I don’t believe it! I’m still sitting here writing my paper. I’ve had two weeks to prepare and write it and I need to hand it in tomorrow. A month ago, I made a decision to never leave things to the last minute. Well, I’ve failed. I’ve also been trying to go running to get fitter with my classmates after school for four weeks. But I really feel it’s difficult to follow my plan now. Why is it so hard to break a bad habit and form a good one?

I’ve just read an article and I’ve discovered that it isn’t my problem! In fact, it’s our brains. Our brains are programmed to make it difficult to break bad habits. Research shows when we do something the same way repeatedly, our brain notices. It’s just like, “Oh, writing a paper is hard. We still have time. We can relax for now? Got it!” If we always do things like that, we get “into the habit” of leaving things to the last minute. We may even get a reward (奖励) from this bad habit, at least at first. Our brain may say, “Ah, relaxation! I like this!” Slowly, it seems that we can’t stop doing the habit or control it. Maybe it’s because we don’t know how to get the rewards without doing it.

But that’s not all. Scientists have also discovered that it takes ten weeks to form a good habit. That’s because ten weeks is the amount of time the brain needs to change and accept a new habit as part of everyday life. The good news is that once you make it to ten weeks, everything becomes a lot easier. The bad news is that ten weeks is a really long time, so you may give up your plan sooner.

So there you are. Maybe we want to change our ways and become better people, but our brains won’t let us. Or is this just an excuse? Look—I’ve finished my paper on time! Anything is possible!

By Ana

1.33. Who is Ana?

A A schoolgirl.

B A brain scientist.

C A teacher.

D A sports coach.

解析：选A。推理判断题。原文线索：写论文 paper、明天上交 hand it in、放学后和同学跑步。这些都是学生的生活场景。A 一名女学生。B：她只是阅读科学家文章，本人不是脑科学家；C 教师、D 体育教练，文中没有任何信息支撑。解题技巧：根据文中生活细节推断人物身份。

2.34. What can be a reason why it’s hard to break a bad habit?

A Our brains avoid doing things repeatedly.

B Our brains are not programmed to notice it.

C Our brains need relaxation from time to time.

D Our brains enjoy getting the rewards from doing it.

解析：选D。细节理解题。定位原文：We may even get a reward from this bad habit…Our brain may say, “Ah, relaxation! I like this!”含义：大脑会享受坏习惯带来的这份奖励（放松的愉悦），因此很难摆脱坏习惯。D 我们的大脑享受做这件事得到的奖励。A 错误，原文反复做某事大脑就会记录，不是大脑回避重复；B 错误，our brain notices大脑会留意重复行为；C 原文不是说大脑本身需要放松，是坏习惯带给大脑放松奖励，概念偷换。

3.35. How many more weeks will it take Ana to develop her habit of running after school?

A Four.

B Six.

C Eight.

D Ten.

解析：选B。数字计算题（细节）。定位：养成好习惯一共需要10 周；安娜已经坚持跑步4 周。计算：10-4 =6，还需要 6 周。B 6。易错：容易直接选 10，要看清题干问的是还需要，不是总共需要。

4.36. What does Ana want to tell us at the end of the passage?

A You’d better finish your paper on time.

B Don’t forget to make a plan beforehand.

C Stick with the ways you are doing habits.

D It depends on you to control your habits.

解析：选D。主旨推理（结尾态度）。结尾段：大脑会阻碍改变，但这不能当做借口；“我还是按时写完论文，一切皆有可能”。作者想表达：虽然大脑有固有机制，但人自身可以掌控习惯。D 掌控习惯取决于我们自己。A 写论文只是个人例子，不是要传递的道理；B 文章没有重点讲提前做计划；C 曲解，不是一味硬坚持做法，而是人有能力去改变。