As you’re drafting your New Year’s resolutions, you may think that it takes 21 days of repeating an action for that action to become a habit. So, you set out to go to the gym for 21 days, thinking that by day 22 heading to the gym will feel automatic — maybe even fun.
However, that 21-day estimate isn’t true. A habit expert Wendy Wood found that this falsehood came from a self-help book in the 1960s and actually described how long it takes to get used to your new appearance after plastic surgery. It’s important to note that getting used to something is not the same thing as forming a habit, and perhaps the two concepts got confused along the way, giving rise to the term today.
To figure out how long it actually takes to form a habit, Phillippa Lally, and her team did a series of research.
They recruited 96 people and asked each person to choose one new habit and report each day on whether or not they did the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt. Some people chose simple habits like “drinking a bottle of water with lunch.” Others chose more difficult tasks like “running for 15 minutes before dinner.” At the end of 12 weeks, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took each person to go from starting a new behavior to automatically doing it.
The study found that it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And if you want to set your expectations appropriately, the truth is that it will probably take you anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior into your life. Interestingly, the researchers also found that “missing one opportunity to perform the behavior did not affect the habit formation process.” That is to say, it doesn’t matter if you mess up every now and then. Building better habits is not an all-or-nothing process.
So, for those who wish to form certain habits, persistence is king. To form a good habit, we need to pay more energy and effort.
1. What does “21days” actually mean according to Wendy Wood?| A．The time one drafts a book. |
| B．The time one develops a new habit. |
| C．The time one gets used to something. |
| D．The time one recovers from a surgery. |
| A．By doing questionnaires. | B．By tracking people’s behaviors. |
| C．By making predictions. | D．By analyzing data of previous studies. |
| A．Habits cannot be noticed easily. |
| B．The amount of time a habit takes varies. |
| C．One should perform a behavior constantly. |
| D．It takes exactly 66 days to form a new habit. |
| A．Habit — good or not? | B．Better habit, better life? |
| C．21days to form a habit? | D．Hit or miss with habits? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Most of us lead a busy life.
Firstly, take time to notice and appreciate the beauty in your own surroundings (环境).
Secondly, taking time to experience some simple pleasures also can bring joy to your heart and reduce your stress. Take me for example.
Thirdly, don’t take your family and friends for granted. Rich, rewarding relationships add greatly to the enjoyment of life. When you think of someone, why not call, email or write then?
| A．Discover the beauty in nature. |
| B．So please treasure relationship. |
| C．You don’t need to travel far to find beauty. |
| D．Driven by the “urgent”, we forget to enjoy life. |
| E．In my spare time, I enjoy collecting stamps and reading novels. |
| F．A short email or phone call can make a world of difference to someone. |
| G．I delight in simple things like my favorite tea drink, a bubble bath or family photos. |
【推荐2】The process of becoming independent is not the same for everyone. Some attain it much younger in life than others. Nevertheless, we are told that becoming independent is very important, but why is it?
Being independent improves your confidence.
Being mature enables you to handle your emotions without help from others. There will be many challenging situations throughout our lives. Keeping our emotions from dominating our lives is essential. Knowing that our emotions are under control brings a sense of pleasure and calm. Stress is reduced, and we become happier. There are many techniques that can be used to help us control our emotions.
Independence leads to broader horizons.
Once you become independent from limits placed on you by others, you can broaden your horizons. You will be able to take trips to different destinations, meet people with different social and moral beliefs, and gain more knowledge.
| A．Emotional independence makes you happier. |
| B．It is all about being secure with who you are. |
| C．You can try new things, and thus gain more experience. |
| D．Jogging, yoga and breathing exercises are among them. |
| E．Independent people are always positive about their lives. |
| F．In turn, this will lead you to think differently about your life. |
| G．The more independent you are, the more confident you will become. |
【推荐3】People’s first memories are all autobiographical (自传式的), or memories of significant experiences in their lives, and these events typically didn’t happen before the age of 2 or 3. In fact, most people can’t remember things from the first few years of their lives—a phenomenon researchers have called infantile amnesia.
However, research suggests that infants (婴儿) can form other kinds of memories. Within the first few days of life, infants can recall their own mother’s face and distinguish it from the face of a stranger. A few months later, infants can demonstrate that they remember lots of familiar faces by smiling most at the ones they see most often.
But if so, why do people experience infantile amnesia? Though it still isn’t clear whether it’s because we can’t form autobiographical memories, or whether we just have no way to retrieve (找回) them, scientists have a few guesses.
One is that autobiographical memories require you to have some sense of self. Researchers have tested this ability using a mirror recognition task called the rouge test. It involves marking a baby’s nose with a spot of red lipstick.
Researchers then place the infant in front of a mirror. Infants younger than 18 months just smile at the baby in the reflection, not showing any evidence of recognizing themselves or the red mark on their face. Between 18 and 24 months, infants touch their own nose, even looking embarrassed, suggesting that they connect the red dot in the mirror with their own face—they start to form some sense of self.
Another possible explanation is that because infants don’t have language until later in the second year of life, they can’t form narratives about their own lives that they can later recall. Finally, the hippocampus (海马体), which is the region of the brain that’s largely responsible for memory, isn’t fully developed in the infancy period.
Scientists will continue to investigate how these factors may contribute to infantile amnesia.
1. What can infants do in their first few months?| A．Memorize most of their family members. |
| B．Distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces. |
| C．Remember a string of events from the recent past. |
| D．Identify their own reflections in the mirror. |
| A．See their reflections as themselves. |
| B．Ignore the marks on their faces. |
| C．Enjoy playing with their reflections. |
| D．Show a strong interest in the mirror. |
| A．Infants’ inability to recall memories. |
| B．Infants’ immature hippocampus. |
| C．Infants’ undeveloped communication skills. |
| D．Infants’ unsteady autobiographical memories. |
| A．When do babies start remembering things? |
| B．Why is it hard to retrieve lost memories? |
| C．How do kids form their first memories? |
| D．Why can’t we remember being a baby? |
【推荐1】Having a learning disability doesn’t mean you can’t learn, but you’ll need some help and need to work extra hard. If you have a learning disability such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, remember that you are not slow or stupid.
Learning disabilities can be genetic. That means they can be passed down in families through the genes. But kids today have an advantage over their parents. Learning experts now know a lot more about the brain and how learning works, and it’s easier for kids to get the help they need.
Dyslexia is a learning disability that means a kid has a lot of trouble reading and writing. Kids who have trouble with math may have dyscalculia. Other kids may have language disorders, meaning they have trouble understanding language and what they read.
It can be confusing, though. How do we tell if a student has a learning disability? Reading, doing math, and writing letters may be tough for lots of kids at first. But when those troubles don’t fade away and it’s really difficult to make any progress, it’s possible that the kid has a learning disability.
Finding out you have a learning disability can be upsetting. You might feel different from everyone else. But the truth is that learning disabilities are pretty common. And if your learning specialist or psychologist has figured out which one you’re facing, you’re on the right track. Now, you can start getting the help you need to do better in school.
But for this special help to really work, you’ll need to practice the new skills you’re learning. It may take a lot of efforts every day. That can be a challenge, but you can do it. Soon, you’ll enjoy the results of all your hard work: more fun and success at school.
1. Children are likely to have a learning disability _________.| A．if their parents have the same problem |
| B．if they are not interested in a subject |
| C．if they don’t get help in time |
| D．if they don’t work hard |
| A．It is a physical disease. |
| B．It can be treated by doctors. |
| C．It happens to children who are lazy. |
| D．It gets children into trouble when they learn a subject. |
| A．The teacher says he or she is a slow student. |
| B．He or she can’t make progress after hard work. |
| C．He or she has trouble with some lessons at first. |
| D．His or her learning style is different from that of others. |
| A．To find out the reasons for the learning disability. |
| B．To get parents to know more about their children. |
| C．To help students know and handle the learning disability. |
| D．To ask teachers to help students with the learning disability. |
Put yourself under the spotlight. Tell self-deprecating (自嘲的）jokes rather than make jokes at the expense of others.
Know your audience.
Mislead the mind. Misleading the mind is what we referred to earlier as surprise.
Be observant. Look for the humor in everyday situations, and see what others don't.
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Different things make different people laugh. |
| C．Surround yourself with people who are funny. |
| D．More people will be more willing to laugh, instead of being laughed at. |
| E．You can expand your reach a good deal by listening to other funny people. |
| F．Often, the unnoticed humor that is standing right in front of our eyes has the most effect. |
| G．This is when you create a difference between what someone expects to happen and what actually happens. |
【推荐3】Like space exploration, deep sea exploration requires new instruments and technology. The ocean depths are cold and dark and are under high pressure.
Finding the Bottom
In the 8th century, lead weights which were attached to ropes are dropped to measure water depth. Beginning in the19th century, researchers used wire rather than rope to take sounding measurements. In the modern era, acoustic (声学的) depth measurement devices are widely used.
Human Exploration
Once people knew where the sea floor was,
Robotic Exploration
While humans have visited the bottom of the Mariana Trench,
Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) are controlled by researchers on a ship. ROVs typically carry cameras, manipulator (操作) arms, sonar equipment, and sample containers.
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) operate without human control.
| A．But diving deep never ends |
| B．Humans are curious about the sea |
| C．they have made a lot of discoveries |
| D．they wanted to visit and examine it |
| E．the trips only allowed limited exploration |
| F．Basically, they produce a loud sound and listen for echoes to measure distance |
| G．They generate maps, measure temperature and chemicals, and take photographs |
【推荐1】We have heard some interesting ways that 5G wireless technology might change our lives in the future. 5G technology promises the internet speeds between 50 to 100 times faster than 4G systems. Despite used in some limited areas of America this year, 5G is not widely used until 2023.
One project in Britain, however, is already testing this super-fast technology on an unlikely group Internet users—cows. The project was developed by American technology company Cisco Systems, Inc. It also receives money from the British government. Cisco says the program wants to enlarge the future of 5G in countryside areas around the world.
Testing areas were set up at farms in 3 countryside areas of England. The cows are equipped with 5G devices (装置) that connect to a robotic milking (挤奶) system, which uses sensors (传感器) and machine learning to fully automate the process. System designers say technology takes over after a cow feels ready to be milked and walks towards an automatic gate. During the milking, machines give food for the cow as a reward.
Other technology tools powering the 5G smart farms include automated brushes that turn on when the cow rubs up (蹭) against them. Sensors also control the amount of light to the cows living areas depending on the weather. And, an automatic feeding system makes sure the animals always have enough to eat.
Duncan Forbes, head of a government-funded agricultural engineering organization, told Reuters that the project shows the farm’s cow operation can be greatly improved with 5G technology and that the experiment provided strong evidence that 5G technology can be widely used in the future, not just on farms in Britain, but in countryside across the world.
1. Why does Cisco Systems Inc develop the project?| A．To win economic support from the British government. |
| B．To enlarge the future use of 5G technology in countryside. |
| C．To improve the development of 5G technology in Britain. |
| D．To test the effects of 5G technology on animals. |
| A．robotize | B．complete | C．remove | D．fasten |
| A．automated brushes. | B．sensors. |
| C．cleaning system. | D．an automatic feeding system. |
| A．5G technology is applied to the milking process. |
| B．5G makes the management of animals easy and interesting. |
| C．5G technology will be popular in the future. |
| D．5G technology brings money to farming. |
【推荐2】Calligraphy, in the DNA of Chinese culture, has been inherited(继承) by Chinese people from ancient times to the present, showing no signs of fading even today. Millions of modern Chinese show their respect to great ancient calligraphers by imitating model calligraphic books by ancient masters year in and year out. Among these artistic superstars, Su Shi stands out as one of the brightest.
Su Shi(1037-1101), alias Su Dongpo, was a famous writer, calligrapher, and painter of the Northern Song Dynasty. As a brilliant calligrapher, his artistic taste and calligraphy theory have profound influence on modern calligraphy learners, both professionals and amateurs.
The great significance of Su Shi’s calligraphy lies in his advocacy of yi(self-expression), which became a feature of Song calligraphy. Through yi, calligraphers can express their genuine feelings and bring forth a rich association of ideas. Regarded as the third most famous semi-cursive(行书) work in Chinese history, Han Shi Tie is Su Shi’s finest calligraphic one. The whole work seems fully controlled by the author’s emotions, thereby breaking many conventions.
His second theoretical belief was to capture the spirit of previous masters rather than rigidly imitating their forms. In learning from Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, Su Shi succeeded in capturing Yan’s spirit even though he ignored his calligraphic form.
Su Shi also put great emphasis on the importance of individuality. His artworks are like needles hidden within cotton—inward strength and outward softness.
Finally, Su Shi emphasized the importance of staying natural. He pointed out that the basic requirement in holding the brush is to leave the hand open and loose. A relaxed mind paired with a natural hand gesture will leave the calligrapher in the best mood for creating.
It is safe to say Su Shi will be admired by future generations. It is not only because of his remarkable calligraphy but his personality.
1. Why does the author mention “DNA” in paragraph 1?| A．To show the influence of Su Shi. | B．To introduce biological knowledge. |
| C．To tell us Chinese cultural background. | D．To emphasize the importance of calligraphy. |
| A．Inflexibly copying. | B．Directly applying. |
| C．Conservatively using. | D．Properly creating. |
| A．Ignore the traditions in calligraphy. | B．Hold the brush tightly when creating. |
| C．Focus on forms instead of spirit. | D．Adopt yi theory to express emotions and ideas. |
| A．The DNA of Chinese Culture | B．A Bright Star in Calligraphy |
| C．Calligraphy in Song Dynasty | D．The Most Outstanding Calligrapher |
【推荐3】Ever heard of the words “one man's waste is another man's treasure? ” Nabeel Alam has taken that idea to a whole new level.
He and 26 other high school students from Durham, east of Toronto, Canada, started a company that turns unused clothes into practical reusable bags.
Nabeel said the clothing they use is in good condition, but is being thrown away because it's no longer useful or it' s out of style. By repurposing clothes（given by family and friends) heading for the garbage dump(垃圾场），Nabeel can work toward achieving his goal: cutting down on textile(纺织品）waste in Canada. "We give it a new purpose, "said Nabeel, the company' s president.
How does the company work? The students take the clothes and put them in the wash. Then a team member cuts the clothes to match a pre-drawn outline. After that, the bags are sewn(缝制）together by a sewer who volunteers to help the company.
The team puts pictures of them on their website and Instagram so people can buy them for between $8 and $12. Nabeel said the goal of the company named Vivlio Amet—is to let people know how much textile waste leads to climate(气候）change.
But Vivlio Amet will only last for a little while longer. That’s because Vivlio Amet started in October 2019 as an 18-week Junior Achievement Program project. Through the program, volunteer advisers team up with students to help them start a temporary business from the ground up.
Though the program is completely separate from school, Nabeel said it doesn't feel like extra work. “I don’t treat it like a task. It’s something I like a lot,” Nabeel said. “If you want to be successful you need to work really hard at it.”
1. What does Vivlio Amet do?| A．It rans a garbage dump. |
| B．It sells reusable old clothes. |
| C．It makes bags with old clothes. |
| D．It collects unused clothes for factories. |
| A．To make pocket money for him. |
| B．To try his luck at running a company. |
| C．To call on people to avoid textile waste. |
| D．To set a good example for his classmates. |
| A．School-based. | B．Short-lived. |
| C．Privately-owned. | D．Half-finished. |
| A．It was tiring. | B．It was pioneering. |
| C．It was quite difficult. | D．It was very enjoyable. |
