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C
Everyone procrastinates. We put things off because we don’t want to do them, or because we
have too many other things on our plates. Putting things off—big or small—is part of being human.
But procrastination does have consequences. When your procrastination leaves you feeling discouraged, it is time to take action, and one of the best ways to get rid of it is to make an un-schedule.
An un-schedule is a weekly calendar of all the ways in which your time is already accounted for. You consider not only your timed commitments such as classes and meetings, but also your untimed activities such as meals, exercise, time with friends, and the like. Once you have made your un-schedule, you may be able to see your time is often filled with more activities than you realize, for instance, that you really don’t have five hours to spend writing on the night before your paper is due. Procrastinators’ views of time tend to be unrealistic, and the un-schedule can help you outline a realistic plan. By planning accordingly, you will not only get a better night’s sleep, you may also end up with a better paper.
The un-schedule might also be a good way to get started on a larger project, such as a term paper or an honors paper. You may think that you have “all semester” to get the writing done, but if you really map out how much time you have available to write on a daily and weekly basis, you will see that you need to get started sooner, rather than later. In addition, the un-schedule may reveal especially busy weeks or months, which will help you budget time for long-term projects.
Perhaps most importantly, the un-schedule can help you examine how you spend your time. You may be surprised at how much time you spend watching television, and decide to make a change. It’s especially important that you build time for fun activities into your un-schedule. Otherwise, you will procrastinate in order to steal time for relaxation.
You can also use the un-schedule to record your progress towards your goal. Reward yourself for your small successes. Seeing what you’ve achieved will help reinforce（强化）the productive behavior, and you will feel more motivated in the following process.
As you explore ways to conquer procrastination, don’t expect overnight transformation. You developed the habit over a long time; you aren’t going to stop magically. But you can change the behavior, bit by bit. If you start to make an un-schedule now, you will eventually develop new habits.
63. From Paragraph 2, we can know that procrastinators __________.
A. usually have sleeping problems
B. tend to be unrealistic in daily life
C. spend more time in doing exercise
D. often fail to notice untimed activities
64. Which of the following statements best reflects an un-schedule?
A. “Now I have more time for fun.”
B. “I can start my big project later.”
C. “I’ll treat myself to a movie for my progress.”
D. “I’m going to have more time to finish my paper.”
65. According to the writer, people need to make an un-schedule because of their __________.
A. interests in doing things differently
B. determination to try out new things
C. inability to manage time properly
D. lack of concentration on a project
66. The author writes the passage to __________.
A. show concerns B. offer suggestions
C. express dissatisfaction D. make comments
D
I watch documentaries, not movies. I read history books, not fiction. I use every free moment to accomplish one of the tasks on my never-ending checklist, and I am completely filled with thoughts of productivity. An hour sleeping is an hour wasted. And like the rest of 21st century America, I like it. But this fixation on productivity is increasingly destroying character and transforming men into robots.
New York Times columnist David Brooks warned American University students of this cultural decline in a speech. “We cut off all things spiritual and emotional in a competitive urge to stand out”, he said, “The pressure to succeed professionally, to acquire skills, to do the things you need to do to succeed in an information age economy really became the overwhelming（难以应付的） pressures, and it sort of eclipses the thinking about character and morality.”
Many students happily go to college, viewing it as a next step on their rise to professional achievement. Forcing as many success-building activities into their schedules as they can, they enjoy keeping busy with little sleep. “Today’s outstanding kids are likely to spend their afternoons and weekends shuttling from one skill-improving activity to the next,” Brooks wrote in an article, “We fear failure more than we desire success.”
A century ago, college was about character building. Today, our characters are in decline. We are experts on economics, material things and professional skills. We fail to discuss and understand relationships, emotions and all things spiritual.
Philosopher Karl Popper divided the world into two categories: Clocks and Clouds. Clock problems are those that can be taken apart, examined and solved through deductive reasoning（演绎推理）. Clouds cannot be taken apart. Cloud problems represent whole systems that need to be understood in a different way.
“When we have a Cloud problem, we try to turn it into a Clock problem,” Brooks said. And in a reason-centered culture, adding titles to one’s resume becomes a trend. At American University, 85 percent of seniors (and 89 percent of business majors) graduate with at least one practical experience which is often helpful to a student’s future career, but can sometimes draw focus away from academics.
To prevent the death of man’s character, Brooks urges rediscovering our human natures through falling in love. And by love he means love for a task, job, or another person. “Synchronicity is key to happiness,” he said. Rather than crazily increasing our long lists of accomplishments, we need to lose ourselves in what we do, and success will come on its own.
67. From Paragraph 1, we can learn that people __________.
A. are controlled by time B. are keen on reading books
C. are changing their characters D. are eager to achieve more
68. In Paragraph 2, the underlined word “eclipses” means _________.
A. deletes B. weakens C. worsens D. emphasizes
69. The last paragraph mainly tells us that __________.
A. love is more important than focus
B. the focus on human natures counts
C. more work contributes to happiness
D. success comes from devotion to work
70. The purpose of this passage is to __________.
A. bring awareness to character building
B. stress the importance of productivity
C. warn about the pressure to seek success
D. criticize students’ desire for achievements
