Let's say you want to hit the gym more regularly this year. How do you make that happen? Consider putting the habit loop to use.
Here's how it works:
A habit is a 3-step process. First, there's a cue, something that tells your brain to operate automatically. Then there's a routine. And finally, a reward, which helps your brain learn to desire the behavior. It's what you can use to create-or break-habits of your own.
Here's how to apply it:
Choose a cue, like leaving your running shoes by the door, then pick a reward-say, a piece of chocolate when you get home from the gym. That way, the cue and the reward become interconnected. Finally, when you see the shoes, your brain will start longing for the reward, which will make it easier to work out day after day. The best part? In a couple of weeks, you won't need the chocolate at all. Your brain will come to see the workout itself as the reward. Which is the whole point, right?
1. Which of the following best fits in the box with a “?” in THE HABIT LOOP?
| A．Pick a new cue. | B．Form a new habit. |
| C．Choose a new reward. | D．Design a new resolution. |
| A．changing the routine | B．trying it for a week |
| C．adjusting your goal | D．writing it down |
| A．To test out different kinds of cues. |
| B．To do something as a habit even without rewards. |
| C．To work out the best New Year's resolution. |
| D．To motivate yourself with satisfactory rewards. |
| A．The Harry Potter poster. |
| B．Reading 30 pages of an English novel. |
| C．An English newspaper. |
| D．Watching TV for half an hour. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Brain training is becoming a trend. There are formal courses, websites and books with programs on how to train your brain to work better and faster.
1. Meditation
Daily meditation is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do for your mind/body health.
2. Read Something Different
Books are free from libraries and filled with interesting characters, information and facts.
3. Learn a New Skill
4. Make Simple Changes
We love our routines. But the more something is “second nature”, the less our brains have to work to do it.
| A．Change ways to the grocery store |
| B．Branch out from familiar reading topics |
| C．Choose a variety of exercises to challenge your brain |
| D．Learning a new skill works various areas of the brain |
| E．We have hobbies and pastimes that we could do for hours on end |
| F．Meditation not only relaxes you, it gives your brain a workout |
| G．Try these ideas every day and your brain will be ready for anything |
The basic motive of public speaking courses should be to train you to become a public speaker and improve your skills of delivering a public speech. The course should first educate you with the principles of public speaking and tell you how to overcome stress and anxiety. By overcoming fear, you will be able to deliver your presentation clearly to your audience.
A speaker can have a great influence on the audience with his body language and your public speaking course should tell you the gestures on stage that can attract the audience. Non-verbal communication also has a major role to play in delivering a speech effectively to a group. Though body language is important, the content and the natural use of words are what the audience are closely caring about. Public speaking courses should give tips in using the right words at the right time.
Even though you have prepared well, the real success of public speaking lies in the way your speech is delivered. Public speaking courses will train you to present the contents in a lively manner impressing the audience. Your presentation should be professional and stylish. You can add humor or interactive sessions (互动环节) to your presentation to gain the audience attraction.
1. If you want to become a good speaker you should______.
| A．be born an excellent one |
| B．practise speaking in public |
| C．attend all kinds of courses |
| D．make a search on the Internet |
| A．the skills of listening to a public speech |
| B．the rules of attending a public speech |
| C．the importance of your presentation |
| D．how to keep calm while giving a speech |
| A．using non-verbal communication |
| B．getting rid of your fear and nervousness |
| C．following the public course |
| D．speaking in a loud voice |
| A．make. | B．have. | C．making. | D．having. |
| A．What to look for in the public speaking courses. |
| B．Some golden rules of giving a good speech. |
| C．It is easy to find the speaking courses online. |
| D．Some useful tips of delivering a public speech. |
【推荐3】“I spilled soup all over the table, but it wasn’t my fault”. “I got into trouble at school, but it wasn’t my fault.” Such statements are often heard. “It’s not my fault” is actually a common response for so many people and especially teenagers. Parents complain that they’re tired of the “excuses”.
The reason why variations of “it’s not my fault” are so popular is that they get us out of guilt, blame and anger. Those emotions may come from others’ reactions or our own self-talks. In the case of adolescents, they are often trying to escape responsibility and punishment for mistakes.
Some teens would benefit from decreasing their self-blame. Those who blame themselves for things that they can’t control tend to be highly self-critical and are more likely to be anxious.
Many teens overly rely on “it’s not my fault”. However, overuse of the phrase can result in feelings of helplessness to control their own lives. Besides, “it’s not my fault” focuses a teen’s attention on what is done as opposed to what needs to be done. In trying to get them to assume responsibility, many parents attempt to convince their children that something is their fault, but the approach tends to be ineffective. A more effective approach is to face up to drawbacks to find solutions to the drawbacks actively.
People may not have caused all their problems, but they have to solve them anyway. Getting stuck in sharing blame often keeps people from moving forward effectively. What does one do if he is pushed into a deep lake? One could certainly stay in water, yelling, “It’s not my fault.” However, that is not going to get him out of water. At some point, he needs to swim to shore, regardless of the fault.
Like most things in life, freeing ourselves from blame has its advantages and disadvantages. The question isn’t what is “right”, but what is most effective in moving forward.
1. Who is likely to rely on “it’s not my fault”?| A．A highly self-critical teenager. |
| B．A teenager unwilling to admit a fault. |
| C．A teenager facing up to his responsibilities. |
| D．A teenager anxious about uncontrollable things. |
| A．Letting them focus on what is done. |
| B．Persuading them to admit their fault. |
| C．Making them correct the mistake actively. |
| D．Helping them analyze the reason for the mistake. |
| A．To put forward a new solution to drawbacks. |
| B．To show handling problems should come first. |
| C．To explain why teenagers get stuck in sharing blame. |
| D．To analyze what kind of problem is caused by others. |
| A．To help teenagers out of self-blame. |
| B．To tell parents how to educate children. |
| C．To help teenagers face mistakes properly. |
| D．To tell children to do self-talks consciously. |
【推荐1】Of the many possible responses to a drop in blood-glucose (血糖) levels, none is quite so colorful, so of-the-moment, as being hangry. Hangry is hot. Science will tell you that there are physiological explanations for hanger — that is, the overwhelming anger one feels when deprived of food for too long. As we all know, this anger often ends in aggression directed at those who don’t deserve it, even though we could have been at dinner a half-hour ago.
Anyway, being hangry is a real thing, and so is Hangry, a new restaurant in New Hyde Park that is itself colorful and of-the-moment. The five-tables-and-take-out establishment, which opened Jan. 24 and as of this writing does not yet have its menu online, is a halal (清真的) place with something extra. That something extra? Pizza, burgers, hot dogs and more.
“It’s like a halal carnival,” said my dinner companion, referring not just to Hangry’s menu but its fun, attractive decorations. Lime green walls are brightly painted with 1950s-style comic book drawings of icons past and present: Al Pacino circa “Scarface,” DC villain Harley Quinn, the Joker, Walter White of “Breaking Bad” and more. “Hip” and “chill” and “sick” are among the terms early diners have used to describe Hangry, which is already developing a young and loyal crowd, and the food has met with similar praise.
The most popular presswich so far, it seems, is something called the Heisenburg ($8.49), a chicken panini with mozzarella cheese sticks, French fries and more. Whatever uncertainty our table might have had about the Heisenburg was quickly dispelled after a few bites. There was a juicy unusualness to it, but it worked.
Almost as tasty was the Mac Daddy burger, in which good quality beef sits on a thin spackling of mac’n cheese. Atop the beef are some strips of bacon, and atop that a layer of — why not? — barbecued potato chips. It all makes for a rather unwieldy (笨拙的) sandwich that quickly collapses after a few bites, and I can’t say I’d been hangry for such a flavor combination. Then again, none of that stopped me from eating the whole thing in a matter of minutes.
Still to try on the 100%-halal menu: a hotdog called My Little Friend ($5) dressed with peppers and crumbled Kurkure, an Indian chip that tastes like curry-flavored Cheetos; five flavors of wings; several pizzas by the slice; and Ju Wanna Play Ruff, which might be the gruffest name ever assigned to a veggie sandwich (tomato, mushrooms, pesto and mozzarella).
But our first meal was pleasant enough. Our glucose numbers having returned to baseline, we departed calm, and totally puzzled as to what we were hangry about it in the first place.
Hangry is at 725 Hillside Ave. in New Hyde Park, 516-629-7102. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
1. When people feel hangry, they __________.| A．have had enough to eat and feel comfortable | B．are lost in thought and prefer to stay alone |
| C．feel angry at those who don’t displease them | D．eat anything whether it is delicious or not |
| A．It’s decoration and food can attract young people. | B．There are various fast foods with different flavors. |
| C．The restaurant has attracted regular customers. | D．The food meets the needs of different age groups. |
| A．Only the decorations in Hangry has won young customers’ praise. |
| B．The taste of burgers in Hangry is similar to those in other restaurants. |
| C．The author first didn’t like the burger but finally ate it with satisfaction. |
| D．The juice of Heisenburg is unusual so not all the customers like it. |
| A．A recommendation of a new restaurant | B．An analysis of food in the restaurant |
| C．A job advertisement of a restaurant | D．A report from the government |
【推荐2】There are times when murder is not committed because of cruelty. People may kill for other reasons such as anger, misunderstanding, and fear. Everyone has made mistakes because of such feeling. For society, it is a serious mistake to take the life of someone who has killed because it teaches everyone that forgiveness is unnecessary.
The government has the difficult job of deciding who is innocent and who is guilty, and this job can never be done perfectly. If capital punishment(死刑)is allowed, there always exists the possibility that an innocent person will be executed by mistake. When that happens, an even worse crime has been committed—the killing of an innocent person by the government. Then there is the fact that the poor and minorities get the death penalty more often than whites do. Furthermore, the idea that capital punishment stops criminals from committing murder is doubtful; studies have been unable to show that the fear of capital punishment stops someone from committing murder more than other punishments. And let us not forget that murdering the murderer is a violent act in itself; it is revenge(复仇).
The U.S. government once followed the example of Germany, Britain, France, and other nations that no longer execute their citizens-however, since 1977, our society has been allowing capital punishment again, at a high cost. We cannot imagine the pain of family members who have been waiting for years for the government’s decision to execute or not execute their loved ones. It also costs the taxpayer millions of dollars more to execute a criminal than to imprison that criminal for life. Prison is a better form of punishment because it protects society and punishes criminals by taking away their freedom.
People can change, even people who have made terrible mistakes. Life in prison gives people the chance to change. Caryl Chessman is an example of someone who became a better person in prison. He taught other prisoners how to read, and he wrote several books. Before his execution, he wrote that he had finally learned not to hate.
Chessman learned this important lesson in prison. But a dead man learns nothing, and an executed person will never change. When a government kills, it is murdering hope.
1. According to the passage, all the followings are the results of the capital punishment EXCEPT that________.| A．capital punishment doesn’t necessarily put an end to crimes |
| B．execution may cause an innocent person to die |
| C．the blacks get executed more often than the whites do |
| D．capital punishment may arouse a desire for revenge |
| A．Execution will cause the pain of the criminal’s family members. |
| B．Life imprisonment is more expensive than execution. |
| C．Some murders are mistakes, caused by anger or fear. |
| D．America used to be among the nations which abandoned execution. |
| A．everyone can become a better person in prison |
| B．everyone can make terrible mistakes |
| C．execution robs people of the chance to change |
| D．It is always a good thing to learn not to hate |
| A．Not all people who kill are cruel. | B．Capital punishment is revenge. |
| C．Prison can sometimes improve a person. | D．Execution is not a better form of punishment. |
【推荐3】America is a mobile society.Friendships between Americans can be close and real，yet disappear soon if situations change.Neither side feels hurt by this.Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two，perhaps a few letters for a while-then no more.If the same two people meet again by chance，even years later，they pick up the friendship.This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand，because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings，extending（延伸）sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes，share their holidays，and their home life.They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality（好客）easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives，they don't show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time.This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time.Sometimes，we，as hosts，will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend.We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends.The Americans，however，express their welcome usually at homes，but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine.They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus.And they expect that we will phone them from there.Once we arrive at their homes，the welcome will be full，warm and real.We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans，it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes thanto go to restaurants，except for purely business matters.So accept their hospitality at，home！.
1. The writer of this passage must be______.| A．an American | B．a Chinese |
| C．a professor | D．a student |
| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport | B．offered a ride to his home |
| C．treated hospitably at his home | D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
| A．strict with time | B．serious with time |
| C．careful with time | D．willing to spend time |
| A．Friendships between Chinese |
| B．Friendships between Americans |
| C．Americans' hospitality |
| D．Americans' and Chinese's views of friendships |
【推荐1】Various events are to be held in February in Ridge Field Library. Check your schedule and choose the one you prefer.
Teen Slam Poetry Group
February 8th, 2020
Do you love writing and performing poetry? Join the Teen Slam Poetry Group. We meet each week to share fresh new works. All teenagers aged 13-19 are welcome. Retired English teacher and poet Barb Jennes leads the group.
Mom Life Writing Workshop
February 13th, 2020
Are you wondering if there is more to life than cleaning up after the baby falling asleep? Look no further than the Mom Life Writing Workshop, a 6-week exploration for moms who are looking for telling their stories and regaining their power in an open, safe community through limitless potential of the written words.
Brenda Kahn is the author of Ode to Chores: the Good. the Bad, and the Laundry(洗衣). Her aim is to “add a unique and powerful voice to the conversation about motherhood.”
Lunch and Language: French
February 9th, I 6th, 22nd, 2020
Have you learned a little French in high school and would you like to review it or are you planning to visit France or other French-speaking countries? Then why not join Anette Roth at one of our new Lunch and Language workshops? Through simple texts, poems, songs and videos, you'll learn more about the language and culture, improve your basic language skills and meet new friends.
The workshops are aimed at those with an elementary(初级的) knowledge of the language, but people who have a more advanced ability are welcome to join in the fun.
Reading is a Family Affair
February 23rd, 2020
Join other families with children in grades 3-5 for a special Reading is a Family Affair. Suzanne Nelson will share her most recent book-a Tale Magnolious.
Families with children in grades 3-5 can apply for a free copy of the book to read in advance, and make preparations for a book discussion on that day.
1. The purpose of the Mom Life Writing Workshop is to________.| A．realize moms’ personal value. | B．help moms take care of babies. |
| C．improve moms’ housekeeping skills. | D．help moms become professional writers. |
| A．Barb Jennes. | B．Brenda Kahn |
| C．Anette Roth | D．Suzanne Nelson. |
| A．Teen Slam Poetry Group. | B．Reading is a Family Affair. |
| C．Mom Life Writing Workshop. | D．Lunch and Language: French. |
【推荐2】Many college students choose to study abroad to get life experience and, more importantly competitive competence for their future career and life. Considering the high tuition rates in universities in the UK and US, many students nowadays are choosing less common destinations to fulfill their overseas study dreams. These countries have their own unique appeal.
New Zealand
Small though it may be, New Zealand offers quality higher education opportunities, with about 55 percent of its higher education institutes within the top 500 of QS World University Rankings 2019.
The highlight of New Zealand's universities is their ability to provide a high end and student-tailored education for pupils. Though it attracts mainly wealthy students, higher education in New Zealand is also affordable for many common Chinese families. It is where you get a British-based education with the tuition being some of the lowest in the world.
Italy
Heart of the Roman Empire and birthplace of the Renaissance, Italy is attractive to Chinese students for its artistic and historic marvels.
Similar to Germany, where publicly funded universities offer free undergraduate education, some publicly funded Italian universities offer tuition-free education for international students depending on the level of degree desired. Italy is the 4th most popular study abroad destination in Europe. Each year, over 4,000 Chinese students further their studies at publicly funded Italian universities.
Canada
Though Chinese students form the largest international student group in Canada, the country only ranks 4th on Chinese students' most desirable overseas destinations list.
However, the situation may begin to change as Canada and China agreed on new visa policy in early March. Under the policy travel visas are issued with lengths of up to 10 years, which benefits Chinese parents whose children are studying in Canada, Another advantage of studying in Canada, according to an official in the Canadian Embassy to China, is that students can get a three-year working visa right after graduation,
1. What is the best part of New Zealand universities?| A．They offer British-based education. |
| B．They are the best universities in the world. |
| C．They provide the highest quality education opportunities. |
| D．They provide education specially designed for students. |
| A．They are modeled after Germany in funding. |
| B．They sponsor all foreign students throughout the college time. |
| C．They offer free undergraduate education in some publicly funded universities. |
| D．They make Italy the 4th most popular study abroad destinations in the world. |
| A．They relatively don't need high expenses. |
| B．They offer working visa after graduation. |
| C．They have convenient application process. |
| D．They are famous for historical and artistic reasons. |
【推荐3】Jeremy Locke, who owns a roofing and construction company in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, had always been wanting to repair the roof of Jeanette MacDonald's home. Whenever he drove past the woman's home, he assumed that the roof was under repair because the job had already been taken on by another group of repairmen—but as the weeks wore on, the roof continued to worsen without any signs of repair.
“ I had it in my mind that if no one steps up to help this lady in our community, I’d be more than happy to,” Locke told CBC.
When Locke finally reached out to MacDonald about fixing her roof for free, however, she politely declined his offer because she did not like to accept charity. That being said, she had already applied for a government grant （补助金） to fix the roof and she said she was more than happy to hire Locke once her grant application was approved.
Unfortunately, MacDonald never received the approval.
As the stubborn （固执的） Canadian senior refused to accept any assistance from Locke, the sympathetic construction worker played an innocent trick in order to get her to accept his help. He invited MacDonald to enter a raffle （抽奖活动）that his business was holding for a free roof. After the grandmother — of — four accepted one of the raffle tickets, Locke told her that she was the winner—because she was the only one who had entered the raffle.
Thanks to his sweet little plan, Locke and his crew are starting work on the roof this week, which is expected to cost his company about $9, 000.
MacDonald, meanwhile, told CBC that she doesn't know how to express her gratitude to Locke, saying that he is her “guardian angel”.
"There's nobody out there like him," she added.
1. What did Locke desire to do for MacDonald?| A．Repair her roof. | B．Find a repairman. |
| C．Run a charity. | D．Raise money. |
| A．She didn't trust him. | B．She had won a raffle. |
| C．She didn't like free help. | D．She had got an official grant. |
| A．He persuaded her to give up her application. |
| B．He invited her to enter his business. |
| C．He gave her about $9, 000. |
| D．He told her a white lie. |
| A．Stubborn and tricky. | B．Wealthy and innocent. |
| C．Determined and warm-hearted. | D．Different and ambitious. |
【推荐1】Drawing and Creativity for Big Little Artists
Those between 6 and 100 years old who want to improve as artists, parents who want creative activities to do as a family, and teachers and educators who need to add new dynamics to their classes.
What you need
To carry out this course you will not need to know how to draw or any other special ability. All the advised material is only a suggestion. If you do not find any of the materials, dare to experiment with what you have at home. Sometimes you can use coins and glasses instead of a ruler of circles, or markers instead of ink.
1. How many parts is the course made up of?| A．4. | B．5. | C．10. | D．14. |
| A．Annie, who is a famous painter |
| B．Edwin, who teaches in a primary school |
| C．Joana, who has a five-year-old daughter |
| D．Mike, who is a retired worker and loves arts |
| A．In a handbook. |
| B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a painting book. |
| D．In an e-magazine. |
【推荐2】When I'm surfing the Web, I want to be attracted by articles on Europe's political history, but I end up reading trivia (琐事) such as a menu from a Michelin restaurant. Why am I not curious about the things I want to be curious about? Curiosity feels as if it's outside your control, but if you understand what causes curiosity, you might be able to direct it a little bit better.
Humans will give up the known benefit to explore the unknown. In one experiment, subjects were asked to choose one of four photos, each carrying some chance of paying a cash prize. Photos appeared again and again, so subjects learned to pick the best-paying. But when a novel photo appeared, they chose it quite more often. This preference for novelty is the reason why producers regularly change product packaging and advertising.
We're super curious when we sense that the environment offers new information to add to what we already know. Note that your brain calculates what you might learn in the short-term—your long-term interests are ignored. That' s why a cardiac surgeon (心脏外科医生) who is excited about her job will find a conference presentation on the operation boring if her brain decides that the talk won't add to her knowledge. However, when her friend persuades her to attend a lecture on arts, her brain may calculate that this will be a rich source of information—and she finds herself interested.
Why not just search for topics you truly want to learn about at present? That sounds logical, but a search for a topic like "universe" will lead to thousands of results. And there is no way of knowing which offers the just-right match to your present knowledge that will maintain (维持) your curiosity. You'll probably end up like the surgeon at the boring conference talk.
Albert Einstein advised a young student to "never lose a holy curiosity." But the challenge is changing its focus from something short-lived to something more lasting.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．It seems difficult to control our curiosity. |
| B．It's no hard task to fully understand curiosity. |
| C．Trivia can always attract everyone's attention. |
| D．Europe's political history is too boring to focus on. |
| A．She is tired of her present job. |
| B．She often attends art exhibition. |
| C．She finds it can expand her knowledge. |
| D．She considers it does good to her work. |
| A．Subjects were more likely to choose repeated photos. |
| B．Well-matched results offer no way to maintain our curiosity. |
| C．Einstein suggested it was challenging to awaken the short-term curiosity. |
| D．Keeping our curiosity focused on the long-term interests is quite an effort. |
【推荐3】Hi, Mom is a hit in China. Since its release in early February the movie has earned more than 5 billion yuan at the box office. It is currently the second-highest-grossing film ever released in the country, and may yet overtake Wolf Worrior 2, an action film from 2017.
Written and directed by Jia Ling, the film is adapted from her comedy routine from 2016 which explored her relationship with her mother, who died in an accident when Ms. Jia was 19. At a time when many people have been separated from their families, the themes of grief and filial piety (孝道) in Hi, Mom bring agreement.
The film’s impressive box office income is also a reminder of the health of the industry in China compared with Hollywood. In the West cinemas remain closed due to lockdown or operate at limited capacity; in China, where many restrictions have been lifted, between 50% and 75% of seats are available to book. During the Spring Festival, Chinese cinemas made an estimated $1.5 billion in ticket sales – 71% of takings at the American box office in all of 2020.
With cinemas shut, film-sales agent stopped bringing Hollywood movies to market. That has given locally made films a chance to excel. Since 2013, domestic films have taken around 60% of total box office earnings. In 2021, that number may get closer to 100%.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph about Hi, Mom?| A．It will be a success. |
| B．Wolf Worrior 2 will be released after it. |
| C．It is better than Wolf Worrior 2. |
| D．It may be the first-highest-grossing film in China. |
| A．The film industry in China is developing better than that in Hollywood. |
| B．The film is based on a real story. |
| C．You can’t go to cinema because there are many restrictions. |
| D．Many people can’t see their families often nowadays. |
| A．Negative | B．Positive | C．Indifferent | D．Skeptical |
| A．Local Movies Arise. |
| B．China Film Industry. |
| C．Comedy Time. |
| D．Hi, Mom-China’s Latest Hit. |
