Brrriiinnng. The alarm clock announces the start of another busy weekday in the morning. You jump out of bed, rush into the shower, into your clothes and out the door with hardly a moment to think. A stressful journey to work gets your blood pressure climbing. Once at the office, you glance through the newspaper with depressing stories or reports of disasters. In that sort of mood, who can get down to work, particularly some creative, original problem-solving work?
The way most of us spend our mornings is exactly opposite to the conditions that promote flexible, open-minded thinking. Imaginative ideas are most likely to come to us when we’re unfocused. If you are one of those energetic morning people, your most inventive time comes in the early evening when you are relaxed. Sleepy people’s lack of focus leads to an increase in creative problem solving. By not giving yourself time to______________, you’re missing out on the surprising solutions it may offer.
The trip you take to work doesn’t help, either. The stress slows down the speed with which signals travel between neurons (神经细胞), making inspirations less likely to occur. And while we all should read a lot about what’s going on in the world, it would not make you feel good for sure, so put that news website or newspaper aside until after the day’s work is done.
So what would our mornings look like if we wanted to start them with a full capacity for creative problem solving? We’d set the alarm a few minutes early and lie awake in bed, following our thoughts where they lead. We’d stand a little longer under the warm water of the shower, stopping thinking about tasks in favor of a few more minutes of relaxation. We’d take some deep breaths on our way to work, instead of complaining about heavy traffic. And once in the office—after we get a cup of coffee—we’d click on links not to the news of the day but to the funniest videos the web has to offer.
1.According to the author, we are more creative when we are _______.
A.focused
B.relaxed
C.awake
D.busy
2.What does the author imply about newspapers?
A.They are solution providers.
B.They are a source of inspiration.
C.They are normally full of bad news.
D.They are more educational than websites.
3.By “tune into your wandering mind” (in Para. 2), the author means “_______”.
A.wander into the wild
B.listen to a beautiful tune
C.switch to the traffic channel
D.stop concentrating on anything
4.The author writes the last paragraph in order to _______.
A.offer practical suggestions
B.summarize past experiences
C.advocate diverse ways of life
D.establish a routine for the future
5 books I loved in 2018
By Bill Gates
A great read is the perfect gift and I think everyone could use a few more books in their lives. My book list covers various topics, including an autobiography on learning throughout a life, a deep search on autonomous weapons (武器), a thriller about the fall of a once-promising company and a guide about meditation (冥想)—there’s something for everyone.
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness, by Andy Puddicombe. The book starts with Puddicombe’s personal journey from a university student to a Buddhist monk and then becomes an entertaining explainer on how to meditate. If you’re thinking about trying mindfulness, this is the perfect introduction.
Army of None, by Paul Scharre. It’s an extremely complicated topic, but Scharre offers clear explanations and presents both the advantages and disadvantages of machine-driven warfare. His fluency with the subject should come as no surprise: he’s an ex-soldier who helped draw up the U.S. government’s policy on autonomous weapons.
Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou.Carreyrou gives you the definitive insider’s look at the rise and fall of a company. I found myself unable to put it down once I started. This book has everything: magazine cover stories, ruined family relationships, and the failure of a company once valued at nearly $10 billion.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari. I’m a big fan of everything Harari has written, and his latest is no exception. If 2018 has left you stressed out by the state of the world, 21 Lessons offers a helpful framework for processing the news and thinking about the challenges we face.
Educated, by Tara Westover. Tara never went to school or visited a doctor until she left home at 17. I loved this life story of a young woman whose thirst for learning was so strong that she ended up getting a Ph.D. from Cambridge University.
1.According to Bill Gates, the book list is _____.
A.time-consuming B.life-changing
C.wide-ranging D.easy-reading
2.Paul Scharre is able to clearly explain machine-driven warfare issues because _____.
A.he used to serve in the army
B.he has outstanding writing skills
C.he is good at making autonomous weapons
D.he was a policy-maker in the U.S. government
3.Which book would most interest home-schooled children?
A.Educated
B.Bad Blood
C.21 Lessons for the 21st Century
D.The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness
Before leaving the country, you must be in of a valid passport.
A.provide B.pollute C.predict D.possession
The cigarette end thrown away by a careless woodcutter _______ the big forest fire.
A.resulted from B.resulted in C.brought off D.brought up
David is animal fur, so he won’t visit anyone who has cats or dogs in the house.
A.anxious about B.allergic to C.ashamed of D.accustomed to
Ever since their quarrel, there has been an unpleasant in the office.
A.circumstance B.atmosphere C.surroundings D.consequence
