Sometimes it seems that time is flying. Perhaps it doesn’t need to feel this way. Our experience of time can be possibly changed. By understanding the psychological (心理学的) processes behind our different experiences of time, we might be able to slow down time a little.
One basic law of psychological time is that time seems to slow down when we’re exposed(接触) to new environments and experiences. The law is caused by the relationship between our experience of time and the amount of information our minds process. The more information our minds take in, the slower time seems to pass.
It follows, then, that we have different experiences of time in different situations. In some situations, our life is full of new experiences. Our minds process a lot of information and time seems to slow down. In other situations, we have fewer new experiences and the world around us becomes more and more familiar(熟悉的). We become insensitive to our experience, which means we process less information, and time seems to speed up.
How can we slow down time? Here are two suggestions.
Firstly, since we know that familiarity makes time pass faster, we can expose ourselves to as many new experiences as possible. We can give ourselves new challenges, meet new people, and expose our minds to new information, hobbies and skills. This will increase the amount of information our minds process and expand (增加) our experience of time.
Secondly, and perhaps most effectively, we can give our whole attention to an experience-to what we are seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling or hearing. This means living through our senses rather than through our thoughts. For example, on the way home, focus your attention outside of yourself, instead of thinking about the problems you have to deal with. Look at the sky, or at the buildings you pass, traveling among them. This open attitude to your experiences helps take in more information and also has a time-expanding effect.
To a certain degree, we can understand and control our experience of time passing. It’s possible for us to slow down time by expanding our experience of time.
27．According to the writer, we can expand our experience of time by .
A．going to bed on time B．traveling to new places
C．having dinner as usual D．printing the same materials
28．What can we learn from the passage?
A．Being familiar with the world around helps us get more information.
B．Understanding psychological time makes life pass more quickly.
C．We can take in more information by living through our senses.
D．We should build a stronger relationship between time and us.
29．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Slow Down Time B．Only Time Will Tell
C．Race Against Time D．Time Will Not Come Twice
27．B
28．C
29．A
【解析】
你知道吗？我们对时间的体验是可以改变的。根据心理学上的一个基本规律：当我们接触新的环境和经历时，时间好像就会慢下来。怎样让时间慢下来呢？短文中给了我们两条建议。
27．推理判断题。根据文意和短文第二段One basic law of psychological time is that time seems to slow down when we’re exposed(接触) to new environments and experiences.可知，当我们接触新环境和经历时，时间好像会变慢。结合选项：A是“按时上床睡觉”；B是“去新的地方旅行”；C是“像往常一样吃晚饭”；D是“打印相同的材料”。故应选B。
28．推理判断题。根据短文第六段Secondly, and perhaps most effectively, we can give our whole attention to an experience-to what we are seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling or hearing. This means living through our senses rather than through our thoughts.可知，通过我们的感官，我们可以吸收更多的信息。故应选C。
29．主旨大意题。根据短文第一段Our experience of time can be possibly changed.；再根据第二段One basic law of psychological time is that time seems to slow down when we’re exposed(接触) to new environments and experiences.以及第四段How can we slow down time? Here are two suggestions.可知，短文先告诉我们“时间的体验是可以改变的”，然后从心理学的角度解释了其中的原理，并对如何使时间变慢提出了建议。因此整篇文章都是围绕Slow down time展开的，故选A最合适。
阅读短文，根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
It’s always challenging to face fear. Here are some ways to help you overcome（克服）it.
Breathing
As we know, breathing can help us relax. If you purposely breathe out longer than you breathe in, your body will calm down. If you start to feel fearful, try this. Take a breath in (to a count of 7 in your mind), and then slowly breathe out (to a count of 11 in your mind). To your surprise, if you do this for a minute or so, you’ll calm down quickly. We call this "7/11 breathing".
Using a different part of your brain
When we feel fearful, it’s harder to think clearly. But if we force ourselves to use the part of thinking brain, this will help to calm us down. The easiest way to do this is with numbers. You can set your own fear from l to 10, 10 being the worst state and 1 being the most relaxed state. When you’re feeling fearful, ask yourself; “Okay, what grade do I get right now? 7 or 5?” Just doing this will reduce fear because it starts the thinking brain. Once I gave a speech to three hundred people and I felt fearful. So I graded myself at 6, and waited for myself to go down to 3 before starting. I took control.
Getting control of your imagination
Imagine seeing yourself in the situation you were scared, but see yourself being calm and things going well. Doing this starts to recondition your mind to more calmly face the coming events which were causing fear.
It seems that overcoming fear is always the first step to finish all you need to do and it will help you devote yourself to what you really want to be and to do. It takes efforts, but it’s worth your try.
| 59． to overcome fear | |||
| Introduction | It’s challenging to face fear in your life. | ||
| Ways | Breathing | To calm down, you can breathe out 60． than you breathe in. You’ll be 61． that you’ve calmed down very quickly if you take 7/11 breathing. | |
| Using a different part of your brain | You can set ten 62． for your own fear with numbers. Grading your state of mind helps 63． the thinking brain and make you 64． fearful. | ||
| Getting control of your imagination | Imagine you’re in a bad 65． but you feel calm and things go well. It can help you feel 66． to face the coming events. | ||
| Conclusion | To finish all you need to do, you must overcome fear 67． It’s worth 68． though it takes efforts. | ||
