1 . I was having a great morning until I sat down in front of my office computer. “Your password has expired(过期),” a message flashed on my screen, with instructions for changing it.
Coming up with a new code doesn’t seem like a big deal, unless you work at my company, where we have to change it monthly, using at least one uppercase character, one lowercase character, one symbol, and one numeral. Oh, and the whole damn thing can’t be fewer than eight characters. And I can’t use any of the same passwords I’ve used in the past three months.
Suddenly I was furious. What didn’t make it any better was that I was deeply depressed after my recent divorce. Disbelief over what she had done to me was all I thought about every day.
My anger didn’t mean anything to the empty input field with a pulsating cursor(闪动的光标), waiting for me to type a password that I’d have to re-enter — many times — for the next 30 days. I remembered a tip I’d heard from my former boss. He’d said, “I’m going to use a password to change my life.”
I couldn’t focus on getting things done in my current mood. There were clear indicators of what I needed to do to regain control of my life, but I couldn’t notice them.
My password became the indicator. My password reminded me that I shouldn’t let myself be a victim of my recent breakup and that I was strong enough to do something about it.
I made my password Forgive@h3r. I had to type this statement several times a day. Each time my computer would lock. Each time my screen saver with her photo would appear. Each time I would come back from eating lunch alone. In my mind, I wrote Forgive her every day.
The simple action changed the way I looked at my ex-wife. That constant reminder of reconciliation led me to accept the way things had happened at the end of my marriage and embrace a new way of dealing with my depression. As the month wore on, I felt a slow healing begin to take place. By the time my server prompted me to reset my password the following month, I felt free.
One month later, when asked yet again to reset my password. I thought about the next thing that I had to get done. My password became Quit@smoking4ever.
I quit smoking overnight. This password was a painful one to type during that month, but doing it helped me to yell at myself in my mind as I typed that statement. It motivated me to follow my monthly goal.
One month later, my password became Save4trip@thailand.
Guess where I went three months later: Thailand.
Seeing how these reminders helped to materialize my goals kept me motivated and excited. While it’s sometimes difficult to come up with your next goal, keeping at it brings great results.
Here is a simplified extract(摘录) of what some of my passwords have been in the past two years, so you get an idea of how my life has changed, thanks to this method:
Forgive@h3r To my ex-wife, who started it all.
Quit@smoking4ever It worked.
Save4trip@thailand It worked.
Sleep@before12 It worked.
Ask@her4date It worked. I fell in love again.
No@drinking2months It worked. I feel better.
Get@c4t! It worked. I have a beautiful cat.
Facetime2mom@sunday It worked. I talk with Mom every week.
And the one for last month: Save4@ring Yep. Life is gonna change again soon.
1. The underlined word “furious” in the third paragraph is closest in the meaning to ________.| A．depressed | B．doubtful |
| C．nervous | D．angry |
| A．Because he decided to forgive his wife. |
| B．Because he hoped his wife would forgive him. |
| C．Because he hoped it would remind him to be strong. |
| D．Because his former boss told him to use it to change his life. |
| A．He will call his mother every week. |
| B．He will soon ask his girl friend to marry him. |
| C．His password will help him save money. |
| D．He will be reminded to save his password. |
| A．How a Password Changed My Life | B．Why I Changed My Password |
| C．How a Slow Healing Took Place | D．How I Followed My Monthly Goal |
2 . Tips on How to Survive the Exam Season
When it comes to the exam season, a lot of you may feel stressed, depressed or even want to escape. Here we have pieces of advice to help you get it through.
During the semester, going to lectures and taking a lot of notes are the first steps in the learning process. Now, at the end of the week, gather all the notes you took during the week and run through your notes quickly,
Switch between different types of revision.
Make the facts more relatable.
There are many different ways to do so. I'm going to give you two examples and the first one is to create vivid images, which can be really helpful for studying history.
Teach and learn outside of the classroom.
In my experience, teaching is the most efficient way of studying. By explaining the materials to yourself or to someone else, you'll remember them a lot better.
Test yourself with past papers.
At the end of the whole study process, you should prepare yourself to do past papers properly. Time yourself, don't cheat, and mark it as if it were your real exam. Pay attention to the mistakes and revise the part you didn't do well on until you can't get it wrong any more.
| A．Prepare yourself in advance. |
| B．Make sure to be tough on yourself. |
| C．Even if you are motivated to study, everyone gets bored after a couple of hours of studying. |
| D．While doing this, constantly ask yourself, "Do I understand what I am reading？" |
| E．Ask your parents or other family members to act as students and listen to your explanation. |
| F．Try to imagine how the events took place and this allows you to remember certain details more accurately. |
| G．Look for a study buddy or small study group, and discuss everything you have studied before the exam. |
3 . A core human need is validation (认可) that experience of feeling seen and understood. We long for it. We don't feel safety, belonging or mattering without it. According to Oprah Winfrey, who has interviewed thousands upon thousands of people from ordinary folks to world leaders and highly successful business people, they all ask her the same question after the interview: "Did I do OK?"
In seeking validation many people talk without listening first. We are eager to make our next point and be validated. So we don't listen. While the other person is speaking, we are arranging our next piece of brilliance and persuasion in our minds. When we're told we need to be more "present" or even told to talk less, we start out with the best intentions, but soon find ourselves competing for airtime.
As leaders, part of our job is to find our validation elsewhere and give the gift of listening to our team.
Here's how you can help yourself become a more successful listener: ask more questions. Ask questions and actually listen for the answer and keep your mouth closed until it's time to ask the next question. Try keeping the ratio of questions to you offering your opinion at 80% questions to 20% your opinion.
In a team, especially if you are learning to collaborate better, try a few meetings using a device like a talking stick (only the person holding the stick can talk) to ensure that everyone gets equal airtime. The "talking stick" concept comes from Native American traditions but can be any object that is culturally appropriate for your team﹣even a pen will do.
In the age of organizations as living organisms, listening is the skill that will help your team soar—and give them the emotional experience they long for.
1. Why did people ask "Did I do OK?" after the interview?| A．They are not confident about themselves. |
| B．They want to show off before the host. |
| C．They all long to be validated. |
| D．They seldom have the chance to be interviewed. |
| A．how to seek validation |
| B．why we don't listen |
| C．when to make our next point |
| D．what is the best intention |
| A．Find validation in your team. |
| B．Keep your mouth closed. |
| C．Ask 80 questions and offer 20 opinions. |
| D．Raise more questions. |
| A．To follow Native American traditions |
| B．To help the team rise in spirits |
| C．To check that everyone gets the same airtime |
| D．To strengthen the importance of a meeting |
