英语口语教程(中级) UNIT 13-16

Oral Workshop   Discussion Lesson13(TextB)- Lesson16(Additional) ;

[00:14.66]lesson 13     Text B ;

[00:18.13]Dear Doctor: ;

[00:20.86]I am forty-seven years ld,male,and of average height and weight. ;

[00:25.84]My health generally seems quite good except for one problem. ;

[00:30.30]I wake up every morning feeling tired-- ;

[00:32.77]so tired that I can hardly get out of bed. ;

[00:35.49]All day at work I fight this tired feeling,just dragging myself around. ;

[00:40.78]When I get home from work around 5.30,I have a good dinner with my family ;

[00:45.32]and then sit down to read the newspaper. ;

[00:47.59]But before I have finished reading the front page, ;

[00:50.06]I fall asleep in my chair and often sleep until 8.30 or 9.00 p.m. ;

[00:55.09]When I wake up from this nap,I feel wonderful. ;

[00:58.32]I'm full of energy and ready to do a day's work. ;

[01:00.99]But at that hour there is nothing to do but watch television, ;

[01:03.96]which I do until after midnight. ;

[01:06.18]Even at midnight I still do not feel sleepy, ;

[01:09.30]but I know I ought to get a good night's rest, ;

[01:11.82]so I take a sleeping pill and go to bed. ;

[01:14.64]It's often two o'clock n the morning before the pill puts me to sleep. ;

[01:18.32]Just a few hours after hat I have to drag myself out of bed again to go to work. ;

[01:22.91]All day I feel too tired to work. ;

[01:25.58]I just drag myself around until it's time to go home. ;

[01:29.31]Do you think there might be something wrong with my blood? J.T.L. ;

[01:33.69]When this letter appeared in the DEAR DOCTOR column of a newspaper, ;

[01:38.33]the doctor's reply was printed below it. ;

[01:41.10]Here is what the doctor answered: Dear Mr L.: ;

[01:45.94]I don't think there is anything wrong with your blood. ;

[01:49.21]The key to your problem is that long nap after dinner. ;

[01:53.19]If you didn't sleep for hours during the early part of the evening, ;

[01:57.12]you would be more ready to sleep at bedtime. ;

[01:59.49]If you didn't nap after dinner,you would not want to stay up so late, ;

[02:03.47]and you would not feel the need to take a sleeping pill. ;

[02:06.44]The pill is still working in your system when you get up in the morning. ;

[02:09.77]This helps account for the fact that you feel tired all day. ;

[02:13.35]You should get out of the habit of sleeping during the evening. ;

[02:16.72]Right after your evening meal, ;

[02:18.33]engage in some sort of physical activity --a sport such as bowling,perhaps. ;

[02:22.87]Or get together with friends for an evening of cards and conversation. ;

[02:26.70]Then go to bed at your usual time or little earlier, ;

[02:30.33]and you should be able to get a good night's rest without taking a pill. ;

[02:34.21]If you can get into the habit of spending your evenings this way, ;

[02:37.84]I am sure you will feel less tired during the day. ;

[02:40.56]At first it may be hard for you to go to sleep without taking a pill. ;

[02:44.29]If so,get up and watch television ;

[02:46.86]or do some jobs around your house until you feel sleepy. ;

[02:50.03]If you fall asleep and then wake up a few hours later, ;

[02:53.41]get up but do not take a sleeping pill. ;

[02:56.43]Read a while or listen to the radio, and make yourself a warm drink. ;

[03:00.56]Eat a sandwich or a cookie.Then go back to bed. ;

[03:04.24]Even if you get only a few hour's sleep that night, ;

[03:07.06]you will feel better in the morning than you usually feel after taking a pill. ;

[03:11.14]The next night you will be ready to sleep at an earlier hour. ;

[03:15.73]The most important thing is to avoid taking that nap right after dinner ;

[03:20.67]and to avoid taking pills. ;

[03:23.69]    Lesson 13     Additional     Information ;

[03:27.12]Yesterday's drizzle did not ;

[03:29.53]dampen Beijingers' enthusiasm in events marking the ;

[03:32.33]first national dental care day. ;

[03:34.65]People of all ages crowded around medical xperts who answered questions about ;

[03:39.34]dental care, and about tooth- brushes and toothpaste. ;

[03:42.49]A girl in her 20's approached the consulting desk ;

[03:45.67]set by the Oral Medical College ;

[03:47.80]of the Beijing University of Medical Sciences at the Xidan crossroad. ;

[03:52.24]She wanted to know if there was anything wrong with her teeth. ;

[03:55.81]The girl dreamed about losing all her teeth,and, worse yet, ;

[04:00.50]her teeth ached when she awoke every morning. ;

[04:03.52]After examining her mouth,a consultant said her teeth looked all right. ;

[04:08.26]Sometimes,however, tension makes peoples' teeth ache. Relax,she was told. ;

[04:14.66]And if that does not help,get a thorough dental examination. ;

[04:18.89]Young parents wanted to know how to keep their children's teeth healthy. ;

[04:23.32]One by one,the doctors answered their questions ;

[04:26.26]and outlined the best solutions for them. ;

[04:28.64]More than 500 medical specialists from 18 districts ;

[04:33.07]and suburban counties across the municipality ;

[04:36.30]as well as over 200 teachers and students from the Oral Medical College ;

[04:41.04]of the Beijing University of Medical Sciences ;

[04:43.45]took part in the sidewalk consultations. ;

[04:46.28]And about 47 consulting stations were set up in major streets ;

[04:51.27]and the four big department stores at downtown Xidan, Wangfujing,Dongsi ;

[04:56.40]and the Dong'an Market.In addition to offering suggestions, ;

[05:00.79]the medical workers also brought with them some simple medical equipment ;

[05:04.62]for fast dental checks and tooth-paste nd tooth-brushes for sale. ;

[05:09.35]Posters and propaganda blackboards were also set up ;

[05:12.94]in most primary and middle schools in Beijing. ;

[05:15.58]"I never thought there ould be so much scientific knowledge on tooth brushing," ;

[05:19.91]said a middle-aged man. ;

[05:21.47]"National Dental Care day has taught me ;

[05:23.70]how important it is to take care of my teeth and how to do it,"he said. ;

[05:27.70]According to information from the ;

[05:29.80]National Dental Diseases Prevention Group, ;

[05:32.10]similar activities were conducted yesterday ;

[05:34.52]in most of the country's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. ;

[05:39.16]"A massive campaign to teach people how to care for their own teeth ;

[05:43.64]is the best way for China to deal with dental diseases ;

[05:46.67]in the face of a shortage of dental medical workers," ;

[05:49.44]Chen Minzhang, Minister of public Health said on Tuesday ;

[05:53.17]at a symposium on dental care in Beijing Stomatological ospital. ;

[05:57.75]At present,almost half of ;

[06:00.42]the population is suffering from dental caries (cavities.) ;

[06:04.15]While the figure is even higher among children, ;

[06:07.17]80 percent of urban children have dental caries ;

[06:10.15]and 60 percent are so afflicted in rural areas. ;

[06:13.88]In some cities,the rate with children may each as high as more than 90 percent. ;

[06:20.22]The minister also pointed out ;

[06:22.79]that dental care should be taught in primary and middle schools ;

[06:25.92]and the vast rural areas ;

[06:27.73]in order to raise the whole nation's dental care standards. ;

[07:09.66]Lesson 14 ;

[07:12.78]  What Sports Do     They Enjoy?     Text A ;

[07:18.32]Not all people like to work but everyone likes to play. ;

[07:23.46]All over the world men and women and boys and girls enjoy sports. ;

[07:28.10]Since the days of long ago, ;

[07:30.21]adults and children have called their friends together to spend hours, ;

[07:33.54]even days,playing games.Sports help people to live happily. ;

[07:38.73]They help to keep people healthy and feeling good. ;

[07:41.90]When they are playing games, people move a lot. ;

[07:45.03]This is good for their health. ;

[07:46.74]Having fun with their friends makes them happy. ;

[07:49.61]Many people enjoy sports by watching others play. ;

[07:53.39]In small towns, crowds meet to watch the bicycle races or the soccer game. ;

[07:58.18]In the big cities, ;

[07:59.65]thousands buy tickets to see an ice-skating show or a baseball game. ;

[08:04.05]What games have you played?What are your favorite sports now? ;

[08:08.64]You probably play the games that people in your town or city play. ;

[08:12.31]Is the climate hot where you live? ;

[08:14.43]Then swimming is probably one of your sports. ;

[08:17.05]Boys and girls in Australia love to swim. ;

[08:19.62]There are wonderful beaches there and the weather is good for swimming. ;

[08:23.30]Or do you live in a cold climate? Then you would like to ski. ;

[08:28.34]There are many skiers in Austria where there re big mountains and cold winters. ;

[08:32.72]Does it rain often where you live? ;

[08:34.54]Then kite flying would not be one of your sports. ;

[08:37.21]It is one of the favorite sports of Thailand. ;

[08:39.98]Surfing is an important sport in Hawaii. ;

[08:43.50]The Pacific Ocean sends huge waves up on the beaches, ;

[08:46.93]waves that are just right for surfing. ;

[08:49.15]But you need to live near an ocean to ride the waves and enjoy surfing. ;

[08:53.33]People in Switzerland love to climb the wonderful mountains of their country. ;

[08:57.81]Mountain climbing and hiking are favorite sports here. ;

[09:01.04]But there can be no mountain climbing where there are no mountains. ;

[09:04.92]Sports change with the season. ;

[09:07.59]People often do not play the same games in winter as in summer. ;

[09:11.42]Sailing is fun in warm weather, ;

[09:13.54]but when it gets cold it's time to change to other sports. ;

[09:17.01]People talk about sports' seasons. ;

[09:20.24]Baseball is only played for a few months of the year. ;

[09:23.31]This is called "the baseball season". ;

[09:26.64]    Text B ;

[09:29.86]Have you ever wondered ow some people can break bricks with their bare hands? ;

[09:35.76]People who can do this kind of thing are experts in Karate. ;

[09:40.09]They are called "Karatekas". ;

[09:42.61]Let's try to find out how karatekas could do such things. ;

[09:46.49]We wanted to learn if they were especially strong ;

[09:49.56]and we got some surprising answers! ;

[09:52.08]Believe it or not, Karatekas aren't stronger than ordinary people-- ;

[09:56.47]they just have more courage! ;

[09:58.73]A Karate expert strikes hard objects like bricks or plates ;

[10:03.97]with the small bone in his wrist, opposite the thumb. ;

[10:07.15]Speed is essence of this sport. ;

[10:09.57]But the strange thing is that untrained men ;

[10:12.34]can break hard objects in the same way just as well as Karatekas.Of course, ;

[10:17.28]Karatekas practise a lot and they have a layer of hard skin round their wrists. ;

[10:21.46]Though they have this advantage over ordinary people, ;

[10:24.23]it's basically just a question of willpower--at least, ;

[10:27.91]that's what you can tell your mother ;

[10:29.72]after you've experimented on a few dinner plates! ;

[10:33.95]    Lesson14    Additional   Information ;

[10:37.84]The Football Match ;

[10:40.36]This is John Roberts reporting from Cardiff. ;

[10:43.28]The result of the match which finished at four this afternoon etween ;

[10:46.50]France and Wales was a draw.Neither side scored. ;

[10:50.08]The Dutch referee did not allow the one goal which France managed to kick. ;

[10:54.31]The reason for this was that French player was unfortu- natetely off side. ;

[10:58.14]So both teams went home disappointed. ;

[11:00.81]This means that neither the French nor the Welsh team will reach first place ;

[11:04.84]in this international competition. ;

[11:07.51]However,I can say that the spectators were delighted with the game. ;

[11:11.39]They particularly admired the French forwards, ;

[11:13.86]who were always fast and often threatened the Welsh defence. ;

[11:17.04]Once it looked as though the Welsh goalkeeper was in serious trouble. ;

[11:20.51]He dived to his right to save a shot from the French centre forward ;

[11:23.46]and crashed his head against the goal post. ;

[11:25.33]A doctor examined him but he soon began to play again. ;

[11:28.45]Of course the large, friendly crowd applauded him. ;

[11:31.57]Wales will certainly welcome another visit from this splendid team. ;

[12:14.25]Lesson 15 ;

[12:17.03]  Remembering My    Grandparents     Text A ;

[12:22.72]When memory began for me,my grandfather was past sixty-- ;

[12:27.71]a great tall man with thick hair becoming gray. ;

[12:31.74]He had black eyes and a straight nose which ended in a slightly flattened tip ;

[12:36.88]Once he explained seriously to me that he got that ;

[12:39.69]flattened tip as a small child when he fell down and stepped on his nose. ;

[12:43.68]The little marks of laughter at the corners of his eyes ;

[12:47.23]were the product of a kindly and humorous nature. ;

[12:50.31]The years of work which had bent his shoulders ;

[12:53.08]had never dulled his humour nor his love of a joke. ;

[12:56.50]Everywhere he went, "Gramp" made friends easily. ;

[13:00.99]At the end of half an hour you felt you had known him all your life. ;

[13:04.87]I soon learned that he hated to give orders,but that when he had to, ;

[13:10.31]he tried to make his orders sound like suggestions. ;

[13:14.09]One July morning,as he was leaving to go to the cornfield,he said: ;

[13:19.43]"Edwin,you can pick up the potatoes in the field today if you want to do that. ;

[13:24.47]Then he drove away with his horses. ;

[13:27.64]The day passed,and I did not have any desire to pick up potatoes. ;

[13:32.48]Evening came and the potatoes were still in the field. ;

[13:35.96]Grampa,dusty and tired,led the horses to get their drink. ;

[13:40.29]"How many bags of potatoes were there?" Gramp inquired. ;

[13:43.82]"I don't know." "How many potatoes did you pick up?" "I didn't pick any." ;

[13:49.11]"Not any!Why not?" "You said I could pick them up if I wanted to. ;

[13:53.69]You didn't say I had to." ;

[13:56.11]In the next few minutes I learned a lesson I would not forget: ;

[14:00.60]when Gramp said I could if I wanted to,he meant that I should want to. ;

[14:06.39]Gram hated cruelty and injustice. ;

[14:10.17]The injustices of history,even those of a thousand years before, ;

[14:14.35]angered her as much as the injustices of her own day. ;

[14:18.13]She also had a deep love of beauty.When she was almost seventy-five, ;

[14:23.68]and had gone to live with one of her daughters, ;

[14:25.74]she spent a delightful morning washing dishes because, ;

[14:28.41]as she said,the beautiful patterns on the dishes gave her pleasure. ;

[14:32.34]The bird,the flowers,the clouds-- ;

[14:36.02]all that was beautiful around her--pleased her. ;

[14:39.40]She was like the father of the French painter,Millet, ;

[14:42.57]who used to gather grass and show it to his son,saying, ;

[14:45.85]"See how beautiful this is!"In a pioneer society ;

[14:50.78]it is the harder qual-ities of mind and character that are of value. ;

[14:54.77]The softer virtues are considered unnecessary. ;

[14:58.39]Men and women struggling daily to earn a living are unable, ;

[15:02.57]even for a moment,to forget the business of preserving their lives. ;

[15:06.71]Only unusual people,like my grandparents, ;

[15:10.39]manage to keep the softer qualities in a world of daily struggle. ;

[15:15.63]Such were the two people with whom I spent the months from June to September ;

[15:20.67]in the wonderful days of summer and youth. ;

[15:24.75]    Text B ;

[15:28.37]He always rose early to enjoy at least ;

[15:31.99]two hours of solitude in the house and garden ;

[15:34.55]before the rest of the family came down. ;

[15:37.12]In winter he spent most of the time reading and writing. ;

[15:41.20]In summer he liked to get out of doors to work in the kitchen garden ;

[15:45.28]or to take the dog for a walk in the neighbouring woods and fields. ;

[15:48.96]Whatever the weather,there was plenty to occupy him. ;

[15:52.33]Although he was a creature of habit, ;

[15:54.45]there seemed to be an infinite variety in his pursuits. ;

[15:58.33]He wrote book reviews regularly for two of the national weeklies. ;

[16:02.51]He worked conscientiously on his special subject, Indian History, ;

[16:06.75]and was thus one of the world authorities on it; ;

[16:09.57]he collected modern abstract paintings ;

[16:11.88]and so had a circle of friends amongst artists and sculptors; ;

[16:15.26]there was hardly anything he did not know about traditional jazz ;

[16:18.48]and he often entertained both British and American jazz musicians. ;

[16:22.47]He was a superb cook and knew a lot about French and German food. ;

[16:27.71]His family adored him and in a sense he was spoiled by them. ;

[16:31.94]At first glance you would have taken him for a retired army officer-- ;

[16:35.72]his bearing was erect,his hair was cut short, ;

[16:38.74]he was fussy about his clothes,which were lways neat,clean and conventional. ;

[16:43.78]He liked to keep fit, ;

[16:45.75]and this was reflected n his clear,steady blue eyes and healthy suntanned complexion. ;

[16:51.29]He hardly ever watched TV, ;

[16:54.06]but enjoyed a good film and an occasional evening at the theatre. ;

[16:58.75]   Lesson 15   Additional   Information ;

[17:01.47]The elderly who find great rewards  and satisfactions in their later lives ;

[17:06.81]are a small minority in this country. ;

[17:09.07]But they do exist. They are the "aged elite". ;

[17:14.06]What is most striking about these people is their capacity for growth. ;

[17:19.05]When Arthur Rubinstein was eighty, ;

[17:21.37]someone told him that he was playing the piano better than ever. ;

[17:25.05]"I think so," he agreed."Now I take chances I never took before. ;

[17:30.04]I used to be so much more careful. No wrong notes.Not too bold ideas. ;

[17:35.58]Now I let go and enjoy myself and to hell with everything except the music!" ;

[17:40.16]Another reason for the success of the aged elite ;

[17:42.99]are the traits they have formed earlier in their lives. ;

[17:46.16]A sixty-eight-year --old woman,three times married and widowed,says, ;

[17:50.54]"it's not just what you do when you're past sixty-five. ;

[17:54.12]It's what you did all your life that matters. ;

[17:57.25]If you've lived a full life,developed your mind, ;

[18:00.77]you'll be able to use it past sixty-five. ;

[18:03.90]Let the young people put that in their soup and eat it." ;

[18:08.03]Along with frankness comes humor. ;

[18:11.66]A sense of humor, of course, ;

[18:13.82]is not something that suddenly arrives at age sixty-five. ;

[18:17.55]It is an aid people use all their lives to cope with tension. ;

[18:21.63]"Humor." says Dr James Birren, noted psychologist," ;

[18:25.62]also leads you to join with other people." ;

[18:28.49]The ability to associate with others is another trait of the aged elite. ;

[18:33.17]"There are two ways to deal with stress,"says Birren. ;

[18:36.65]"You either reach out or withdraw. The reachers ;

[18:40.63]seek out other people to share their problems instead of pulling away." ;

[18:44.91]Growing,active, humorous, sharing-- ;

[18:49.00]these are all qualities that describe the aged elite. ;

[19:32.68]Lesson 16 ;

[19:35.81]How to Improve Your    Study Habits     Text A ;

[19:40.69]Maybe you are an average student with an average intellect. ;

[19:45.83]You pass most of your subjects. ;

[19:48.25]You occasionally get good grades,but they are usually just average. ;

[19:52.13]You are more interested in hiking than in history, ;

[19:54.80]and in sports than in scholarship. ;

[19:56.87]The fact is that you don't study very much. ;

[19:59.84]You probably think you will never be a top student. ;

[20:03.32]This is not necessarily so, however. ;

[20:06.54]Anyone can become a better scholar if he or she wants to. ;

[20:10.77]It is true that you may not be enthusiast- ic about everything that you study, ;

[20:14.71]but by using your time properly ;

[20:16.77]you may improve you grade without additional work. Here's how: ;

[20:21.61]1.Plan your time   carefully.   When you plan   a trip, ;

[20:28.06]one of the first things you must do is to make a list of things to take. ;

[20:32.24]If you don't you are almost certain to leave something important at home. ;

[20:36.68]When you plan your week,you should make a list of things that you have to do. ;

[20:41.06]Otherwise,you may forget to leave enough ime to complete an important task. ;

[20:45.64]After making the list,you should make a schedule of your time. ;

[20:49.68]First fill in committed time--eating sleeping,dressing, school,meeting,etc. ;

[20:56.98]Then decide on a good,regular time for studying. ;

[21:00.51]Be sure to set aside enough time ;

[21:02.92]to complete the work that you are normally assigned each week. ;

[21:05.77]Of course,studying shouldn't occupy all of your free time. ;

[21:10.31]Don't forget to set aside enough time for entertainment, hobbies, ;

[21:14.29]and maybe just relaxation. ;

[21:16.20]A weekly schedule may not solve all your problems, ;

[21:19.83]but it will force you to realize what is happening to your time. ;

[21:24.01]2.Find a good place   to study. ;

[21:28.80]Look around the house for a good study area. ;

[21:32.03]Keep this space, which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, ;

[21:36.01]free of everything but study materials. No games,radios,or television! ;

[21:41.75]If you can't find such a place at home,find a library where you can study. ;

[21:46.29]When you sit down to work,concentrate on the subject! ;

[21:49.71]And don't go to the place you have chosen unless you are ready to study. ;

[21:54.10]3.Scan before you   read. ;

[21:58.28]This means looking a passage over quickly ;

[22:01.66]but thoroughly before you begin to read it more carefully. ;

[22:04.65]Scanning a passage lets you preview the material ;

[22:07.93]and get a general idea of the content. ;

[22:10.10]This will actually allow you to skip less mportant material when you begin to read ;

[22:14.68]Scanning will help you double your reading speed ;

[22:17.35]and improve your comprehension. ;

[22:19.97]4.Make good use of   your time in   class. ;

[22:25.11]Take advantage of class time to listen to everything the teacher says. ;

[22:29.39]Sit where you can see and hear well. ;

[22:32.32]Really listening in class means less work later. ;

[22:35.84]Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says. ;

[22:39.32]When the teacher gets off the subject,stop taking notes. ;

[22:43.60]5.Study regularly.   When you get home   from class,go over   your notes. ;

[22:50.56]Review the important points that your teacher mentioned in class. ;

[22:54.29]Read any related material in your textbook. ;

[22:57.46]If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day, ;

[23:00.53]scan and read that material,too. ;

[23:03.10]This will help you understand the next class. ;

[23:06.13]If you do these things regularly, ;

[23:08.29]the material will become more meaningful, ;

[23:10.46]and you will remember it longer. ;

[23:13.43]6.Develop a good   attitude about   tests. ;

[23:18.47]The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. ;

[23:22.50]The world won't end if you don't pass a test,so don't get overly worried. ;

[23:27.09]Tests do more than just provide grades; ;

[23:30.56]they let you know what you need to study more, ;

[23:33.18]and they help make your new knowledge permanent. ;

[23:36.71]There are other techniques that might help you with your studying. ;

[23:39.94]Only a handful have been mentioned here. ;

[23:42.20]You will probably discover many others after you have tried these. ;

[23:47.34]    Text B ;

[23:50.32]Some kind of planning is essential. ;

[23:54.15]For one thing it reveals whether you really have enough to say on the topic ;

[23:58.03]you have chosen while there is still time to change to another topic. ;

[24:01.45]It is also  important ;

[24:03.22]because it stimulates your ideas and helps to fix them in your mind. ;

[24:06.90]Without some notes to help you, ;

[24:08.76]you may find that you begin writing with several ideas in your head ;

[24:12.03]but you forget some of them as you are writing. ;

[24:15.26]When you have chosen your topic, ;

[24:17.12]and perhaps have a general idea of your theme, ;

[24:19.49]make quick short notes of all the ideas that come into your head. ;

[24:23.22]Remember that these should be notes--words r phrases--not sentences, ;

[24:29.72]which would slow you down. ;

[24:31.74]As you do this you will find that new ideas will come to you, ;

[24:35.57]for one idea leads to another. ;

[24:37.98]This should not take more than ten minutes, ;

[24:40.45]for in an examination you have no time to waste. ;

[24:44.08]If you have not yet decided on your main theme,you can do so now, ;

[24:48.36]and then on the main idea of each paragraph. ;

[24:50.88]You may have to rearrange your ideas, ;

[24:53.30]to decide which paragraphs they will fit into, ;

[24:55.67]and which ideas will be left out altogether. ;

[24:58.84]It is for you to decide how detailed your plan should be. ;

[25:03.03]If you are good at writing,and have had plenty of practice, ;

[25:06.50]probably only a few brief notes will be necessary,but if you are not, ;

[25:10.64]then you may require a more detailed plan. ;

[25:13.41]But remember that even the best writers need to make some notes ;

[25:16.98]if they are going to produce a well-organized piece of writing. ;

[25:20.34]You will of course be given marks for the arrangement of your ideas. ;

[25:24.17]With your plan in front of you, ;

[25:26.18]you should be able to write your composition. ;

[25:28.90]There should be no need to write a rough version first, ;

[25:32.08]then correct it and make a final copy. This is a waste of time. ;

[25:37.32]   Lesson16    Additional    Information ;

[25:40.69]There is a lot of misunderstanding about studying. ;

[25:44.62]Most students have not een taught the ;

[25:47.12]principles behind really effective working. ;

[25:49.99]Above is a graph showing the amount a person learns against ;

[25:53.74]the number of hours he works in a day. ;

[25:56.24]If he doesn't do any work,he learns nothing (point 0). ;

[26:01.35]If he does an hour's work he learns a certain amount (point 1). ;

[26:06.54]If he does two hours' work he learns about twice as much (point 2). ;

[26:12.79]If he does more work he'll learn still more (point 3). ;

[26:18.03]Now,if he tried to do 23 and 1/2 hours' work in 24, ;

[26:23.82]he'll be so exhausted that he'll hardly remember anything: ;

[26:27.45]what he learns will be very little (point 4). ;

[26:31.79]If he did less work he'd learn more (point 5). ;

[26:37.18]Now whatever the exact shape of this curve,it must have a crest. ;

[26:43.02]Point X is the very maximum anyone can learn in the day. ;

[26:47.36]And this represents the optimum,the best,amount of work to do. ;

[26:51.79]It is the best possible compromise between ;

[26:54.67]adequate time at the books and fatigue. ;

[26:57.41]Fatigue is an absolutely real thing; ;

[27:00.68]one can't escape it or try to ignore it. ;

[27:03.15]If you try to,if you press yourself to work past the optimum ;

[27:07.18](and any fool can prop his eyelids up and do 14 hours a day), ;

[27:10.86]you can only get on this downward slope and achieve less than the best-- ;

[27:15.25]and then get exhausted and lose your power of concentration. ;

[27:19.33]The skill in being a student consists in getting one's daily study ;

[27:24.03]as near the optimum point as possible. I cannot tell you what the optimum is. ;

[27:29.13]It differs with the type of work,it differs from person to person, ;

[27:33.31]and even is the same person it varies from week to week. ;

[27:37.09]You must try to find your own. ;

[27:40.27]Every day you study,bear this principle of the optimum in mind. ;

[27:45.00]When you feel yourself getting fatigued, ;

[27:47.52]if you find yourself repeatedly reading over ;

[27:50.05]the same paragraph and not taking it in, ;

[27:52.44]that's a pretty good sign you've reached the crest for the day and should stop. ;

[27:56.62]Most ordinary students find their optimum at about five hours a day. ;

[28:01.51]Yours may be a little more or a little less-- ;

[28:04.53]but if you get in five hours' good work a day,you will be doing well. ;

[28:08.66]Now,what are you doing with yourself when you aren't working? ;

[28:12.84]Before examinations ;

[28:14.56]some students do nothing at all except sit in a chair and worry. ;

[28:17.78]Here is another misunderstanding. ;

[28:20.15]People too easily think of the mind as if it worked like the body,it does not ;

[28:25.29]If one wanted to conserve physical energy ;

[28:27.81]to cut the maximum amount of firewood, ;

[28:29.97]one would flat on a bed and rest when one wasn't chopping. ;

[28:33.70]But the mind cannot rest. ;

[28:36.32]Even in sleep you dream,even if you forget your dreams. ;

[28:40.10]The mind is always turning. ;

[28:42.47]It gets its relaxation only by variety. ;

[28:46.20]That is what makes mental rest. ;

[28:49.43]When you've finished your optimum hour age you must stop. ;

[28:53.46]You must not then sit around in the chair thinking abut the work- ;

[28:57.69]that only tires without any learning. ;

[29:00.01]You must get out and do something. ;

[29:02.78]It doesn't matter what-anything ;

[29:05.20]so long as you are actively doing something else but work. ;