יש לקרוא את הטקסט ולענות על השאלות באנגלית. אין להשתמש במילון: מילים שאינן ברשימות אוצר המילים מוסברות ברשימת המילים שמתחת לטקסט. אפשר לענות במילים שלך, אלא אם השאלה מבקשת להעתיק מהטקסט.
Read the text and answer the questions in English. You may not use a dictionary; words outside the vocabulary bands are explained in the word list under the text. Answer in your own words if the question does not ask for words from the text.
What science tells us about habits
Every January, millions of people promise themselves that this year will
be different. They will exercise every day, eat less sugar and spend less
time on their phones. By February, most of these resolutions have been
forgotten. Why is it so hard to build good habits, and so easy to keep bad
ones?
According to scientists, the answer lies in the way our brain saves
energy. When we repeat an action many times in the same situation, the brain
gradually turns it into an automatic routine. This allows us to brush our
teeth or tie our shoes without thinking, leaving our attention free for
other tasks. Some researchers estimate that around forty percent of what we
do every day is done out of habit rather than conscious decision.
Many researchers describe a habit as a loop with three parts. First
comes a cue, a signal that triggers the behaviour, such as the sound of a
phone notification. Then comes the routine itself: picking up the phone.
Finally, there is a reward, a pleasant feeling like seeing a message from a
friend. Each time the loop is completed, the connection between the cue and
the routine becomes stronger.
You may have heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. This
popular idea comes from a self-help book of the 1960s, not from careful
research. In a well-known study at University College London, volunteers
chose a new daily behaviour, such as drinking water after breakfast or
running before dinner. On average, it took them 66 days before the action
became automatic, but the range was enormous: from 18 to 254 days.
Interestingly, missing a single day did not seem to harm the process.
What does this mean for us? Experts suggest starting small: two minutes
of exercise is better than an ambitious plan that you abandon after a week.
It also helps to attach a new habit to an existing one, for example reading
a page of a book right after you brush your teeth at night. To break a bad
habit, change your environment so that the cue disappears. If your phone is
in another room while you study, you are far less likely to check it.
Above all, be patient. A habit is not built in a day, and one bad day is
not a failure.
Exercices
Part A — Understanding the text
Exercice 1
What does the first paragraph tell us? Choose the correct answer. (lines 1–5)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : B Many people make promises in January but soon forget them.
Exercice 2
According to scientists, why does the brain turn repeated actions into automatic routines, and how does this help us? (lines 6–10)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|To save energy. We can do things like brushing our teeth without thinking, so our attention is free for other tasks.}}
Exercice 3
Complete the table about the habit loop. (lines 12–17)
Columns: Part of the loop | What it is | Example from the text
cue — ___ — the sound of a phone notification
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|a signal that triggers the behaviour}}
Exercice 4
Complete the table about the habit loop. (lines 12–17)
Columns: Part of the loop | What it is | Example from the text
routine — the action itself — ___
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|picking up the phone}}
Exercice 5
Complete the table about the habit loop. (lines 12–17)
Columns: Part of the loop | What it is | Example from the text
reward — ___ — ___
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|a pleasant feeling; seeing a message from a friend.}}
Exercice 6
What happens each time the loop is completed? (lines 16–17)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|The connection between the cue and the routine becomes stronger.}}
Exercice 7
The idea that a habit takes 21 days to form is based on careful scientific research.
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : Faux · “not from careful research”
Exercice 8
In the London study, every volunteer needed about 66 days.
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : Faux · “the range was enormous: from 18 to 254 days”
Exercice 9
Volunteers who missed one day did not lose their progress.
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : Vrai · “missing a single day did not seem to harm the process”
Exercice 10
Why do experts suggest "starting small"? Choose the correct answer. (lines 25–26)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : C People often abandon big, ambitious plans after a short time.
Exercice 11
Complete the sentences. (lines 27–29)
To build a new habit, it helps to attach it to ___.
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|an existing habit, for example reading a page after brushing your teeth}}
Exercice 12
Complete the sentences. (lines 27–29)
To break a bad habit, you should ___.
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|change your environment so that the cue disappears}}
Part B — Thinking about the text
Exercice 13
The example of the phone in another room shows ___. Choose the correct answer. (lines 29–30)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : A how to remove a cue
Exercice 14
Choose a habit that you would like to build or break. Using TWO pieces of advice from the text, explain what you would do.
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : {{en|Personal answer: a habit; two pieces of advice from the text (start small / attach it to an existing habit / change the environment so the cue disappears / be patient) applied correctly to that habit; clear English.}}
Part C — Vocabulary
Exercice 15
Choose the answer closest in meaning to the word in the text “gradually” (line 8)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : A slowly, over time
Exercice 16
Choose the answer closest in meaning to the word in the text “estimate” (line 10)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : A guess the size or number of something
Exercice 17
Choose the answer closest in meaning to the word in the text “enormous” (line 23)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : A very large
Exercice 18
Choose the answer closest in meaning to the word in the text “ambitious” (line 26)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : D wanting to do something big and difficult
Exercice 19
Choose the answer closest in meaning to the word in the text “existing” (line 27)
Voir la réponse et le corrigé
Réponse : B already there