I am one of those people who are terrible at saying no. I take on too many projects at once, and spend too much of my time doing things I’d rather not be doing. I get stuff done, but it’s not always the best I can do, or the best way I could spend my time.
That’s why my newest goal, both as a professional and a person, is to be a quitter.
Being a quitter isn’t being someone who gives up, who doesn’t see important things through to the end. I desire to be the opposite of that. The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there’s no value in what he’s doing, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important.
We get involved in something, realize we don’t want to be a part of it, but keep on going. We say “Well, I’ve already invested so much time in this, I might as well stick it out.” A friend of mine once told me, “I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, even after getting 500 pages into it.” Odd though it sounds, we all tend to do this.
I propose the opposite: quit as often as possible, regardless of project status or time invested. If you’re reading a book, and don’t like it, stop reading. Cut your losses, realize that the smartest thing to do is stop before your losses grow even more, and quit. Instead of reading an entire book you hate, read half of a bad one and half of a good one. Isn’t that a better use of your time?
Step back for a second. Let’s learn how to say “no” at the beginning, or in the middle, and free up more of our time to do the things we’d like to be doing, and the things actually worth doing.
Saying no is hard, and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder. But if we do both, we’ll start to make sure that we’re spending our time creating value, rather than increasing our losses. Let’s be quitters together.The author wants to be a quitter, because he/she .
| A．wishes to have more time for relaxation |
| B．hopes to improve his/her personality |
| C．expects to make more efficient use of his/her time |
| D．has found it hard to do several things at one time |
In what circumstances does the author suggest quitting is a good idea?
| A．When you know a task cannot be finished. |
| B．When you feel tired and need a rest. |
| C．When you meet with difficulties along the way. |
| D．When you realize what you are doing is not worth the time. |
The message the author tries to convey is to .
| A．learn to say no | B．create more value |
| C．live your life to the fullest | D．stop doing many things at a time |
A locavore is someone who eats foods produced locally. Locavores usually define local as within 160 kilometers. Local is a popular word these days in food advertising. Farmers markets are also popular. These are often held once a week, usually in a big outdoor space. And some people grow their own food at home or in community gardens.
Locally grown food can cost more but locavores find it more satisfying. Not just the taste, but the fact that they are supporting local producers. And some believe eating local foods is healthier. This may be true in terms of freshness, but it also depends on how the food was produced. Restaurants are also joining the local food movement. And local food is involved in another movement—" slow food " ，whose aim is to honor the tradition of foods prepared and enjoyed with time and care, like a fine wine.
The city of Sonoma, California, is getting in the spirit of the local food movement. The city is located in the wine-making Sonoma Valley. Next week, the City Council is expected to approve changes to make it easier to raise chickens and rabbits on smaller properties.
No one is sure how many people want to. But anyone with a single family house and a fenced backyard could keep as many as sixteen chickens and eight rabbits. Larger properties could have more. Either way, a permit and inspection would be required.
Residents could sell eggs but not meat. City officials did re-search about other places with similar rules. They learned that people often end up giving their chickens names and treating them like pets.
If the happens, Sonoma residents will have no trouble finding boy names for roosters. Under the proposed new rules, the city will not permit any roosters other than those now living there. City officials want to avoid early morning wake-up calls for the neighbors. As one Sonoma official explained：”You don't need a rooster to have eggs." The best title of the passage is that _________.
| A．Locavores like their food close to home |
| B．Farmers markets are popular |
| C．How to raise roosters at home |
| D．Locally grown food can cost more |
The advantage of eating locally grown food is _________.
| A．the price is low |
| B．it is fresh |
| C．it can support the local economy |
| D．both B and C |
According to the passage, the following terms have a close connection with local food movement EXCEPT _________.
| A．farmers markets and food advertisements |
| B．locavores and healthy food |
| C．restaurants and slow food |
| D．pets and boy names |
The underlined word " that " in the last paragraph refers to —_________
| A．a permit and inspection would be required |
| B．residents could sell eggs but not meat |
| C．city officials did research about other places with similar rules |
| D．people often end up giving their chickens names and treating them like pets |
Not everyone can become a professional basketball or football player. Not everyone, especially youth living in the city, has access to large green fields. But kids still want to compete. So all over America, young people started skateboarding and bicycling. This is where the Extreme Games, or X-Games, started.
The X-Games are beautiful to watch. They simply defy gravity. Riders fly down ramps on skateboards and do crazy tricks in the air. The X-Games have become so popular that this year BMX cycling is the newest sport in the Beijing Olympics. You will see competitors descend a 25-foot (8 meters) ramp, the highest in the world, as they race through a wild obstacle course.
But the X-Games are more than sports. They have become a culture. Fans of the X-Games have rejected the mainstream. They wear certain clothes, listen to different music and live life to the fullest.
It is not unusual to see young people riding a skateboard or showing off their cycling tricks in a park. Extreme sports arrived in China in the late 1990s. The Chinese Extreme Sports Association was established in 2004
Shanghai will hold the Asian X-Games at the end of April. Check them out and maybe you'll find a new sport you love. According to the passage we know that _________.
| A．all the young people have access to large green fields |
| B．not all the young people like playing sports |
| C．only young people living in the countryside have access to large green fields |
| D．not all the people can become a professional basketball player |
The Extreme Games start from _________.
| A．people's work |
| B．the countryside life |
| C．people's different sports interest |
| D．large green fields |
The Extreme Games are popular with a lot of people because of the factors except that _________.
| A．it is a very exciting sport |
| B．it makes people more confident |
| C．it is quite wonderful |
| D．it is the only sport for both city people and country people |
That we often see some young people wearing all kinds of clothes, listening to music and riding a skateboard or showing off their cycling tricks shows _________.
| A．the Extreme Games have come to China for a long time |
| B．the Extreme Games have become a fashionable culture |
| C．the Extreme Games have become new sports |
| D．the Extreme Games have become the best way to keep fit |
Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning set-back. Put simply, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight. Recent studies show that children gain weight more quickly in the summer than when they are in school.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school.
Last year, a study at Ohio State University reported that year-round students did not learn any more than other students. Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. Research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term summer school. They said it created an image of children being forced to do work they missed during the school year. The parents welcomed other terms like " summer camp " ，" enrichment " ，" extra time " and " hands-on learning " . It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that _________.
| A．the educators in the US don't like long summer holiday |
| B．the students in the US learn nothing during their summer vacation |
| C．it's good for the students' health to spend long holiday |
| D．students are not ready to learn during the holiday by them-selves |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．A student in a traditional nine-month school is fatter than one in a year-round school. |
| B．Most American schools make use of a year-round calendar. |
| C．The traditional nine-month calendar has an advantage be-cause they have more class days. |
| D．Students following a traditional nine-month calendar has at least 3 long holidays. |
At the beginning of a new term, students from poor families—_________
| A．are fatter than those from rich families |
| B．have a more serious summer learning gap than those from rich families |
| C．learn more knowledge than those from a year-round school |
| D．make more progress than those from a traditional nine-month calendar school |
This passage mainly tells us _________.
| A．the American summer schools |
| B．to mind the summer learning gap |
| C．how to lose weight during the summer vacation |
| D．schools and local governments should offer programs to help students from poor families |
In 1949，two leagues came together to form the NBA. In 1996the NBA created the WNBA, the Women's National Basketball Association. And in 2001 the NBA created a development league to help train future players. Today about one NBA player in five was born outside the US. The NBA currently has thirty teams, which is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the US. The others are the National Football league, the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball.
In 1992，the US Olympic men's basketball team was called the " Dream Team " . For the first time there were players from the NBA. The Americans brought home the gold medal that year from Barcelona.
It was during the 1990s that a growing number of top NBA players began to come from outside the US. In 2002，Yao Ming was the first choice in the NBA draft, who was picked by the Houston Rockets. He also became the third Chinese national ever to play in the NBA. The first was Wang Zhi-zhi, who joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2001.
The NBA may be the world's most famous basketball league. But the 28th Summer Olympics in Athens provided an example of how the game is improving internationally.
Argentina defeated the US men's basketball team in the semifinals, then claimed the gold medal over Italy. It was the first medal ever for Argentina in Olympic basketball. It was also the first loss for the American team since 1988 in Seoul. In fact, between 1936and 2000，there was only one other time when the US did not win. That was at the 1972 Munich Games. Both times the Soviet Union took home the gold. From Paragraph 1，we can conclude that _________.
| A．the WNBA is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the US |
| B．about 80% of the NBA players come from the US |
| C．the development league to help train future players doesn't belong to NBA |
| D．the National Volleyball League belongs to the four major professional sports leagues in the US |
The US didn't win the gold medal in Olympic basketball EX-CEPT _________.
| A．1972 | B．1988 |
| C．1992 | D．2004 |
_________ won the men's basketball silver medal in the 28th Olympic Games.
| A．The US | B．Argentina |
| C．Italy | D．The Soviet Union |
The NBA players began to attend Olympic Games formally in _________.
| A．1936 | B．1988 |
| C．1992 | D．1996 |
Many people are good at one athletic event. A few excel in two. But very few can do well in seven different events. Jackie Joyner-Kersee is someone who could. Some people called her the world's greatest athlete.
Even as a child, Jackie Joyner wanted to do well in many sports. In high school she competed in volleyball and basketball. Basketball was her favorite sport then. She attended college on a four-year basketball scholarship. She became an all-American basketball player.
After marrying her coach, Bob Kersee, Jackie began focusing on track events. One of her best events was always the long jump. Over the years Joyner-Kersee has won many long jump medals. These include an Olympic gold medal and several world champion-ships.
What about the sport with seven different events? It is called the heptathlon. Besides the long jump, it includes events like hurdles, the high jump, and the shot put. Joyner-Kersee competed in this sport in four different Olympics. She won two gold medals and one silver.
Joyner-Kersee has succeeded for two reasons. Her great athletic ability is one thing. But she also possesses great mental toughness. That toughness helped her triumph in spite of her serious asthma and allergies.
Joyner-Kersee's last Olympics was in 1996. After that, she played professional basketball for a while. She did one final heptathlon in 1998 and then retired at the age of thirty-six. During college, Joyner-Kersee was very active in _________.
| A．the long jump | B．volleyball |
| C．basketball | D．the heptathlon |
Based on her life thus far, it would not be surprising if Joyner-Kersee _________
| A．became a referee |
| B．got out of sports completely |
| C．took up a new sport |
| D．became a volleyball announcer |
This passage is basically a _________
| A．biography of Jackie Joyner-Kersee |
| B．biography of Bob Kersee |
| C．history of women's sports |
| D．comparison between the long jump and heptathlon |
The underlined word “triumph“in the last paragraph but one can be replaced by _________.
| A．compete | B．win |
| C．fall in love | D．take part in |
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