【推荐1】Steps to Take to Become a Morning Person

Seek out as much natural light as possible.

The secret to becoming a morning person is exposure to bright light, says Jennifer Martin, president of the board of directors for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. That’s because light suppresses melatonin, a hormone that plays an important role in circadian rhythm.     1    

Ease in gradually.

    2     You could force yourself to get up at your desired time every day, knowing that you’ll feel tired during the transition but will naturally start falling asleep earlier within a few weeks. But for some people — like those who need to drive long distances — those first few days of exhaustion from switching to a new schedule aren’t safe. In that case, Martin recommends gradually easing into the early-bird life. “What I’ll suggest to people is to shift half an hour, wait a few days, shift another half an hour, wait a few days, and then shift another half an hour,” she says.

    3    

A consistent bedtime isn’t as crucial as sticking to the same wake up time every day, but it’s still important to make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Most people should aim for at least seven hours a night — so you’ll probably need to inch your bedtime forward as you transition to a new schedule. Starting at least an hour before you hit the sack, cut back on how much exposure to bright light you’re getting, experts advise.     4    

Plan something to look forward to.

    5       “Now is the time to go buy your favorite coffee or pick up some pastries to have when your alarm goes off at 5 a. m.,” she says. “You’re not dreading it if you think of that.”

A．Reschedule your bedtime.

B．Wind down in the evenings.

C．The sun is the driver of our internal clock.

D．There are two ways to approach your journey to early rising.

E．To tempt you out of bed, Martin suggests treating yourself to something special.

F．Being exposed to artificial light in the late evening could interfere with your ability to fall asleep.

G．They also recommend rethinking the curtains you might use to foster a very dark sleeping environment.

【推荐2】Best Ways to Get Rid of a Bad Habit

Everyone has a bad habit or two. Getting rid of habits is a very hard thing to do. Even if you have a great deal of self-discipline, bad habits can be very hard to get rid of.    1    The same is true of breaking a bad habit; it takes about three weeks to really get past it.

Tell a friend about your efforts. This will make you more responsible because it is easy to make excuses to yourself, but not as easy to make excuses when your friend asks how it is going. The more people you tell, the more responsibility there is.    2    The same people that are there to keep you responsible should also be there when you need some support. You should tell people who you can call when your resolve is faltering (衰退).

    3    If you want to get rid of a bad habit, you need to replace it with something else. If you watch too much television, you can replace it with a healthy habit such as reading a book or exercising. It might also be a time to start something that you have been planning to do for a long time. Maybe you can start working on a dream project you have been delaying for so long.    4    

·Set futuristic goals. You should imagine a future that involves a life without your bad habit. Whatever the habit you are looking to getting rid of, you should visualize how better your life would become when you get rid of it.    5    By setting goals for the future, you can motivate yourself and adopt a lifestyle that helps you achieve those goals.

A．Adopt a new habit.

B．Get proper help.

C．This also means that you can get more support.

D．Habits take about three weeks to really come into your mind.

E．Think of all the opportunities you missed because of bad habits.

F．Bad habits can prevent a person from making any progress in life.

G．Anything that offers a change in schedule can be very beneficial for you.

【推荐2】This year, the Music Educator Award, presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum, went to Annie Ray, the performing arts department chair and orchestra director at Annandale High School in Fairfax County, Virginia. She attended the awards ceremony in Los Angeles and brought home both a $10,000 prize and matching grant （资助） for her school’s music program.

Ray created the Crescendo Orchestra for students with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as a parent orchestra that teaches nearly 200 caregivers a year to play the same instrument as their children. She got the idea mostly from the Annandale community, which she says represents over 60 countries, including many refugees and immigrants. “There’re many cultures that might typically clash, but they come together in this very beautiful harmony,” Ray explained. “And that’s really uniquely expressed in the orchestra classroom, where we’re just all music-ing together.”

Ray says the Crescendo Orchestra is focused on teaching students how to play an instrument, through one-on-one instruction tailored to their needs. The orchestra is about much more than just making music, however. “I really push my students to be brave and go outside of their comfort zone. We have to learn how to work together with others,” she says.

Ray, who comes from a family of musicians and has played the harp （竖琴） since the age of five, knows firsthand the impact that a great teacher can make on their students. “Why I am where I am is because a teacher changed my life and made me want to be a music educator,” she says.

Ray says her warm reception on the awards ceremony is especially meaningful because not many people understand what exactly music educators do in the classroom or how much their work matters. She says that lack of understanding is one of the biggest challenges facing the profession in general. Moreover, she says her school desperately needs new instruments, and adds that she’ll use some of her grant money to buy more.

1. What mainly inspired Ray to create the Crescendo Orchestra?

A．The effect of some caregivers.	B．The diversity of a community.
C．The harmony of the disabled.	D．The rich culture of her school.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Who are influenced by music.	B．How the Crescendo Orchestra develops.
C．What students can learn.	D．Why students need special instruction.

3. How was Ray influenced by her teacher?

A．She funded some students.	B．She fought against her family.
C．She began learning the harp.	D．She chose to be a music educator.

4. What can be learned from what Ray says in the last paragraph?

A．Music education needs to be appreciated.	B．She badly wants donations for instruments.
C．The administration offers no support.	D．She is often challenged by musicians.