Looking at his pile of unpaid bills always makes Giuseppe Del Giudice feel uneasy. Sometimes he incurs (招致) late fees, but in many ways the emotional toll (代价) is worse. “The longer the bills go unpaid,” says Del Giudice, 58, “the more my anxiety increases.”
At the end of the day or month, most people get their tasks done on time, but around 20 percent are chronic procrastinators (慢性拖延者) at home and at work. One big factor for them is fear of failure, of not living up to expectations. Kelli Saginak, a 57-year-old functional health coach from Wisconsin, procrastinated about looking for a new job for years. That inability to take action only confirmed her belief that she would never do any better. “If I don’t take the risk, decide, or commit, I don’t have to face the judgment,” says Saginak.
Some people accept procrastination, believing that they make progress under pressure. But researchers have disproved that view. “I did an experiment several years ago, putting procrastinators under restrictions of time,” says Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University. “They did worse than nonprocrastinators, but they thought they did better. They made more errors. They took longer.”
Whatever the motivation, delaying a diet or exercise program may increase your risk of heart disease. Not having seen the doctor when your illness was easier to treat may shorten your life. Just thinking about what you haven’t done may cause discomfort. “Procrastinators experience higher levels of stress, both from leaving things to the last minute and from their own negative and self-critical feelings about their procrastination,” says Fuschia Sirois, a psychology lecturer at the University of Sheffield.
One of the most commonly procrastinated activities is going to bed. “You can put your lights on a timed dimmer switch to encourage a consistent bedtime,” said Joel Anderson, a philosophy researcher-lecturer at Utrecht University, who performed an experiment on this and found it worked on most of his subjects. “They formed an intention,” Anderson says. “One of them said, ‘When the lights start to dim, I’ll start going to bed.’ Then, reward yourself for each step you take toward your goal. But don’t try to convince yourself it will work the other way around! ”
1.What prevented Kelli Saginak stepping into the job market again?
A.Her old age. B.Her lack of skills.
C.Her fear of judgment. D.Her past failure.
2.What does the underlined part “that view” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.Procrastinators tend to misjudge their abilities.
B.It’s hard for people to succeed under pressure.
C.Procrastination is part of the human condition.
D.Pressure usually leads to better performance.
3.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.Different forms of procrastinating. B.Negative effects of procrastinating.
C.Common excuses for procrastinating. D.Specific suggestions for procrastinating.
4.How should people stick to a fixed bedtime according to Joel Anderson?
A.They can use lighting as little as possible.
B.They can first ask themselves about their intentions.
C.They can read some boring research papers.
D.They can try sending themselves signals to inspire action.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Looking at his pile of unpaid bills always makes Giuseppe Del Giudice feel uneasy. Sometimes he incurs (招致) late fees, but in many ways the emotional toll (代价) is worse. “The longer the bills go unpaid,” says Del Giudice, 58, “the more my anxiety increases.”
At the end of the day or month, most people get their tasks done on time, but around 20 percent are chronic procrastinators (慢性拖延者) at home and at work. One big factor for them is fear of failure, of not living up to expectations. Kelli Saginak, a 57-year-old functional health coach from Wisconsin, procrastinated about looking for a new job for years. That inability to take action only confirmed her belief that she would never do any better. “If I don’t take the risk, decide, or commit, I don’t have to face the judgment,” says Saginak.
Some people accept procrastination, believing that they make progress under pressure. But researchers have disproved that view. “I did an experiment several years ago, putting procrastinators under restrictions of time,” says Joseph Ferrari, a psychology professor at DePaul University. “They did worse than nonprocrastinators, but they thought they did better. They made more errors. They took longer.”
Whatever the motivation, delaying a diet or exercise program may increase your risk of heart disease. Not having seen the doctor when your illness was easier to treat may shorten your life. Just thinking about what you haven’t done may cause discomfort. “Procrastinators experience higher levels of stress, both from leaving things to the last minute and from their own negative and self-critical feelings about their procrastination,” says Fuschia Sirois, a psychology lecturer at the University of Sheffield.
One of the most commonly procrastinated activities is going to bed. “You can put your lights on a timed dimmer switch to encourage a consistent bedtime,” said Joel Anderson, a philosophy researcher-lecturer at Utrecht University, who performed an experiment on this and found it worked on most of his subjects. “They formed an intention,” Anderson says. “One of them said, ‘When the lights start to dim, I’ll start going to bed.’ Then, reward yourself for each step you take toward your goal. But don’t try to convince yourself it will work the other way around! ”
1.What prevented Kelli Saginak stepping into the job market again?
A.Her old age. B.Her lack of skills.
C.Her fear of judgment. D.Her past failure.
2.What does the underlined part “that view” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.Procrastinators tend to misjudge their abilities.
B.It’s hard for people to succeed under pressure.
C.Procrastination is part of the human condition.
D.Pressure usually leads to better performance.
3.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.Different forms of procrastinating. B.Negative effects of procrastinating.
C.Common excuses for procrastinating. D.Specific suggestions for procrastinating.
4.How should people stick to a fixed bedtime according to Joel Anderson?
A.They can use lighting as little as possible.
B.They can first ask themselves about their intentions.
C.They can read some boring research papers.
D.They can try sending themselves signals to inspire action.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
He is looking for a job, one he can make the most of his talent.
A. of which B. which
C. where D. That
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
With the end of his career in ___ , Armstrong was already looking forward to spending some days at the beach with his family.
A.view B.range C.reach D. sight
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
I'm Robin Woods. I'm always the first to make a good joke and _______ my work away at the end of the day. But somehow, I'm _______ the first to be picked for teams and plays. I have always been the outcast,_______ and alone.
“This year our play will be the story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men,” our teacher, Miss Goody, ___________ the whole class. “Who would like to be Robin Hood?” I ___________ my hand up into the air. Of course, everybody wanted the biggest and best part, especially bossy Bradley.
“_________ for a part and I’ll test you on Monday and decide who will be best for each part,” said Miss Goody, handing out pages of the script. “… And of course, we’ll need lots of trees to be the forest.”
“You’ll be a little baby bush…,” Bradley_______ me. “Or a teeny-tiny leaf.”
I_______ him and took a copy of the Robin Hood words and began my practicing on the way home.
On Monday I did some brilliant acting and I remembered all my _________. I got the part. Bradley got the part of Little John. Becky was one of the ladies-in-waiting. Jordan was the minstrel(吟游艺人), who told the________ in song with a little strum of the guitar every now and then.
We had three weeks to learn our parts. Becky offered to________ with me. She played Little John's part and gave me ________ on fighting. Bradley, who still really wanted to be Robin Hood, often came over to watch. He seemed to be waiting for me to make mistakes. I felt________, with knocking knees and cold feet. But I was determined to be the best Robin Hood ever. I had got the part of a hero and a hero I shall be.
At home, Granddad came to help me. He could play the guitar and even made up a minstrel dance. He was really getting into the minstrel’s________, which cheered me up and made learning my part much easier and funny.
In the final dress rehearsal that afternoon, Bradley was really getting carried away in that fighting-to-get-across-the-river________. He was shouting louder and louder and pushing harder and harder until he lost his ________ and fell off the bridge. He had hurt his ankle! Worse still, Jordan had got a flu. Probably we had to ________ that night’s performance for it was just impossible to find two new actors who could learn the parts before________ and, most importantly, could play the guitar. Girls wailed and sobbed. Boys sighed and shuffled their feet.
It was I that put forward a________：Granddad could play the part of the minstrel; Becky did the part of Little John and Carly could have her part as lady-in-waiting. Miss Goody sighed with relief. Everybody burst into tears of joy.
The performance that night was a great success. I felt like a________.
1.A.tidy B.throw C.push D.drag
2.A.sometimes B.frequently C.always D.never
3.A.unattended B.unassisted C.unwanted D.unmoved
4.A.taught B.gathered C.dismissed D.lectured
5.A.seized B.trembled C.shot D.shook
6.A.Look out B.Try out C.Stand out D.Speak out
7.A.blamed B.threatened C.teased D.cheated
8.A.admired B.abused C.respected D.ignored
9.A.stories B.texts C.passages D.lines
10.A.tale B.truth C.result D.difference
11.A.dance B.sing C.perform D.practice
12.A.knives B.tips C.guns D.signals
13.A.nervous B.disappointed C.important D.honored
14.A.part B.team C.band D.house
15.A.accident B.incident C.scene D.event
16.A.sword B.stick C.position D.balance
17.A.cancel B.give C.improve D.evaluate
18.A.dawn B.dusk C.midday D.midnight
19.A.theory B.solution C.budget D.principle
20.A.director B.composer C.hero D.teacher
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Tired of his staff always keeping checking emails and the sound of their smart phones, Paul Devoy decided to ban all phones, tablets and laptops from meetings. He says meetings have become much more productive.
It is true that the sound of the phones has a harmful effect on our ability to concentrate. One Standford University study shows that people who regularly deal with electronic alerts and messages do not pay attention or control their memory as well as those who concentrate on doing one thing at a time.
Mr Devoy introduced his ban on technology in meetings, but he says exceptions are made if important personal calls are expected.
''These things need to be reasonable, '' he says, adding he was surprised to find that his staff all accepted the ban and some were even enthusiastic about the ban.
Mr Devoy has gone a step further in his purge(清除)of technology. He has banned PowerPoint presentations from meetings, and finds that discussion now flows more freely.
Nena Chaletzos, leader and founder of online travel start-up Luxtripper, is also a supporter of tech-free meetings. She runs her company’s weekly meeting without phones or laptops. Instead, for the one-hour meeting, her team of eight are asked to bring along the A3 whiteboard they have each been given, on which they write meeting notes and action points. At the end of the meeting, everyone's actions for the week are agreed. The whiteboards are kept on show and tasks are erased as they are completed.
''I tell them to bring their ideas and brains to the meeting, not their technology, '' Ms Chaletzos says. Once the meeting went on for three hours, discussion is now so much more focused and productive that it can be kept to a strict 60 minutes, she says. At first, the staff worried about customers being unable to reach them, but Ms Chaletzos told them that all they needed was a warning. An unexpected result, she says, is that meetings are much more friendly and open.
Technology is still very much used at the start-up but only at the right time. For example, Ms Chaletzos' team use Slack, which has helped end the need for other meetings.
1.Why did Paul Devoy ban phones from meetings?
A.Because his staff wasted too much time on emails.
B.Because phones weakened his staff's ability to focus.
C.Because he doesn't like the sound of smart phones.
D.Because his staff are buried in their personal affairs.
2.A study from Stanford University is mentioned to ______.
A.introduce Nena Chaletzo's decision
B.prove the harm the sound of smart phones causes
C.show Paul Devoy's decision is right
D.give a similar story to the one mentioned above
3.If a person in Paul Devoy's company is allowed to answer personal calls during the meeting, ___.
A.the person must be Paul Devoy himself B.other staff will ask for the same right
C.something important must happen D.Paul Devoy will punish the person
4.After technology was banned from meetings, Paul Devoy's staff ______.
A.disagreed and stopped working B.were happy to observe the ban
C.thought that he would fail D.disappointed him a lot
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
So noisy____ in the dining hall that he could only make himself heard by shouting at the top of his voice.
A．was it B．was there C．it was D．there was
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Only by shouting at the top of his voice ________.
| A．he was able to make himself hear | B．he was able to make himself heard |
| C．was he able to make himself hear | D．was he able to make himself heard |
高二英语单项填空极难题查看答案及解析
Only by shouting at the top of his voice__________．
A．he was able to make himself hear
B．he was able to make himself heard
C．was he able to make himself hear
D．was he able to make himself heard
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Only by shouting at the top of his voice__________. .
A．he was able to make himself hear B．he was able to make himself heard
C．was he able to make himself hear D．was he able to make himself heard
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Medical bills were piling. Kids needed glasses, cars needed repairs and the dog needed surgery. On top of that, Christmas was almost ______ us so presents needed to be purchased.
But all of that was ______ when my husband, Brian, was waiting in our local tire shop to have his six truck tires ______ on a snowy night He overheard the tire salesman ______ a young mom with 3 children that she was in serious ______ of all new tires, as each one was completely ______ down.______, die young mom said she didn’t have the money to replace more than one tire on her car.
On hearing that, Brian ______ to pay for a tire to be installed,______ of the one tire this woman was able to purchase. Brian knew that even though it was just a start, the young mom would be much ______ driving on the ______ roads with a balanced set of two new tires than they would with just one new tire.
The young mom was so surprised that she ______ choked up. Eyes filled with tears, she thanked Brian and pulled away.
My husband is a naturally modest ______ man who feels rewarded in the giving, not m the ______ in life. So imagine his unexpected ______, when he later discovered the salesman had ______ the entire amount spent on the ______ tire to his bill!______ the seven tires my husband bought, the salesman only ______ him for six.
The simple act of one man making the decision to share what be had, rather than worrying about what he would ______, changed things that night.
1.A. in B. before C. upon D. for
2.A. solved B. changed C. purchased D. forgotten
3.A. replaced B. abandoned C. repaired D. examined
4.A. persuade B. mention C. warn D. explain
5.A. danger B. need C. place D. face
6.A. taken B. broken C. worn D. pulled
7.A. Angrily B. Sadly C. Impatiently D. Unexpectedly
8.A. hurried B. used C. tried D. offered
9.A. front B. sure C. opposite D. instead
10.A. faster B. safer C. happier D. luckier
11.A. dark B. hard C. icy D. long
12.A. instantly B. finally C. greatly D. excitedly
13.A. humorous B. generous C. meaningful D. intelligent
14.A. helping B. using C. thanking D. receiving
15.A. satisfaction B. surprise C. chance D. discovery
16.A. returned B. added C. paid D. discounted
17.A. spare B. new C. whole D. extra
18.A. Regardless of B. More than C. In spite of D. Rather than
19.A. charged B. sold C. asked D. appreciated
20.A. go for B. go without C. come over D. come across
高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析