【推荐2】Waking up at the crack of dawn and going for a run might feel intimidating when you start trying to make it a habit. Weaving a significant new activity such as this into your regular routine obviously takes determination and time — but how much time is really needed to make that habit stick?

One popular idea suggests that it takes 21 days to solidify a habit. The “three-week theory” originated from the 1960 self-help book Psycho-Cybernetics, in which plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz observed that it took his patients about 21 days to get used to their new appearance after surgery. Even without much solid research, the 21-day myth became widely accepted. It likely persisted because it seems like such a reasonable amount of time, Colin Camerer, a behavioral economist at the California Institute of Technology who has conducted research on habit formation, explains.

Almost a half century later, researchers finally gathered strong evidence that countered this idea. A significant 2009 study on habit creation found that habits developed in a range of 18 to 254 days; participants reported taking an average of about 66 days to reliably incorporate one of three new daily activities — eating a piece of fruit with lunch, drinking a bottle of water with lunch or running for 15 minutes before dinner. Consistent daily repetition was the biggest factor influencing whether a behavior would become part of an automatic daily routine, says Lally, who was the first author on the study.

The type of activity is also a factor. Last year a study conducted by Camerer and his colleagues showed that creating a handwashing habit took a few weeks, compared with the half year it took for people to develop an exercise habit. Handwashing, the study noted, is less complex than exercising and offers more opportunities to practice. The researchers also suggested that habit formation depends on the effort that a person puts into practicing an activity and on the presence of environmental cues that would remind them to carry out the behavior.

1. Why is waking up early for a run mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To advocate taking exercise regularly.

B．To express the difficulty of an early rise.

C．To stress the significance of getting up early.

D．To introduce how long it takes to develop a new habit.

2. Why was the “three-week theory” well received even without solid evidence?

A．Because the theory persisted for a long time.

B．Because a noted surgeon put forward this theory.

C．Because 21 days may be seen as realistic and achievable.

D．Because the theory was originated from a popular self-help book.

3. What is the key to making a habit stick according to the article?

A．Repeated practice.

B．Time.

C．Determination.

D．Individualized ways.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．The ways of changing a habit.	B．The time frame of developing a habit.
C．The activities to create a habit.	D．The influence of having a habit.

【推荐3】Here are some tips to get your little ones to help you do housework naturally.

Expose kids to housework as much as possible

When they are young, let them watch you cook, wash clothes or walk the dog, or let them help make a bed.     1    .

Especially during the early years, give children the opportunity to wander over and watch what’s going on with the adults.     2    . No lecturing or explanation is needed. This psychological integration (融入) into the family is really important for kids to learn to work together with others later in life.

    3    .

A big motivating force for young children is being around their family, working on a common goal. This motivation is lost if we divide up housework so everyone is working alone. Therefore, if you’re doing laundry, be sure everyone is folding everyone’s clothes. If you have the children just fold their own clothes, the task becomes more about working independently.

Don’t force it

Sometimes people think that to get children to do housework, the parents must be doing a really good job of controlling the kids.     4    . The aim is not to control the kids, but rather to develop the children’s own initiative (主动性).

Forcing the child actually has the opposite effect. It can generate resistance.

    5    . Asking a little kid “Could you help me with this?” often gets them on board more often than simply saying “You must do this”.

A．Actually, the opposite is true.

B．Always aim to work together.

C．The goal is to control the parents.

D．Change your mind about young children.

E．Just like adults, kids don’t like being bossed around.

F．You’ll be surprised by how much children learn by simply observing what you do.

G．Basically, be sure they’re around anything you want them to help you later in life.

【推荐1】Grandparents' Day is a warm holiday that allows children and adults an opportunity to show their appreciation for their Grandparents. Grandparents' Day and the weeks just before it are the time when children all over the country start thinking about what to get their Grandmothers and Grandfathers as presents for Grandparents' Day. Of course，giving presents is just one way of celebrating Grandparents' Day，but how to give gifts requires planning.

Choosing presents for Grandparents' Day can be a very difficult task. Because Grandparents' Day and holidays of its kind are meant to honor some of the most important people in our lives，the task of choosing presents that will be appropriate can be challenging. It can be very difficult to even consider the question of what kind of gift could show a Grandparent how much we love them and care for them.  Especially for those children who do not have much money，finding the right Grandparents' Day present at the right price is a very difficult task.

One solution to the difficulty of what to buy as a present for Grandparents' Day is not to buy anything at all. Rather than buying a material item that is almost sure to be short of expressing the depth and sincerity(诚心诚意) of your feelings for your Grandmother or Grandfather，consider another kind of choice entirely. One way that you can show a Grandparent that you really care is to make them something. A handmade gift can go a long way towards expressing your love on Grandparents' Day. Of course，there are also a lot more other ways to celebrate Grandparents' Day than by just giving presents to your parents.

1. What does Grandparents' Day mean to people?

A．It is a time to express love and appreciation to the old.

B．It gives them a chance to get together.

C．It makes the old think of their past experiences.

D．It gives them an opportunity to take time off work.

2. According to the writer, which of the following gifts can best show your love to your grandparents?

A．A pair of expensive shoes.	B．Some delicious food.
C．A big TV set.	D．A chair made by yourself.

3. What difficulty could people meet when preparing gifts for the old?

A．Choosing the proper gifts.	B．Sparing time to make gifts.
C．Not having a large amount of money.	D．Not having enough time to shop.

4. What will be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．How to make gifts for the old by yourself.

B．What is the best gift for the old.

C．Some other ways to show your appreciation to the old.

D．How to buy proper gifts with not enough money.

【推荐2】Cheetahs (猎豹) are usually daytime hunters, but the speedy big cats will shift their activity toward dawn and dusk hours during warmer weather, a new study finds.

Unfortunately for endangered cheetahs, that sets them up for more potential conflicts with mostly competing animals like lions. “Lions normally kill prey (猎物) themselves, but if they come across a cheetah’s kill, they will try to take it,” said Bettina Wachter, a behavioral biologist. “The cheetahs will not fight the larger cats, they will just leave.” Hunting at different times of the day is one way to reduce meetings between large meat-eating animals.

But the new study found that on the hottest days, when daily temperatures got to nearly 45 degrees Celsius, cheetahs became more active at night. Kasim Rafiq, co-writer of the study, said, “There’s a greater chance for more unfriendly encounters and less food for the cheetahs.”

For the current study, researchers placed GPS devices on 53 large meat-eating animals—including cheetahs, lions, and African wild dogs. Researchers then recorded their position s and hours of activity over eight years. They compared this data with the highest daily temperature records. While seasonal differences explain most temperature changes in the time from 2011 to 2018, the scientists say the observed behavior changes offer information about the future of a warming world.

In future research, the scientists plan to use audio-recording devices and accelerometers (加速度计) — “like a Fit bit for big cats,” said Rafiq. The goal is to document the number of meetings between large meat-eating animals.

In addition to competition with lions, cheetahs already face strong pressure from the loss of living space and conflict with humans. The fastest land animal — cheetahs are the rarest big cat in Africa, with fewer than 7,000 left in the wild.

“These climate changes could become really critical if we look into the future — it’s predicted to become much warmer in this part of Africa where cheetahs live, in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia,” said Wachter.

1. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．The lion’s kill.

B．The cheetah’s prey.

C．The lion.

D．The cheetah.

2. Which of the following statements would Kasim Rafiq agree with?

A．Cheetahs would rather sleep in the daytime.

B．Cheetahs will get more food if they hunt later.

C．Cheetahs spend less time hunting than lions.

D．Cheetahs will face strong competition with lions.

3. How is the current study on large meat-eating animals carried out?

A．By placing positioning equipment on them.

B．By documenting their meeting times in summer.

C．By providing them with a Fitbit equipment.

D．By leading them to hunt in different hunt areas.

4. Why will the scientists use audio-recording devices and accelerometers?

A．To show the big influences of climate changes.

B．To protect the environment from being destroyed.

C．To reduce conflicts among large meat-eating animals.

D．To record the frequency of encounters between large meat-eating animals.

【推荐3】Gaelic had been the major culture in Scotland. But many forces tried to weaken its power. The final straw came in 1609, when some laws required Highland Scottish leaders to send their children to English-speaking schools. Naturally, the culture continued to weaken through the 20th century. Though Gaelic still existed in some rural areas, a lack of jobs meant young people in Gaelic areas were leaving for English-speaking cities.

Iain Noble was a wealthy businessman from Germany. He quickly fell in love with Gaelic culture when he moved to Scotland. So he set up the college of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in 1973 on the Isle of Skye. Today, it has more than 1,000 students and is officially the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture. It is where the revival of Scotland’s Gaelic culture started.

Of course, the college teaches the language and culture. But the secret to making such impressive cultural achievements is giving language learners skills in industries like media and business. The skills allow students to create local jobs and help make the area known to tourists.

Noble’s wife Lady Lucilla said his eagerness to revive the culture was clear. After spending much money setting up the college, Noble had to go to great lengths to find worthwhile teachers. Sometimes he tried hard to find people who had left Skye, “Iain would invite those whose families were from Skye but who were working in Aberdeen, in London and further afield,” said Lucilla.

“Now I’ve seen some cool youngsters who are very proud of their Gaelic, and they are fascinated by the culture,” she said.

One such youngster is 15-year-old Emily Macdonald. She not only speaks Gaelic fluently with her friends, but is excited to do so.

“I feel like we’re even more wanting to speak Gaelic, just to keep it alive, because it is really important to our nation,” she said. “And to have this special language that we can speak to each other in is quite special.”

1. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The fall of Gaelic.	B．The future of Gaelic.
C．The influence of Gaelic.	D．The advantages of Gaelic.

2. What is the key to the college’s success?

A．Having the best Gaelic teachers.	B．Teaching students professional skills.
C．Receiving much government support.	D．Being open to both natives and foreigners.

3. What did Lucilla tell us about Noble?

A．He made much money from the college.

B．He traveled a lot to spread Gaelic culture.

C．He spared no effort to do his cultural work.

D．He became world-famous because of his college.

4. What does Emily Macdonald think of Gaelic language?

A．It is the pride of their nation.	B．It is hard to learn for youngsters.
C．It has changed a lot over the years.	D．It attracts fewer local young people.