Have you ever made a promise to yourself that you didn’t keep? Commonly, when the new year ticks over, we make resolutions: going to the gym, studying harder or giving up a bad habit. Sadly, not long after we’ve made the promise, we often end up breaking them. But what if you want to create a new good habit? Well, it’s possible, but willpower might not be the only thing you need.
The basic idea of a habit is something we do almost unconsciously. An example of this would be having breakfast or saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Good habits can be part of your daily routine. But if we don’t have those habits, how can we create them? According to a study published by the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit. However, relying only on determination may not be the answer.
Questioning why you want something to be the norm（常态） rather than relying on your resolve could be the key. Do you want to lose weight because you want to be healthier or feel more attractive? The issue is, willpower could be subject to your mood – a bad mood may mean you don’t want to do something.
You should also avoid trying to change too much at once – remember that it’s a case of baby steps. Giving up all your favourite foods, going to the gym, and stopping drinking at the same time will probably result in failure rather than sustainable practice. And don’t worry about failing – just start again!
Finally, don’t do things outside your comfort zone. If you hate mushrooms, don’t persevere and try to add them to your diet just to be healthier. Eat something you like! It might not be quick, but if you follow these tips, you may be able to change something for the better or kick a bad habit.
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相似题推荐
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
How to Be a Civilized Tourist
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Not everyone is lucky and can claim that they share a great relationship with their own parents. As you age, your points of view on life may greatly differ from those of your parents. Due to the generation gap, there is a huge possibility of misunderstandings between parents and children. All these can lead to conflicts. So what can you do to get along well with your parents as a teenager?
First, make sure that your behavior is responsible and mature. Carry out the duties your parents have assigned to you. If you complete your daily chores on time, you will realize your parents don't blame you so much! Don't go out of the way to do something which your parents have forbidden you from doing.
As you enter your mid-teens, you will realize you want to be independent, from choosing what to eat for breakfast, to buying your clothes, and making new friends. This change is going to cause a conflict between you and your parents. Keep in mind that parents will not agree to your decisions right away. You will feel you have controlling parents, and that there is no way out of the situation. To avoid further conflicts, talk to them. Hear them out. It's the best way to solve a lot of problems. In addition, calm yourself down when conflicts occur. It might take some time for your parents to realize that their little kid is growing up and is entitled to his or her own opinions.
Make it a point to talk to your parents every day about your school life, friends, your day-to-day activities, your teachers, just about anything. If you're stressed about any problem at school, discuss it with your parents. They are the best people to help you out and deal with it.
In a word, love and respect your parents for what they are and everything they've done for you, and no doubt, they'll in turn respect you for turning into responsible adults.
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How to Make the Most of Your Lunch Hour
Should you grab a bite at your desk or eat with your colleagues? That depends on what's on your agenda for the rest of the day.
Lunch hours are getting shorter and shorter, and even disappearing in some parts of today's working world. With fewer employees asked to accomplish more in a day, many Americans treat lunch not as a break but as just another task to squeeze into an already over-booked day. But do quick meals at the desk actually improve productivity leisurely meals?According to the latest study published in the journal PLOS ONE, they could help you to get more done.
The researchers only studied 32 employees, so the findings are debatable. But when they assigned one group to eat at their desks and another to dine with a colleague at a restaurant,they found that those who ate lunch together showed a decline in their performance on tests that measured concentration, memory and the ability catch errors and read emotions in facial expressions following lunch than before lunch. Both groups ate the same meals, but those who ate alone were only given 20 minutes to consume their food, while the paired participants were allowed one hour in the restaurant. Those who ate alone did not have as large a drop in their cognitive processing as those who ate in the restaurant.
What was responsible for the change? There were too many variables at play to determine which had the strongest influence on cognitive control — was it the companionship, or was it the music played in the restaurant and the meal served by wait staff, or was it the longer time to enjoy the meal?
Whichever factor was responsible, however, the group that took a restaurant lunch break came back more relaxed,say the authors, and that likely affected their cognitive sharpness.Sharing a meal outside the office with a friend appears to have calming effect, and while it reduces intellectual skills, it could foster social harmony and teamwork, which may be an important feature of some work tasks. But don't feel sorry for the lone lunchers. It turns out that since they were able to maintain their cognitive skills following the meal, they might be in a better position to think creatively for projects that require more innovative solutions or approaches.
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The First Lesson of the New Term, a TV program about how to protect oneself in times of emergency, is meant to provide school students with the knowledge on self-protection. It will help students in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, snowstorms or floods. Many examples show that enough knowledge about self-protection along with enough courage and willpower can help many survive.
The most recent example is from the earthquake in Sichuan Province in May of 2008. While thousands of school kids were killed by collapsed school buildings, all students from a middle school survived even without a single one being hurt. That’s because of their timely and orderly evacuations (撤离), which they had been drilled in every term.
It’s good to see this program is the most important activity of a national campaign to make students be aware of personal safety. Chinese Education Ministry has called on all schools nationwide to give lessons on self-protection knowledge in times of emergency every term.
【写作内容】
某中学生英文报就“学生安全教育”为主题举行英语征文活动。你阅读了上述文章后，准备给该报投稿，稿件内容要点包括：
1．以约30个词概括以上短文内容。
2．然后以约120个词谈谈你的观点，并包括以下要点：
(1) 安全教育的重要性；
(2) 举例说明中学生在日常安全方面应该注意的事项；
(3) 呼吁中学生提高安全意识。
【写作要求】
1．在作文中可以使用自己亲身的经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2．文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。
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| 50%的同学的看法 | 骑自行车的人 | ◆不遵守交通规则 ◆骑车速度过快 |
| 40%的同学的看法 | 司机 | ◆超速 ◆酒后驾驶 ◆开车时接打电话 |
| 10%的同学的看法 | 行人 | ◆乱穿马路 |
| 你的看法 | …… | …… |
2. 开头、结尾已经给出，不计入总词数；
3. 字数要求：100词左右。
Dear editor,
Recently, we had a heated discussion about the causes of traffic accidents.
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Looking forward to your early reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
1.中学生做家务状况描述；
2.造成此状况的原因；
3.你的观点。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.短文的题目和首句已为你写好。
The Importance of Doing Housework
It’s widely known that Labor Education will be included in the education of middle schools in China.
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