Have you ever agreed to do something only to find out later that you don’t have time? Are you constantly stressed from rushing from one assignment to another? If so, you may have a problem with overcommitment. Overcommitment happens when you decide to do more things than you realistically have time to do. 1 . Your quality of life also suffers because overcommitment leaves you less time to take care of yourself. It’s preferable to do one or two things well than to do 10 things poorly - or worse, to back out once you’ve agreed to something.
Time management coach Elizabeth Saunders suggests creating a budget for your time like you do with money. The total amount of time you have each day equals 24 hours minus (减去) the time you need for basic wellness activities. 2 . Saunders suggests adding up your time commitments to other people and the time needed to meet your personal goals. If that total is greater than the amount of time you have each day, you have a problem.
3 . Schedule times for everything you need to do – including taking care of yourself. But you don’t have to fill every blank space.
It’s also worth looking at your current commitments. Do your commitments actually match your priorities? 4 .
Learning how to say no politely but firmly also helps with overcommitment. It helps to have a good sense of what your priorities are so that you can say yes or no when appropriate.
I have a rule that I never immediately agree to any long-term time commitments. 5 . That’s because my first instinct (本能反应) is usually to say yes, even if I don’t really have time. Having time to think about a potential assignment gives me space to say no if I need to.
A . Are you satisfied with your job?
B . I always ask for some time to think.
C . It is worth considering your interest.
D . When this happens, the quality of your work suffers.
E.These include things like sleeping, eating and showering.
F.Could you give up some of them or pass them off to other people?
G.One tool that may be helpful in avoiding overcommitment is a calendar.
1 . D
2 . E
3 . G
4 . F
5 . B
【分析】
这是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了如何避免过度承诺带来的压力和问题。
1. 根据上文 “Overcommitment happens when you decide to do more things than you realistically have time to do. (当你决定做的事情比你实际有时间做的要多的时候,过度承诺就发生了。)和下文 “Your quality of life also suffers because overcommitment leaves you less time to take care of yourself. (你的生活质量也会受到影响,因为过度承诺会让你照顾自己的时间减少。) ” 可知,空处提到了过度承诺带来的不利影响。 D 项: When this happens, the quality of your work suffers. (当这种情况发生时,你的工作质量就会受到影响。)符合语境。故选 D 。
2. 根据上文 “The total amount of time you have each day equals 24 hours minus (减去) the time you need for basic wellness activities. (你每天的总时间等于 24 小时减去你需要的基本健康活动的时间。) ” 可知,空处提到了一些基本健康活动。 E 项: These include things like sleeping, eating and showering. (这些包括睡觉、吃饭和洗澡。)符合语境。故选 E 。
3. 根据下文 “Schedule times for everything you need to do – including taking care of yourself. But you don’t have to fill every blank space. (为你需要做的每件事安排时间 —— 包括照顾自己。但你不需要填满所有的空白。)可知,空处提到了时间表有助于避免过度承诺。 G 项: One tool that may be helpful in avoiding overcommitment is a calendar. (一个可能有助于避免过度承诺的工具是日历。)符合语境。故选 G 。
4. 根据上文 “It’s also worth looking at your current commitments. Do your commitments actually match your priorities? (这也值得看看你现在的承诺。你的承诺真的符合你优先考虑的事情吗?) ” 可知,空处提出建议适当地放弃一些承诺或者交给别人去做。 F 项: Could you give up some of them or pass them off to other people? (你能不能放弃一些或者把它们传递给其他人?)符合语境。故选 F 。
5. 根据下文 “That’s because my first instinct (本能反应) is usually to say yes, even if I don’t really have time. (这是因为我的第一反应通常是同意,即使我真的没有时间。) ” 可知,空处与下文形成转折关系,说明自己会要求有思考的时间。 B 项: I always ask for some time to think. (我总是要求一些时间去思考。)符合语境。故选 B 。
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力;适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
Passage outline | Supporting details |
The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51.. |
52. with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53. old men’s premature death. • When 54. from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55. activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56. to them. • Think about how to57. depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58., to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59.to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60. social life. |