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 perceptionof time. How much time we believe has passed can affect our punctuality. Researchers at San Diego State University conducted a study to figure outhow people measure time. They dividedtest subjects intotwo 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 byafter 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 tochronictardiness.People with anxiety problems may bemore critical ofthemselves; therefore, it takes more time for them to get ready. For example, they may worry about how their outfitlooks, so they need a lot more time to get dressed.
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 yourhome on time. With some self-reflectionand time management, lateness can be a thing of the past.
1. Which word in the passage means “the fact of arriving or doing something at the expected time”?(簡答)
_______________________________________
2-3. Fill in the blanks with the information contained in the passage.(填空題)
Type
Personality
How They Measure Time
Type A People
are ___2___ and have a strong wish to be successful
Type A people felt a minute had passed ___3___ than what Type B felt.
Type B People
are creative, reflective, and explorative
4. Check (✓) the people who are likely to have a problem with being on time.(勾選題)
Statement
Check
Ed is a teacher. He spends lots of time preparing his teaching materials.
Amy is an artist. She’s much more creative than other people.
Sally is a student. Her clocks are set 20 minutes fast.
Willy is an office worker. He feels that minutes pass slower than they actually do.
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
divide
[dɪˋvaɪd]
vt. & vi. （使）劃分 / 分開；除以
n. 分歧
Divide the pizza into eight slices, please.
請把披薩分成 8 片。
These books divide into three categories.
這些書分成 3 個種類。
If you divide 8 by 4, you get 2.
8 除以 4 得 2。
There is a political divide between the two families.
這 2 個家庭之間在政治方面的看法分歧。
多益綠色
英檢初級
高中 Level 2
●
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。
●
perception
[pɚˋsɛpʃən]
n. 感知，感覺（不可數）；洞察力（不可數）； 觀點（可數）
I’m not very good at parking the car because I have a poor sense of perception.
我不太擅長停車，因為我的感知力很差。
Rachel has excellent powers of perception for such a young girl.
對這麼年輕的女孩來說，瑞秋有極佳的洞察力。
My perception of the meaning of life is different from yours.
我對生命意義的觀點和你的不同。
高中 Level 5
●
explorative
[ɛkˋsplorətɪv]
a. 探索的
●
chronic
[ˋkrɑnɪk]
a. 慢性的
Kevin has been suffering from chronic arthritis for two years.
凱文罹患慢性關節炎已經兩年了。
