山東新泰第一中學(xué) 仲 寧

Let me just start by saying，I'm not what you would consider a morning person．I'm not a terrible dragon by any means．But，with three kids，a dog，a job and an active life，I have to admit that I like my sleep．

My husband was reading a book recently about the power of a morning routine．I asked him to share the summary of what he learned．It all sounded great；but the idea of sticking to a lengthy morning routine or getting up an hour early to do a variety of things makes me want to go right back to bed.We only have so much “bandwidth” and willpower in a day，and personally，I don't want to use it all up by 7 am．

When I asked what he had done with this book's great suggestions，the answer was nothing．He loved the ideas and concepts but hadn't changed anything in his life．

This is the thing about most advice(on any topic really)．It's not that it doesn't work；it's that it doesn't work for everybody．Any habit you are trying to change or create needs to take into account your unique personality，lifestyle and challenges．

Have you ever set out with great intentions to do something—a new diet，exercise regimen （生活規(guī)則） or morning routine，only to fall flat on your face a few days or weeks later?Then what?You beat yourself up that you didn't do it“right”．

Here's the thing．You haven't failed；you have just found something that doesn't work for you．And now，it's time to find something that does．What works for a friend，colleague or spouse will not necessarily work for you．

There is a perfect morning routine that will make you happy and productive all day—you just have to find yours．As Hal Elrod，author of The Miracle Morning，says， “Focused，productive successful mornings produce focused，productive，successful days—which naturally create a successful life．”

Reading Check

1．What can we infer from the author's husband's story?

A．He is a very cautious person．

B．He is more of a talker than a doer．

C．He dislikes doing a variety of things．

D．He doesn't get along well with his wife．

2．What does the underlined phrase “fall flat on your face” mean?

A．Fail．

B．Struggle．

C．Continue．

D．Hesitate．

3．What's the author's suggestion on building a habit?

A．Everyone should have his own habit．

B．Develop a routine to make starting easier．

C．Focus on the habit first and the results later．

D．Start with an exercise that is ridiculously small．

Language Study

Difficult sentence

It all sounded great；but the idea of sticking to a lengthy morning routine or getting up an hour early to do a variety of things makes me want to go right back to bed．

【翻譯】_____________________________________________________________________________

【點(diǎn)石成金】本句是并列句，轉(zhuǎn)折連詞but連接兩個(gè)分句，第二個(gè)分句的主語是the idea，want to go right back to bed是省略了動(dòng)詞不定式符號(hào)to的短語作賓語補(bǔ)足語。