We all have friends who are late for everything. You tell them to arrive at seven, and they arrive at seven-thirty or later. Or maybe the late one in your friend group is you. What makes it so hard to arrive on time? There are many factors behind why some people seem constantly late for every event.
When it comes to time management, one of the most fundamental skills we rarely think about is our perception of time. How much time we believe has passed can affect our punctuality. Researchers at San Diego State University conducted a study to figure out how people measure time. They divided test subjects into two groups based on their personality: Type A people, who had traits of being ambitious and competitive, and Type B people, who were more creative, reflective and explorative. They found that Type A people felt a minute had gone by after about 58 seconds, while Type B people felt a minute had passed after roughly 77 seconds. This discovery meant that Type B people believed they had more time than they actually did, which, more often than not, made them late.
There are also mental factors that can contribute to chronic tardiness. People with anxiety problems may be more critical of themselves; therefore, it takes more time for them to get ready. For example, they may worry about how their outfit looks, so they need a lot more time to get dressed.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock 照片: Shutterstock 提供
But how can one overcome lateness? For one, you can set all the clocks in your home 15 minutes fast. Adding 15 minutes to the time you need to get ready is also helpful. That way, you’ll hopefully leave your home on time. With some self-reflection and time management, lateness can be a thing of the past.
我們都有凡事都會遲到的朋友。你告訴他們七點抵達,而他們七點半或更晚才到。又或者也許你就是你朋友圈裡遲到的那個人。是什麼讓準時到達如此困難?為何有些人似乎不斷在每個場合上都遲到,背後有很多因素。
一說到「時間管理」,我們很少想到的最基本技能之一就是我們的時間感。我們認為已經經過了多少時間會影響我們的準時性。聖地牙哥州立大學的研究人員進行了一項研究,以了解人們如何測量時間。他們根據測試對象的性格將其分為兩組:A型人,具有雄心勃勃和好勝心的特質;B型人,較具創造力、深思性和探索性。他們發現,A型人在大約五十八秒後感覺一分鐘過去了,而B型人則是在大約七十七秒後感覺一分鐘過去了。這一發現意味著B型人認為他們擁有比實際上更多的時間,這往往使他們遲到。
還有一些心理因素會導致長期遲到。有焦慮問題的人可能會對自己更挑剔,因此需要更多時間做好準備。舉例來說,他們可能會擔心自己的衣服看起來如何,所以他們需要更多的時間來著裝。
但一個人要如何克服遲到呢?其一,你可以將家中所有的時鐘調快十五分鐘。將你所需的準備時間增加十五分鐘也很有幫助。那樣一來,你將有望準時出門。透過一些自我反省和時間管理,遲到就有可能成為往事。
What Did You Learn?
1. Which word in the passage means “the fact of arriving or doing something at the expected time?”(簡答題)
2. Check the people who are likely to have a problem with being on time.
Statement (Check)
(A) Ed is a teacher. He spends lots of time preparing his teaching materials.
(B) Amy is an artist. She’s much more creative than other people.
(C) Sally is a student. Her clocks are set 20 minutes fast.
(D) Willy is an office worker. He feels that minutes pass slower than they actually do.
答案︰1. punctuality 2. (B), (D)
Words in Use
1. constantly adv. 不斷地,經常地
Mike is constantly asking people for favors.
麥克不斷要求別人幫他的忙。
2. fundamental a. 基本的,根本的
You should learn some fundamental rules of grammar when learning a new language.
學習一種新語言時,你應該學一些基本文法規則。
3. rarely adv. 很少,鮮少
Hank rarely exercises, so he is getting fatter.
漢克很少運動,所以變得越來越胖。
4. conduct vt. 進行(調查、實驗等)
The researchers conducted a survey on people’s eating habits.
那群研究人員對人們的飲食習慣進行了一項調查。
5. measure vt. 測量;衡量
Regular tests are needed to measure the students’ progress in learning. 需要定期的考試來衡量學生在學習中的進步情況。
Practical Phrases
1. figure out. . . / figure. . . out
了解/弄清楚……
Ada tried to figure out why Bob was mad.
艾達試著弄清楚鮑伯生氣的原因。
2. divide A into B 將A 分成B
Mr Lin divided the class into two groups.
林老師把全班分成兩組。
3. go by (時間)逝去
As time went by and I grew up, I learned to make decisions by myself.
隨著時間流逝我長大了,我學會了自己做決定。
4. more often than not 往往,通常
Getting out of bed in the morning is, more often than not, a struggle for me.
對我而言,早上要從被窩裡爬起來往往是一番掙扎。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
Bye, Lightning cable. Hello, USB-C. Apple is ditching its in-house iPhone charging plug and falling in line with the rest of the tech industry by adopting a more widely used connection standard. A big part of the reason is a European Union common charging rule that’s coming soon for the 27-nation bloc. Here’s a look at the USB-C plug and what it means for consumers: WHAT IS USB-C AND HOW CAN I TELL IT APART FROM OTHER PLUGS? The first part of the acronym stands for Universal Serial Bus, and it replaces earlier versions of the USB cables used on everything from printers and
A: More and more department stores are opening soon. In Taipei’s east district, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi’s Diamond Towers are to launch a trial run tomorrow. B: And in New Taipei’s Xindian District, Yes! Life Yulon City shopping mall featuring Asia’s largest Eslite Bookstore will also start a trial operation next week. A: There are so many department stores. B: Yeah, in Taipei’s Xinyi District alone, there are Shin Kong’s A4, A8, A9 and A11, Breeze Xinyi, Songgao, Nanshan, Far Eastern Xinyi, Eslite Xinyi, Uni-Ustyle, Belavita, ATT and Taipei 101. A: Well, let’s go window shopping then! A: 又有更多的百貨公司要開幕啦,台北市東區的新光三越「雙子星鑽石塔」,明天起將展開試營運。 B:
交通規則是每個人日常生活不可避免的一部分,不明所以的上路出門將承擔人身安全風險或錢包遭殃的代價。交通情境更是TOEIC常考的內容之一。透過這次的交通新制上路,我們從規則、罰款和駕照三大部分來學TOEIC常考字吧! 交通規則說法 交通規則英文一共有三種說法,分別是traffic laws、traffic regulations、traffic rules。 1. laws是法律,所以traffic laws指的就是和交通相關的法律條文。2. regulation則是來自於regulate(規範),因為交通有各式各樣的行為都是受到規範的,所以可以用traffic regulations來表示交通規則。但其實regulation最常見的用法還是一些相關部門或企業的principles or regulations governing conducts(希望大家遵守的行為方式)。3. 而英文字rules,和交通相關的詞就是traffic rules,這個字也較常搭配比賽使用,例如contest rules或game rules。 The newly amended air pollution law has aroused wide controversy. (新修訂的空污法激起了廣泛的爭議。) Many financial leaders around the globe are calling for stricter regulations for crypto currencies. (全球許多的金融領袖正呼籲對加密貨幣進行更嚴格的規範。) Tabletop games with complex rules are not for beginners. (具有複雜規則的桌遊不適合新手。) 守規則與違規 守規則有兩個主要的英文說法是follow與obey,follow來自於跟從,obey的原意是服從,所以當我們跟從或服從特定的規定,自然就是遵守規則。而違規也有最基本的三種英文說法,分別是break、violate和offend。 這三個英文單字,最口語的說法是break(打破),但要特別注意break the rule(打破常規)也可以是正面意思。而違規較正式的說法是violate,它來自於拉丁文的violatus,與violence(暴力)是同一個語源。若你想把這個單字背起來,你可以把violate想像成是使用暴力時侵犯到某些規則。另外,動詞offend(冒犯)可以用來表達違規,但在使用時通常要轉化成為名詞,例如traffic offender。 Sometimes it pays off to break the rules. (有時打破常規是會值得的。) The new business idea may violate international law. (這個新的商業想法可能會違反國際法。) Habitual traffic offenders should receive more severe punishments. (交通慣犯應該接受更為嚴厲的處罰。) 處罰英文怎麼說? 被抓到違規後當然要接受處罰啦,由於交通處罰大多是用罰款來處理,所以最常用的字就是fine。Fine當成形容詞的意思是「好的」,如It’s a fine day,但當成動詞或是名詞時的意思則是「罰款」。 The company is facing a huge fine for violating several trade regulations. (該公司因為違反數條貿易規範而面臨巨額罰款。) 除了fine之外,處罰也可以penalty來表示。Penalty這個字相信最近會被許多人討論,因為世足賽上的「罰12碼球」就稱為Penalty kick,也就是PK(一對一挑戰)的由來。除了足球,在日常生活中遇到任何的違規被罰,只要是「付出代價」性質的都可以用penalty來表示。 The train company will hike the penalty on
If you are looking for some adventure along with physical challenges, you may want to give “bouldering” a try. This activity involves free climbing on small rock formations or __1__ rock walls. Bouldering, which literally means climbing on boulders, doesn’t need ropes or harnesses that are necessary for rock climbing. Bouldering only requires a minimal amount of __2__ such as climbing shoes, some chalk, and safety mats. A bouldering wall is no higher than five meters, so bouldering can be done both indoors and outdoors. What’s more, climbers are __3__ to solve problems by using their strength, technique, and balance