You make decisions, year after year, never lasting for more than a few days ending up lost and in the same place you started. Allow me to suggest some tips that may help you stick to your decisions creating long- lasting positive change in your life. Telling other people about your plan can help in many ways. First, it is always easier to stick to a decision when you have other people supporting you. Your friends are less likely to tempt you with whatever it is you are trying to control if they know that you made a decision about it. Telling other people about your decision is also helpful in that it keeps us to the pressure on you to try and stick to you plan of action. Choose a measurable and specific decision. Instead of deciding to "look better" or "have a better relationship with so and so", choose a more definable decision. Deciding to "eat a vegetable every day" or "go out for coffee once a week with John" is much easier to track and assess than a general decision to "be a better person". Build a reward system. Connected to the last tip of choosing a measurable and specific decision is that when you do accomplish this specific behavior you decided to do, give yourself small rewards along the process. For example, for every week of healthy eating treat yourself with something special. Creative visual aids. A colleague of mine decided one year for his New Year's decision to be more frugal. He decided to try and save money by lowering his monthly bills. So he posted a copy of his highest electric bill by his heater so that every time he wanted to raise the temperature he would see the high electric bill reminding him to be more cautious about his energy consumption. Many people's decisions can't become reality because _ . A) they don't take them seriously at the beginning B) they make them but can't stick to them to the end C) they meet much difficulty in the process D) they lack support from their families
B
(Question)
My husband can plan wonderful surprise celebrations for me.Recently,however,I told him I didn't want him to plan one for my upcoming birthday. "Why?" he asked. "I am embarrassed being the center of attention," I quickly explained. Later,I began to think more deeply about this reason. Then I remembered the surprise celebration I had planned for my friend Nancy on her 60th birthday. We were roommates on a threeweek tour following the Silk Road on those famous steppes --and through the mountains--of central Asia. That afternoon we had arrived at our hotel in Samarkand,Uzbekistan. The young man at the hotel desk told me about a bakery about 10 minutes away. After giving me detailed directions,he added,"Your nose will let you know when you arrive there." The temperature was 40 degC.Soon, _ proved to be an unfailing guide. Outside the bakery,a delicious smell greeted me. There were several kinds of breads,cookies,and cakes on display. There were also beautiful iced cakes. I chose a cake topped with powdered sugar. Later at the Karim Bek Restaurant,Nancy didn't see the young waiter walk up the steps with the cake.When I began singing"Happy Birthday,"everyone at our table--except Nancy--joined in. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. Then the grinning guest of honor thanked me,blew out the candles on the cake,and ate three pieces of it. Today,after reliving this experience in my mind,I told my husband to ignore my request.I now understand what a surprise party is about:It is not about having a surprise party but rather the delight in giving it. That is what brings the satisfying joy. The party held at the Karim Bek Restaurant was _ . A) very successful B) a little simple C) quite boring D) too noisy
(Answer)
A
Ques: Still waiting for little green men to make contact? _ . A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there - meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe. Even though there may be tens of thousands of other distant planets similar in size to Earth, the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET. Dr Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes there is very little hope of discovering aliens and, even if we did, it would be almost impossible to make contact. So far astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant solar systems - known as extrasolar systems - although they believe billions of others exist. But Dr Smith points out that many of these planets are either too close to the sun or too far away, meaning their surface temperatures are so bad that they could not support life. Others have unusual orbits which cause vast temperature variations, making it impossible for water to exist - the most important thing for life. Dr Smith said, "We have found that most other planets and solar systems are wildly different from our own. It means it is highly unlikely there are any planets with intelligent life close enough for us to make contact." But his suggestions contradict other leading scientists who have claimed aliens almost certainly exist. Only last month Professor Stephen Hawking said the fact that there are billions of galaxies out there made it reasonable to think there were other life-forms in the universe. Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets. But Dr Smith said: "Any hope of contact has to be limited to a relatively tiny space around the Earth, reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries." Researchers from the University of London are mentioned to show that _ . A) they have better explanations about aliens B) aliens certainly exist on many planets C) they disagree with Dr Smith's suggestion D) aliens can pick up signals from the earth
Ans: C
Question: LONDON----"Everyone else has one!" Lucy declared to her parents, trying to get a mobile phone as a gift for her 14th birthday. Her parents gave in. Curious to know her daughter would use the phone, Jane Bidder, the mother, followed Lucy to the school bus in the morning. The bus seats 20, of whom half have a mobile phone. One rings and several adolescent owners fumble in their bags. Many parents have just come to realize that the mobile phone is no longer for traveling businessmen ----it is as likely to be found in school bags. The mobile phone seems to have become something essential for today's teens in Britain, according to a survey published last week, by NOP, a leading market research company in Britain. Research found that 66 percent of 16-year-olds now have access to a mobile phone. The mobile phone has been turned into a secret messaging service by teen users. When they are talking on the mobile, their parents are not able to _ on the second line. The interview with 2,019 young people aged 7 to 16 found that they favour the text messaging services because they offer a secret way of keeping in touch. The days of secret notes in the classroom are dying out. For example, "cul"means "see you later"; "lol" means "laugh out loud"; and 2nite is the abbreviation of "tonight". All these are based on shorthand phrases on the Internet. Many schools have banned students using mobile phones. But they are not very successful. Still phones ring in the class and disturb study. Besides, people are worried about the health risk to kids using mobile phone. Scientists believe children are especially vulnerable to mobile radiation. Interviews discover children like to send messages instead of _ . A) calling each other B) writing to each other C) playing games online D) greeting each other
Answer:
B