Finding the Real You

    Psychometric testing—personality testing—has been very popular nowadays as studies show their results to be three times more accurate in predicting your job performance. These tests are now included in almost all graduate recruitment (招聘) and are widely used in the selection of managers.

    The most popular of these personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It is based on the theory that we are born with a tendency to one personality type which stays more or less fixed throughout life. You answer 88 questions and are then given your “type”, such as Outgoing or Quiet, Feeling or Thinking.

    Critics of personality testing raise doubts about “social engineering”. Psychologist Dr. Colin Gill warns that the “popular” personality traits (特性) have their disadvantages. “People who are extremely open to new experiences can be butterflies, going from one idea to the next without mastering any of them.” However, the psychometric test is here to stay, which may be why a whole sub-industry on cheating personality tests has sprung up. “It's possible to cheat,” admits Gill, “but having to pretend to be the person you are at work will be tiring and unhappy and probably short-lived.”

    So can we change our personality? “Your basic personalities fixed by the time you're 21,”says Gill, “but it can be affected by motivation and intelligence. If you didn't have the personality type to be a doctor but desperately wanted to be one and were intelligent enough to master the skills, you could still go ahead. But trying to go too much against type for too long requires much energy and is actually to be suffered for long. I think it's why we're seeing this trend for downshifting—too many people trying to fit into a type that they aren't really suited for.”

    Our interest in personality now exists in every part of our lives. If you ask an expert for advice on anything, you'll probably be quizzed about your personality. But if personality tests have any value to us, perhaps it is to free us from the idea that all of us are full of potential, and remind us of what we are. As they say in one test when they ask for your age: pick the one you are, not the one you wish you were.

    Organic exercise is a good fit for people looking to train functionally. It is defined as exercise that is similar to the type of physical activity performed by ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors. Organic exercise is generally preformed in natural or outdoor settings. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} Organic exercise may include such activities as walking, jogging, swimming, hiking or rock climbing.

    When it comes to organic exercise, one of its most significant benefits is its limited reliance on equipment. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Going for a jog, walking, or even hiking does not require tools, weights, or even hiking does not require tools, weights, or other products, and therefore, is fairly inexpensive.

    Since the types of activity emphasized in organic exercise programs are similar to those performed as part of daily life, they do not require extensive or long amounts of practice to obtain proficiency(精通). {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Therefore the type of activity recommended in an organic workout routine can be performed by beginning or advanced exercisers alike with relative ease.

    While the type of exercise recommended in an organic workout may be easy enough to perform, the intensity at which it is recommended can be too much for some individuals. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Individuals who are new to exercise or suffer from a chronic health condition that limits their physical ability may find it difficult to perform exercise that is especially strenuous.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Individuals who are new to exercise may want to talk with their health care provider before choosing this type of activity. In some cases, it may be better to start off with a more traditional workout and slowly transition to organic exercise than starting with this regimen(养生法)right off the bat.

A. Weigh both the benefits and drawbacks.

B. In fact, it can be done nearly anywhere, any time.

C. Therefore it requires very little helping equipment.

D. Choosing the right types of organic exercise is important.

E. Most adults already know how to hike, swim or dig, for example.

F. In fact, one of the biggest drawbacks is the emphasis on high-intensity exercise.

G. While organic exercise may be a good choice for some, it is right for all adults.

    We've talked about snails（蜗牛）and their slow move.But much of the time snails don't move at all.They're in their shells（壳）—sleeping.

    Hot sun will dry out a snail's body.So at the least sign of hot sun,a snail draws its body into its shell and closes the opening with a thin cover.Then it goes to sleep.A snail will die in a heavy rain.So whenever it rains,it goes inside its shell house and goes to sleep.A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to.It can take a short sleep.Or it can sleep for days at a time.And it spends all the winter months in its shell,asleep.

    the shell.When hungry,the snail looks for food.It can't see very well.Its eyes,at the ends of the top feelers（触角）are very weak.But its sense of smell is very strong.It helps the snail to the new greens.Then the snail's little mouth goes to work.

    A snail's mouth is no longer than the point of a pin（针）.Yet it has 256,000 teeth!The teeth are so small that you can't see them.But they do their work.If you put a snail in a hard paper box,it will eat its way out.And if a snail wears out its teeth,it will grow new ones.

    Mostly,a snail looks for food at night.But on cloudy days it eats in the day time.It cats all day long.A snail can go on eating for hours and never feel full.

    Most dictionaries will tell you a number of things about a language. There are three important things. These three things are spelling, pronunciation(发音) and meaning.

    First, a dictionary will tell you the spelling of a word. If you are not sure about the spelling of a word, you can try to find the correct spelling in a dictionary. Words are listed in an alphabetical (字母表的) order —— a, b, c and so on. For example, on a dictionary page the "poor" comes before "poverty" and the word "poverty" comes before the "power".

    The words are always given in alphabetical order. The second thing, a dictionary will tell you the pronunciation. Most dictionaries give phonetic, or sound alphabet. The phonetic alphabet (音标) shows pronunciation. The third thing, a dictionary will tell you the meaning of words. You can look up a word and find out what it means. Many words have more than one meaning, and a good dictionary will tell you all of the word's meanings. For example, in English the common word "get" has over 20 different meanings.

    E-mail systems at thousands of companies and government offices around the world were attacked by a virus(病毒)called “Melissa” that disguises(伪装)itself as an “important message from a friend. In spite of a weekend of warnings，more than 50 000 computers at about 100 places around the world have been attacked by the virus，computer security experts said on Monday.

    The virus began to show up last Friday and spread rapidly on Monday by making computers fire off dozens of infected(被传染的)e-mails. Although the virus causes no serious damage to a computer，its effect was far reaching.

    To make matters worse，a similar virus called “Papa” was discovered on Monday. Papa is programmed to send out even more infected e-mails than Melissa.

    The Melissa virus comes in the form of an e-mail，usually containing the subject line“Important Message”. It appears to be from a friend. The body of the e-mail message says，“Here is that document you asked for...,don't show it to anyone else.” Attached(附)to the message is a document file.

    Once the user opens that file，the virus digs into the user's address book and sends infected documents to the first 50 addresses. E-mails from the Papa virus include an attached spreadsheet(电子数据文件)file. When the user opens that file，the virus sends 60 infected e-mails.

    The reason why this is spreading so fast is that you are getting it from people you know. You should never open documents or attachments from people you don't know. People who get an unexpected e-mail with the “important message” subject line should delete it immediately and not open the message.

    Here's the bad news: Men are hurting, and, according to many researchers. masculinity (男子气) is what is hurting them and making it hard for them to maintain friendships. Society tells men to hide their feelings and expects them to be aggressive, so many men lose their friendship when growing up. The good news is that those skills can be recovered!

    There are a lot of experts who can help. and here's what they recommend:

    ⒈Accept your own desire and normalize it for the people in your life. Way, an expert, recommends sharing articles about masculinity and friendship so that you can start these conversations! Concentrate on them and don't forget you have the entire Internet at your fingertips, friend!

    ⒉Model vulnerability. Say the thing that frightens or worries you. like "I'm afraid nobody will go to my party," or "I miss my grandma every day." Doing so will make it easier for other people to follow your lead. We are all on the elevator to a society where emotional availability is normalized, and I want you to press "door open".

    ⒊Ask more questions. People sometimes feel they might be prying (爱打听的) if they ask someone about themselves-especially when their friend is sharing something tough. But if you get curious in moments of vulnerability you will open the door to all kinds of growth in your relationship. Take the opportunity to really see your friend and show them they matter by following up.

    ⒋Get close with the children in your life. Way's research says that the top priority that helps children (especially boys) grow up to have enriching friendships is to be close with an adult relative who was not afraid to express emotions. So. if you are a father. stepfather. or thinking about becoming one. or if you have nieces or nephews, take the opportunity to be close to them and help them grow up to be good friends, too.