1 . SMART Goal Setting
SMART goal setting is one of the most valuable methods used by high achievers today to actualize(实现)their life goals time after time. SMART is an acronym (首字母缩略词) that stands for-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.
Every goal ought to be specific. Being clear about your goals and expectations is the first step to reaching them.
Goals should be achievable and realistic.
Each goal has to be time-bound.
A.Your goals must be measurable. |
B.That is because your goals are not specific enough. |
C.It is the final letter of SMART that is often ignored. |
D.When goals are too wide or vague, they are easy to miss. |
E.To make your SMART goals work, use the following tips. |
F.You may wonder if this is achievable in the given time frame. |
G.It’s important to plan out goals that are within realistic capabilities. |
As a kid, I used to read a lot of story books. In one particular book, I read a story of a bird. From then on, that has become an integral (必不可少的) part of my life. It described a male bird which takes a lot of pain to build a nest and the female bird takes shelter in it and nourishes the baby. When the bird learns to fly, the whole family flies off to a different place leaving behind the beautiful nest for other birds to grow their family in it. It made me wonder. How could they so easily sacrifice their house built with so much effort?
One night, when I was deep in sleep, I got this particular dream. I was walking miles on the endless road, totally isolated but lined with beautiful trees on the either side. Fascinated by the greenery, I marched towards it only to end up deeper and deeper into the greenery. I happened to stop upon seeing something. It was a massive, wonderful house. I fell in love with that amazing part of art. Yeah, it was indeed a piece of art with every nook and corner touched artistically and lovingly. I don’t know why I felt that it was done lovingly. Maybe because, things turn out to be beautiful only when we put our love into it — just like the food prepared by mom which tastes more delicious with her love.
I explored the house only to fall more in love with it. There was a sloping roof which matched with the greenery around; the large central open courtyard reminded me of the activities that might have taken place there which felt lively even now when it is completely deserted. The small water body that kept the house cool added to the beauty of the house — of course, it was all dried up now. It’s really wonderful how such things add life to the spaces which otherwise just become structures. Such liveliness and happening turns the house into a home. They say ‘THE HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’, but now I began to feel it. This is where my heart belongs. This is what I’m destined to do.
When I woke up from the dream, I was clear about everything. I realized where that mile of walk was intending me to lead. I realized what message my dream wanted to convey me. And years later, when finally my turn of choosing my destination came, I simply closed my eyes, held that book in my hand, pressed it against my chest and relived the dream. When I opened my eyes, I was sure what to do. I decided to choose the road — less traveled. Yes, I took up architecture as my profession because this is what I am destined to do. I wanted to do the same thing that the male bird in the story did, to take pain in building a beautiful house and let others stay in it. This is my dream come true and the happiness that I gain now from this profession is indescribable.
1. When the writer read the story of the bird, he probably felt _______.
A.upset | B.confused | C.amazed | D.amused |
A.the house in his dream | B.his mother’s food |
C.the story of the bird | D.his story books |
A.mom cooks with her love |
B.we are so familiar with mom’s food |
C.moms are better cooks than fathers |
D.mom is experienced in cooking |
A.The greenery surrounding the house. |
B.The body of water that keeps the house cool |
C.The liveliness he sensed around the house. |
D.The fact that the house was very large. |
A.how the writer finally becomes an honest citizen |
B.where the true meaning of responsibility lies |
C.what we need to do when we are seeking fortune |
D.why the writer takes up architecture as his career |
Many people would say that this question does not need an answer. But Professor Deiner has one anyway. “If you’re a cheerful, happy person, your marriage is more likely to last, and you’re more likely to make money and be successful at your job. On average, happy people have stronger immune systems, and there is some evidence that they live longer.”
So who are the world’s happiest people? It depends on how the word is defined. There is individual happiness, the sense of joy we get when we do something we like. But there is also the feeling of satisfaction we get when we know that others respect us and approve of how we behave. According to Professor Deiner, the Western world pursues individual happiness while Asia prefers mutual satisfaction.
“In the West, the individualistic culture means that your mood matters much more than it does in the East. People ask themselves if they are doing what is fun or interesting. They become unhappy when they can’t do any of these things. If you ask people from Japan or China if they are happy, they tend to look at what has gone wrong in their lives. If not much has gone wrong, then they are satisfied.”
People from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries had the happiest culture, Professor Deiner found. “The biggest cultural difference is to do with pride and shame. Hispanic (西班牙语言的) cultures report much more pride and much less shame than others.”
Income also made a big difference to people’s happiness, but only at the lowest levels. Average income earners in the US were much happier than people in poverty. But millionaires were only a little bit happier than people on average incomes. It seems that money makes us happy when we have enough to feel secure.
1. According to the passage, happy people enjoy the following benefits EXCEPT ______.
A.a long marriage |
B.better health |
C.profession success |
D.respect from others |
A.Asians focus more on others’ respect and approval than westerners |
B.Westerners care more about mutual satisfaction than Asians |
C.Asians have a culture to enjoy individual happiness |
D.Westerners value individual happiness as much as mutual satisfaction |
A.Hispanic cultures lay stress on pride and shame. |
B.Spanish people take too much pride in themselves. |
C.Attitude towards pride and shame results in Spanish happiness. |
D.If you are from Spain, you are the happiest. |
A.poor people enjoy the same happiness as millionaires. |
B.the higher income one gets, the happier life he lives |
C.enough money can make us feel safe and happy |
D.average income earners live the happiest life |
A.Hispanic cultures |
B.reasons for happiness |
C.the happiest culture |
D.benefits of happiness |
Famers can also call on the services of their local hunt to control the fox population. Hunting consists of running after a fox across the countryside, with a group of specially trained dogs, followed by men and women riding horses. When the dogs eventually catch the fox, the kill it or a hunter shoots it.
People who take part in hunting think of it as a sport. They wear a special uniform of red coats and white trousers, and follow strict rules of behavior. But owning a horse and hunting regularly are expensive, so most hunters are wealthy.
It is estimated that up to 100,000 people watch or take part in fox-hunting. But over the last couple of decades the number of people who are against fox-hunting, because they think it is brutal(残暴的), has risen sharply. Nowadays it is rare for a hunt to pass off without some kind of conflict between hunters and hunt opponents (阻止者). Sometimes these incidents lead to violence, but mostly opponents discourage the hunt by misleading riders and disturbing the trail of the fox's smell, which the dogs follow.
Noisy conflicts between hunters and opponents have become so common that they are almost as much a part of hunting as running after foxes itself. But this year supporters of fox-hunting face a much bigger threat to their sport. A Labour Party member of Parliament(英国议会), Mike Foster, is trying to get Parliament to approve a new law which will make the hunting of wild animals with dogs illegal. If the law is passed, wild animals like foxes will be protected under the ban in Britain.
1. Wealthy people in Britain have been hunting foxes to ______.
A.benefit the farmers | B.get entertainment |
C.show off their wealth | D.limit the fox population |
A.using violence |
B.taking legal action |
C.seeking help from farmers |
D.confusing the fox hunters |
A.protect wild animals like foxes |
B.control fox-hunting on a large scale |
C.prohibit farmers from hunting foxes |
D.standardize the behavior of fox-hunting |
A.Limiting the fox population is unnecessary at all. |
B.Killing foxes with poison is not allowed by the law. |
C.Hunting foxes with dogs is considered cruel and violent. |
D.Fox-hunting causes conflicts between hunters and farmers. |
They are extremely necessary for helping us to find and maintain a balance between life and work. However, they are slipping away from us. We have become far too serious. The only ones who still enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are young children. Children tend to laugh an average of 200 times a day. For adults, however, it is a totally different story.
In the 1950s people laughed on average 18 times a day. Today, we are lucky if we average between 4-6 times a day.
As a matter of fact, a recent study found that people laugh 6 more times in the presence of one person but 30 more times in a group of people. You can get a chuckle(咯咯笑) from jokes you get on the Internet, but it is not the same as belly jiggling laughter (a deep laugh) you get when you interact with others.
Socializing with friends and relatives was much looked forward to. However, this is no longer the case. In fact, the majority of people can hardly find time, nor do they have the inclination towards socializing outside home. They turn to electronic media such as television, computers, the Internet, videos, CDs, and audio equipment, which can provide them with instant self-entertainment at the push of a button.
The workplace does not fare(进展) much better. Due to the pressures to produce more in the same or fewer hours available and to compete, for example, in a manufacturing field with cheaper labor elsewhere in the world, humor and laughter in the workplace have gradually eroded(逐渐毁坏) away.
I have developed a real appreciation, perhaps closer to a strong desire for the power of humor and laughter. This encouraged me to write my first book titled “The Power of Humor” and subsequently my second book titled “Kids Say the Goggonest Things” based on the natural humor, laughter, play and fun that kids experience and they freely share with parents, grandparents and teachers.
From writing about humor and laughter, people start to ask me to speak up for them. To date, I have developed a number of humor-laughter topics that I use in my keynote presentations. You are invited to subscribe to my free monthly e-magazine “The Humormeister’s Forum” by clicking on the Free Humor E-zine navigation button on the website.
1. According to the author, laughter is leaving us partly because ________.
A.we treat everything in a serious way |
B.it relieves pain, reduces stress and anxiety |
C.we fail to maintain balance between life and work |
D.the pace of change in our lives is becoming faster |
A.getting a deep laugh nowadays is difficult |
B.we can entertain ourselves with the help of the Internet |
C.people laugh more heartily when spending time with others |
D.researchers have made a new discovery about the effect of laughter |
A.destination | B.tendency |
C.attitude | D.approach |
A.The power of honesty. |
B.Don’t be your own worst enemy. |
C.Live life purposefully: The relationship within. |
D.Funny Christmas stories to share with your loved ones. |
When you do a great job for your customer or a bad job,people are going to talk about your business. Unfortunately,because we humans seem to feel negative emotions more intensively(强烈地) than positive ones,we're more likely to tell more of our friends about bad experiences with a business than positive ones. Understand this:Customers believe their own experience. You can't make them believe that your company is wonderful when they felt they were treated badly.
So,to get positive wordofmouth going for your business in this servicebased economy,you've got to do a really outstanding job for everyone,exactly.
And when you do,you build a great reputation (名声). That takes time. But it forms a close link with your customers in a way that no advertising and no promotional(促销的)coupon(优惠券) ever could.
The good news is that because there are so many different businesses chasing after(追赶)your customers' money,people want to know whom they can trust. So people are going to be talking about you create a free sales force for your business—— an army of delighted customers who tell everyone that they know how good your company is to do business with. That's a great antidote (解药) to nonconfidence.
1. According to the passage,whether we go to a place or not depends on ________.
A.business fames | B.associates' recommendation |
C.particular recognition | D.media assistance |
A.说明 | B.提及 | C.提供参考 | D.适用于 |
A.they get some promotional coupons |
B.the business chase after their money |
C.they themselves are treated well |
D.they see the advertisement is good enough |
A.service imperfection | B.service advertisement |
C.customers' protection | D.customers' distrust |
A.A company can rely on its associates to survive. |
B.A person should rely on his friends for business. |
C.Advertising can make customers believe it's wonderful. |
D.A good name will bring you money. |
"Here getting emotional is not bad for you if you look at the case of anger," said Jennifer Lerner of Carnegie Mellon. "The more people display anger, the lower their stress responses."
Lerner studied 92 UCLA students by asking them to count back from 6,200. They must say out loud every thirteenth number. Researchers disturbed them by asking them to count faster or ask them other questions. If they made any mistakes, they had to restart from the very beginning. Many students felt depressed about making so many mistakes or got angry because the researchers were interrupting them.
Lerner used a hidden video camera and recorded all their facial expressions during the test. The researchers describe their reactions as fear, anger and disgust.
Other researchers recorded the students' blood pressure, pulse and production of a high-stress hormone (荷尔蒙) called cortisol. People whose faces showed more fear during th e experiment had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. Both can have lasting effects such as diabetes (糖尿病), heart disease, depression and extra weight gain.
When people feel fear, negative impacts increase, but when they get angry, those negatives go down, according to the study.
"Having that sense of anger leads people to actually feel some power in what otherwise is maddening (令人发狂的) situation,"
Lerner said. Lerner previously studied Americans' emotional response to the 911 terrorist attacks two months after the incident. She found people who reacted with anger were more optimistic. These people are healthier compared with those who were frightened during the event. So in maddening situations, anger is not a bad thing to have. It's a healthier response than fear.
1. Which statement will Jennifer Lerner agree with?
A.It's better to be angry than to be frightened. |
B.Different reactions reflect different outlooks on life. |
C.Don't control your anger and it makes you powerful. |
D.Pessimistic people are generally healthier than opt imistic people. |
A.Fear and anger. |
B.Higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. |
C.Blood pressure and pulse. |
D.Blood pressure and cortisone. |
A.recording their performance secretly |
B.asking them to count to 6,200 again and again |
C.disturbing them and making them start all over again |
D.criticizing them when they made mistakes |
A.By showing their optimistic side. |
B.By reducing their stress. |
C.By reducing high blood pressure. |
D.By taking the place of fear. |
A.The findings of new psychology research. |
B.What you can do with anger in certain cases. |
C.Different effects produced by anger and fear. |
D.Healthier responses in maddening situations. |
Of course not! You don’t have to suffer needlessly. Your life depends on you, not on any other external(外部的)factor.
I know a woman who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, and then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that has been intended for her and that her luck can only change if God wills it. She hasn’t realized that we have to do our share of making the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you harvest what you sow. You have to get off the sofa, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone(unless it contributes to your success),and get your mind and body to work! Don’t expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don’t just regard it as a temporary setback; instead, learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It’s not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone’s life is in trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don’t just stand(or sit)there, do something to improve your life.
1. According to the woman mentioned in Para. 3, her life_________________.
A.doesn’t need improving | B.couldn’t be improved |
C.will be better some day | D.will be worse in the future |
A.Positive | B.Passive | C.Colorful | D.Disturbing |
A.Your temporary problem is not discouraging. |
B.Your luck can be changed by your own efforts. |
C.You can only achieve success when God wills it. |
D.You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends. |
A.positive thinking | B.positive action |
C.hope for the best | D.intention to succeed |
A.understand yourself | B.improve your life |
C.believe in yourself | D.change your normal way |
In the cold, dark waters of the Antarctic hides a creature with eight arms, two super long tentacles (触须) and eyes as big as dinner plates. Sound like something out of a science fiction movie? Think again.
On February 21, New Zealand fishermen landed a colossal squid the length of a school bus. They had been fishing with long lines for Chilean sea bass (黑鲈) in the waters off the coast of New Zealand when they caught the rare squid. With two hours of hard work, the crew skillfully pulled the creature into a net and dragged it aboard their ship.
Scientists estimate (估计) that the animal weighs about a half ton and is about 40 feet long. That would make this colossal squid the biggest on record.
First identified in 1925 after two tentacles were found in a whale’s stomach, the colossal squid has long been a mystery. The animals are not easy to observe because they can go down to ocean depths of 6,500 feet. What scientists do know from studying the bodies of a half dozen colossal squids is that they are fierce hunters.
The recently captured colossal squid has been frozen to keep it for scientific study. It will be transported to New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa, in the capital city of Wellington. Experts believe it to be the first adult male ever caught undamaged. Scientists hope to learn more about the colossal squid’s diet, behavior and reproductive (繁殖) patterns.
“Scientists will be very interested in this amazing creature,” said New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton. “It adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment.”
1. Why is it usually difficult for experts to observe the squid?
A.Because it moves too fast. |
B.Because it is too large. |
C.Because it is very dangerous. |
D.Because it can go down to deep ocean. |
A.The squid is from a science fiction story. |
B.The fishermen often meet colossal squids. |
C.Scientists know much about the colossal squid. |
D.The fishermen had some difficulty catching the large squid. |
A.To make it into food. |
B.To set a world record. |
C.To do research on it. |
D.To display it for visitors. |
A.The biggest squid ever found |
B.Scientific research on squid |
C.The lifestyle of the colossal squid |
D.How the fishermen caught the squid |
The thing is, my luck’s always been ruined. Just look at my name: Jean. Not Jean Marie, or Jeanine, or Jeanette, or even Jeanne. Just Jean. Did you know in France, they name boys Jean? It’s French for John. And okay, I don’t live in France. But still, I’m basically a girl named John. If I lived in France, anyway.
This is the kind of luck I’ve had since before Mom even filled out my birth certificate. So it wasn’t any big surprise to me when the cab driver didn’t help me with my suitcase. I’d already had to tolerate arriving at the airport to find no one there to greet me, and then got no answer to my many phone calls, asking where my aunt and uncle were. Did they not want me after all? Had they changed their minds? Had they heard about my bad luck—all the way from Iowa—and decided they didn’t want any of it to rub off on them?
So when the cab driver, instead of getting out and helping me with my bags, just pushed a little button so that the trunk (汽车后备箱) popped open a few inches, it wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to me. It wasn’t even the worst thing that had happened to me that day.
According to my mom, most brownstones in New York City were originally single-family homes when they were built way back in the 1800s. But now they’ve been divided up into apartments, so that there’s one—or sometimes even two or more families—per floor.
Not Mom’s sister Evelyn’s brownstone, though. Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted Gardiner own all four floors of their brownstone. That’s practically one floor per person, since Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted only have three kids, my cousins Tory, Teddy, and Alice.
Back home, we just have two floors, but there are seven people living on them. And only one bathroom. Not that I’m complaining. Still, ever since my sister Courtney discovered blow-outs, it’s been pretty frightful at home.
But as tall as my aunt and uncle’s house was, it was really narrow—just three windows across. Still, it was a very pretty townhouse, painted gray. The door was a bright, cheerful yellow. There were yellow flower boxes along the base of each window, flower boxes from which bright red—and obviously newly planted, since it was only the middle of April, and not quite warm enough for them.
It was nice to know that, even in a sophisticated (世故的) city like New York, people still realized how homey and welcoming a box of flowers could be. The sight of those flowers cheered me up a little.
Like maybe Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Ted just forgot I was arriving today, and hadn’t deliberately failed to meet me at the airport because they’d changed their minds about letting me come to stay.
Like everything was going to be all right, after all.
Yeah. With my luck, probably not.
I started up the steps to the front door of 326 East Sixty-Ninth Street, then realized I couldn’t make it with both bags and my violin. Leaving one bag on the sidewalk, I dragged the other up the steps with me. Maybe I took the steps a little too fast, since I nearly tripped and fell flat on my face on the sidewalk. I managed to catch myself at the last moment by grabbing some of the fence the gardeners had put up…
1. Why did the author go to New York?
A.She intended to go sightseeing there. |
B.She meant to stay with her aunt’s family. |
C.She was homeless and adopted by her aunt. |
D.She wanted to try her luck and find a job there. |
A.she was given a boy’s name in French |
B.the cab driver didn’t help her with her bags |
C.her sister Courtney discovered blow-outs |
D.nobody had come to meet her at the airport |
A.have an effect on | B.play tricks on | C.put pressure on | D.throw doubt on |
A.the author left home without informing her mother |
B.the author arrived in New York in a very warm season |
C.her aunt’s family lived a much better life than her own |
D.her aunt and uncle were likely to forget about her arrival |