【推荐1】Whether in work or study, great people always do things as effectively as possible. Productive (高效的) people have one thing in common: A solid routine made up of small habits that helps them to keep a healthy mindset and lifestyle. Research shows a habit takes about 2l days to become normal behavior.     1    

●Make daily to-do lists.     2     Some people prefer to make their to-do lists first thing in the morning, while others like to do them each night to prepare for the day ahead. As a matter of fact, either way helps you to manage your time and workload efficiently.

●    3     Writing down your thoughts in your diary can help you achieve goals. You should even write down your progress, no matter how small it is, to help motivate you to keep going. This process will help you reflect and improve your memory and brain function.

●Have a rest. Whatever you are working on, you do not have to use up every ounce of energy you have.     4     When coming back, you’ll become clear-headed and happy, leading to greater productivity than just rushing through it.

●Clean up and organize for tomorrow.     5     It may be a little tiring. However, tidying up your home and preparing for tomorrow can prevent stress. This daily maintaining can ensure that you do not have to spend an entire afternoon cleaning during the weekend.

A．Keep a journal.

B．Make great progress.

C．Making a list of tasks for the day helps you to stay on track.

D．After a long day, the last thing you may want to do is clean.

E．Take a break at the same time each day, despite just 10 minutes.

F．You should be energetic all day and spare no effort to finish your work.

G．Here are some habits you can start practicing to become more productive.

【推荐2】Ways to Build Resilience(韧性)

Being resilient isn’t about avoiding misfortune, but rather how we respond to it. Resilience means doing well in the face of risk or adversity. Recently we’ve all needed to draw on our resilience. “We all get exhausted from time to time, and the pandemic has drained(耗尽) the resilience capacity of nearly everyone, at one time or another,” says Ann Masten, PhD, a professor of child development at the University of Minnesota.     1     To build resilience, the experts suggest the following:

Nurture relationships.

Set up and maintain a support network before you need it, says Michael Ungar, PhD, author of Change Your World: The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success.     2     And if you want your friends and family to support your resilience, remember to support theirs too.

Find a sense of purpose.

“When somebody needs you, you just cope with stress that much better,” Ungar says. Your sense of purpose doesn’t have to come from school or work.     3     For example, you can grow a backyard vegetable garden or clean up litter in a neighborhood park.

    4    

Resilience usually refers to how we handle serious adversity, Masten says, but our reactions to big problems may be informed partly by the many smaller setbacks we face in daily -life.“ Every day stress probably helps us learn how to handle bigger challenges and gradually optimize(优化) our adaptive systems,” she says.

Embrace changes.

    5     By learning how to become more adaptable we’ll be better equipped to respond when faced with a life crisis. Resilient people often utilize these events as an opportunity to branch out in new directions, which is a growth mindset while some people may be crushed by quick or abrupt changes. Highly resilient individuals are able to adapt and thrive.

A．Believe in your own abilities.

B．Flexibility is an essential part of resilience.

C．Don’t try to get rid of misfortune completely.

D．It can also come from hobbies or volunteer projects.

E．Even if we consider ourselves resilient, we may need a booster dose(加强针) in especially hard times.

F．When adversity strikes, a supportive friend with good listening skills can make a big difference.

G．They can be learned whether you are going through a tough time now or you want to be prepared for the next one.

【推荐3】Sometimes life doesn’t seem to play fair. It blindsides you at the untimeliest moments, and even if we can learn to grin and bear the ups and downs, they can take their toll on our psyche. So rather than suffer in silence or let these things get you down, maybe there is another way: what if humour can help you get through the dark times?

According to author and clinician Kristen Lee: “Laughter and tears are both therapeutic—we need both to process such hard times.” But how can we find the tough things that happen funny? Our lives are really serious, often filled with mundane and repetitive activities, whether it’s arbitrary bill paying or fighting for a seat on your commute, we need to make time for fun and play—enjoy the little things. Why not make funny noises to remind you to stop taking things seriously, or learn some silly jokes, just to tell when times get hard? They could make you or other people around you laugh!

When a hurdle pops up in life, it’s easy to get bogged down—but the way we recount events can impact on our resilience. Rather than see the negatives, look for the ironic moments and tell people about them! Why not write parodies(诙谐的改编)in your spare time about events that take place to help you compartmentalise? Script what happened as if it was happening to a character rather than yourself.

We all know that some things in life aren’t fair. But take those events and send them up a bit in your scripts! Sometimes life needs a bit of a roasting to get your thoughts in order, and embracing your comedic side, seeing life’s difficult moments as obstacles that can be made fun of rather than overwhelm you, may help you get through them more easily. And who knows, you may just discover a talent for writing at the end of it.

1. According to the passage, what can some events in life do to our psyche?

A．They seem fair to all of us.	B．They can get us down.
C．They always make us grin.	D．They get us out of dark times.

2. According to Kristen Lee, what is needed to process difficult times?

A．Laughter.

B．Tears.

C．Both A and B.

D．None of them.

3. What are our everyday lives normally stuffed with?

A．Little and ordinary things.	B．Repetitive, serious but unusual activities.
C．Bill paying.	D．Fighting for a seat on the way to work.

4. According to the passage, what can we do to enjoy life a bit more?

A．We can make funny noises while others are talking about things seriously.

B．We can focus on the negatives of hurdles in life and make ironic comments on the people around us.

C．We can embrace our companions and let the difficult moments overwhelm us.

D．We can make fun of the dark moments and maintain a positive attitude towards them.

【推荐1】In an age where convenience beats sentiment (情感), we’re settling for “the bare minimum” when it comes to communication and emotional expression. There is a reason why your mother always made sure you wrote thank-you notes after every birthday. There’s a reason why getting a letter in the mail is so exciting. Writing someone a letter is a truly unique way to show how much they mean to you.

The great thing about handwritten notes or letters is that they don’t have to be anything fancy to be meaningful. A messily written note on a piece of scratch notebook paper can mean just as much as a beautiful, calligraphic letter written on the finest stationery (信笺). They both say, “You’re important to me, and I wanted to take the time to write down these thoughts so that you can hold onto them forever.”

One of my favorite things about handwritten letters is that you can keep them for however long you want, and revisit them at any time. A screenshot of a sweet text doesn’t quite measure up. There is emotion behind handwritten sentences. With every line of ink, you can feel the essence of its writer.

Unfortunately, this method of communication is seriously underrated today. We’re saving screenshots to our camera roll instead of precious letters in a shoe box. We re replacing thoughtful little notes with emojis (表情符号) or icons and telling ourselves that the sentiment is the same. But, to be honest, sometimes you have to slow down to show someone how much you care.

Want to show your significant other how much you love him or her? Write down how you feel about them in a letter and seal it with a kiss. Mail a funny card to your friends who live across the state/ country/ world just to let them know you’re thinking about them. I promise you it will mean much more than you know.

1. Which of the following can be regarded as “the bare minimum”?

A．Writing a thank you note.	B．Mailing a card with handwritten wishes.
C．Expressing your love with text messages.	D．Delivering a letter of apology.

2. What does the author think of a messily-written note?

A．Ridiculous.

B．Worthwhile.

C．Formal.

D．Simple.

3. What is the disadvantage of emojis according to the author?

A．Covering up our abundant sentiment with general icons.

B．Slowing down the process of showing our care.

C．Shortening messages into different icons.

D．Hurting the other’s sentiment in a way.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Writing someone a letter will be laughed at

B．People usually hide their true emotions now.

C．Handwritten letters are rarely thrown into shoe boxes.

D．People tend to store a screenshot of a sweet text now.

【推荐2】If you find yourself crossing one of London’s busy bridges and look down, you may notice that the height of the Thames changes over the course of the day. When the tide (潮水) is out, you may see people move down hidden stairs to walk slowly along the foreshore (前滩). These are “mudlarks” — and they play a key role in preserving the history of the Thames by picking up objects and artefacts (手工艺品) hidden in the river’s mud (泥).

Walking along the foreshore of the Thames is not everyone’s idea of a hobby — it can be cold and dirty. When the tide turns, it turns fast. You must always be aware of your way off of the foreshore. The mud is another hazard. A more experienced mudlark said he had once fallen into the mud. He was lucky to have a bucket to move out the mud.

Historically, being a mudlark was a low station in life. The term came about in the 18th and 19th centuries when the Thames was one of the major ways to transport goods into the city. At this time, the banks of the river would be full of mudlarks, mostly poor women and children. As the tide dropped, they would walk into the mud to pick up lumps of coal, pieces of rope or anything else careless boatmen had dropped overboard that they could sell.

Mudlarking is experiencing a renaissance (复兴). It has never been easier for people to explore the Thames: anyone looking for inspiration just has to follow the mudlarking posts on the Internet. The Thames Discovery Programme, a group of historians and volunteers, run guided tours of the foreshore where experts guide you and ensure that you stay safe and stick to Port of London Authority rules.

1. Why do people go mudlarking these days?

A．To take more exercise.	B．To keep the river clean.
C．To find historical objects.	D．To study how the tide changes.

2. What does the underlined word “hazard” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Power.

B．Danger.

C．Attraction.

D．Waste.

3. Which of the following best describes mudlarking in the 18th and 19th centuries?

A．It was considered as a hobby.	B．It was loved by most people.
C．It promoted the development of transport.	D．It allowed poor people to make a living.

4. What is the purpose of the guided tour of the foreshore?

A．To give support to mudlarks.	B．To test mudlarks’ working skills.
C．To inspire mudlarks’ love for art.	D．To encourage mudlarks to volunteer.