Clear out the mess

Have you heard of the saying “Tidy space, tidy mind”? Summer vacation is coming. It’s time to clear out all the things you don’t need anymore. As well as freeing up space, it clears your mind.

Maybe you’ve been given new clothes, toys or books for some special reason and haven’t yet found a place to store them. When you spend time indoors taking things out to use or play with, your bedroom gets messy.

“Clearing out the things you don’t want or use anymore makes you feel good. Messy environment can take your attention away from things you need to focus on.” said Dr. Roberts, a psychologist (心理学家). When your room is clean and tidy, you don’t need to spend ages searching for missing socks or schoolbooks. This frees time and space for the things you enjoy. Tidying up takes more time, energy and effort, but the results make you happy, relaxed and can help you sleep better.

“Having a clean and tidy room clears my mind and makes me feel calmer,” says The Week Junior reader Harry, aged 13. “I like tidying up. At the same time, it can make places for my books and games, and help me to keep them in order and know where they are.”

When you start tidying up, set easy tasks, such as cleaning one surface or drawer at a time. If time allows, put everything on the floor or bed and sort (分类) into four kinds:

______: useful things you have good memories of.

Donate: things you don’t want but can give away, like books, toys or clothes.

Sell: have a tabletop sale or ask an adult to help you use an online marketplace.

Throw away or recycle: if it’s broken or worn out, then bin or recycle it.

1.1. Please explain the saying “Tidy space, tidy mind” in Paragraph 1 in English. ______

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解析：选A tidy environment helps people have a clear and focused mind.。A tidy environment helps people have a clear and focused mind. 解析：题干要求用英文解释谚语，核心是 “整洁的环境” 与 “清晰的思维” 的关联。结合文章第三段 “凌乱环境分散注意力” 的反向表述，提炼出 “整洁环境助力专注思考” 的核心含义，语言简洁符合英文表达习惯。

2.2. How many reasons can cause a mess according to Paragraph 2? ______

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解析：选2 (Two)。2 (Two). 解析：题干问第二段提到的 “导致凌乱的原因” 数量。第二段明确列出两点：① 收到新物品未及时存放；② 取出物品使用后未整理，故答案为 2。

3.3. According to Dr. Roberts, how does a messy environment influence us? ______

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解析：选It takes our attention away from things we need to focus on.。It takes our attention away from things we need to focus on. 解析：题干要求根据罗伯茨博士的观点回答 “凌乱环境的影响”。定位第三段博士的原话，直接提取关键信息 “分散对需专注之事的注意力”，保持答案与原文一致。

4.4. What is the purpose of the example in Paragraph 4? (答案不超过10个词) ______

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解析：选证明整洁房间的益处。。证明整洁房间的益处。解析：题干问第四段例子的目的（10 字内）。第四段通过读者哈里的亲身经历，说明整洁房间让他 “思路清晰、感觉平静”，呼应前文 “整洁的益处”，故归纳为该答案。

5.5. What can be put in the ______ in the box? (答案限 1 个词) ______

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解析：选Keep。。Keep。解析：题干要求补全分类列表的标题（1 个词）。结合后文分类逻辑：捐赠（Donate）、出售（Sell）、丢弃 / 回收（Throw away or recycle），均为处理物品的动作，且空格后描述 “有美好回忆的有用物品”，对应 “保留”，故填 Keep。

6.6. Clearing out the mess is a good habit. What other good habits do you have to keep your room tidy? List at least 2. ______

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解析：选答案不唯一，合理即可。。示例：1. Put things back after use. 2. Clean the room weekly.开放性问答题。解析：题干要求列出至少 2 个 “保持房间整洁的其他好习惯”，需符合生活逻辑，语言简洁。示例 1 “用后归位”、示例 2 “每周打扫” 均为实用习惯，符合要求（答案不唯一，合理即可）。