Tired of bad handwriting, Richie decided to perfect his penmanship (书法) last January. Though the year progressed, his writing didn’t. “My penmanship just got worse,” he says. “I get tired of trying to write neatly.”
Like Richie, many teenagers make resolutions in the New Year. More than half of Americans say they make a New Year’s resolution – but only one-third of them keep to it, reports the University of North Carolina, US.
Demanding (追求) perfection stops people working on their resolutions, says Chicago life coach Alison Miller.
Resolutions sometimes can be unrealistic (不现实).. Going for a goal that’s too hard to achieve can leave a person feeling sad. “Saying ‘I’m going to look like a super-model’ is going to make you unhappy,” she says.
Sure, it’s a great idea to aim for improvement, but not all resolutions are helpful. The difference between good and bad resolutions is whether you expect too much from yourself, Miller says. For example, it’s OK to say, “I’m going to eat fewer French fries,” but striving (力争) for a perfect body isn’t reasonable.
Timing can also damage a resolution. Kevin M., 16, says he doesn't set resolutions because 12 months is unrealistic. “It’s too long and you start putting off keeping your resolution during summer,” he says.
He’s considering a career in music, but says school is his main focus. Knowing how hard he has to work, he says he’ll “be lucky to get 30 minutes a day” of practice. But a bit is better than nothing, and making reminders can help you make progress. Miller says teenagers should write down their goals and say to themselves, “What can I do today to make my goal a reality?”
“It’s just small steps along the way. It’s not about doing it all at once,” Miller says.
【小题1】What’s the writer’s purpose by talking Richie in the first paragraph?A．To advise people to keep their New Year’s resolutions.B．To show that some people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions.C．To tell readers why Richie isn’t a good hand writer.D．To show why New Year’s resolutions are important.【小题2】Many Americans stop working on their New Year’s resolutions because .A．they think it is silly to make resolutions B．they find keeping resolutions is boringC．the time of keeping resolutions is too shortD．their choice of resolution turns out to be unrealistic【小题3】Which of the following statements would Miller probably agree with?A．Teenagers should set themselves perfect goals.B．To achieve your goals, you needn’t write them down.C．People should try to realize their goals step by step.D．A good resolution helps people realize their possibility.B
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(答案→)B
解析：这篇短文中作者引用美国北卡罗来纳大学的一篇报告，很多美国年轻人无法坚持自己的新年计划。作者详细分析了这些问题的原因，主要就是不太现实。同时告诉我们，实现目标，应该逐步进行。
【小题1】通过阅读这一段可知里奇的新年计划坚持不下去了，故选B，有人无法坚持他们的新年计划了。
【小题2】根据Resolutions sometimes can be unrealistic (不现实).. Going for a goal that’s too hard to achieve can leave a person feeling sad.描述，这些人的新年计划往往不现实，故选D。
【小题3】根据“It’s just small steps along the way. It’s not about doing it all at once,” Miller says.及上文描述，可知米勒认为人们应该逐步实现他们的目标。故选C。