Benjamin Franklin clearly knew how to get things done. After scanning the long list of Benjamin Franklin’s achievements, one can only come to one conclusion that the American man probably never had a wasted day in his life. When he was 84 years old, he became a successful author, printer, politician, postmaster, inventor, musician, and diplomat.
There's much we can learn from Benjarin Frankin's work habits and opinions on life that can increase our own productivity. Here are some ways Franklin overcame lazy, wasted days.
Start a group and share knowledge. When Franklin was 21, he was a struggling printer in Philadelphia. To increase his connections and to learn more about his industry, he created a group. The group was in great need of books, but books were expensive. Franklin helped start a library where books were bought and lent to members. This sharing of knowledge, experience, and connections helped Franklin become a famous and respected printer in Philadelphia.
Attack opportunities. "To succeed," Franklin wrote,” jump as quickly at opportunities as you can." We can all agree, but when an opportunity comes we often look the other way. It's because the opportunity isn't dressed the way we expect. We often think that the opportunity was only in the form of a golden egg or a million-dollar lottery ticket or a new job offer. But more often than not, the opportunity comes in smaller, less beautiful packages.
Time is something in short supply. Franklin wrote “Lost time is never found again." This may sound like it came from the pen of a poet, but it's really an inspirational call to action. Franklin worked, created, and lived knowing that time is scarce. He never put off his work.
While Franklin was an able inventor we can be sure that his notebook contained a few unsuccessful ideas . Franklin wrote,“ Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.'
1. Benjamin Franklin succeeded in many ways mainly because______.| A．he was very clever and popular. | B．he could make good use of his time. |
| C．he often shared knowledge with others. | D．he could do many things at the same time. |
| A．writing. | B．invention. |
| C．music. | D．printing. |
| A．are easy to catch hold of. | B．are difficult to see and attack. |
| C．are often dressed the way we expect. | D．always come in the form of a golden egg. |
| A．Franklin wrote a lot of famous poems. | B．Franklin sometimes wasted time. |
| C．Franklin never met with failures. | D．Franklin learned from failures. |
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【推荐1】I like my job. It may be my nature that draws me to this kind of job. I work at Izzy's Pizza Bar.
One day an elderly couple came in just after 3p. m. The first thing they said was, **Where is Nan?" Nan is my mother. She was not in that day. It was her day off.
Later that night, I waited on two men. It took some effort to get them to be friendly. I explained I was waitressing over the summer to make some extra cash for school.
Once all the customers had finished eating, I began my closing duties, using the time to reflect on my day, or rather, life. I rushed around getting everything done, thinking about those two men.
| A．I had always received a positive response from everyone else I had told |
| B．Everyone should have equal opportunities in getting a job |
| C．I also said I was grateful that my mom had trained me |
| D．On the contrary, I felt really proud |
| E．This couple got a lot of enjoyment out of eating in this restaurant |
| F．You could say they were very disappointed to know that |
| G．Your job doesn't have to state who you are as a person |
【推荐2】It's amazing how often we take advantage of things in life. When we're used to something, we don't always appreciate how lucky we are to have it. While we're here complaining that our WiFi isn't fast enough and our videos keep buffering (卡顿), there are people in Africa who don't even get to eat three meals a day. While most people work hard for the things they own, it's important to stop and think of what others don't have every now and again. You may not think that shoes are something worth going crazy over, but the Uganda woman would disagree. After all, she went wild when she put a pair on for the first time in her life.
That's what Laura Grier did one day. The woman was in Bwindi National Park, Uganda, when she felt it necessary to stop and help someone by the side of the road. The person in question was standing around without any shoes on, and the sight convinced Grier to give up her own footwear. She had more shoes at home, while this woman had never even worn a pair before.
Laura's generosity was definitely appreciated by the stranger who treated her benefactor (恩人) to a celebratory dance. The woman couldn't keep the smile from her face as she went wild in her brand-new shoes. Grier was thrilled that her good deed had made the stranger so happy, and she cheered on the Ugandan woman as she danced in the street.
The next time you buy a pair of shoes, remember how lucky you are to have them.
1. What does the author talk about in the first paragraph?| A．Her view about what we have. | B．Something that we are used to. |
| C．The appreciation of her shoes. | D．Her opinion about the Uganda woman. |
| A．To offer some help to her. | B．To show off extra shoes. |
| C．To show her curiosity. | D．To exchange it for a meal. |
| A．Strange. | B．Thankful. | C．Shocked. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．Never Expect Too Much of Life | B．Don't Admire What Others Have. |
| C．Value What We Already Have. | D．Know More About Africa. |
【推荐3】Nearly five years ago, I booked a retreat (僻静处) to work on my book, Tracking Wonder. I knew I worked best with limited distraction, but when I finally was able to carve time away from the world to do this creative work, I found it very difficult to focus.
Ⅰ. Reboot(重启) your mental health.
Just as our muscles need rest days between workouts to grow stronger, our minds need periods of idleness to process the world around us.
Innovators in times of crisis and adversity actually grant themselves space to be bored and daydream deliberately. This kind of daydreaming can lead to positive mental feelings of hope, renewal, and forward motion, but it requires boredom and space.
Ⅱ.
The capacity to be bored and the capacity to be creative go hand in hand. Want to increase your creativity?
Ⅲ. Reconnect with what matters to you.
These days, current events—and the resulting analysis, opinions, and Twitter hot takes—come at us so quickly that it’s difficult to process one issue before the next takes its place.
| A．Become more creative. |
| B．I completely lacked creativity. |
| C．Here are three ways to release your creativity. |
| D．The answer may not be more stimulation, but less. |
| E．Reach for our phones to check a fact during a conversation. |
| F．Learning to let yourself be bored can have three surprising benefits. |
| G．But to truly be an informed citizen, you need to allow time for idleness. |
【推荐1】It’s school time again! You’re probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad for the vacation is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these “new” worries only stick around for a little while. Let’s find out more about going back to school.
Most teachers kick off the school year by introducing themselves and talking about what you’ll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class.
When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules so you’ll know what’s allowed and what’s not. Pay close attention so you’ll know if you need to raise your hand to ask a question and what the rules are about visiting the restroom.
You might already know a lot of people in your class on the first day. But it’s a great day to make new friends, so try to say “hello” to the kids you know and the new ones that you don’t. Make the first move and you’ll be glad about what you did and so will your new friends!
Most teachers let you pick your own seat on the first day, but by the second or third morning, they’ll have mapped out a seating plan. It’s a good idea to write down where your seat is in your notebook so you don’t forget.
Here are a few final tips for a fantastic (奇异的) first day: Get enough sleep; Have a healthy breakfast; Try your best; Develop good work habits, like writing down your assignments (作业) and handing in your homework on time; Take your time with schoolwork; If you don’t understand something, ask the teacher.
1. In the second paragraph the underlined phrase “kick off” most probably means “ ______”.| A．jump over | B．start |
| C．talk about | D．finish |
| A．All students feel excited about a new term. |
| B．All teachers let students pick their seats. |
| C．New school worries do not last very long. |
| D．Being hard-working helps make new friends. |
| A．turn to their teachers |
| B．write them down |
| C．ask their parents |
| D．help with each other |
A Guide to Living the Good Life
Author: Laura Rowley
Publisher: Wiley (March 1, 2008)
Laura Rowley helps us all understand the money-happiness connection in our own lives so that we spend our time and efforts wisely. She offers insights that every reader can use to make smarter decisions that will lead to living a rich life in every possible definition of the term.
★Happiness★
The Science Behind Your Smile
Author: Daniel Nettle
Publisher: Oxford University Press (July 1, 2008)
This is the first book to look thoroughly at what happiness is and how it works. Nettle examines whether people are basically happy or unhappy, whether success can make us happy, why some people are happier than others, and much more.
★The Happiness Makeover★
How to Teach Yourself to Be Happy and Enjoy Every Day
Author: M. J. Ryan
Publisher: Broadway (May 10, 2008)
Ryan’s own desire to be happier first led her to study what is known about happiness from brain science, psychology, and the wisdom traditions of the world. The Happiness Makeover draws on this wide-ranging knowledge and presents a plan that will help you:
Clear away happiness problems like worry, fear, envy, and dislikes.
Learn to think confidently.
Find daily ways to truly enjoy, even relish, the moments of your life.
★Health and Happiness★
Hormones and Qualities Llives
Author: Steven F. Hotze
Publisher: Forrest Publishing (April, 2008)
Dr Steven Hotze is leading a wellness revolution that advances a new model of healthcare. Unlike the popular medical way of treating individual symptoms(症状) with the familiar “anti” drugs, Dr Hotze deals with the basic causes of poor health.
InHormones, Health, and Happinessyou are shown how to reach and keep the best body functioning.
Based on a process of biologically the same hormones(荷尔蒙) and other natural treatments, it can help you enjoy a better quality of life.
1. According to the passage, which of the following books was the first to come out?
| A．A Guide to Living the Good Life |
| B．Hormones and Qualities Lives |
| C．How to Teach Yourself to Be Happy and Enjoy Every Day |
| D．The Science Behind Your Smile |
| A．Money and Happiness | B．Happiness |
| C．The Happiness Makeover | D．Health and Happiness |
| A．Laura Rowley’s. | B．M. J. Ryan’s. | C．Daniel Nettle’s. | D．Steven F. Hotze’s. |
| A．What Is Happiness? | B．Recent Books on Happiness |
| C．Money and Happiness | D．How to Keep Yourself Happy |
【推荐3】There’ s no place like home. It’ s the place where we’ re surrounded by our possessions and creature comforts. We purchase things to give our homes a personal touch. And one thing we’re buying more of is houseplants. But are these “living” additions to our homes good for us and the environment?
Houseplants, also known as pot plants, add a natural touch and they have the ability to brighten up a room on a budget. The Royal Horticultural Society found that nearly 72% of adults in the UK had a houseplant in their home, with this figure rising to 80% of 16-24 year olds. A fifth of owners also said they use plants in the home to boost their health and well-being. And average sales last year were up on the previous year.
It seems millennials (千禧代) are driving the growth in the sales of houseplants. More young people are living in flats without a garden. 24-year-old Daisy Hale said “being able to care for something but not having too much commitment—I guess that’s a classic millennial line—is ideal for my lifestyle.”
From hanging baskets, to cacti (仙人掌) and succulent ferns, the choice of vegetation is endless. They are easy to care for, and there have been unproven claims that they improve the air quality in our home. But whatever their benefits, there are now concerns that they might not be so good for the environment. Some are bought online and shipped from overseas. Fay Kenworthy, co-founder of PlantSwap, a community activity that encourages people to trade plants locally, said “this could defeat many local plants.”
But botanist James Wong argues that home delivery has less of an environmental impact than multiple trips to the garden center in a car. Although he’ s not too concerned about the environmental impact, others are worried about the plastic pots they are in and the type of peat (泥炭) that some of them are grown in. However, a sustainable approach to buying them may be the best way forward if we want to introduce some natural greenery into our homes.
1. What is the benefit of a houseplant?| A．A houseplant can cure people of many diseases. |
| B．A houseplant is ideal for millennials’ career. |
| C．A houseplant improve the water quality in our home. |
| D．A houseplant can beautify a room with little money. |
| A．The choice of vegetation is endless. | B．People should buy local plants. |
| C．It’s best to buy plants online. | D．Houseplants are hard to care for. |
| A．A fashion magazine. | B．A tour brochure. |
| C．A scientific fiction. | D．A history book. |
| A．Negative. | B．Neutral. | C．Positive. | D．Not mentioned. |
| A．Natural Greenery | B．Millennials’ Choice |
| C．Houseplants: Good or Bad? | D．Hanging Baskets or a Garden? |
