My students often tell me they don't have "enough time" to do all their schoolwork. My reply is often brief -You have as much time as the president. I usually carry on a bit about there being 24 hours per day for everyone, and suggest that "not enough time" is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done. Once in graduate school, I tried to justify myself to one of my professors by saying that I was working. His answer to me was, " _ . What's important is the quality of your work." Since then I have had time to reflect on the "hard worker" dodge , and I have come to some conclusions - all relevant to the issue of how much time we have. If you look at the matter analytically, you can identify two parts of the problem. There is, of course, the matter of "time", which we can think of as fixed. Then there is the issue of "work" during that time, which can vary in intensity. But, as my professor suggested, it's not diligence but the quality of the product that is important. That led me to a new idea, the quality of work. That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone's office - Don't work harder but work smarter! There's a lot of sense in that idea. If you can't get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of work. That means thinking of ways of getting more out of the same time than we might otherwise get. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits. Since "work" for students usually means "homework", the expression "work habits" should be read as "learning habits". Then, as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing. If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that pay off across the board in all your studies. The main purpose of writing the passage is to give _ . A) information B) encouragement C) criticism D) advice
D
It's not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change. Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable, others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone National Park ends up in flames. Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan story which says, that the world will end in 2012.He is being criticized for Internet rumors about doomsday "There is no factual basis for these claims,'' NASA said on its website. "Credible scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,'' it insisted. "After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, " they added. According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar. "Every culture has a myth of destruction , just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface during times of crisis , " Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history,speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. "Today's current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,"he added. Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text? A) A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park. B) All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012. C) The old Mayan story says that the world will end in D) Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation
C
Q: A mother has lost parts of both of her legs after she saved the lives of her two children by lying on top of them as a deadly tornado swept through their home. Stephanie Decker, 36, lost one leg above the knee and the other above the ankle, yet her son and daughter escaped without a single scratch after the tornado destroyed their Henryville, Indiana home. Henryville was nearly entirely destroyed by a series of tornadoes that hit the South and Midwest, killing 39 and leaving thousands homeless. But while the Decker family lost their dream home to the severe weather, they are celebrating their safety. Mrs. Decker is now in a stable condition; her husband said, "What I told her was, 'you are alive and you get to see your kids grow up.' " Joe Decker told the reporters. Mr. Decker said that he had sent a text message to his wife from his workplace to tell her a tornado was heading for their three-story home. She rushed their eight-year-old son Dominic and five-year-old daughter Reese into the basement, where she tried her best to protect them from the storm. Mrs. Decker typed out what had happened by using an iPad in the hospital. She saw part of the house collapse on her and pulled her daughter out of the way. She doesn't remember anything after that. The home, which was partly built by Mr. Decker and his wife's father, is now completely destroyed, with a bathtub 200 feet away in a filed, the Courier Journal reported. The house took about nine mouths to build and four seconds to fall, Mr. Decker added. CEO Carl J. Tyler praised the Deckers who lost everything and said that the company has set up a trust fund to help pay their medical bills and the losses they suffered. He added, "They are some of the hardest working, giving people you could ever want to meet." What can we infer from the passage? A) Mrs. Decker's brave deed is thought highly of. B) Mrs. Decker was asked to apply for a trust fund. C) The Deckers are considered to be the hardest workers. D) The Deckers are under great pressure to pay medical bills.
A: D
(Q).
Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways. But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits, they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet. For working parents, the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks, there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult. The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in safeguarding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays, much of this is missed. While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning. In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down to four and a half weeks, with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real "down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning. We... The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students _ . A) obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs B) get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school C) benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment D) have more school days to receive free school meals
(A).
C