I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with
the easy carelessness of youth. But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me
years later, and ever since have been of great value to me.
Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I
was doing. I said three or four hours a day.
"Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?"
"I try to."
"Well, don't," he exclaimed. "When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life."
When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said. During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, in every day there were idle moments which could be caught and put to use. I even took up piano--playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and piano practice.
There is an important trick in this time--using formula: you must get into your work quickly. If you have but five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil. You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes. Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.
I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes. But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. Carl Walter has had a tremendous influence on my life. To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I plunge(投入)in without delay.
1.The meaning of “stretch” in the underlined part is the same as that in sentence “ ”.
A.The forests in the north of the province stretch for hundreds of miles.
B.Bob worked as a government official for a stretch of over twenty years.
C.My family wasn’t wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.
D.During his senior year his earnings far enough to buy an old car.
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A.The writer didn’t completely take the teacher’s words to heart at first.
B.Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer's life since he became a student.
C.The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches.
D.Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine.
3.We can infer that the writer .
A.has new books published each year however busy his teaching is
B.is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy
C.has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels
D.can find sufficient time for mental preparations beforehand, so he's devoted to work instantly
4.What is the best title of this passage?
A.Concentrate on Your Work B.A Little at a Time
C.How I Became a Writer D.Good Advice Is Most Valuable
科目:高中英語 來源:河北省石家莊市2010屆高三第二次模擬考試 題型:填空題
根據對話內容。從對話后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。并在答題卡
上將該項涂黑。選項中有兩項為多余選項。
一Hi, Bob.Would you like to go swimming this afternoon?
一I wish I could. 1.I have to write a composition. It must be handed in next Monday morning.
一Oh, is that for Mr.Smith’s class?
一Yes, I hav to study a long peom. 2.
一That’s hard.
一And besides, I also have to prepare myself for math and history. You know, math is especially hard for me. 3.
一Take it easy, Bob. I’ve beendoing well in math. 4.
一Oh, that will be great, Mary.
一All right! 5.
一OK, I’ll meet you in front of the library.
一Good luck to you.
A.We can start right when I’m back from swimming.
B.So I don’t know how I’m going to do it at all.
C.And I can help you with your history.
D.But I have to spend the rest of the day in the library.
E.So I’ll be happy to help you.
F.My teacher asked me to read it in class next week.
G.When will I start to help you with your math?
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:
第二節(jié) 根據對話內容。從對話后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。并在答題卡
上將該項涂黑。選項中有兩項為多余選項。
一Hi, Bob.Would you like to go swimming this afternoon?
一I wish I could. 61 I have to write a composition. It must be handed in next Monday morning.
一Oh, is that for Mr.Smith’s class?
一Yes, I hav to study a long peom. 62
一That’s hard.
一And besides, I also have to prepare myself for math and history. You know, math is especially hard for me. 63
一Take it easy, Bob. I’ve beendoing well in math. 64
一Oh, that will be great, Mary.
一All right! 65
一OK, I’ll meet you in front of the library.
一Good luck to you.
A.We can start right when I’m back from swimming.
B.So I don’t know how I’m going to do it at all.
C.And I can help you with your history.
D.But I have to spend the rest of the day in the library.
E.So I’ll be happy to help you.
F.My teacher asked me to read it in class next week.
G.When will I start to help you with your math?
查看答案和解析>>
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