1 . 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 Benjamin Franklin’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 catch |
| 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 |
2 . For many high school students, it seems that there is never enough time. There are several steps you can take to organize your time better.
Make a to-do list every day. It makes it easy to plan any activities or meetings you may have in addition to homework. Be sure to set priorities (优先事项).
Use spare time wisely. Instead of wasting your spare time, read a book or do homework.
Decide on the time that is good for you to do certain things. If you are more of a morning person, try getting up an hour earlier and do schoolwork before school.
Review your notes every day.
Tell your friends and family about your work timetable. Explain that you will be working at certain times and ask them not to disturb you.
| A．Set goals for yourself. |
| B．Get a good night’s sleep. |
| C．Do the most important tasks first. |
| D．And also, do not be afraid to say “no”. |
| E．You should finish your task on time. |
| F．Don’t take phone calls during the time you set aside for work. |
| G．Don’t wait until just before a test to try and remember everything. |
3 . Have you ever complained that there just aren’t enough hours in a day? Do you usually find yourself falling short on time in completing assigned tasks?
It is a simple time management technique where you divided your day into time blocks that are dedicated to specific tasks or groups of tasks. It’s a popular method to boost your productivity and allow you to focus on your tasks.
Once you start Time Blocking, you’ll overcome this shortcoming.
| A．I used to be in the same boat. |
| B．I believe you have encountered questions like this |
| C．The benefits of Time Blocking are considerable. |
| D．You work your way down the priority list and everything goes as planned. |
| E．You can regard it as a combination of a To-do list and a Calendar schedule. |
| F．You’ll need to be very specific about what you’re planning to do in that time block. |
| G．While it sounds logical, it makes you jump between different kinds of tasks without focus. |
4 . Walter Benjamin, the German philosopher, once noted that boredom was the “dream bird that hatches the egg of experience”. However, the creative flights of fancy which often arise from having little to do are being killed off by social media, researchers argued. Viewing mindlessly through attention-grabbing posts and videos prevents “profound (深层的) boredom” that can drive people on to new passions or skills. Instead, people find themselves in a state of “superficial boredom”, which does not motivate creative thought.
Dr Timothy Hill, leader of the research team at the University of Bath, said, “The problem we observed was that social media can ease superficial boredom. But that also consumes time and energy, and may prevent people progressing to a state of profound boredom, where they might discover new passions. Profound boredom may sound like a negative concept but, in fact, it can be intensely positive if people are given the chance for undisturbed thinking and development.
Researchers interviewed 15 people during the pandemic (流行病), when boredom was more likely because of restrictions. Many described being trapped in regularly daily walks and watching television, with many turning to social media to pass the time. But although the participants said that social media provided a temporary escape from superficial boredom, it also appeared to exacerbate it, leaving them feeling they had wasted their time.
The pandemic was a painful and consuming experience for thousands of less fortunate people. But there are stories of those in lockdown who found new hobbies, careers or directions in life. Switching off devices could help people reach the state of boredom which pushes them on to new hobbies or achievements.
This research has given us a window to understand how the “always-on”, 24/7 culture and devices that promise an abundance of information and entertainment may be fixing our superficial boredom but are actually preventing us from finding more meaningful things.
1. Why are Walter Benjamin’s words mentioned?| A．To call for attention to the research on boredom. |
| B．To comment on the strategies to face loneliness. |
| C．To offer advice on developing creative thinking. |
| D．To clarify the problem caused by social media. |
| A．Profound boredom is of value. |
| B．Social media can fuel passions. |
| C．The research has some limitations. |
| D．Creative thought is easily disturbed. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Break. |
| C．Inspire. | D．Worsen. |
| A．Why people enjoy boredom |
| B．How boredom helps kill time |
| C．Why being bored may be good for you |
| D．How social media blocks creative ideas |
| A.spare B.updated C.volunteering D.possible E.purpose F.adapted G.popular |
I like reading books of all kinds. I have a top 10 reading list and I try to keep it
To achieve all I want, I must use my time well. At school, I do my homework when I have
6 . Using the correct time management skills and tips can help you get more organized and efficient. The more you learn to use these skills, the more you will finish each day.
Schedule your time.
Start early. To increase work efficiency, start early every day. The more time you spend sitting, thinking, and planning, the better organized you will be in every area of your life. For successful men and women, almost all of them have one thing in common. They developed great organizational skills and the habit of going to bed at a reasonable time and rising early. Many successful people get up at 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning.
| A．Prepare in advance. |
| B．Use golden time to improve work efficiency. |
| C．And it also improves your sense of personal power. |
| D．Organizing time can improve self-control and save time. |
| E．A major benefit of doing so is that this exercise lets you sleep better. |
| F．Your most important work requires you to be at your best and creative. |
| G．In this way they can have enough time to think and plan for the coming day. |
7 . Wasted-time worry
The idea that time is our most precious resource can bring with it a sense of time-pressure. We are always told “Time is money and time is running out”, so we must manage it well. We take time-management courses, download the latest productivity app and divide our day into blocks, so our time is never wasted.
We need to shift away from trying to maximize our time and reduce our worry about wasting it. We don’t have to view every moment we don’t spend the way we expected to as a waste. There may be value in those moments too.
Then how much should we be working? Researchers say on most days, three to four hours of high-quality, focused mental work is about our maximum.
We often encounter empty time, throwing us into boredom, panic or anxiety, or add to our wasted-time worry.
| A．Working beyond that can be a waste |
| B．Working to maximum is the secret to success |
| C．but the scraps of time that get lost in between |
| D．We can simply appreciate the part they played in our life |
| E．However, we need some hours in the day to waste as we wish |
| F．We can simply set aside more moments for the work of the day |
| G．Yet in our crazy attempts to account for every hour, we fall into wasted-time worry |
8 . The Power of 10 Minutes
How can we find ourselves with extra two hours? It probably comes in short little bursts of 5 to 10 minutes. Maybe you’re early to your school.
Strengthen relationship
In college, you’ll be eager to call your parents every single night. Besides, you know it’s necessary to stay in touch with your friends. A phone call doesn’t have to last an hour to get in some good conversation. A 5-minute’s call is enough. An email is even quicker.
Strengthen body
Refresh yourself
Sometimes we’re so busy that our lives are in a mess, with piles of books on our desks, clothes everywhere on the floor at our dorms. We usually think it a waste of time cleaning up, therefore let them be.
Be more productive
Want to be extra productive?
| A．But both make a difference. |
| B．Maybe you have 5 minutes for We chat. |
| C．Instead,begin with a 5-minute’s tidying up. |
| D．A 10-minute’s walk can get your blood flowing better. |
| E．Perhaps you even get stuck waiting for a bus for 10 minutes. |
| F．The next time you have minutes to spare,write out a to-do list. |
| G．Bending over the desk provides you with a short but useful rest. |
Everyone knows that good time management skills are important to students if they want to do well in school.
You should have the ability to say “no”. A party this weekend? A cool club to join? An overnight trip on Saturday? A quick pizza with your classmates that turns into three hours of just hanging out? Learning to say “no” can save you a lot of time. But it’s not easy to say “no”. You should develop some good skills in saying “no”.
You shouldn’t spare time for all the fun activities. High schools are amazing because there is always something fun for you to take part in. Unfortunately, you cannot spend time on all of the fun activities.
| A．Choose the one that you like most. |
| B．You should keep your health in check. |
| C．You should avoid putting off your tasks. |
| D．Try your best to get rid of your bad habits. |
| E．It is very good for your time management. |
| F．Here are some tips to help you learn to say “no”. |
| G．But what skills are needed for good time management? |
