Hardly can you succeed 1. doing something perfectly the first time you do it. 2., when you do something for the first time, it is time to give up the idea of perfection.
I remember the first time I 3. (drive) a car in traffic after getting my driver’s license. I was very nervous in that heavy traffic--- my driving style showed that I wasn’t a very confident driver. Now I’m much more 4. (experience) as a driver. 5. I still don’t consider myself a perfect one, I’m much more confident behind the wheel than what I was 6. I started.
In general, 7. is useless working hard for doing something perfectly when you do it for the first time. You are setting the bar so high that you just feel bad when you are 8. (able) to meet the level you have set.
Also, perfection is just another way 9. (delay), so trying to be perfect is just 10. waste of time. You should work hard for excellence instead.
In March, I experimented with cutting my work hours by 17% to see how it would affect my
____ and well-being.
For two weeks, ______ working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and reading a work-related book during lunch, I worked from 9 a.m. to 5p.m. and took a half-hour lunch ______.
Parts of my experience were ______ — for example, I felt quite rushed during the first few days of the ______. Other parts were less expected — like the fact that I was just as productive as before. But the most surprising finding is that I ______ spending more money.
On a (n) ______ workday, I dine on something particular, like a peanut butter and banana sandwich, while ______ in the Business Insider Kitchen. But during the first week of the experiment, I was so excited about the ______ that I wandered happily to the local food shop and ______ a sandwich that I ate while sitting in Madison Square Park. When I left work early, and ______ when I was killing time before plans with friends later in the evening, I ______ myself with tea and magazines.
So if you do decide to ______ your work hours, it’s probably wise to plan some ______ in advance — like visiting a ______ or a free museum that’s open during lunch or in the evenings, depending on your personality, ______ could potentially be even more meaningful than ______ at a coffee shop.
I should decide at some ______ in the future to go back to a(n) ______ workweek because that benefits me so much, and it’s certainly ______ I’ll keep in mind.
1.A. ability B. personality C. productivity D. nationality
2.A. more than B. other than C. or so D. instead of
3.A. breath B. chat C. look D. break
4.A. believable B. predictable C. comfortable D. reasonable
5.A. work B. step C. experiment D. progress
6.A. ended up B. started with C. speeded up D. lived with
7.A. terrible B. obvious C. flexible D. typical
8.A. sitting B. sleeping C. listening D. finding
9.A. freedom B. snack C. love D. happiness
10.A. borrowed B. bought C. found D. made
11.A. actually B. exactly C. especially D. quickly
12.A. educated B. reminded C. devoted D. entertained
13.A. take B. cut C. make D. spend
14.A. activities B. lists C. ideas D. goals
15.A. school B. factory C. library D. restaurant
16.A. that B. which C. where D. what
17.A. trying out B. putting out C. taking out D. hanging out
18.A. aspect B. point C. direction D. entrance
19.A. shorter B. cleverer C. easier D. longer
20.A. everything B. nothing C. something D. anything
To me, kindness is a chosen lifestyle. In my classroom, I tell my _____that every day they are offered a choice. They can’t choose what happens to them, but they can choose how they ______to it. Kindness is a ______. And it is a lifestyle. It isn’t something that we just choose once in a while---- it is a(n)______to live our lives.____, he chose how to react to it. To this day, seventeen years later , the nurses ______ write my mother letters. The ______? It was because of my father’s kindness to others even when he was _____ against the disease. He made kindness a lifestyle.
And I want to be ______ him.
Every day as a teacher, I try and teach my students the kindness lifestyle. Just recently, I turned 40 and a friend gave me 40 individual dollar bills. She challenged me to do something _____ with the money. I gladly accepted the challenge.
I gave 40 of my students one dollar each and challenged them to make a(n) _____. What happened? My Twitter and Instagram were ______with pictures of kids making the world a better place. One girl bought a dollar store stuffed animal(填充玩具). It was______that kids should have made a difference when they were given the___.
Living the kindness lifestyle _____ every day, every opportunity. As a high school teacher, I see _____ everywhere. In the hallways, in the lunchroom, in the locker room, ______words and gossip（随笔） fill the air. So I started a hashtag (标签) to _____ positive gossip called “third party compliments(称赞)”. The idea is that you talk about people behind their backs, but do it in a _____ way. In that way, the gossip that gets back to students makes their day instead of getting them down.
Our kindness lifestyle leaves a footprint on others, and let us be the movers and kindness-makers who________a better, more beautiful world.
1.A. teachers B. classmates C. students D. friends
2.A. respond B. refer C. return D. contribute
3.A. mood B. goal C. benefit D. choice
4.A. spirit B. way C. chance D. idea
5.A. Therefore B. Otherwise C. However D. Furthermore
6.A. still B. never C. once D. just
7.A. meaning B. solution C. purpose D. reason
8.A. working B. struggling C. seeking D. exercise
9.A. against B. with C. before D. like
10.A. reasonable B. private C. necessary D. creative
11.A. promise B. difference C. profit D. achievement
12.A. concerned B. equipped C. flooded D. decorated
13.A. confusing B. natural C. common D. amazing
14.A. opportunity B. advertisement C. payment D. introduction
15.A. means B. increases C. makes D. explains
16.A. progress B. negativity C. trust D. harmony
17.A. hurtful B. inspiring C. touching D. humorous
18.A. call off B. call for C. turn down D. set aside
19.A. honest B. flexible C. positive D. cautious
20.A. requires B. allows C. promotes D. works
Fun doesn’t have to be expensive
Everyone likes to have fun, but not everyone has much money to spend. Here are some free or cheap ways to enjoy yourself.
Get outside
Going outside in good weather can be a lot of fun, especially if you go with a friend. 1.
If you live in a city, you can go window-shopping. Or you can explore an old part of town and admire the buildings.
Try a hobby
While you’re out, take pictures of things you find. Planning and taking pictures can make you aware of the beauty all around you. Photographic equipment can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. You probably already own a camera or a cell phone that can take pictures. Other creative hobbies can also be done with basic materials. 2.
Find an event
Libraries often hold free public events. 3. And while you’re there, borrow a book or movie for free. Museums and universities also hold free events.
If you can’t find a free event, you can volunteer at an event that requires tickets. People who organize concerts and plays need help. 4. Sometimes they reward volunteers with free tickets.
Meet a friend
Relationships are often the best things in life. 5. Invite a friend for a walk, an event or a time working on your hobby. Hosting doesn’t have to be difficult. If your friend comes in the afternoon, you don’t have to serve a meal. You can sit and talk, play board games or card games or watch a movie.
A. A friend in need is a friend indeed
B. Stop by one to find out what’s going on.
C. Hike or bicycle on a nearby path or in a park
D. Whatever you do, find someone to share it with.
E. It’s a good idea to stay at home to watch a movie
F. You could set up or take down chairs or greet visitors.
G. Drawing and writing require nothing more than a pencil and paper.
Among my peers, the most common reasons to sit in front are: poor vision, poor hearing, and harder to fall asleep (my main reason).
That’s about it. I’ve sat in the back and I’ve sat in the front, and I’ve seen no difference in how professors treat me. In fact, I sat in the front of my math class and still fell asleep a lot. I went to office hours for that class regularly and asked the professor if it bothered him and he said he understood completely. I put in the work outside the classroom and performed well on exams, and that’s what ends up on the transcript (成绩单).
From my
experience, going to office hours regularly, emailing questions that may be beyond the scope of class just out of your own curiosity, and reading ahead of time so you can ask good relevant questions are the best ways to give a professor a good impression. Where I’ve sat in the classroom hasn’t noticeably affected a professor’s opinion of me in the slightest.
Typically, sitting at the front indicates to me that you want to hear everything I say and want to have more one-on-one questioning with me. Sitting in the middle suggests that you want to fit in, and will be better at group work. Sitting in the back usually means that you want to play with your phone. The people in the front seats will often get the highest grades, dropping as the rows go back. Yes, of course, this is a tendency and not a law, and there are exceptions. But I must point out that for some older professors, they actually can’t see the people in the back well.
I have not noticed where to sit has any effect on attentiveness, participation and respectful behavior. I have noticed though, that students who sit in the back row are almost always disrespectful and inattentive. I have not observed any correlation between achievement and seat location, even though when I was a student myself, I usually preferred to sit in the front.
1.According to the author, the best ways to impress professors do NOT include _____.
A. preparing for the class in advance B. asking questions through emailing
C. going to office hours regularly D. sitting in the front in every class
2.What does the word underlined “correlation” in paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. Connection. B. Balance.
C. Difference. D. Separation.
3.What is the author’s opinion of students sitting in the front?
A. They may be better at group work.
B. They may want to stay awake in class.
C. They want to play with their phones.
D. Their grades are always the highest.
4.What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To persuade students to sit in the front.
B. To analyze the advantages of sitting in the back.
C. To show the effect of seating on study results.
D. To discuss different seat locations in the class.
Everyone looks forward to progress, whether in one’s personal life or in the general society. Progress indicates a person’s ability to change the way he is living at the moment. Progress must lead to a better life and a better way of doing things. All these, however, remain true only in so far as people want to accept technology and move forward by finding new and more efficient ways of doing things.
However, at the back of the minds of many people, especially those who miss the “good old days”, efficiency comes with a price. When communication becomes more efficient, people are able to contact one another no matter where they are and at whatever time they wish .The click of a button allows people miles apart to talk or to see each other without even leaving their homes. With the communication gadets, such as mobile phones and ipads, people often do not take the effort to visit one another personally. A personal visit carries with the additional feature of having to be in the person’s presence for as long as the visit lasts. We cannot unnecessarily excuse our selves or turn the other persons off.
With efficiency also comes mass production. Such is the nature of factories and the success of industrialization today. Factories have improved efficiency. Unskillful tasks are left to machines and products are better made and produced with greater accuracy than any human hand could ever have done. However, with the improvements in efficiency also comes the loss of the personal touch when making these products. For example, many handcrafts(手工艺品) are now produced in a factory. Although this means that supply is better able to increase demand, now that the supply is quick and efficient, the demand might fall because mass production lowers the quality of the handcraft and it is difficult to find unique designs on each item.
Nevertheless, we must not commit the mistake of analyzing progress only from one point of view. In fact, progress has allowed tradition to keep up. It is only with progress and the invention of new technology that many old products can be brought back to their old state. New technology is required for old products to stay old.
It is people’s attitude towards progress that causes the type of influence that technology has on society. Technology is flexible. There is no fixed way of making use of it. Everything depends on people’s attitude. The worst effects of progress will fall on those who are unable to rethink their attitudes and views of society. When we accept progress and adapt it to suit our needs, a new “past” is created.
1.According to Paragraph 1, progress can benefit people when they are willing to _______.
A. live a better life B. look for better methods
C. change ways of living D. accept technology and advance steadily
2.The underlined word “gadgets” is closest in meaning to _______.
A. tools B. messages
C. barriers D. skills
3.The author explains “efficiency comes with a price” by _______.
A. describing a process B. using examples
C. following time order D. making classification
4.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
A. Progress can suit the needs of daily life.
B. People review the past with great regret.
C. Technology should be introduced in a fixed way.
D. People’s attitude decides the use of technology.
