As the saying goes, “time waits for no man”. Time is always against us, and we just can’t stop it. Maybe that’s why some of us are always running late for appointments. But if timekeeping is not what you’re good at, don’t stress. There might be a good reason for your lack of punctuality.
People’s attitudes to being on time vary. Some clock-watch and make sure they’re bang on time for a meeting. It is, after all, rude to be late, and if you can make it on time, why can’t everyone else? But if, like me, you want to make every second count, you might try to squeeze as much as you can into the time you have available. However, when your schedule doesn’t run to plan, your punctuality inevitably slips.
People who lack promptness have been described as “time benders”. Author Grace Pacie told the BBC that “they’re the people who don’t want to be late, but they have a strange resistance to being early, and they don’t allow enough time.” They assume their journey to an appointment will always go smoothly, and the train will always be on time!
Perceptions of unpunctual people are almost always negative — even if sometimes wrong. Experts say: Being consistently late might not be your fault. It could be your type. The punctually-challenged often share personality characteristics, such as optimism, low levels of self-control, anxiety, or a penchant for thrill-seeking. It is also possible people are late so not to be conspicuous and to avoid the anxious wait for others to turn up.
Maybe we latecomers should make more of an effort and follow the advice I heard to not “try” to be on time but “decide” to be on time.
1. What does “time benders” refer to?2. What are the personality characteristics of time benders?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
According to Grace Pacie, time benders don’t care about being late so they don’t allow enough time.
4. What do you usually do to be on time? (In about 40 words)
| A.Even if B.move on C. pick up D. break down E. benefit from F. common sense G. in a mess H.in touch with I. turn out J. make a difference K. in fear |
Life is full of challenges, but we must learn to
A young man named Monty Roberts who was the son of an itinerant (巡回的) horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch (大农场) to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continuously interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the truck. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 40000 square-foot house that would sit on the 200-acre dream ranch.
“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, “See me after class.”
The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, “Why did I receive an F?”
The teacher said, “This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.” Then the teacher added, “If you rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.”
Paragraph 1:
The boy went home and thought about it long and hard.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Many years later, the same school teacher brought 30 kids to camp on a horse ranch owned by Monty Roberts.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Our neighbors had a loud party last night. We weren’t
What
And it really worked in their favor. My husband and I were so friendly that even when the event went past the
It takes such little effort to make people feel that they
| A．located | B．explored | C．challenged | D．invited |
| A．trapped | B．impressed | C．annoyed | D．embarrassed |
| A．later | B．closer | C．earlier | D．further |
| A．disappointing | B．frightening | C．puzzling | D．amazing |
| A．phone number | B．room number | C．account number | D．car number |
| A．anxiously | B．politely | C．regularly | D．obviously |
| A．imagination | B．consideration | C．limitation | D．organization |
| A．promised | B．supplied | C．designed | D．compared |
| A．stress | B．anxiety | C．worry | D．anger |
| A．responsive | B．adaptable | C．continuous | D．respectful |
| A．figure | B．succeed | C．matter | D．access |
| A．gathering | B．inviting | C．meeting | D．disturbing |
| A．noticed | B．delivered | C．explored | D．proved |
| A．surrounding | B．appreciation | C．curiosity | D．distance |
| A．gratitude | B．apology | C．thoughtfulness | D．inspiration |
5 . Adults understand what it feels like to be flooded with objects. Why do we often assume that more is more when it comes to kids and their belongings? The good news is that I can help my own kids learn earlier than I did how to live more with less.
I found the pre-holidays a good time to encourage young children to donate less-used things, and it worked. Because of our efforts, our daughter Georgia did decide to donate a large bag of toys to a little girl whose mother was unable to pay for her holiday due to illness. She chose to sell a few larger objects that were less often used when we promised to put the money into her school fund (基金) (our kindergarten daughter is serious about becoming a doctor).
For weeks, I’ve been thinking of bigger, deeper questions: How do we make it a habit for them? And how do we train ourselves to help them live with, need, and use less? Yesterday, I sat with my son, Shepherd, determined to test my own theory on this. I decided to play with him with only one toy for as long as it would keep his interest. I expected that one toy would keep his attention for about five minutes, ten minutes, max. I chose a red rubber ball—simple, universally available. We passed it, he tried to put it in his mouth, he tried bouncing it, rolling it, sitting on it, throwing it. It was totally, completely enough for him. Before I knew it an hour had passed and it was time to move on to lunch.
We both became absorbed in the simplicity of playing together. He had my full attention and I had his. My little experiment to find joy in a single object worked for both of us.
What do the words “more is more” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．The more, the better. |
| B．Enough is enough. |
| C．More money, more worries. |
| D．Earn more and spend more. |
6 . You hate me. You don’t even know me and you hate me. Before we’ve even spoken, you hate me. At least that’s how it feels on my end of the call as a female collections officer at a call center.
I dread the moment when I have to log on to our phone system first thing in the morning because I never know who is going to be on the other end of that call.
Sometimes it’s an easy task. The caller is pleasant and has accepted personal responsibility for their debts, and we get through the phone call with ease. Then there are the ones who call in looking for a fight, or looking for someone to blame. Through the luck of the phone system, that person is me.
I’ve had people who shout at me, call me horrible names, accuse me personally of taking their money and threaten me. Why? I think it’s because I am invisible. I think I would be treated with the same level of disrespect if we were face to face. Fortunately for me, I have had years of experience in customer service, so I’m fairly rich in not letting the negative encounters bother me.
The biggest and most effective skill when it comes to the job is empathy (同理心). I can appreciate the situation which the caller is in because I’ve been there. That’s why I’m good at my job — I understand what you’re going through, and I’m here to help.
Some days though, no matter how much I try to leave the stress behind when I hang up the phone, it stays with me. I may do some deep breathing, go for a quick walk or simply stick my head outside for a burst of fresh air. I do this so I don’t carry that negativity on to my next call. That next call may be a person having the worst day of their life, but I don’t want to ever be the one who makes it worse. We are all humans just trying to get by in life, which makes you and me equal. So please, the next time we talk, remember that.
1. What does the underlined word “dread” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Enjoy. | B．Fear. | C．Expect. | D．Avoid. |
| A．They get angry too easily. | B．They blame her for their debts. |
| C．They do not see her as a real person. | D．They accuse her of taking their money. |
| A．She can offer callers best advice. | B．She is always respected by callers. |
| C．She can put herself in others’ shoes. | D．She isn’t easily influenced by negativity. |
| A．To call for understanding of her job. | B．To explain why she is good at her job. |
| C．To introduce what she is responsible for. | D．To complain about her being treated badly. |
7 . I was interested in volunteering at a hospital because both of my parents work in hospitals. I wanted to see what the
To my greatest joy, I was
My overall experience of volunteering at VA can be
| A．opportunity | B．decision | C．experience | D．adventure |
| A．specific | B．private | C．flexible | D．cautious |
| A．concept | B．mission | C．profession | D．advantage |
| A．contributed | B．generated | C．transformed | D．shared |
| A．accepted into | B．committed to | C．concerned about | D．withdrawn from |
| A．studying | B．volunteering | C．observing | D．exercising |
| A．convinced | B．determined | C．valued | D．amused |
| A．applied | B．refused | C．promised | D．arranged |
| A．classified | B．summarized | C．divided | D．combined |
| A．normal | B．relevant | C．reliable | D．worthy |
| A．attached | B．devoted | C．exposed | D．submitted |
| A．actually | B．totally | C．absolutely | D．appropriately |
| A．respect | B．treasure | C．understand | D．agree |
| A．ability | B．responsibility | C．approach | D．courage |
| A．relaxing | B．challenging | C．fulfilling | D．thrilling |
8 . To build a prosperous (繁荣的) society, a fundamental understanding of the modern economy as a driving force in today’s world is essential.
What kind of prosperity have we achieved so far? The widespread definition of prosperity focuses on economic power and growth as measures of success. Let’s take a look at history. The Second Industrial Revolution enabled mass production and created a sufficient supply of goods. This has greatly increased the importance of money in its role as “a store of value, ” and “a medium of exchange. ”As a result, we have pursued economic power as the only indicator of prosperity, such as GDP. Waves of globalization and technological evolution have promoted overall economic growth, but have allowed the few who are strong to achieve greater power while exploiting the many who are weak. Consequently, inequality has worsened, and disunity has intensified.
The path to a truly prosperous world requires a shift in focus towards the most suitable happiness for all, in addition to economic power. Defining happiness, however, is a complex task. What makes people happy? The degree to which the same thing creates happiness differs from person to person. Happiness is subjective and complicated. This is a world of “multiple values” where each of us determines worth as opposed to “one fixed price” based merely on an economic perspective. Individuals shouldn’t be defined by a single identity or role but by multidimensional nature as well as multiple roles making independent choices and taking actions for their happiness in different aspects.
Businesses must be pioneers in pursuing not only economic growth but also the happiness of all citizens of society. Companies can contribute through the pursuit of social value as well as economic profit. At the heart of this lies “purpose”. A company’s purpose defines the value it brings to society. The true worth of a company should be determined not just by the return s it creates for shareholders but by the value it creates for society as a whole.
1. What is the author’s attitude to the widely accepted standard of prosperity?| A．Indifferent. | B．Critical. | C．Uncertain. | D．Approving. |
| A．The slower economic growth speed. |
| B．The sharp reduction of job opportunities. |
| C．The enlarged gap between the rich and the poor. |
| D．The increasing conflict between different nations. |
| A．Happiness is changeable and beyond control. |
| B．Happiness largely depends on economic power. |
| C．The pursuit of profit determines a company’s true worth. |
| D．A prosperous world should be measured by multiple values. |
| A．Social psychologists. | B．Enterprise administrators. |
| C．School educators. | D．Technological researchers. |
9 . My name is Maggie and I am a big red maple tree in the center of Central Park in New York. Every part of me is
One day, I see a big storm
Hours later, when the storm
| A．calmly | B．perfectly | C．randomly | D．similarly |
| A．debate | B．hesitate | C．stop | D．wait |
| A．comments | B．names | C．noises | D．trees |
| A．choosing | B．exploring | C．heading | D．seeking |
| A．angry | B．anxious | C．doubtful | D．wonderful |
| A．accident | B．danger | C．intention | D．thought |
| A．blows up | B．dies down | C．draws near | D．moves in |
| A．if | B．how | C．why | D．when |
| A．decide | B．move | C．stand | D．refuse |
| A．makes out | B．goes through | C．turns to | D．tears off |
| A．attack | B．disappoint | C．prevent | D．bother |
| A．foolish | B．friendly | C．public | D．voluntary |
| A．feeding | B．observing | C．sheltering | D．recognizing |
| A．appearance | B．decision | C．impression | D．identity |
| A．warning | B．promise | C．reminder | D．wish |
10 . As a university professor, I have been buried in theory for so long that it recently struck me: I don’t know how to do anything. By “do” I mean something concrete, something done with my hands that produces an actual product.
The trades come to mind. Whenever I call an electrician, or a mason, or a carpenter, I look on in wonder as they smoothly employ their skills. For example, I recently had a new kitchen sink fixed by a young man. He hummed (哼曲子) as he worked at the pipes, with every confidence in his abilities. When he was done, he turned on the water and it flowed forth without any leak. Is this not a minor wonder?
All of this brought me to a decision: I signed up for an adult evening course at a local technical school. The title: Basic Electricity and Wiring. When we began, I felt immediately at a loss. In an instant I was a student again in all respects: The anxiety, the self-doubt, the wondering if I had made a mistake. So I worked my way through my basic wiring course. My initial impulse (冲动) to jump ship gradually disappeared, because I came to realize that I was, indeed, acquiring a useful new skill.
Later, each student would be offered a switch and a lighting fixture (固定装置). The task was to fix them in a door frame and wire them, but not turn on the switch until the instructor was present. There I was, a professor, standing like a fresh-faced schoolboy before my setup. When I was done, I raised my hand. The instructor, a master electrician, came over to look over my job and glanced at me. “Hit the switch,” he said.
It’s hard to describe that moment. But I did feel that something bigger than myself was at risk — I’m sure that learning is not something that is completed early in life, from which point we simply move on, constantly recycling what we already know. The horizon is broader than that, and the broader the horizon, the more opportunities there are to learn something new.
1. Why did the author attend an adult evening course?| A．He was frequently troubled by the repair work. |
| B．He needed to strengthen his theoretical knowledge. |
| C．He was very eager to improve his hands-on abilities. |
| D．He wanted to learn the secrets of working wonders. |
| A．Work hard. | B．Drop out. | C．Calm down. | D．Give in. |
| A．nervous and uncertain | B．frightened and excited |
| C．confident and relaxed | D．annoyed and depressed |
| A．All roads lead to Rome. | B．It’s never too late to learn. |
| C．Many hands make light work. | D．The early bird catches the worm. |
