Back in college, my roommate Sofia and I invented a ritual we called “Power Wednesdays.” Every Wednesday, we headed to the campus fitness center for a workout, and then to the library for four hours of study. We would stride back to our dorm with a huge feeling of accomplishment. But productivity and sore muscles – rewarding as they were – weren’t what kept us repeating “Power Wednesdays.” Our real motivation was each other’s company.Studies show that having friends with the same goal can help people stick to it. Researchers James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis have demonstrated that weight loss (and gain) spreads through friend groups, most likely via a process of altered norms. For example, if you meet your friends at an all-you-can-eat brunch every Sunday, but then one pal starts to beg off after starting a diet, you might question whether the practice is best for you. It’s not that you’ll necessarily adopt your friend’s new habits right away, but the seed will be planted. If you want to continue to feel close to her, you might even start changing your own routines to pair them more with hers.Friends can help you strengthen individual willpower. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg recommends replacing the cues that trigger, and the rewards that follow, bad behaviors with new, healthier ones. The cue and reward of a real person knocking on your door for a joint jog, and a good talk over coffee afterwards, is a particularly attractive replacement for whatever previously sucked you into endless TV watching.The desire to be similar to, and liked by friends is primal (原始的). We’re all built to seek out strong bonds with friends on whom our very survival might have once been dependent. While we don’t necessarily need friends to help hunt or fight off fierce animals these days, most of us probably still feel like we can’t live without them. Tap into that deep-down social motivation and you’ll not only be primed for success, you’ll take pleasure in the journey.1. Why did the writer and Sophia stick to “Power Wednesdays”?A) They both would like to keep fit.B) They were hard-working students.C) They enjoyed each other’s company. D) They wanted to change the routines.2. What can we learn from the research of James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis?A) People all need some friends with the same goal.B) People are eager to adopt their friends’ habits.C) People like to be with their friends on weekends.D) People are likely to lose or gain weight in friend groups. 3. What does the underlined word “seed” in Para. 2 refer to?A) The hard feelings toward one’s friends.B) The strong determination to lose weight.C) The willingness to feel close to friends.D) The thinking of trying their friends’ new habits. 4. What does Charles Duhigg suggest in The Power of Habit?A) Friends can help each other strengthen his or her willpower. B) Bad habits are hard to be replaced by new and healthier ones.C) Jogging and talking are very good behaviors among friends.D) Endless TV watching would surly do harm to friendship.5. According to the passage, why did people desire friendship in the past?A) They enjoyed bonds with others.B) They need friends for survival. C) They wanted to be successful.D) They could take pleasure from it.

Back in college, my roommate Sofia and I invented a ritual we called “Power Wednesdays.” Every Wednesday, we headed to the campus fitness center for a workout, and then to the library for four hours of study. We would stride back to our dorm with a huge feeling of accomplishment. But productivity and sore muscles – rewarding as they were – weren’t what kept us repeating “Power Wednesdays.” Our real motivation was each other’s company. Studies show that having friends with the same goal can help people stick to it. Researchers James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis have demonstrated that weight loss (and gain) spreads through friend groups, most likely via a process of altered norms. For example, if you meet your friends at an all-you-can-eat brunch every Sunday, but then one pal starts to beg off after starting a diet, you might question whether the practice is best for you. It’s not that you’ll necessarily adopt your friend’s new habits right away, but the seed   will be planted. If you want to continue to feel close to her, you might even start changing your own routines to pair them more with hers. Friends can help you strengthen individual willpower. In The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg recommends replacing the cues that trigger, and the rewards that follow, bad behaviors with new, healthier ones. The cue and reward of a real person knocking on your door for a joint jog, and a good talk over coffee afterwards, is a particularly attractive replacement for whatever previously sucked you into endless TV watching. The desire to be similar to, and liked by friends is primal (原始的). We’re all built to seek out strong bonds with friends on whom our very survival might have once been dependent. While we don’t necessarily need friends to help hunt or fight off fierce animals these days, most of us probably still feel like we can’t live without them. Tap into that deep-down social motivation and you’ll not only be primed for success, you’ll take pleasure in the journey.1. Why did the writer and Sophia stick to “Power Wednesdays”?A)  They both would like to keep fit.B)  They were hard-working students.C)  They enjoyed each other’s company. D)  They wanted to change the routines.2. What can we learn from the research of James Fowler and Nicholas Christakis?A)  People all need some friends with the same goal.B)  People are eager to adopt their friends’ habits.C)  People like to be with their friends on weekends.D)  People are likely to lose or gain weight in friend groups. 3. What does the underlined word “seed” in Para. 2 refer to?A)  The hard feelings toward one’s friends.B)  The strong determination to lose weight.C)  The willingness to feel close to friends.D)  The thinking of trying their friends’ new habits. 4. What does Charles Duhigg suggest in The Power of Habit?A)  Friends can help each other strengthen his or her willpower. B)  Bad habits are hard to be replaced by new and healthier ones.C)  Jogging and talking are very good behaviors among friends.D)  Endless TV watching would surly do harm to friendship.5. According to the passage, why did people desire friendship in the past?A)  They enjoyed bonds with others.B)  They need friends for survival. C)  They wanted to be successful.D)  They could take pleasure from it.