Most people seem to be passive at work. They do what they are told to do, and they don’t do what they are not told to do. In the end, one thing results: unmotivated (不积极的) people.

     We’re employed to think. In fact, no matter how many times our bosses disagree with us, it is our responsibility to think for the company. There are lots of times when I disagree with my boss, and sometimes we even end up having arguments; however, I still offer my suggestions whenever I don’t agree.

     Spending more time thinking also helps us to be more efficient (高效的) and helps to reduce our chances of frustration (挫败). Before I do something, I usually need some time to think about it to make sure that what I’m doing makes sense. This can be as long as a few days when a project is big, or as short as only a few seconds for a simple task. After thinking about a project, it sometimes becomes clear that a simple task could achieve the same result. In those cases, not only did I save myself from possible frustration, but I also felt happy and satisfied that I saved valuable resources for my company.

     With so many people not taking time to think, it’s no wonder that many people are unmotivated. Today, I encourage you to think things over whenever you have a chance. At first, it might take a while, but once it becomes a habit, you will feel more motivated as you will be more valuable to the company.

It is suggested in the passage that people should _____.

      A. stop arguing with their bosses

B. seize every chance they meet

C. present views to their companies

      D. avoid big projects

According to the passage, spending more time thinking _________.

A. is a waste of time and resources

B. can help people understand what others do

C. can help people impress their companies

      D. is a good way to improve efficiency

The author wrote this passage to ________.

      A. persuade people to do what they are not told to do

B. encourage people to be more motivated

C. show people how to give different opinions

      D. tell people how to form good thinking habits.

 It can be inferred from the passage that the author is ______ at work.

A. negative           B. lazy           C. positive              D. powerful

They crossed in front of me as I was driving out of the store parking lot. My first reaction was anger at being delayed for a whole ten seconds. I quickly became patient when I realised that this was an elderly couple.
The man leaned on his wife who walked in front of him. He not only used her for support but it was obvious that he was blind. The two of them worked as one---each needing the other to function in this fast-changing world.
That little example of true strength changed my whole personal perception(理解) of life that day. Suddenly I wasn’t so mad about having to work a few extra hours on Saturdays. I had my strength, and I was still relatively young.
That picture of those two elderly people walking with dignity and strength stayed with me the entire week. My life wasn’t so bad after all. I had my health and a good job. I had a wonderful, supportive wife. I started to think---not only was I lucky to have it all, but so was that wonderful old couple, who, despite the trials and sufferings of a long life, still had the love and support of each other to carry them through this world.
There are so many people out there just like that couple. My wife and I sometimes picture ourselves in our old age, walking arm-in-arm into the sunset. That image always gives us a warm feeling of comfort. Just remember, none of us would be here if it wasn’t for our elders. We should all have a little extra time and patience when it comes to helping our elder friends.
【小题1】When the author was about to drive away, the couple __________________.

Why do people drink too much, eat too much, smoke cigarettes or take drugs? What’s to blame for all the bad behavior? Most people would say that, while these self-destructive (自我毁灭的) acts can have many root causes, they all have one obvious thing in common: they are all examples of failures of self-control, lacking the will power to resist them.
According to a recent study, however, if you really think about it, something about that simple answer doesn’t quite make sense. In fact, it turns out that sometimes it’s having will power that really gets you into trouble.
Think back to the time you took your very first sip (啜饮) of beer. Disgusting, wasn’t it? When my father gave me my first taste of beer as a teenager, I wondered why anyone would voluntarily drink it. And smoking? No one enjoys their first cigarette — it tastes awful. So even though smoking, and drinking alcohol or coffee, can become temptation (诱惑) you need will power to resist, they never, ever start out that way.
Just getting past those first horrible experiences actually requires a lot of self-control. Ironically (讽刺的是), only those who can control themselves well, rather than give in to them, can ever come to someday develop a “taste” for Budweiser beer, Marlboro cigarettes, or dark-roasted Starbucks coffee. We do it for social acceptance. We force ourselves to consume alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and even illegal drugs, in order to seem experienced, grown-up, and cool.
These bad habits aren’t self-control failures — far from it. They are voluntary choices, and they are in fact self-control successes. Self-control is simply a tool to be put to some use, helpful or harmful. To live happy and productive lives, we need to develop not only our self-control, but also the wisdom to make good decisions about when and where to apply it.
【小题1】What do most people think causes bad behavior?

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My summer travel started terribly .I was at the Shanghai Railway Station buy a ticket to Hang Zhou. I was going to visit a friend here and after that I would go to Xiamen for long holiday. I bought my ticket but turned around to pick up my bag from the floor and then I realized that someone had stolen it.Luckily I had all my money on my pocket,but the only clothes I had was those I had on.It felt very strange to travel without any luggages.When I finally arrived at my friend he lent to me lots of clothes. I feel very happy that I could change my clothes at last.

Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made．In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I would almost always get up late the next morning．

But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early．On those rare occasions when I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher．So I set out to become a habitual early riser．But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep．Eventually some sleep research showed me that I was using the wrong strategy．

The most common wrong strategy is this: you assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier．It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail．

There are two main schools（流派） of thought on sleep patterns．The first is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day．The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up．However, I have found both of them are wrong if you care about productivity．If you sleep at set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough．You’re wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep．

If your sleep is based on what your body tells you, you’ll probably be sleeping more than you need．Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you’re getting up at different times．

The solution for me has been to combine both methods．I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time．So I always get up at the same time （in my case 5 am）, but I go to bed at different times every night — sometimes at 9:30pm, and other times at midnight．Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11 pm．

However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning is my way．If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own．

According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________．

       A．people who stay up until the next morning

       B．people who feel sleepy in the morning

       C．people who get up early in the morning

       D．people whose productivity is the highest in the morning

Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?

       A．Because he / she wanted to form the habit of going to bed early and getting up early．

       B．Because he / she wanted to see which of the two main schools of thought on sleep patterns was right．

       C．Because he / she had found that his / her productivity was higher when he / she got up early．

       D．Because he / she was told the high relationship between success and rising early．

The passage is mainly about ________．

       A．how to have good sleep  

       B．how to become an early riser

       C．wrong strategies for getting up early     

       D．main schools of thought on sleep patterns