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　　Even when you're extremely busy, you aren't using your time with 100％ efficiency．There are gaps in everyone's schedule where they aren't doing anything important．Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time where you aren't working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could．

　　Why aren't you completely efficient? It's because time isn't the limiting factor．If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions(消遣)．Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate(拖延)and slow down on tasks throughout the day．

　　The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention．Energy levels limit your productivity because when you're tired, you can have ample time and still not get everything done．Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time．

　　You might not be able to insert another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices(牺牲)．But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling anything．The reason it's hard to “find time” isn't a lack of time．It's because you don't have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day．

　　I first suspected time wasn't the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago．I was insanely busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly．I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise．However, after a few weeks off, due to illness, I stopped exercising．I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was incredibly light．Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise．It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone．How can I explain this odd experience? I believe you have known it．

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阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Does a drink a day keep heart attacks away? Over the past 20 years, numerous studies have found that moderate alcohol consumption, say, one or two beers, glasses of wine or cocktails daily helps to prevent heart disease．Last week a report in the New England Journal of Medicine added strong new evidence in support of that theory．More important, the work provided the first solid sign of how alcohol works to protect the heart．

　　In the study, researchers from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School compared the drinking habits of 340 men and women who had suffered recent heart attack with those of healthy people of the same age and sex．The scientists found that people who sip one to three drinks a day are about half as likely to suffer heart attacks as nondrinkers are．It's obvious that those who drank alcohol had higher blood levels of high density lipoproteins(脂蛋白), the so called good cholesterol(胆固醇), which is known to prevent heart disease．

　　As evidence has mounted(增长), some doctors have begun recommending a daily drink for patients of heart diseases．But most physicians are not ready to recommend a regular happy hour for everyone．The risks of teetotal ling(绝对戒酒)are nothing compared with the dangers of too much alcohol, including high blood pressure, strokes and liver troubles－not to mention violent behavior and traffic accident．Moreover, some studies suggest that even moderate drinking may increase the risks of breast cancer．Until there is evidence that the benefits of a daily dose(吸收剂量)of alcohol outweigh the risks, most people won't be able to take a doctor's prescription to the neighborhood bar or alcohol store．

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阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　After moving to the United States, immigrant groups trying to fit in tend to choose high calorie fatty foods in an attempt to appear more American, a new study finds．That's one reason why immigrants approach US levels of obesity within 15 years of moving to America．

　　The researchers also did an experiment that measured whether or not the threat of appearing un－American influenced respondents’(调查对象)food choices．After being questioned about their ability to speak English, 75 percent of Asian－Americans identified a typical American food as their favorite．Only 25 percent of Asian－Americans who had not been asked if they spoke English did the same．

　　When their American identity was called into question during a follow－up study, Asian－American participants also tended to choose typical American dishes, such as hamburgers, cheese and sandwiches．In that experiment, 55 Asian－Americans were asked to choose a meal from a local Asian or American restaurant．Some participants were told that only Americans could participate in the study．Those who chose the more typical American fare ended up consuming an extra 182 calories, including 12 grams of fat and 7 grams of saturated fat(饱和脂肪)．

　　“People who feel like they need to prove they belong to a culture will change their habits in an attempt to fit in, ” said Sauna Cheryan, an author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Washington．“If immigrants and their children choose unhealthy American foods over healthier traditional foods across their lives, this process of fitting in could lead to poorer health．” Cheryan added．

　　Social pressures, the study concluded, are at the heart of the problem．“In American society today, being American is associated with being white．Americans, who don't fit this image even if they were born here and speak English, feel that pressure to prove that they’re American,” said Cheryan．

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阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　What's your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?

　　It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in the UK do every summer．Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals．

　　Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well－known and popular festival in the UK．It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people, each paying an admission price of ￡1, including free milk from the farm．

　　Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength－ in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three－day event．Tickets for the event sold out within three hours．Performers included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone．Although many summer festivals are run on a profit－making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities．

　　Glastonbury is not unique in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty．In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously(同时)in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin．Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight international poverty and debt．

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阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond of love and commitment between two people．But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol．The history of the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years．No other currently practiced wedding tradition has been around as long．

　　The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring．In Egyptian hieroglyphics(象形文字)a circle represented eternity．Once a woman accepted the ring she became the “property” of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense “his” ．The first wedding ring could have been made of grass or hay(which would have been changed often, bone, or leather．Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were crude(未加工的)and rough．However, the meaning remained the same－eternal, commitment and love．

　　The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein(血管)in the left hand went straight to the heart．This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world largely for practical purposes(most people are right handed．)It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand．But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition．In the Jewish faith, the wedding ring is put on the index finger．Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition．

　　It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring, it is only in the last century that men have begun to wear them．However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging rings on their wedding day．

　　Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you．There are several different types of metals：traditional gold, white gold, silver and so on．You can have a word put on the inside of the band if you like．Some people are even choosing a band with a picture of different kinds．The styles vary from a simple band to a complex ring covered with jewels．Choose carefully because this choice will need to stand the test of eternity．

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　　Farmers, especially in developing countries, are often criticized for cutting down forests．But a new study suggests that many farmers recognize the value in keeping trees．

　　Researchers using satellite images found almost half the farmland in the world is covered with trees．

　　The World Agroforestry Center in Kenya led the study．The study found the most tree cover in South America．Next comes Africa South of the Sahara, followed by Southeast Asia．North Africa and West Asia have the least．

　　The study also found that climate conditions alone could not explain the amount of tree cover in different areas．Nor could the size of nearby populations, meaning people and trees can live together．

　　There are areas with few trees but also few people, and areas with many trees and many people．The findings suggest that things like land rights, markets or government policies can influence tree planting and protection．

　　Dennis Garrity heads the World Agroforestry Center．He says farmers are acting on their own to protect and plant trees．The problem, he says, is that policy makers and planners have been slow to recognize this and to support such efforts．

　　The satellite images may not show what the farmers are using the trees for, but trees provide nuts, fruit, wood and other products．They provide windbreaks and shade from the sun．They also help prevent soil loss and protect water supplies．Even under drought conditions, trees can often provide food and a way to earn money until the next growing season．

　　The important thing, says one expert, is to find the right tree for the right place for the right use．

　　Some trees act as natural fertilizers．They take nitrogen(氮)out of the air and put it in the soil．Scientists say the use of fertilizer trees can reduce the need for chemical nitrogen by up to three-fourths．And they say it can double or triple crop production．Trees also capture carbon dioxide, a gas linked to climate change．

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　　Hello, children and parents．Thank you all for coming to this meeting．I'd like to start by confirming that we will receive some money from the government for our school trip to Indonesia．We will receive approximately ＄1300 per child, which will reduce the overall cost to you．

　　Now that we are sure to get the money, it is time to do some serious planning．We are sure that the trip will be very exciting for the children, especially if they have not traveled overseas before．There are many benefits of having some exposure to different places and cultures．Your children will be able to learn a lot about other people and cultures on this trip．

　　Leanne is with us tonight．Leanne, where are you? Put up your hand, Leanne, so that the people can see who you are．Thank you．Leanne went on the trip last year and will be happy to tell you of her experiences and answer any questions you might have．We will hear from her a bit later in the meeting．

　　We only have five months to organize the trip．From past experience I can tell you that this time will go very quickly．So we need to start organizing the trip．This is the agenda(议程)for tonight's meeting：

　　*Passport：when and how to apply for one

　　*Schedule：what places we will visit

　　*Health matters：what precautions(预防措施)you need to take, plus any special needs that your child may have

　　*Studying：description of the school and type of lessons your child will attend

　　*Money：paying for the trip, plus how much money your child should take

　　*Hotel：where we will be staying

　　*Clothing and personal items：what your children should take with them

　　Are there any other items that you would like to place on the agenda?

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　　Bill Gates and the president of General Motors have met for lunch, and Bill is going on and on about computer technology．“ If automotive technology had kept pace with computer technology over the past few decades, you would now be driving a V-32 instead of a V-8, and it would have a top speed of 10,000 miles per hour,” says Gates．“Or, you could have an economy car that weighs 30 pounds and gets a thousand miles to a gallon of gas．In either case, the sticker price(标价)of a new car would be less than ＄50．Why haven't you guys kept up?”

　　The president of GM smiles and says, “Because the federal government won't let us build cars that crash four times a day．”

　　Why is that funny(or not funny, as the case may be)? Human beings love to laugh, and the average adult laughs 17 times a day．Humans love to laugh so much that there are actually industries built around laughter．Jokes, sitcoms and comedies are all designed to get us laughing, because laughing feels good．For us it seems so natural, but the funny thing is that humans are the only species that laughs．Laughter is actually a complex response that involves many of the same skills used in solving problems．

　　Laughter is a great thing--that's why we've all heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine．” There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight disease．When we look at laughter－what it is, what happens in our brains when we laugh, what makes us laugh and how it can make us healthier and happier, there's a huge amount about it that no one understands yet．

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阅读理解

　　Blind imitation(模仿)is self－destruction．To those who do not recognize their unique worth, imitation appears attractive; to those who know their strength, imitation is unacceptable．

　　In the early stages of skill or character development, imitation is helpful．When I first learned to cook, I used recipes(菜谱)and turned out some tasty dishes．But soon I grew bored．Why follow someone else's way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child's bicycle; they help you get going, but once you find your own balance, you fly faster and farther without relying on them．

　　In daily life, imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously(下意识地)hold poor role models．If, as a child, you observed people whose lives were bad, you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did．If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will get the results of the weak choices of others．

　　In the field of entertainment, our culture glorifies celebrities．Those stars look great on screen．But when they step off screen, their personal lives may be disastrous．If you are going to follow someone, focus on their talent, not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors．

　　Blessed is the person willing to act on their sudden desire to create something unique．Think of the movies, books, teachers, and friends that have affected you most deeply．They touched you because their creations were motivated by inspiration, not desperation．The world is changed not by those who do what has been done before them, but by those who do what has been done inside them．Creative people have an endless resource of ideas．The problem a creator faces is not running out of material; it is what to do with all the material knocking at the door of imagination．

　　Study your role models, accept the gifts they have given, and leave behind what does not serve you．Then you can say, “I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors' tragedies and declare victory, and know that they are cheering me on．”

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