I am one of those people who are terrible at saying no. I take on too many projects at once, and spend too much of my time doing things I’d rather not be doing. I get stuff done, but it’s not always the best I can do, or the best way I could spend my time.
That’s why my newest goal, both as a professional and a person, is to be a quitter.
Being a quitter isn’t being someone who gives up, who doesn’t see important things through to the end. I desire to be the opposite of that. The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there’s no value in what he’s doing, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important.
We get involved in something, realize we don’t want to be a part of it, but keep on going. We say “Well, I’ve already invested so much time in this, I might as well stick it out.” A friend of mine once told me, “I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, even after getting 500 pages into it.” Odd though it sounds, we all tend to do this.
I propose the opposite: quit as often as possible, regardless of project status or time invested. If you’re reading a book, and don’t like it, stop reading. Cut your losses, realize that the smartest thing to do is stop before your losses grow even more, and quit. Instead of reading an entire book you hate, read half of a bad one and half of a good one. Isn’t that a better use of your time?
Step back for a second. Let’s learn how to say “no” at the beginning, or in the middle, and free up more of our time to do the things we’d like to be doing, and the things actually worth doing.
Saying no is hard, and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder. But if we do both, we’ll start to make sure that we’re spending our time creating value, rather than increasing our losses. Let’s be quitters together.
【小题1】The author wants to be a quitter, because he/she        .

I am one of those people who are terrible at saying no. I take on too many projects at once, and spend too much of my time doing things I’d rather not be doing. I get work done, but it’s not always the best I can do, or the best way I could spend my time.

That’s why my newest goal, both as a professional and a person, is to be a quitter.

Being a quitter isn’t being someone who gives up, who doesn’t see important things through to the end. I desire to be the opposite of that. The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there’s no value in what he’s doing, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important.

A friend of mine once told me, “I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, even after getting 500 pages into it.” Strange though it sounds, we all tend to do this. We get involved in something, realize we don’t want to be a part of it, but keep on going. We say “Well, I’ve already invested (投入) so much time in this. I might as well stick it out.”

I propose the opposite: quit as often as possible, regardless of project status or time invested. If you’re reading a book, and don’t like it, stop reading. Cut your losses, realize that the smartest thing to do is to stop before your losses grow even more, and quit. Instead of reading an entire book you hate, read half of a bad one and half of a good one. Isn’t that a better use of your time?

Step back for a second. Let’s learn how to say “no” at the beginning, or in the middle, and free up more of our time to do the things we’d like to be doing, and the things actually worth doing. Saying no is hard, and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder. If we do both, we’ll start to make sure that we’re spending our time creating value, rather than increasing our losses. Let’s be quitters together.

60. The author wants to be a quitter, because he ______.

A. hopes to improve his personality.

B. wishes to have more time for relaxation

C. has found it hard to do several things at one time.

D. expects to make more efficient use of his time.

61. In what circumstances does the author suggest quitting is a good idea?

A. When you feel tired and need a rest.

B. When you know a task cannot be finished.

C. When you realize what you are doing is not worth the time.

D. When you meet with difficulties along the way in your life.

62. If you stop reading a book you hate, the author might think that ______.

A. it’s pity that you have wasted so much time.

B. you are wise to cut your losses.

C. you should finish a book that you have started.

D. you should regret choosing the wrong book.

63. The message the author tries to convey is to _______.

A. create more value                    B. live your life to the fullest

C. learn to say no                       D. stop doing many things at once.

Quit while you're ahead

I am one of those people who are terrible at saying no．I take on too many projects at once, and spend too much of my time doing things I'd rather not be doing．I get work done, but it's not always the best I can do, or the best way I could spend my time．

That's why my newest goal, both as a professional and a person, is to be a quitter．

Being a quitter isn't being someone who gives up, who doesn't see important things through to the end．I aspire （渴望） to be the opposite of that．The quitter I want to be is someone who gets out when there's no value in what he's doing, or when that value comes at the expense of something more important．

A friend of mine once told me, "I knew I was an adult when I could stop reading a book, even after getting 500 pages into it．" Strange though it sounds, we all tend to do this．We get involved in something, realize we don't want to be a part of it, but keep on going．We say "Well, I've already invested so much time in this, I might as well stick it out．"

I propose the opposite: quit as often as possible, regardless of project status or time invested．If you're reading a book, and don't like it, stop reading．Cut your losses, realize that the smartest thing to do is to stop before your losses grow even more, and quit．Instead of reading an entire book you hate, read half of a bad one and half of a good one．Isn't that a better use of your time?

Step back for a second．Let's learn how to say "no" at the beginning, or in the middle, and free up more of our time to do the things we'd like to be doing, and the things actually worth doing． Saying no is hard, and admitting a mistaken yes is even harder．If we do both, we'll start to make sure that we're spending our time creating value, rather than increasing our losses．Let's be quitters together．

60．The author wants to be a quitter, because he _____．

　　　 A．hopes to improve his personality

　　　 B．wishes to have more time for relaxation

　　　 C．expects to make more efficient use of his time

　　　 D．has found it hard to do several things at one time

61．In what circumstances does the author suggest quitting is a good idea?

　　　 A．When you feel tired and need a rest．

　　　 B．When you know a task cannot be finished．

　　　 C．When you meet with difficulties along the way in your life．

　　　 D．When you realize what you are doing is not worth the time．

62．If you stop reading a book you hate, the author might think that ______．

　　　 A．you are wise to cut your losses

　　　 B．it's a pity that you have wasted so much time

　　　 C．you should finish a book that you have started

　　　 D．you should regret choosing the wrong book

63．The message the author tries to convey is to ______．

　　　 A．learn to say no B．live your life to the fullest

C．create more value D．stop doing many things at once

My son and I were trying to sell the house we had repaired，but in the barn(谷仓) there were bats and they would not leave. The barn was their home. They hung there in the barn and seemed determined to stay for the season. “Don’ t worry about it, Dad,” Patrick said, “they keep down the mosquitoes.”

Unfortunately they also kept the buyers away. When we asked a person to sell the house for us, he refused to see it because of the bats. “Bats are popular,” Patrick comforted me, “they’re ecological(生态学的).” “Isn’t there a machine you can buy that has high frequency sounds to keep bats away?” I asked. “I don’t know,” said Patrick, “But I like bats and whoever buys this house will probably like them too.” “How many bats are there, anyway?” “I counted about 90 last night,” said Patrick, “They were dropping out from under the edge of the roof.” “You mean there are more―outside?” “They’re everywhere, Dad. But look at it this way. When the cold weather comes, they’ll be off to Mexico. Maybe in the spring we can keep them out.” he said for the hundredth time. “It’s not a problem. YC”

The bat expert I called was even more active than Patrick. “I think you’ve got a large number there,” he said in wonder, “I’ve been trying to attract bats to our house for 25 years. A single bat eats up his weight in mosquitoes and black flies three times every night. You’ve very lucky man.” I offered to share my luck with him. He could take them away. “bats have a remarkable homing instinct(本能),” he said, “They’d fly straight back even if I transported them 100 miles. Once they have settled, you can’t stop them from coming back.” I was silent.

Finally we managed to rent the house to a young family, who were also interested in buying it. “What about the bats?” I said to Patrick.

“Oh, they love the bats,” he said. “No mosquitoes. No black flies. It’s one of the things that attracted them.” “Do you think they will really buy the house? I asked. “Probably.” “Probably? Well, if they do, I suppose I’ll have to admit that I was wrong.” “You mean you’re going to eat your words? Patrick laughed and asked. “Yes, I am.”

56. What was the problem the author had with his house?

A. Bats were living in the barn and wouldn’t go away.

B. The author and his son couldn’t sleep well because of the bats.

C. The author and his son might be able to stay for the season.

D. The house was still badly in need of repair.

57.What solution did the father and son discuss to stop the bats living in the barn?

A. Buy a high frequency sounds machine.      B. Move them one hundred miles away.

C. Reduce the number of mosquitoes.           D. Close the barn in the spring.

58.Why did the author fall silent when he talked with the bat specialist?

A. He felt sure about the situation.

B. He found out that it would be impossible to remove the bats.

C. He learned that he would be able to share his luck with the expert.

D. He liked the advice given by the expert.

59.What happened to the house in the end?

A. Some people agreed to rent and probably buy the house.

B. The author failed to find anybody who wanted to live in the house.

C. The bat expert made the decision to buy the house.

D. The bats left the house for Mexico in the spring.

60.Why did the author think he might have to “eat his words”?

A. He felt sorry for the bats.

B. He might be mistaken about being unable to sell the house.

C. He realized he might be wrong about the bats’ actions.

D. He was happy about selling the house.