练习材料：

New Year resolutions Part-1

            新年的决心

The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts'. The same old favorites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't' like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself.

ðə njuː jɪər ɪz ə taɪm fɔː ˌrɛzəˈluːʃənz. ˈmɛntəli, æt liːst, məʊst ɒv ʌs kʊd kəmˈpaɪl ˈfɔːmɪdəbl lɪsts ɒv duːz ænd 'don'ts'. ðə seɪm əʊld ˈfeɪvərɪts rɪˈkɜː jɪər ɪn jɪər aʊt wɪð məˈnɒtnəs ˌrɛgjʊˈlærɪti. wiː rɪˈzɒlv tuː gɛt ʌp ˈɜːlɪər iːʧ ˈmɔːnɪŋ, iːt lɛs, faɪnd mɔː taɪm tuː pleɪ wɪð ðə ˈʧɪldrən, duː ə ˈθaʊzənd ænd wʌn ʤɒbz əˈbaʊt ðə haʊs, biː naɪs tuː ˈpiːpl wiː dəʊnt laɪk, draɪv ˈkeəfli, ænd teɪk ðə dɒg fɔːr ə wɔːk ˈɛvri deɪ. pɑːst ɪksˈpɪərɪəns hæz tɔːt ʌs ðæt ˈsɜːtn əˈkɒmplɪʃmənts ɑː bɪˈjɒnd əˈteɪnmənt. ɪf wiː rɪˈmeɪn ɪnˈvɛtərɪt ˈsməʊkəz, ɪt ɪz ˈəʊnli bɪˈkɒz wiː hæv səʊ ˈɒf(ə)n ɪksˈpɪərɪənst ðə frʌsˈtreɪʃən ðæt rɪˈzʌlts frɒm ˈfeɪljə. məʊst ɒv ʌs feɪl ɪn ˈaʊər ˈɛfəts æt sɛlf-ɪmˈpruːvmənt bɪˈkɒz ˈaʊə skiːmz ɑː tuː æmˈbɪʃəs ænd wiː ˈnɛvə hæv taɪm tuː ˈkæri ðɛm aʊt. wiː ˈɔːlsəʊ meɪk ðə ˌfʌndəˈmɛntl ˈɛrər ɒv əˈnaʊnsɪŋ ˈaʊə ˌrɛzəˈluːʃənz tuː ˈɛvrɪbɒdi səʊ ðæt wiː lʊk ˈiːvən mɔː ˈfuːlɪʃ wɛn wiː slɪp bæk ˈɪntuː ˈaʊə bæd əʊld weɪz. əˈweər ɒv ðiːz ˈpɪtfɔːlz, ðɪs jɪər aɪ əˈtɛmptɪd tuː kiːp maɪ ˌrɛzəˈluːʃənz tuː maɪˈsɛlf.

新年是下决心的时候，至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份“应做什么”和“不应做什么”的令人生畏的单子。相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。我们决心每天早晨起得早些；吃得少些；多花点时间与孩子们一起做游戏；做大量的家务；对不喜欢的人友善一些；小心驾车；每天都要带着狗散步；等等。以往的经验告诉我们有些事是办不到的。如果我们烟瘾大，戒不掉，那是因为屡戒屡败，失去信心。我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败，这是因为我们的规划过于宏大，而又根本没有时间去实施。我们还犯有一个根本性的错误，即把我们的决心向大家宣布。这样一旦滑回到那些老习惯上去，我们在别人的眼里会显得更加难堪。我深知这些问题，于是，今年我对自己的计划要严加保密。

任务配置：L0、L3、L4

知识笔记：

单词与短语

Mentally/ ˈmɛntəli/in or with the mind or intellect; intellectually.

monotonous regularity/məˈnɒtnəs ˌrɛgjʊˈlærɪt/单调的规律

year in year out年复一年

inveterate/ɪnˈvɛtərɪt /settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like:

pitfalls/ˈpɪtfɔːlz/a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals.

练习感悟：这篇背下来。