There is a lot of misunderstanding about studying. Most students have not been taught the principles behind really effective working. Imagine a graph showing the amount a person learns against the number of hours he works in a day. If he doesn’t do any work, he learns nothing (point 0). If he does an hour’s work he learns a certain amount (point 1). If he does two hours’ work he learns about twice as much (point 2). If he does more work he’ll learn still more (point 3). However, if he tries to do twenty-three and a half hours’ work in a day, he will be so tired that he’ll hardly remember anything: what he learns will be very little (point 4). If he did less work he’d learn more (point 5).

Now whatever the exact shape of the graph’s curve(曲线), made by joining these points, it must have a high point. Point “X” is the very maximum anyone can learn in the day. And this represents the optimum(最适度), the best, amount of work to do. It is the best possible compromise between adequate time at the books and fatigue(劳累). Fatigue is an absolutely real thing; one can’t escape it or ignore it. If you try to ignore it and press yourself to work past the optimum, you will only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best – and then become very tired and lose your power of concentration.

The skill in being a student consists of getting one’s daily study as near the optimum point as possible. I cannot tell you what the optimum is. It differs with the type of work, it differs from person to person, and even in the same person it varies from week to week. You must try to find your own. Every day you study, bear this principle of the optimum in mind. When you feel yourself getting fatigued, if you find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over again and not taking it in, that’s a pretty good sign you’ve reached your highest point for the day and should stop. Most ordinary students find their optimum at five hours a day. Yours may be a little more or a little less – but if you get in five hours’ good work a day, you will be doing well.

Now, what are you doing with yourself when you aren’t working? Before examinations some students do nothing at all except sit in a chair and worry. Here is another misunderstanding. People often think that the mind works like the body; it does not. If one wanted to save one’s physical energy in order to cut the maximum amount of firewood, one would lie flat on a bed and rest when one wasn’t chopping. But the mind cannot rest. Even in sleep you dream, even if you forget your dreams. The mind is always turning. It gets its relaxation only by variety. That is what makes the mind rest.

When you’ve finished your optimum number of hours you must stop. You must not then sit around in the chair thinking about the work – that only tires without any learning. You must get out and do something. It doesn’t matter what – anything so long as you are actively doing something else but work.

1.According to the passage, _______.

2.Fatigue can result in ________.

3.The passage tells us that a person’s optimum number of working hours _______.

4.The only way the mind can relax is by ________.

5.After you have reached the optimum point of study in a day, you should ________.

   Winter’s short days are more than cold. For many people, winter depression, the most common type of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is as much a part of the season as hats and scarves.

       Winter serious SAD sufferers may need medical treatment. Those feeling a little depressed can help themselves by sticking to a healthy lifestyle. Here are some tips:

       Pace yourself. Don’t expect to do everything you normally can. Set a realistic schedule. Don’t listen to negative thinking, like blaming yourself or expecting to fail.

       Get involved in activities that make you feel good or feel like you’ve achieved something. For example, play table tennis or badminton.

      If you are feeling depressed, you may feel like staying away from friends. Yet this is a time when friends’ support can be helpful. Call them regularly. Remember, the more we put off calling or visiting a friend, the harder it is to rebuild a friendship.

       Think clearly about what’s wrong or right. Instead of giving in to vague(含糊的) feelings of sadness, look at your problems objectively. Break down problems into specific issues that you can work on.

       Regular exercise helps to prevent and ease depression.

       Eat well. Studies show that a healthy diet can help to maintain a healthy body and mind. The vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients found in a balanced diet may help our bodies to produce feel-good hormones. Foods containing chemicals to help produce feel-good hormones include bananas, turkey, nuts and seeds. Eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day.

       P.S. Symptoms of SAD:

       No interests or pleasure in things you used to enjoy

       Increased need for sleep

       A change in eating habits, especially an appetite for sweet or starchy (含淀粉的) foods

       Weight gain

       A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

       A drop in energy level

       Difficulty in concentrating

       Overly emotional

       Avoidance of friends and social situations

       Frequent feelings of guilt

       Long-term feelings of hopelessness, and physical problems, such as headaches

The writer of the passage agrees that      .

       A. the cold in winter makes us suffer from SAD

       B. hats and scarves are as important as SAD

       C. everyone of us meets SAD in winter

       D. we are depressed mainly because of short days in winter

When we pace ourselves, we      .

       A. don’t do anything we can        B. expect to succeed in nothing    

C. make a practical plan D. think something of guilt

The passage includes the following EXCEPT      .

       A. the earlier we meet friends, the easier it is to rebuild a friendship

       B. playing table tennis helps us achieve whatever we want

       C. if we give in to unclear feelings of sadness, we’ll be caught in the SAD

       D. feel-good hormones from a balanced diet can help keep a healthy body

 How to Fight Winter Blue

Winter’s short days are more than cold. For many people, winter depression, the most common type of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is as much a part of the season as hats and scarves.

Winter serious SAD sufferers may need medical treatment. Those feeling a little blue can help themselves by sticking to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some tips:

Pace yourself. Don’t expect to do everything you normally can. Set a realistic schedule. Don’t listen to negative thinking, like blaming yourself or expecting to fail.

Get involved in activities that make you feel good or feel like you’ve achieved something. For example, play table tennis or badminton.

If you are feeling depressed, you may feel like staying away from friends. Yet this is a time when friends’ support can be helpful. Call them regularly. Remember, the more we put off calling or visiting a friend, the harder it is to rebuild a friendship.

Think clearly about what’s wrong or right. Instead of giving in to vague feelings of sadness, look at your problems objectively. Break down problems into specific issues that you can work on.

Regular exercise helps to prevent and ease depression.

Eat well. Studies show that a healthy diet can help to maintain (keep) a healthy body and mind. The vitamins, minerals and micro—nutrients found in balanced diet may help our bodies to produce feel-good hormones(荷尔蒙). Foods containing chemicals to help produce feel-good hormones include bananas, turkey, nuts and seeds. Eat at least five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day.

P.S.  Symptoms(症状) of SAD:

No interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy.

Increased need for sleep.

A change in eating habits, especially an appetite for sweet or starchy(含淀粉的) foods.

Weight gain

A heavy feeling in the arms or legs

A drop in energy level

Difficulty in concentrating

Overly emotional

Avoidance of friends and social situations

Frequent feelings of guilt

Long-term feelings of hopelessness, and physical problems, such as headaches

1.The writer of the passage agrees that             .

2.We may infer that       , according to the passage.

3.．When we pace ourselves, we                     .

4.The underlined expression “ease depression” in the passage probably means “        ”

5.The passage includes the following except             .