incorporate what you learn into your plan．
5．
The more real you can make your visualization, the better．Find a quiet place, visualize, and write down your experiences afterward．Go through magazines and cut out pictures that represent your goal, then put them around the house．Provide constant reminders to yourself about what you’re working towards．Describe your ideal life in the future．Write a few paragraphs describing what you have accomplished, and how your life is better as a result．Use the present tense as if it is happening right here, right now．This is another way of making your vision real．
The benefits of keeping a journal (日志)
If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keeping a journal. It may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me. Here are some benefits you will get by keeping a journal.
◆ It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever gotten an idea only to lose it later because you didn’t write it down? But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I’m away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.
◆ It helps you review all the lessons you’ve learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you’ve learned and the ideas you’ve gotten. You can use the ideas to propel (鞭策) yourself forward.
◆After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you’ve gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past might have been realized today.
◆ It helps you expand your ideas. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it. In the end, you will expand your ideas.
| A．I often experienced that myself. |
| B．It trains you to express your thoughts. |
| C．It allows you to see your progress over time. |
| D．Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with. |
E. Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.
F. And to be honest, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it.
G. Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
A trip to Key West
As we cross the bridge to Key West, we can see many boats._______ Others belongs to people who have sailed their boats here from many different places.
In the city, the houses are almost all painted white.A few are pink or light blue.Many houses are very old and very small.Key West is a very old city.______________.
Many palm trees (棕榈树) grow here. Colorful flowers grow in front of many of the little houses. You can stay in a room in one of these houses for the night.You can smell the ocean on the soft warm wind that blows across the island.
We drive past several streets and then come to Whitehead Street. There is a monument there. The signs says this is the southernmost part of the United States.The sign says “ America Begins Here.” ______ It is the second largest ocean.
After taking a few photographs of the sign, we turn the car around and follow Whitehead Street to number 1907._________ For a few dollars, you can see the inside of the house.Hemingway had many cats when he lived here.He is gone, but the cats remain.Many are asleep on the beds or chairs.They are used to seeing people walking through the old house.
_________ There is a private museum here we want to visit.It is the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum.The museum is named after treasure hunter Mel Fisher, who discovered an old sunken Spanish treasure ship near Key West more than twenty years ago.
| A．Finally, we go back home. |
| B．Beyond the sign is the Atlantic Ocean. |
| C．Some are fishing boats you can use for the day. |
| D．After that, we travel a little way to Green Street. |
E.Many of the buildings are more than 100 years old.
F.It is made of modern materials, i.e.steel and concrete.
G.This house belonged to the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway.
| A. Weather is to blame B. Divided opinions C. Inheriting（遗传） characteristics D. Home of the redheads E. Greater sensitivity to pain F. Gene mutation（基因变异） |
Britain may be the most red-headed country in the world. About 1 to 2 percent of the world’s population has red hair, but in the UK the numbers are much higher, with 13 percent of Scots, 10 percent of the Irish, and 6 percent of people in England having red hair, according to the BBC.
Scientists have tried to explain why some people have red hair for some time and now they may have found an answer: the dull weather in Britain. The human body needs vitamin D from sunshine, but unfortunately people living in Britain do not have enough of it because of its maritime climate. In fact, Britain gets even more cloud than countries in the far north of Europe. In Sweden, for example, the average daily hours of sunshine is 5.4 . In Scotland it is only 3.1 hours.
To deal with this, the DNA of people living in these areas has changed slightly; scientists call this a mutation. Originally, the coloring on our body is a mixture of two kinds of melanin – black melanin is suppressed while only red / yellow melanin is made. The result is red hair, light skin color, freckles and a greater sensitivity to sunlight.
However, what’ s more interesting is that the redhead DNA mutation is recessive, which means it is hidden and can often skip generations without showing. At least 1.6 million Scots carry a redhead gene mutation, and most are unaware that they do. This is why a person who does not have red hair can still produce red-haired children if he or she is a carrier of this special DNA.
The research on red hair, like many areas of science, is contradictory(不一致). In 2002 researchers showed that redheads are more sensitive to pain, and need more anesthetic during surgery than people with blonde or dark hair. However, in 2005 scientists found that a MCRIR mutation gives redheads a higher tolerance for pain. Research into these aspects of red hair genetics continues. Redheads should though be more careful about their exposure to sunlight as they are at an increased risk of contracting skin cancer. If you are a redhead, the advice is not to stay out of the sun, but to be careful about how much exposure you get, and to cover yourself with a high factor sunscreen.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most do not fully see this truth.__ It seems to them that their difficulties represent (stand for) a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.
__ Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.__
__ When we desire（希望） to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we ncourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. __
As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct" (应该从痛苦艰辛中学习和获得指示。). It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. （words: 171）
| A．Problems are the serious test that tells success from failure. |
| B．Life is not a trap set for us by God so that he can condemn（谴责） us for failing. |
| C．It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. |
| D．Yet, it is in this whole process（过程） of solving problems that life has its meaning. |
E. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy.
F. We don’t know how to make money and participate(join) in problem solving collaboration (合作、协作) groups.
G. What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one.