2 . Success in 18 minutes

I believe that routines are the ________ to success — whether in career, in fitness goals, or in your relationships. Routines provide us with an opportunity to reach our goals and ensure that we are taking steps in the right ________. In my view, ________ things like exercise routines, we must also include routines for ________ — a time ________ to planning and reflecting on what we’re doing and where we’re going.

In his book “18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done”, Peter Bregman outlines an 18-minute daily routine that will help us to reflect on where we are going, and to ________ that we remain on the right path throughout the day. Here, I will outline this routine, how to do it, and why it’s important. This routine is flexible, so take the parts that are ________ to you and make it your own.

 The routine Morning — 5 minutes

Taking 5 minutes in the morning to plan your day is ________ important. Bregman ________ sitting down with your to-do list and figuring out what you can do that will make today highly ________. Plan what you are going to do today. These 5 minutes in the morning can look like anything. The point is to take some time to reflect on the day ahead and plan your direction.

 Each hour — 1 minute × 8

Set an alarm for each hour. When your alarm goes off, take one minute to reflect. Take a deep breath. Reflect on the last hour — did you do what you wanted to get done? Did you ________ what you were doing? Then make a plan for what you are going to do for the next hour.

 Evening — 5 minutes

Take 5 minutes at the end of your work day to reflect on how the day went. Bregman suggests asking yourself the following questions:

One: How did the day go? What success did I experience? What challenges did I endure? Is there any better way to ________ them?

Two: What did I learn today? What do I plan to do — differently or the same — tomorrow?

Three: Did I interact with others? Is there anyone I need to thank, or ask a question, or   ________ thoughts with?

Again, the point is to reflect and ensure you’re on the right path, as well as setting you up for a productive day tomorrow.

Taking time to plan and reflect on your days is important. A simple, 18-minute routine is all you need to achieve this. ________ this process is simple and quick, it has powerful results. “The moments add up to days, the days add up to years, and the years add up to your life. You’ll know you’re getting the right things done. It all starts with your one thing.” ________, don’t hesitate. Start your reflection routine from today!

1.

A．meaning

B．benefit

C．key

D．definition

2.

A．action

B．method

C．atmosphere

D．direction

3.

A．contrary to

B．in addition to

C．instead of

D．rather than

4.

A．struggle

B．progress

C．reflection

D．preparation

5.

A．objected

B．adapted

C．admitted

D．dedicated

6.

A．predict

B．ensure

C．maintain

D．request

7.

A．dramatic

B．complex

C．beneficial

D．affordable

8.

A．eventually

B．extremely

C．seriously

D．annually

9.

A．allows

B．recommends

C．requires

D．points

10.

A．joyful

B．appropriate

C．productive

D．alarming

11.

A．reflect on

B．depend on

C．focus on

D．apply for

12.

A．overcome

B．overlook

C．destroy

D．spot

13.

A．exchange

B．produce

C．provide

D．suggest

14.

A．If

B．Unless

C．Since

D．While

15.

A．Otherwise

B．Therefore

C．However

D．Besides

4 . Accents are an important part of our identity. An accent gives clues about who we are, and the community we belong to or wish to belong to.     1    

What is the difference between accents and pronunciation?

Accents are about localized ways of speaking a language. A French person may speak English flawlessly (完美无瑕地), just with a French accent.     2     However, pronunciation is something that — as a learner— you can get right or wrong. If your pronunciation is correct, you can communicate effectively with others whatever your accent is.

    3    

If you think back historically people were much more localized with generation after generation of families living in the same small villages and few people traveled out of that area during their lifetimes. So over many generations differences in accent emerged and became very distinct to particular areas. Mountainous villages that are not easily accessible often develop very strong and distinctive accents.

How important is it to get an accent right?

If you’re moving to a certain part of a country, you might want to integrate better with your new community.     4     That’s because it shows a sense of belonging to the community you are trying to fit in with.

How to improve your accent?

    5     And then learners should consider which sounds exist in the language you’re learning and then spend some time in front of the mirror practicing moving your tongue and mouth to get those new and different sounds. And learners should be aware of stress and tone, which can sometimes even change the meaning of words.

A．Where do accents and pronunciation emerge?

B．They’re also important for those learning a new language.

C．Try to adapt your speech to sound more like the locals’ speech.

D．The best way is to learn the specific accent of that region.

E．Where do different types of accents come from?

F．That’s fine because there is no wrong or right with an accent.

G．Learners should first think about which sounds don’t exist in your native language.

5 . Skeleton is one of the three sliding sports at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, alongside the luge(单雪橇)and bobsleigh(大雪橇). With only six medals up for grabs, skeleton has the fewest events at the Winter Games—which means competition will be fierce.

The sport of skeleton has its roots in the most popular winter pastime: sleighing. In the mid-19^th century, British and American holidaymakers built the first toboggan(平底雪橇)run in Davos in 1882, and thus the sport of sleighing began.

Two years later, in 1884, the famed Cresta Run—a natural ice skeleton racing toboggan track—was built in St. Moritz, Switzerland(the course has hosted the annual Grand National championships since 1885).

In 1892, a new sledge made entirely of steel was introduced, and some claim that its bony appearance gave the sledge and the sport the name ‘skeleton’.

Men’s skeleton was first introduced on the Olympic program in the 1928 Games in St. Moritz. But due to the sport only being available at the Cresta Run at the time, it fell into obscurity(默默无闻)while the luge and bobsleigh grew in popularity. However, in 2002, the skeleton was reintroduced as a men’s and women’s event at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and has remained a part of the Olympic program ever since.

While Great Britain has the most medals(nine)in skeleton competition at the Olympics, the top spot belongs to the United States(eight medals)by virtue of having four silvers to Great Britain’s one(both nations have three golds, while Britain has five bronze medals, and the United States one).

Great Britain is the only nation to have won a medal every time skeleton has featured at the Olympic Games, and has won at least one medal in each of the five contests of women’s skeleton since its introduction.

1. How many events does skeleton have in the Olympics?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Five.

D．Six.

2. When did skeleton first appear?

A．In 1882.

B．In1885.

C．In1892.

D．In 1928.

3. Why did skeleton fall into obscurity?

A．Because its material steel was rare.

B．Because there was only one run for it.

C．Because only men could take part in it.

D．Because it was not on the Olympic program.

4. What makes America top Great Britain in skeleton at the Olympics?

A．The number of medals.	B．The composition of medals.
C．The virtue of the athletes.	D．The times of hosting the Olympics.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Be yourself and always follow your heart. Never let anyone change who you are. This is the lesson I have learned from my childhood experience when I figured out I wasn’t invited to the party, Bridget’s party.

One morning, I got off the bus and saw my friends except me hugging under the tree where we used to stand. The circle seemed tighter as I approached；the white invitation cards being hastily stuffed into backpacks gave it away. I knew as well as the entire universe that Bridget’s party was this weekend. Bridget was the most popular girl in our class. She was thin and beautiful, always wearing fabulous clothes and fine makeup.

Why hadn’t she invited me? My feet were too big? No. Maybe. My face was broken out? Why did she invite every person in my group except me? I tried to think of any interactions I’d had with Bridget recently. A few days earlier, we’d been partners during a sixth period project. I was determined to get the project done and she was absorbed in looking at fashion magazines. She barely spoke to me except to say, “You’re so serious. You know, you should smile more."

Soon, I had overheard all the details about the party. They were going swimming. It was a sleepover. They were renting scary movies and were going to stay up all night. Each time someone mentioned the party, I smiled weakly and nodded, with my stomach in knots.

When having my favorite English class, I found myself just unable to concentrate on the short stories we were supposed to be reading in class. Maybe she didn’t invite me because of my coat. It is pretty ugly compared to some of the other girls’ coats. I should have bought another color. Maybe I should smile more but I just can’t get into smiling at people unless I know them really well. But I just couldn’t pretend to be the person I wasn’t. I felt sick.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

At lunch, my friend Kate who had been invited came over to me, trying to show off.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I was about to let it go when Bridget invited me as a substitute for a girl who couldn’t come.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . As the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Jessica Pels is responsible for managing the content of one of the world’s largest young women’s media brands. Pels has ambitiously navigated her career to the top role relatively quickly, but the path she took wasn’t traditional.

Pels learnt ballet as a child and found her way to New York City dancing for a summer, but eventually gave up dance when she knew she “wasn’t good enough to be a star”. She didn’t give up her dream of working in the big city, though. Pels attended a film school at New York University and as a sophomore (大学二年级), got her first internship at The New Yorker. After graduation in 2008, many brands were in a hiring freeze. But Pels was not affected. She got a job doing communications for a charity.

Six months into her first job, Pels got a job at Glamour Magazine to work for the Editor-in-Chief Cindy Levy. She would turn this first assistant role into her career, and finally found her way to Cosmopolitan, where she became the youngest editor-in-chief in the magazine’s history.

Reflecting on her career and the worst advice she’s ever received, Pels said it was “to say yes to everything”. It was a habit she had to learn to break. And while she acknowledges the importance of seizing opportunities, she doesn’t think that strategically saying “no” would have been a damage to her career.

She remembers the conversation with her boss Kate Lewis that changed her perspective on over-committing. “I had just started at Marie Claire as the digital director, and she said, ‘I worry you’re going to burn out because you’re saying yes to everything and you are acting in such an aggressive way, and you need to take a step back and prioritize.’ And that really changed my life. I thought that was an incredible career moment.”

1. Why did Jessica Pels give up dancing?

A．She wasn’t eager to be a star.

B．She didn’t want to practice hard.

C．She didn’t think she was a gifted dancer.

D．She wanted to take an untraditional career.

2. What happened after Jessica Pels graduated?

A．She lost confidence in her future.

B．She gave up her hobby of dancing.

C．She was employed at The New Yorker.

D．She succeeded in landing herself a job.

3. What did Pels think was a barrier to her career?

A．She always refused to help others.

B．She didn’t seize opportunities in time.

C．She didn’t know how to ask for advice.

D．She seldom refused others’ requests.

4. Which of the following can best describe Jessica Pels?

A．Creative and generous.	B．Ambitious and determined.
C．Humorous and confident.	D．Considerate and energetic.