We all experience “oh crap” moments. Running into the person you canceled a date with — while you’re on another date. Realizing you hit “reply all”on an e-mail that you’d do anything to have back. Whatever the situation, the first thing you probably do is freak out. Everybody does.
While many of us think that we’re cool in a crisis, science tells us that we seldom are. At the moment we need to be keenly aware of our surroundings, our attention can tunnel in on the scariest thing in the scene, leaving us unaware of the other sights, sounds, and even smells around us. Armed robbers go unidentified because witnesses remember little more than the guns. Our ability to remember the things we do notice also becomes compromised; we can be told something, and two seconds later we’ll forget. And we jump to conclusions. When we’re freaked out, we’re anything but at our best.
These normal human reactions can be reversed. Once you calm down, you’ll face the most routinely ignored challenge of any crisis situation — identifying what the crisis is really about. We tend to misdiagnose problems because we don’t practice for them. Do the thinking ahead of time so you can just find the solution when it’s showtime. This is why flight attendants suggest you find the closest exit before you depart — so you don’t have to go exit shopping after the plane has caught fire or is sinking into a river.
Performing in a crisis is becoming more important for all of us, for two reasons. Back in the good old days, the reliability of most anything we used or did was far less than it is today. Now think about what happens to our preparedness as the possibility of something bad happening shrinks. Unless we practice what hardly ever happens, our ability to respond when it does happen tends to slip away. Reliability can kill you. Also, the systems we use today are more complex. There are seldom moving parts in plain view that allow us to see when things are about to go wrong. When complex systems lack transparency (透明度,显而易见), serious situations can “come out of nowhere.” We should all learn to breathe, recognize the situation, and carry out the plan that we were smart enough to prepare well in advance.
1.What does the underlined phrase “freak out” mean?
A.Be at one’s best. B.Calm down gradually.
C.Run away immediately. D.Panic or be scared.
2.Why do armed robbers go unidentified?
A.Because the witnesses jump to conclusions.
B.Because the witnesses focus on their scariest thing.
C.Because the witnesses forget what they have been told.
D.Because the witnesses are keenly aware of the surroundings.
3.Why is it more important for us to perform in a crisis today?
A.Because of less reliability and less complexity.
B.Because of more reliability and more complexity.
C.Because of worse transparency and less preparedness.
D.Because of better transparency and more preparedness.
4.What would the passage suggest doing in case a fire breaks out?
A.Taking a deep breath and dialing 119.
B.Staying cool and ignoring the challenge.
C.Calming down and remembering the situation.
D.Performing escaping and rescuing beforehand.
Hey, man,
Good to hear from you again. Your e-mail came in just as I was chatting with another friend, Jeff. I wish I had better advice.
You know, after I left the Shenandoah Valley, my next job was in Rocky Mount. The two other sportswriters on staff, Travis and Jeff, were in their mid-20s too. Honestly, we’d come to Rocky Mount to leave Rocky Mount. We complained about our shop and envied the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer. What resources they had! Writers who covered only one team didn’t have to lay out pages. Talk about living the dream. If we could just get to one of those places! Then we could go somewhere else!
Travis, Jeff, and I bonded over our desire to part ways. We ate dinner together and went out to cover our games and came back to help send the final pages to the printer. On the best nights, we’d grab the news editors and play Wiffle ball, laughing and joking until almost sunrise.
We all left there within a year, as intended. Jeff became one of the most well-known NASCAR writers in the country, with almost 200,000 Twitter followers. Now he’s got his own media company that’s doing quite well. In 2017, Jeff and I went to a Charlotte Knights game, and Jeff said something about Rocky Mount that I won’t forget. “I didn’t appreciate it then, but honestly, when I look back, it’s probably the best time I’ve ever had in my career.”
Maybe success isn’t measured in achievements, or “being happy with who you are”. Goals and personal peace are selfish markers, and I don’t mean to imply selfishness is a bad thing, not at all. Selfishness is the axis of humankind, from cavemen to astronauts to saints on earth. Individual accomplishments bring worldwide accomplishments. But all of the accomplishments may not leave you feeling successful, right?
The point is, maybe success is a smaller calculation, something more like what Jeff hinted at. Maybe success is having the wherewithal (所需的物资) to be grateful at the precise moment you have something to be grateful for.
Thank you for writing, old friend.
Mike
1.When Mike went to the Rocky Mount, ________.
A.he appreciated life there.
B.he lived the dream there.
C.he intended to land a better job elsewhere.
D.he got a job with all resources he longed for there.
2.What did Mike do in Rocky Mount?
A.A printer. B.A reporter.
C.A player. D.An editor.
3.Which of the following is true?
A.Mike believes selfishness is part of human nature.
B.We feel happy when we are calculating small numbers.
C.Mike disagrees with Jeff’s comment on their life in Rocky Mount.
D.Individual accomplishments are unrelated to worldwide accomplishments.
4.Mike is giving advice on ______.
A.what happiness is B.what success is
C.how to achieve more D.how to land a better job
They may seem like ordinary people by day but in their spare time, these office, shop and school workers bring history to life. During the week they work in shops, offices, clinics and schools, but at weekends they transform into Vikings, Romans and Medieval peasants. The world of re-enactment (重演) is booming with more and more men and women taking up the hobby of travelling to bygone times.
Factory manager of a busy printers, Brett Freeman, 46, from Nottingham, changes into “Padmore,” a Victorian street-seller selling stationery (文具).
Already a veteran (老兵) of military re-enactments, Brett joined the “Ragged Victorians” when middle-age kicked in. “I was too old to portray a soldier but I wanted to get back into the hobby and the Ragged Victorians looked the best in terms of being genuine.”
At his first event, group members gave him “loaner gear” and a year to research his character. His teeth blackened with theatrical stain, in top hat and floppy coat, Brett looks every bit his Victorian image.
Seeking inspiration, Brett dipped into the works of Victorian journalist, Henry Mayhew, who wrote about the working people of London.
“My character is inspired by the description of a stationer in Mayhew’s London Labour and London Poor. I mixed that up with my own background in print, and local historical sources to create street stationer, Padmore, which is the name of my Victorian great-great grandfather.”
“Getting into kit (装备) helps immensely and once you are in the public area you try to remain in character wherever possible.” For extra authenticity, Brett combines his language with Victorian selling patter (顺口溜), replacing the word “envelope” with “hangflups.”
“Re-enacting is great fun, but we’re always glad of a hot shower and a comfortable bed at the end of the weekend,” says Brett. “Normal life can seem very dull after a particularly good weekend. It would be wonderful to go back in time for a visit, but studying the period as I have done, makes you realise just how hard life was for our ancestors.”
1.Why does Brett choose to be a Victorian street-seller?
A.He has already played a veteran.
B.Portraying a soldier no longer fit him.
C.He is a manager of a busy printers.
D.His blackened teeth make it real.
2.What does the underlined phrase “loaner gear” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.Stage costume lent to him. B.Money paid on loan.
C.Adequate time. D.An assistant.
3.Which of the following words can best describe Brett?
A.Brave and careful. B.Kind and positive.
C.Humorous and caring. D.Serious and devoted.
4.Where can you probably find the above passage?
A.In a research report. B.In a magazine.
C.In a travel brochure. D.In an advertisement.
A study by the Institute for Employment Studies found that learners reported higher life enjoyment and greater confidence. The following apps will help you to learn something new…
Quizlet
Whether you’re learning gardening knowledge and cooking techniques, or getting to grasp your favourite literature classics, the online learning platform, Quizlet, gives you access to over 300 million different study sets on almost any subject you can imagine — for free. Whether you are learning a skill yourself or helping your grandchild revise their school work, Quizlet is a great study platform for mastering any subject.
Babbel
As well as being a great skill to show off on holiday, learning a new language can have profound effects on the way you approach problem-solving and might even give you a hand in your career. Not only does speaking a little of the local language give you a great sense of accomplishment, studying a language sparks a strong desire to travel, too.
Blinkist
Blinkist is the perfect app to assist you this summer, providing the key highlights from non-fiction books in both audio and text form. Whether you want to start a new business, improve your management skills, or achieve a better work/life balance, micro-learning app Blinkist takes key ideas from non-fiction texts and summarize them into easy-to-consume 15-minute digests.
Remente
Whether the aim is to improve mental wellbeing, mindfulness, stress management or personal or professional relationships, Remente guides a user through every step in order to make their goals a reality. It does this through breaking down your overall aim into daily goals, making large tasks, manageable and keeping you on track.
1.Which app favors senior citizens?
A.Babbel. B.Quizlet.
C.Blinkist. D.Remente.
2.What is special about Blinkist?
A.It provides key non-fiction books.
B.It improves your micro-learning ability.
C.It offers shortened non-fiction books.
D.It improves your management skills.
3.If you’re stressed with your new business, you can choose _____?
A.Babbel & Quizlet B.Remente & Quizlet
C.Blinkist & Babbel D.Blinkist & Remente
假如你是李华，听闻你的笔友Tom所在城市伦敦开展Books on the underground（丢书大作战）的读书活动，你很感兴趣，请你给他写一封信，内容包括：
1. 谈谈你对阅读的看法；
2. 分享一本对你影响最大的书.
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文 中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或 修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号((∧)),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Recently I found a couple of donation box in my living community. People come to it when they have clothes they don't wear. The donation box, I think, is of great useful. I have a lot of clothes which don't fit for me any longer. I have no idea before about how to deal with the clothes that are real new and still in good condition. Now I know how to do next. I will donate them or help those people in need. So I think the donation box is good idea that lights up our life and make the world a better place to live in.
