3 . Ways to Create an Exercise Habit

A lot of people want to know how to get motivated to work out and build an exercise habit that sticks. Of course, wanting to make exercise a habit and actually doing it are two different things.     1    . Living a new type of lifestyle is hard. But there are some strategies that can make it easier to stick with an exercise habit.

Develop a routine to make starting easier.

    2    . That means they are also behaviors that you start over and over again. If you can develop a routine that makes starting your workout mindless and automatic, then it will be much easier to follow through. You can start building your own routine by adding your exercise habit on top of a current habit or by setting a schedule for yourself.

Start with an exercise that is very small.

The best way to make exercise a habit is to start with an exercise that is so easy that you can do it even when you can’t get motivated to work out. Struggling to find motivation to go for a run? Just fill up your water bottle and put on your running shoes.     3    . Often, this little start will be enough to get your motivation flowing and help you finish the task.

    4    .

The typical approach to diet and exercise is to focus on results first. Most people start with some type of goal. “I want to lose 20 pounds in the next 4 months.” Or, “I want to squat (蹲举)50 pounds more six months from now.” This is the wrong approach.     5    , not the results that you get.

A．Changing your behavior is difficult

B．Focus on the habit first and the results later

C．Habits are behaviors that you repeat over and over again

D．Never work out while you are running low on willpower

E．That’s all you have to do to consider today’s workout a success

F．If you don’t consistently get started, then you won’t have a habit

G．What matters most in the beginning is establishing a new normal that you will stick to

4 . When you ask people to judge others by their speech, a trend emerges: Listeners dislike disfluency. Slow talkers producing loads of ums and pauses are generally considered as less charming. But science tells us there may be even more to disfluency.

Disfluencies do not occur in arbitrary positions in sentences. Ums typically occur right before more difficult or low-frequency words. Imagine you’re having dinner with a friend at a restaurant, and there’re three items on the table: a knife, a glass, and a wine decanter (醒酒器). Your friend turns to you and says, “Could you hand me the…um...” What would you assume your friend wants? Since it’s unlikely that they will hesitate before such common words as knife, and glass, chances are you’ll pick up the decanter and ask, “You mean this?”

This is exactly what we demonstrated through controlled eye-tracking studies in our lab. Apparently, listeners hear the um and predict that an uncommon word is most likely to follow. Such predictions, though, reflect more than just simple association between disfluencies and difficult words; listeners are actively considering from the speaker’s point of view. For example, when hearing a non-native speaker say the same sentence but with a thick foreign accent, listeners don’t show a preference for looking at low-frequency objects. This is probably because listeners assume non-native speakers may have as much trouble coming up with the English word for a common object, like a knife, as for unusual ones and can’t guess their intention.

In another experiment, listeners were presented with an atypical speaker who produced disfluencies before simple words and never before difficult words. Initially, participants displayed the natural predictive strategy: looking at uncommon objects. However, as more time went by, and they gained experience with this atypical distribution of disfluencies, listeners started to demonstrate the contrary predictive behavior: They tended to look at simple objects when hearing the speaker say um.

These findings represent further evidence that the human brain is a prediction machine: We continuously try to predict what will happen next, even though not all disfluencies are created equal.

1. What does the underlined word “arbitrary” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Random.

B．Leading.

C．Obvious.

D．Consistent.

2. What can be inferred from non-native speakers’ disfluencies?

A．Non-native speakers’ accent won’t influence listeners’ predictions.

B．Non-native speakers are good at coming up with unusual English words.

C．Non-native speakers’ intention in communication is easy to understand.

D．Non-native speakers’ disfluencies are a little less predictive.

3. What does the experiment in Paragraph 4 show?

A．Simple things are difficult in some cases.	B．Listeners can adjust predictions accordingly.
C．Distribution of disfluencies is unchangeable.	D．Disfluencies in communication can be avoided.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Pauses Coexist with Prediction	B．Active Listeners Simplify Talks
C．Disfluency Says More Than You Think	D．Brains Are Powerful Prediction Machines

5 . About ten years ago, logging into Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram would mostly show posts from friends and family in the order they were posted. Today, these platforms present a mix of content, tailored by algorithms (算法) to match users’ interests, whether they’re plants, sports, cats, or politics.

Kyle Chayka, a writer for The New Yorker, discusses this topic in his book, Filter world. He explains that algorithms analyze user data to predict and influence what they will likely engage with. This means that instead of a simple, chronological (按时间顺序的) feed, users encounter a dynamic stream, constantly adapting to their preferences. Chayka examines how these algorithmic recommendations control what we consume, from music and movies to food and travel destinations. He argues that this machine-driven selection process has turned us into passive consumers, making our preferences and tastes more similar.

Chayka points out that algorithms make us passive by always showing us content that we’re unlikely to click away from but won’t find too unexpected or challenging. This constant stream of recommendations reduces our exposure to diverse or challenging content, subtly shaping our preferences and behaviors.

Moreover, Chayka points out that algorithms also pressure content creators, like musicians and artists, to tailor their work to fit these digital platforms. For instance, musicians on Spotify or TikTok might focus on creating catchy hooks at the beginning of their songs to grab the listener’s attention.

In summary, the change from simple, time-ordered social media posts to algorithm-driven content has a big impact on both the viewers and the creators, influencing what we see, hear, and even think. Chayka’s insights highlight the need for greater awareness and potentially more regulation in our increasingly digital world.

1. According to the text, how have social media platforms changed in the past ten years?

A．They show posts in a time-based order.	B．They decide consumers’ different needs.
C．They make adjustments to satisfy users’ needs.	D．They present posts from friends and family first.

2. What does Kyle Chayka think of algorithmic recommendations?

A．They make users more active consumers.

B．They affect users’ preferences and behaviors.

C．They reduce the influence of content creators.

D．They expose users to diverse and challenging content.

3. How do algorithms influence content creators?

A．By encouraging them to create more works.

B．By discouraging them from using catchy hooks.

C．By giving them more freedom to produce their works.

D．By forcing them to adapt their works to users’ interests.

4. What’s the author’s attitude to algorithmic recommendations?

A．Objective.

B．Negative.

C．Positive.

D．Indifferent.

6 . Josefa Marin went to New York from Mexico in 1987, supporting her daughter back home with the $140 a week she earned at a sweater factory. With that small income, she had to collect recyclables, trading in cans for five cents each.

When the clothing factory closed down in the late 2000s, she became a full-time recycler, picking up cans and bottles to make ends meet.

Marin’s story is not unique. Millions around the world make a living from picking through waste and reselling it — a vital role that keeps waste manageable. In New York City, the administrative department collects only about 28 percent of the cans that could be recycled. Rubbish collectors keep millions of additional recyclables out of landfills every year.

Yet collectors are ruled out by government policies. The United States Supreme Court in 1988 stated that household garbage is public property once it’s on the street. That enables police to search rubbish for evidence, but that protection hasn’t always been extended to recyclers. And in places like New York City, which is testing city-owned locked containers to hide garbage from rats, containers are made clearly inaccessible for collectors.

“There’s value in the waste, and we feel that value should belong to the people, not the city or the corporations”, says Ryan Castalia, director of a nonprofit recycling and community center in Brooklyn.

Recognized or not, waste pickers have long been treated with disrespect. Marin recalls an occasion when someone living next to a building where she was collecting cans threw water at her. “It doesn’t mean I am less of a person than anyone else because I recycle”, she says.

Some governments are starting to realize that protecting the environment and humanity go hand in hand. The United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, for example, calls for an end to poverty and all the risks it brings.

1. Why does the author start the passage with Marin’s story?

A．To suggest waste collectors’ importance.	B．To reflect laid-off workers’ hardship.
C．To praise her devotion to her daughter.	D．To show the seriousness of unemployment.

2. What can we learn about the waste mentioned in Paragraph 4?

A．It is always available on the street for collectors.	B．It is public property no matter where it is.
C．It is actually only accessible for certain groups.	D．It is hidden in containers for rats.

3. What would Marin agree with?

A．Business is business.	B．No job is noble or humble.
C．The early bird catches worms.	D．One good turn deserves another.

4. What’s the writing purpose of this passage?

A．To argue how important it is to get rid of poverty.

B．To call on governments to work hand in hand to protect the environment.

C．To prove that unemployed people can make a living by collecting recyclables.

D．To tell that environmental protection is closely related to preserving humanity.

7 . There have been many great painters in the rich history of Chinese art. Here are four of the greatest painters from China.

Li Cheng (919-967)

Li Cheng contributed greatly to one of the golden ages of landscape paintings in world history. During his time, he was considered the best landscape painter ever. He is remembered especially for the winter landscapes he created and for simple composition of tall, old evergreens set against a dry landscape. Several of his paintings are in diluted (稀释的) in k which gives them a foggy appearance.

Fan Kuan (950-1032)

Fan Kuan began his career by modeling his works on those of Li Cheng but later created his own style claiming that the only true teacher was nature. His finest work Travelers Among Mountains and Streams is a masterpiece of landscape painting and many future artists turned to it for inspiration.

Qi Baishi (1864-1957)

One of the greatest contemporary Chinese painters, Qi Baishi is known for not being influenced by Western styles like most of the painters of his time. He can be considered as the last great traditional painter of China. Qi Baishi painted almost everything from insects to landscapes. He is regarded highly in Chinese art for the freshness and spontaneity (自然) that he brought to the familiar types of insects, birds and flowers.

Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010)

Widely considered as the founder of modern Chinese painting, Wu Guanzhong has painted various aspects of China, like its architecture, plants, animals, people and landscapes. Wu was influenced by post-Impressionist art, an important western movement, and went on to combine Western and Chinese styles to create a unique form of modern art. In 1992, he became the first living Chinese artist whose work was exhibited at the British Museum.

1. What do we know about Fan Kuan?

A．He copied many artists’ works.	B．His masterpiece was inspiring.
C．His works gained worldwide recognition.	D．He created his own style from the very beginning.

2. What is one feature of Wu Guanzhong’s paintings?

A．They have foggy appearances.	B．They focus on a single theme.
C．They come under Western influence.	D．They show traditional painting skills.

3. What did the four Chinese painters have in common?

A．They all created landscape paintings.

B．They were all influenced by Western art.

C．They were all pioneers in Chinese art history.

D．Their works were all exhibited at the British Museum.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who will pick up the woman at the airport?

A．The man.

B．The man’s driver.

C．The man’s workmate.

2. Where does the conversation take place?

A．On the phone.

B．At an airport.

C．At the hotel.

3. What will the woman do next?

A．Go to meet the man.

B．Have a good sleep.

C．Wait for the man’s driver.

4. When will the speakers meet?

A．At 1:00 pm.

B．At 8:00 pm.

C．At 9:00 pm.