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　　　　　　　　Getting to Now: How to Beat the Procrastination Habit

　　I am a procrastinator(拖拉者). I always have been. I've tried all sorts of things to beat the habit. Here are some techniques I've been using to try to force myself to get to now:

　　Set aside blocks of time to do things. When I was talking with my wellness coach earlier this year, she asked me why I didn't exercise more often. “　1.　,” I said. “Something always comes up.” She wasn’t impressed. “J.D.,” she said, “You have to make time. Make an appointment with yourself to run or to go for a bike ride.” The same principle applies to other things you might procrastinate.

　　　2.　. Often I’ll be sitting on the back porch reading a book, and it will occur to me that some chore needs to be done — mending the fence, for example. “　3.　,” I tell myself. Wrong! What usually happens is that I forget to write it down, and even if I do, I just look at the list and procrastinate for weeks on end. The best move is to actually do the chore when I think of it. (Assuming, of course, that I have the time at that moment,which I usually do.)

　　Use a timer to bring you back to reality. Part of the reason I procrastinate is that I'm a daydreamer. 　 4.　. One way to keep on track is to use a timer. I use the Ultrak Jumbo Countdown Timer, but not as often as I should. I set it for 48 minutes. When it goes off, 　 5.　: Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing?

　　Do not multitask. I often start many things at once, but I never actually do any of them. In order for me to get something done, I need to focus my attention on it. Trying to do several things at once is a sure way to be sure they'll all be unfinished tomorrow.

　　A. I’m always lost in thought

　　B. it brings me back to reality

　　C. If it comes to mind, then do it

　　D. I don’t have the time

　　E. it serves as an instant reality check

　　F. Do it right away if you are asked to do something

　　G. I need to write that down so I can remember it

 

Section B:  Vocabulary

Directions: Complete the passage by choosing the proper words in the box.

Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A．hurriedly

B．anxiety

C．professionals

D．typical E. really

F. simple        G. bought      H. ending         I. design       J. wonderful

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something __41__but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertisers hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly __42__. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, __43__in the costomer giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods __44__ in almost every family are not __45__ needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the __46__, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in __47__ and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The __48__ example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. So gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing: no choice, no __49__.

 

Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity（逆境）. But it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage（勇气）to try.

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. Her good friend-Sean became the first person to encourage her and help her build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.

“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition（志向） to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to（注定）be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”

Though there were many difficulties, Rowling continued her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until l990 that she first came up with the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls（回忆）, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my great disappointment, I didn't have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details came up in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, bespectacled（戴眼镜的）boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”

That same year, her mother died after a ten-year fight with serious diseases, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.

During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with depression（诊断患有抑郁症）. Unemployed, she finished her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.

Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her friend’s encouragement as well as her ambition to write.

1. Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?

A．Her friend Sean.                        B．Her mother.

C．Her daughter.                          D．Her husband.

2.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter________.

A．at the age of 6

B．on a train journey

C．after her mother's death

D．in her secondary school

3. She felt disappointed on the train because_________.

A．her train was delayed for four hours

B．she didn't have a pen with her

C．her mind suddenly went blank

D．no one would offer her help

4. It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is_________.

A．open-minded                          B．warm-hearted

C．good-natured                          D．strong-willed

5. The text mainly tells us_________.

A．adversity makes a good novelist

B．the courage to try is a special ability

C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere

D．encouragement helps one succeed

 

Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. roots      B. but     C. covered     D. reproduce   E. energy

F. probably  G. gaining  H. surrounding  I. supplied     J. life

Life on land probably began about 430 million years ago, though it has existed in the water for perhaps as much as 3,000 million years. When we think of the first     1    on land, we     2   think of strange animals coming out of the oceans, but, in fact, no animals could have been living if plants had not been on land first. Plants had to be on land before animals arrived. They    3   the first land animals with the    4   and food necessary, since they ---the plants are the only form of life that is able to get and store    5    .

The first plants to exist out of the water were probably certain kinds of algae （ 藻类 ）which were followed by other plants that grew close to the ground and needed water in which to    6  . Once the move to land has been made, however, evolution took place quickly. By the end of 100 million years, plants had developed their    7  , and some have got tree-like forms since height was very important in    8   sunlight. About 300 million years ago, much of the world was     9   with forests of huge trees. In most ways they were like modern trees. They had roots, leaves, wood, but mostly they had not developed seeds.

 

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A．display B．local C．properly D．blinded E. around F. explosive      G. easily      H. rushed        I. injuries       J. caught

Each year around 800 people – most of them children – need treatment in hospital for injuries caused by fireworks. A third of the accidents take place at back garden firework parties and about a third of the   41   are to children under the age of 13. The cost of medical treatment after firework accidents can be as much as ￡20 million a year.

Martin Pearcey, 11, is one of the lucky ones: he could have been   42  in one eye.

Like hundreds of others on November 5（Guy Fawkes’s Night）, Martin went to his   43  park to see the fireworks display. He was with his brothers, John and Dave.

“A gang of kids had taken the   44  material out of several fireworks and had put it in a pile on the ground,” remembers John.

“When they lit it, it went off and   45  Martin in his eye.”

John   46  Martin to their grandmother’s house nearby, where the eye was immediately bathed in cold water. He was then taken to hospital, where a sterilized（消毒的） patch was put over it.

“At first he couldn’t see a thing because the eye was so swollen(肿胀的),” says Martin’s elder sister, Pat. “It was weeks before it would open   47  again.”

His dad agrees. “He was lucky not to lose the sight of that eye.”

“Little kids shouldn’t be able to get hold of fireworks,” adds Pat. “I think organized   48  are much safer.”

And young Martin now says, “I don’t mind fireworks when grown – ups are   49 , but I don’t like it when little kids have them. I think fireworks are a bit stupid, really.”