How do you get yourself to take action now? Here are some powerful suggestions.
Focus intensely on the positive things that your actions will accomplish. 1. Whether it's something you're seeking to accomplish, or something you're seeking to be rid of. picture exactly how your life will be after the work is done. The more intensely you can imagine it, the better.
2. The only real reason you have for avoiding action is because you associate some kind of pain or discomfort with it. Therefore, it helps to associate something even more painful with not taking action. Instead of focusing on the relatively minor pain of taking action, focus instead on the major pain of not taking action.
3. Think of all the reasons you can come up with to not take action, and then destroy all those reasons with a single word —"But." Simply state the excuse, put the word "but" after it, and then finish the sentence. For example, “I’ve never done this before, BUT I can learn." Stick the word "but" in there, and challenge yourself to finish the sentence.
Take the first small step. Don't even concern yourself with committing to the whole project or course of action. Just do something very easy and very small. The point is to find a little momentum（动力）4. Then climb aboard the momentum train, and let it help you keep the effort going.
Make it fun. Realize that just about anything can be fun if you'll think of it as fun and enjoyable. Find a way to make something fun, and not only will you want to do it; you'll also be better at it. 5.
A.You always choose what to do,
B.Lay all your excuses out on the table and deal with them.
C.In your mind, picture in great detail what your actions will bring you.
D.Whatever you must do to achieve success, find a way to enjoy it.
E.Focus on the negative things that will happen if you don't take action.
F.Getting started with your biggest task or most difficult action may seem too much.
G.Once you take that small action, let yourself fully enjoy how great it feels.
Many of us like to dine out and treat ourselves to delicious food. We are used to choosing hearty (丰盛的), fat-filled dishes and sugar-charged desserts, which are not easily cooked at home.
The recent rise of light meals, however, gives diners a smarter choice. According to Economic Daily, low-calorie, low-fat and high-fiber meals have become popular in China’s restaurants and online delivery platforms.
The country saw a rapid expansion of restaurants specializing in light meals, from just 600 in 2017 to more than 3,500 in 2018. According to a report released by Meituan, a major online food delivery platform, the number of light meals ordered online also rose 75 percent from the previous year.
Having a light meal, however, doesn’t mean eating only vegetables. Different from the meat-free lifestyle, a typical light dish avoids oily, salty and spicy food. Instead, it contains things like boiled meat, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Healthy nutrients (营养成分) are the theme of the light meal.
These dishes are useful for keeping healthy and controlling your weight. That’s probably why so many people, especially millennials (千禧一代), are into them. Diners see it as “a great way to avoid putting on weight,” wrote the Telegraph.
“After eating several light meals, I felt my appetite has shrunk (缩小). I now prefer light flavors,” Zou Jing, a college teacher in Wuhan, told China Daily. She shared a picture of her lunch: a mixture of beef, eggs, corn, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.
These changes in eating behavior are connected to deeper changes in how people think about food, says Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health, US. “Diet quality, not quantity, is important for both weight control and long-term well-being,” Willett told The New York Times.
So the next time you have a party with friends, try a light meal. It will satisfy not only your stomachs but maybe also your hearts.
1.What are light meals?
A.Fat-filled dishes. B.Meat-free dishes.
C.Sugar-charged desserts. D.Low-calorie and high-fiber meals.
2.How does the author show the popularity of light meals?
A.By listing numbers. B.By giving examples.
C.By giving descriptions. D.By showing other people’s opinions.
3.Why do many young people enjoy light meals, according to the article?
A.They are usually colorful. B.They are simple and convenient.
C.They are cheaper than other meals. D.They can help people control their weight.
4.What do we know from the second to last paragraph?
A.Light meals will stay popular for a while.
B.Our eating habits show our personalities.
C.There is a change in attitude toward healthy eating.
D.It’s important to eat the right amount of good food.
Small talk – the likes of “What do you have there? Popcorn?” or “The weather today is beautiful, isn’t it?” – is meaningless and a waste of time, according to some people. But scientists believe that it is actually more useful than it may appear to be.
One example comes when you are on a train or a plane. The thought of talking to the stranger sitting beside you can be scary, because you know the conversation is sure to be awkward. But a study by the University of Chicago in the US found that people who chat to strangers enjoy a better ride than those who sit in silence or occupy themselves with their phones.
In the study, researchers asked people at Chicago train stations to start conversations with fellow travelers. Most of them refused to do so at first because they expected not to get a friendly answer. But the result turned out to be just the opposite – most strangers were not only willing to be talked to, but also pleasant to talk to.
“Human beings are social animals,” Nicholas Epley, one of the lead researchers, told Live Science. “Other people are people, too. And it turns out that they’d like to get to know you.”
Apart from making you happier, small talk with strangers can also help you feel connected to your surroundings. Previous studies found that when people are frequently smiled at, made eye contact with and spoken to at coffee shops, they tend to have a stronger sense of belonging instead of feeling like they are being ignored and left out.
And if you are already comfortable enough to make small talk with strangers, you should try to develop it into something “bigger”.
A 2010 study proved that having a deep and meaningful conversation gives you even more happiness than small talk. Participants in the study – 79 college students – reported after the four-day experiment that they were much happier when they had a third as much small talk and twice as many in-depth conversations.
But deep conversations can start with small talk, can’t they? So the first step is to start talking, no matter how casual the topic is. And who knows, maybe an opening line as simple as “I like your hat” could lead to a serious conversation in which you learn something new from a stranger.
1.What is the reason for the result of the study by the University of Chicago, according to Nicholas Epley?
A.Most people are nice to strangers.
B.People are naturally curious about others.
C.People are afraid of loneliness or boredom.
D.People try to show their good side to strangers.
2.Which of the following is a benefit of small talk according to the passage ?
A.Wasting less time. B.Getting rid of useless contacts.
C.Coping with smart phone addiction. D.Feeling like you are a part of your surroundings.
3.What does something “bigger” mean in the passage?
A.Privacy B.Small talk C.Sensitive topics D.In-depth conversations
4.What is the author’s attitude toward small talk?
A.Positive. B.Negative. C.Doubtful. D.Passionate.
When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.
But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.
Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.
After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.
Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.
1.What was the author’s life like when he was 12?
A.Boring B.Peaceful C.Unhappy D.Meaningful
2.How did the volunteer work benefit the author?
A.It made him popular in his town.
B.It helped him find the meaning of life.
C.It helped him understand others’ lives better.
D.It helped to shape his dream career.
3.Why did the author choose writing as his job?
A.He was inspired by his teacher.
B.He could pass positive energy to readers.
C.He wanted to share his school experiences.
D.He found he had a talent for writing.
4.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A.To encourage people to say “no” to bullies bravely.
B.To encourage people to face changes bravely in life.
C.To encourage people to treat others with kindness in daily life.
D.To encourage people to learn to care more about others’ feelings.
The best thing to start your day is a good breakfast. In fact, many people believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In China, porridge with pickles (咸菜), baozi, noodles, soybean milk and youtiao are common breakfast foods. What are breakfasts in other countries like? Let’s take a look!
US
In the US, a good Sunday morning starts with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon or juicy sausages, and soft pancakes with butter and sweet syrup on top. On busy weekdays, most people in the US like to eat cereal with milk, bread and fruit for breakfast. Some people also drink coffee.
Canada
Canada is the largest producer of maple syrup. People usually have pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast. Canadian bacon is a popular dish for breakfast as well. Canadian bacon is quite unlike the crispy bacon of the United States. It tastes more like ham and is served in thin round slices.
Britain
The British breakfast is similar to the American breakfast. A basic British breakfast consists of fried eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, baked (烘) beans, and tomatoes. These foods are popular among young people in Britain. Usually, British people have coffee, tea or milk to drink. Some people also like to drink orange juice.
Japan
Most people in Japan these days – at least in big cities – eat a quick Western-style breakfast like eggs, toast, juice and coffee. Those who prefer more traditional foods are likely to have tea and miso soup with rice. Steamed rice is necessary for a Japanese-style breakfast. People also add nori seaweed or a little raw egg to their rice.
1.On busy weekday mornings, most people in the US prefer _____.
A.scrambled eggs, crispy bacon or juicy sausages
B.soft pancakes with butter and sweet syrup on top
C.ham, scrambled eggs and pancakes
D.cereal with milk, bread and fruit
2.Maple syrup is popular in _____.
A.America B.Canada C.Britain D.Japan
3.The British-style breakfast includes _____.
A.scrambled eggs, mushrooms and baked beans
B.fried eggs, sausages with sweet syrup
C.bacon, sausages, mushrooms and noodles
D.fried eggs, sausages, tomatoes with coffee or tea
假定你是李华，你写信邀请朋友Henry参加China Daily为庆祝建国70周年举办的艺术展。信的内容包括：
1. 作品类别：摄影、书画、诗歌等
2. 截止日期：9月9日
3. 投稿邮箱：news@chinadaily.com.cn
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 参考词汇：建国，the founding of the People’s Republic of China
Dear Henry,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
