Question

Imagine that your boss has asked you to prepare an important presentation for the next board meeting. You only have a few days to put it together,your workload is already high,and you have many other urgent tasks on your To-Do List. Because of this,you're anxious,you can't concentrate,and everything seems to distract you. 1       The Urgent/Important Principle helps you quickly identify the activities that you should focus on,as well as the ones you should ignore.

1. Important and Urgent There are two distinct types of urgent and important activities：ones that you could not have foreseen,and others that you've left until the last minute. 2       However,you can't always predict or avoid some issues and crises. Here,the best approach is to leave some time in your schedule to handle unexpected issues and unplanned important activities.

2. Important but Not Urgent These are the activities that help you achieve your personal and professional goals,and complete important work.

Make sure that you have plenty of time to do these things properly,so that they will not become urgent. 3      

3. Not Important but Urgent Urgent but not important tasks are things that prevent you from achieving your goals. Ask yourself whether you can reschedule or delegate (委派任务) them.

4          Sometimes it's appropriate to say "no" to people politely,or to encourage them to solve the problem themselves.

Alternatively,try to have time slots when you are available,so that people know they can speak with you then.

4. Not Important and Not Urgent

 5       You can simply ignore or cancel many of them. However,some may be activities that other people want you to do,even though they don't contribute to your own desired outcomes. Again,say "no" politely,if you can,and explain why you cannot do it.

Schedule your tasks and activities based on their importance and urgency. When you use this principle to prioritize your time,you can deal with truly urgent issues,at the same time working towards important,longerterm goals.

   A. This will maximize your chances of keeping on track.

   B. You can eliminate lastminute activities by planning ahead.

   C. A common source of such activities is other people.

   D. These activities are just distractions (分散精力的事情) 一avoid them if possible.

   E. To use this principle,list all of the activities and projects that you feel you have to do.

   F. So,how can you beat this stress,and deliver the things that are essential to doing a good job?

   G. Also,remember to leave enough time in your schedule to deal with unforeseen problems.

1.                  2.                  3.                  4.       5.       

Answer 1

有很多工作有待完成，如何分清主次和轻重缓急呢？本文中的"紧急/重要原则"教大家识别哪些事情真正重要，哪些则可以忽略。

1. F本句承上启下。第一段假设了一个工作场景，最后引出"紧急/重要原则"。"this stress" 栺的就是场景中因为事情没有头绪而带来的压力。此处还通过提问引出解决方法。

2. B B选项中"last minute"与上文呼应。

3. G上文提到确保预留足够的时间避免不紧急的事情变成紧急的事情。

G选项的"also"体现了一种递进关系，进一步说明要预留时间处理可能出现的新问题。

4. C下文提到对别人说不，呼应了这一句里的"other people"。选项中的"such activities"指的就是本段所说的紧急但不重要的事情。

5. D本段小标题是第四类事情——既不紧急也不重要的事，这类事情没有价值。下文也提到"ignore"和"cancel",与D选项中的"avoid" '呼应。