Sam Trafton was my violin teacher and what he said during one of my lessons often came back to me years later.
One day he asked me how much practicing I was doing, I said three or four hours a day.
“Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?”
“I try to.”
“Well, don’t,”he shouted.“When you grow up, time won’t come in long stretches.Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them, five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks.Spread the practice through the day, and the violin playing will become a part of your life.”
When I was teaching at Boston, I wanted to write a novel, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings.For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time.Then I remembered what Sam had said.During the next week I conducted an experiment.Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so.To my surprise, at the end of the week I had finished a chapter.Later on I continued my novels by the same piecemeal method.Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, every day there were unoccupied moments that could be caught and put to use.I even took up violin-playing again, finding that the short moments of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and violin practice.
There is an important trick in this time-using formula:you must get into your work quickly.If you have but five minutes for writing, you can’t afford to waste for chewing your pencil.You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes.Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.
I admit I have never learnt how to let it go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes.But life can be counted on to supply interruptions.Sam Trafton has had a great influence on my life.To him I owe discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I plunge in without delay.
(1)
The underlined part“counted on”can probably be replaced by ________.
[ ]
A.
expected
B.
valued
C.
concentrated on
D.
enriched
(2)
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
[ ]
A.
Sam owes great thanks to the writer for teaching him how to use time.
B.
Sam has had a great influence on the writer’s life since he became a student of the violinist.
C.
Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine.
D.
The writer didn’t take the teacher’s words to heart at first.
(3)
We can infer that the writer ________.
[ ]
A.
has new books published each year however busy his teaching is
B.
is always able to find enough time for mental preparations beforehand, so he devoted to work instantly.
C.
has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels.
D.
is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy
PITTSBURGH-For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening.But Howie Choset sees in their delicate movements a way to save lives.
The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots he hopes will eventually slide through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies.
Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass.-based company that publishes an online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows.He said there are other snake-like robots being developed, mainly at universities, but didn’t know of one that could climb pipes.
The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be controlled with a joystick(操纵杆).They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos, commonly used by hobbyists in model airplanes.
Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller.They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added.
Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras attached to extendable roles.
“It just allows us to do something we’ve ot been able to do before, ” Stover said, “We needed them yesterday.”
He said sniffer dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access to damaged building.
Stover, among the rescue workers who handled the aftermath(后果)of Hurricane Katrina, said snake robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster.
Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding.
(1)
Which institution is responsible for the development of Choset’s robots?
[ ]
A.
Robotics Trends.
B.
Pittsburgh City Council.
C.
Carnegie Mellon University.
D.
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(2)
Choset believes that his invention _______.
[ ]
A.
can be attached to an electronic arm
B.
can be used by hobbyists in model airplanes
C.
can find victims more quickly than a sniffer dog
D.
can sense its way no better than its operators
(3)
By saying “We needed them yesterday”(Paragraph 7), Stover means that snake-like robots _______.
[ ]
A.
could help handle the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
B.
would have been put to use in past rescue work
C.
helped rescuers search flooded houses yesterday
D.
were in greater need yesterday than today
(4)
What is the text mainly about?
[ ]
A.
Snake-like robots used in industries.
B.
Snake-like robots made to aid in rescues.
C.
The development of snake-like robots.
D.
The working principles of snake-like robots.
阅读理解
Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food
9∶00-9∶45 a.m.Blue Tent
Panelists(成员):Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer.
Hosted by Denise Grady, science writer for The New York Times.
How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world?The food and nutrition experts debate the role that the diet plays in both personal and global health, and present a look at food politics.
Sports Writing:For the Love of the Game
9∶50-10∶35 a.m.Blue Tent
Panelists:Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape.
Hosted by William C.Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times.
Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience.Listen as some professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news.
The Art of the Review
11∶15-12∶00 a.m.Green Tent
Panelists:John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler.
Hosted by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review.How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales?Join this group of critics(评论家)as they discuss the reality of book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review.
New York Writers, New York Stories
3∶00-3∶45 p.m.Green Tent
Panelists:Cindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss.
Hosted by Clyde Haberman, columnist(专栏作家)for the City Section of The New York Times.
Join this inspiring group of New York-centric writers as they talk about why New York is a gold mine of ideas for their work.
(1)
If you are free in the afternoon, you can attend ________.
[ ]
A.
The Art of the Review
B.
New York Writers, New York Stories
C.
Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food
D.
Sports Writing:For the Love of the Game
(2)
Sam Tanenhaus is in charge of ________.
[ ]
A.
The Art of the Review
B.
Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food
C.
New York Writers, New York Stories
D.
Sports Writing:For the Love of the Game
(3)
All the four activities above ________.
[ ]
A.
are about writing
B.
will last 45 minutes each
C.
can be attended freely
D.
will attract many readers
(4)
We can learn from the text that ________.
[ ]
A.
sports writers are a type of audience
B.
the New York Times is popular
C.
Denise Grady will discuss politics
D.
book reviews may affect book sales
阅读理解
Below is a web page from http://www.tvguide.com/.
Tonight's TV Hot List:Sunday January 31, 2010
Grammy Awards 8/7c CBS
Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are ready to take home a lot of hardware tonight as they lead all artists with 10 and eight nominations.The ladies also perform, along with fellow Album of the Year nominees the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and the Dave Matthews Band.In addition, Bon Jovi, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Maxwell, Pink and Zac Brown Band will also take the stage.But perhaps the most expected moment is the Michael Jackson tribute(吊唁礼物), which features the 3-D mini-movie "Earth Song" and will be highlighted by performers Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher.
Maurer 9/8c NBC
A mysterious company named Sabre, headed by an attractive, stubborn CEO(Kathy Bates), appears out of nowhere and buys out(买断股份)Dunder Mifflin.As Michael is unwilling to follow Sabre's new policies, Andy and Erin write a welcome song to greet the company.Meanwhile, Pam and Jim hope to get accepted into a desired local day-care center.
Surviving Survivor 8/7c CBS
It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the first season of Survivor.But tonight ten of the game's most iconic players, including previous winners Richard Hatch, Parvati Shallow and Tom Westman, discuss the series in detail and provide insights into how the game is actually played and the impact it's had on their lives.In addition, updates on beloved former castaways, like Ethan Zohn, Rupert Boneham and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, are given.
Private Practice 10∶01/9∶01c ABC
So Maya's pregnant and wants to have the baby.What to do now? Dink(Stephen Lunsford), the boy who did his part to get her into this mess, has a solution:He wants to marry her.You can imagine how Sam and Naomi will feel about that.And if that won't raise the histrionic level enough for you, how about this:A couple has two dying daughters, and only one can be saved.Their choice.And Brian Benben is back, so expect more Pete-Violet- Sheldon angst.
(1)
Edna is crazy about pop stars, so she will most likely choose ________ to enjoy.
[ ]
A.
Grammy Awards
B.
Maurer
C.
Surviving Survivor
D.
Private Practice
(2)
From the passage, we can learn that Dunder Mifflin is ________.
[ ]
A.
a CEO
B.
a company
C.
an employee in the company
D.
a piece of office equipment
(3)
According to the passage, Surviving Survivor is most probably ________.