How to Stop Overthinking
We all have times when we worry, whether it’s about work, health, family, relationships or a host of other reasons. But is there a point when you may think and worry too much?
Overthinking is an unhealthy habit that typically causes more stress by focusing on the negative instead of coming up with logical solutions. For example, we may start worrying about a specific situation at work, which leads to worrying about money or losing jobs.
But why do we tend to overthink? This is often due to cognitive errors, which are basically errors in logical thinking, such as all-or-nothing thinking and overgeneralisation. Although overthinking is hard to break, Natacha Duke, a registered psychotherapist, outlines strategies that can help.
“Healthy distraction can be useful,” says Duke. Activities like reading and taking a walk can help keep our stress levels down. They can reduce our baseline level of anxiety and make us less likely to overthink.
Duke adds, “Keeping a daily journal can help us actively manage stress before our feelings expand out of control.” As we practise journaling our emotions and thoughts, it becomes easier to identify when we’re starting to worry. Stopping worrying early will ultimately help us feel better and stay focused on what matters most to us.
Some people constantly think about questions like “What if I lose my job?” or “What if I get sick?” While having these thoughts is normal, it becomes a problem when we focus only on the worst-case situation. “For every ‘what if’ worry, change this to an ‘if then’ statement where you come up with ideas to deal with the worry or the worst-case situation,” says Duke. “Focus on having a concrete plan in place.”
So, face the problems, then challenge and reframe them. Finally, we will develop effective ways to cope with overthinking.
1. What is overthinking?2. What causes overthinking?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
A man can stop overthinking if he changes “what if” questions to “if then” statements, because it helps him focus on the worst-case situation.
4. Besides the suggestions mentioned in the passage, what other advice will you give to a person who is always overthinking?
2 . Why We Listen to Music with Lyrics(歌词) We Don’t Understand
From French electronic to K-pop and Spanish jazz, it’s common for us to listen to songs we don’t necessarily understand.
But why? It all starts with what’s called “sound symbolism(语音表意),” which refers to the study of the relationships between utterances(发声) and their meaning. In music, there’s something about the appeal of words as sounds, beyond their meaning in a language.
| A．The interrelationship of melody and pitch is important. |
| B．This is why fast-paced music is so popular for running. |
| C．Of course, this isn’t to ignore the importance of lyrics in music. |
| D．Things like a musician’s image also help convey meaning through songs. |
| E．So, when listening to a foreign song, we enjoy the lyrics as sounds and not words. |
| F．It seems that not knowing the language of the lyrics doesn’t stop us from liking a song. |
| G．Some musical techniques and elements can also help convey certain moods and messages. |
3 . A person could be forgiven for believing 20 years ago that the Internet would soon revolutionise academic publishing, because it became possible for publishers to spread scholarly work at the click of a button — much cheaper than the traditional subscription-based (订阅) model. Recognising the opportunity, many scholars and librarians began to advocate a new, open access model, in which articles are made freely available online to anyone. The result would be a true online public library of science.
However, more than two decades later, the movement has made only slight progress, and the traditional subscription-based model remains entrenched.
Fortunately, things are changing. A big shoe dropped when the University of California (UC) Libraries, one of the biggest library systems, declined to renew its contract with Elsevier, a leading scientific publisher. Elsevier wanted the Libraries to pay two fees: One for its package of licensed journals and the other for the use of Elsevier’s open access model. UC Libraries wanted the licensed journals fee to cover the open access fee; they also wanted open access to all UC researches published in Elsevier journals. When the two sides couldn’t come to terms, the Libraries walked away.
Actually, the open access revolution is more likely to be led by research funding agencies, who can use their purse power to promote open access. A team of funders, Coalition S, insisted that any research they fund should be published in a journal that makes all of its articles freely and immediately available to the public, which is called Plan-S.
Now that some librarians and funders are flexing their muscles, what should academics do? The worst response would be to complain that Plan-S deprives(剥夺) them of academic freedom. Some thoughtful academics might worry that a shift to open access would affect their promotion. After all, subscription journals are more familiar and more prestigious (有威望的) in the current system. However, if enough academics support open access, the system could reach a tipping point beyond which subscriptions no longer signal prestige. Reaching that point would take considerable time and efforts, but it is possible.
When the journal system began in 1665, it was kind of a form of open access. Journals allowed academics to learn openly from one another. It was only in the 1900s that the journal system became thoroughly commoditized(商品化). Now is the time to bring it back to its roots.
1. What does the underlined word probably mean?| A．Uncertain. | B．Rooted. | C．Limited. | D．Popular. |
| A．The duration of the contract. | B．The way of payment. |
| C．The charge for open access model. | D．The choice of licensed journals. |
| A．Academics welcome open access model with full heart. |
| B．Open access model will soon achieve a dominant position. |
| C．Publishers are willing to abandon the subscription model gradually. |
| D．Establishing a true online public library of science requires joint efforts. |
| A．Critical. | B．Supportive. | C．Disapproving. | D．Indifferent. |
4 . In my eyes, my mother is capable of doing anything, especially chores such as ironing and cooking. However, teaching her how to use the Internet is as frustrating as untangling(解开) wires.
Once, my mother came to me to ask for help on how to find a recipe for all-beef Lasagna. I gave her very simple verbal(口头的) instructions—go to the home page of a particular search engine and type in “recipe for all-beef Lasagna.” Fifteen minutes later, she came to me, telling me that she was unable to find the Internet icon(图标). I went over to the computer and pointed out the icon to her.
Another fifteen minutes went by when I felt a tap on my shoulder. This time, my mother said that she was unable to search for the particular recipe. Gritting(咬) my teeth, I walked to her room again. I saw that she had typed “all beef La saga” instead. With frustrated strokes, I keyed in the correct spelling.
Yet another fifteen minutes went by again when my mother gingerly tapped my shoulder. I stormed next door without bothering to hide my frustration. The main page of the website had not shifted one bit. I then realised that she did not know how to scroll down the page. What had initially seemed like an easy task was turning out to be an intense one.
To avoid being disturbed again, I decided to find the recipe for her. Without a word, I rapidly downloaded a few recipes, printed them out and passed them to my mother. However, seeing her embarrassment, I began to regret my impatience during the whole process.
At that moment, memories flashed through my mind. When I was young, my mother endured my endless questions, enlightening me with much patience. Now that I am older, the roles slowly reverse. As my mother may increasingly need my help, shouldn’t I rethink how to respond to her needs?
1. The author’s mother couldn’t find the recipe online mainly because she was ________.| A．unfamiliar with computers and the Internet |
| B．given unclear instructions by the author |
| C．too dependent on her family members |
| D．impatient at searching for the recipe |
| A．Because he was pleased to help his mother out. |
| B．Because he didn’t want his mother to be embarrassed. |
| C．Because he was fed up with his mother’s interruption. |
| D．Because he thought his mother favored the printed version. |
| A．It is wise to teach others by examples. |
| B．Forgiving others is equal to blessing oneself. |
| C．Patience and perseverance will be finally rewarded. |
| D．Putting yourself in others’ shoes is the key to understanding. |
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Our programme organizes tailored learning experiences based on your English learning goals. You will live in local families and have chances to practise your oral English.
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There are few things in life which can make you feel more grown-up like living and learning in another country. Pack this with many fun cultural activities. And you will also have opportunities to experience science subjects taught in English, such as lessons about rocks and minerals, plants and animals, and engineering practices.
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1. If Henry wants to try a biology class taught in English, he may join in ________.| A．Learn English in Universities | B．Small Group English Programme |
| C．One-on-One Tutoring | D．High School Study Abroad |
| A．Reply to the letter and pay the cost for the study trip. |
| B．Get in touch with the organizer to confirm the destination. |
| C．Review programme information to prepare for an interview. |
| D．Provide the programme adviser with personal needs and goals. |
| A．People planning to improve their English . |
| B．People willing to apply for English teaching jobs. |
| C．People aiming to help learners go abroad. |
| D．People loving to share English learning experiences. |
When Kurt Benirschke started collecting skin
Bandung, one of Indonesia’s major cities, is only 150 kilometers from Jakarta, the capital, but the drive is at an average of three hours even with a freeway
When I was 14, my father and I took a bike trip to explore the Sideling Hill Tunnel(隧道). After we
9 . As a biologist and photographer, I always take my camera everywhere to take pictures of wild animals. One day, I was standing on a boat when a very large female leopard seal(海豹) swam by. I put on my diving equipment and grabbed my
I jumped into the freezing water. Immediately, the seal swam towards me. Then she put my entire camera and much of my head into her mouth. Thinking this must be a sign of
Being a biologist, I understood that she was trying to
I got many amazing pictures during those four days. And, more importantly, I’ve learned that animals do not always behave the way we
| A．knife | B．bag | C．camera | D．gun |
| A．escape | B．make | C．move | D．fight |
| A．approach | B．adopt | C．imagine | D．rescue |
| A．respect | B．sympathy | C．reward | D．threat |
| A．confirm | B．expose | C．overcome | D．reduce |
| A．satisfaction | B．regret | C．surprise | D．sorrow |
| A．feed | B．comfort | C．attack | D．assess |
| A．reliable | B．dangerous | C．sensitive | D．ambitious |
| A．admire | B．promise | C．demand | D．expect |
| A．confusing | B．similar | C．incredible | D．bitter |
Revenge Sleep Procrastination
According to the sleep expert Dorothy Chambers, “revenge sleep procrastination” refers to a phenomenon in which we delay going to sleep to do other unimportant things that we haven’t had time to do in the day, and reflects a very poor work and life balance.
The researchers surveyed 2,012 adults and found that over three quarters admit doing a form of revenge sleep procrastination, using their phones right up until falling asleep. Then the researchers selected some social media apps to test how seriously they affect sleep quality. Each participant was asked to wear a smartwatch to record how long it took to fall asleep, and provide feedback on how tired they felt the next morning. The result revealed that the average time taken to fall asleep was over 45 minutes and an increasing tiredness was reported by over half of the participants. It showed that revenge sleep procrastination impacted sleep quality a lot, which can lead to adverse implications on physical and mental health.
So why does it happen? According to the researchers, it’s largely down to the blue light emitted from phone screens. It stimulates the brain and reduces natural melatonin(褪黑素) production, increasing tiredness, and in turn increasing the amount of time spent falling asleep.
The researchers pointed that social media apps encourage the release of “pleasure chemicals”, giving us energy and a “happy” feeling. This could be why many of us choose them as our means of revenge sleep procrastination, even though we know they do have negative effects on our health.
To solve this problem, Dorothy recommended that we shouldn’t use any electronics for at least two hours before sleeping to avoid sleep deprivation. Instead, we should try reading a book or taking deep breaths.
1. What is revenge sleep procrastination?2. What is the effect of revenge sleep procrastination?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
For some procrastinators, their sleep trouble results from the blue light, pleasure chemicals and their unawareness of the bad effects of using social media apps before bed.
4. If you preferred using social media apps before bed, what would you do to fight such a type of sleep revenge procrastination besides the practice mentioned in the passage?(In about 40 words)
