The advantages of using flashcards to build up a vocabulary are well known. You can buy sets of cards, or make your own, and carry them with you wherever you go. There’s no question this is useful and because you can use them in short bursts, it’s not too much for you. It can be fun. I don’t recommend drilling for hours at a time with flashcards.

If you want to use flashcard software, things get even better. There are many packages out there for maintaining and drilling flashcards. I recommend VTrain though there are many others.

One stands out, however: SuperMemo. Similar to Pimsleur, SuperMemo is engineered according to a carefully researched methodology (方法学) in order to test you on a card the very minimum number of times you need to see it for it to stick. When you look at a card, you give some feedback to the software on whether you got it right and how easy you found it. It uses this information, and that of your previous attempts, to decide when you will be shown the card next. It’s smart and it really works.

If you’re like me, the news is even better! I have a version of SuperMemo that runs on my PalmOS phone. Wherever I am, if I have my phone handy, I have thousands of flashcards with me too. Honestly, it would be worth purchasing a cheap Palm device only for this. You can pick one up for $20 or even less on eBay or elsewhere. Consider it, at least.

1.With SuperMemo, whether the next card will be shown depends on ________.

A. the time you look at the card

B. the information in the computer

C. the feedback one gives to the software

D. the times one attempts to do with a card

2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Using cards to study can be very tiring.

B. Don’t need to study with flashcards too long at a time.

C. There is not enough flashcards software at present.

D. Flashcard software can be carried wherever you go.

3.What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?

A. To introduce to us a way to build up a vocabulary.

B. To teach us how to make flashcards.

C. To suggest us buying flashcards.

D. To tell us how to use flashcard software.

How to Study Smarter, Not Harder

Here are some of our favorite study tips that will help any student study smarter, not harder:

Recite As You Study

Reciting—saying things out loud should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Test yourself. This will help you to understand as well as learn faster because it is more active than reading or listening. It will also help you to notice your mistakes and the topics you have trouble understanding.

Take Fuller Notes

Notes should be in your own words, brief and clear. They should be tidy and easy to read. Writing notes will help you better than just underlining as you read, since it forces you to rewrite ideas in your own words.

Study the Middle

The best time to review is soon after you’ve learned something. You are more likely to remember the material at the beginning and the end of the lesson, so make sure you focus on the middle when you review.

Sleep On It

Study before going to bed, unless you are very tired. It’s easier to remember material you’ve just learned before sleeping than after an equal period of daytime activity, because your brain continues to think even after you’ve fallen asleep.

Combine Memory and Understanding

There are two ways to remember: by memorizing and by understanding. Multiplication tables, telephone numbers, and math formulas are better learned by rote. Ideas are best learned by understanding.

The more ways you have to think about an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the learning, the better you can remember it. Pay attention to similarities in ideas and concepts, and then try to understand how they fit in with things you already know. Never be satisfied with anything less than a completely clear understanding of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the thought, go back to the place where you first got confused and try again.

1.You can notice your mistakes by ________.

A. saying things out aloud

B. taking notes

C. studying the middle

D. sleeping on it

2.When taking notes, you should ________ to better help you with reading.

A. underline important notes

B. write notes in your own words

C. take down every detail

D. write as quickly as possible

3.The writer advises you to ________ as it is easier for you to remember material.

A. study after a period of activity

B. do some exercise after studying

C. study as soon as you get up

D. study before going to sleep

4.Which of the following is NOT helpful for your understanding?

A. Thinking about an idea in different ways.

B. Relating ideas and concepts with what you already know.

C. Reading from the beginning to the end without stop.

D. Going back to what first made you confused and start again.

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Weighing the Options

Making decisions when shopping is often a tough call. Even if you’re satisfied with the first dress you try on, would you go on looking for alternatives, comparing styles and prices, until literally dropped dead?

Psychology researchers have studied how people make decisions and concluded there are two basic styles. “Maximizers” like to take their time and weigh a wide range of options—sometimes every possible one—before choosing. “Satisficers” would rather be fast than thorough.

16. __________ So even if they see what would seem to meet their requirements, they can’t make a decision until after they’ve examined every option to make sure that they’re making the best possible choice. Researchers followed 548 job-seeking college seniors at 11 schools from October through their graduation in June. They found that the maximizers landed better jobs. 17. _________

“The maximizer is kicking himself because he can’t examine every option and at some point had to just pick something,” they say. “Maximizers make good decisions and end up feeling bad about them. 18. _________

Satisficers also have high standards, but they are happier than maximizers. Maximizers tend to be more depressed and to report a lower satisfaction with life, their research found.

Faced with so many choices in our lives, we need to learn how not to waste time and energy on our decision-making.

19. ________ For instance, if you’re picking a restaurant for a lunch meeting, first deciding on a certain part of town or type of cuisine can narrow your options.

Once you’ve arrived at a decision, stick with it. 20. __________ To limit the number of options you can set a time limit for decision-making. Say you are buying a new bag, you could spend an amount of time studying features, price and value—but if you give yourself only five minutes to make a decision, and there are only these bags you can consider, you’ll save time. You’ll be happier with your decision, too.

A. The other is to make decisions more accurately at the beginning.

B. Satisficers make good decisions and end up feeling good.

C. First of all, decrease your range of options.

D. Comparing is often a must when you make a decision.

E. Maximizers are people who want the best.

F. Just accept that no decision is ever completely perfect.

G. Their starting salaries were 20 percent higher but they felt worse about their jobs.

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