اللغة الإنجليزية فصل ثاني

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LESSON 2A READING AND VOCABULARY

CONFESSIONS OF A PROCRASTINATOR

SUNDAY

I’m sitting for a History exam next Thursday. It’s an important exam. I want to get a good mark. So, I know what I should do. I should revise for a few hours every day until I’m prepared.

I get out my History book. Tonight, I’m going to study the first moon landing. But I don’t open the book. Instead, I switch on my computer and start playing Farplans. Time flies when you’re having fun. I pick up my History book. It falls open at a chapter called ‘The Marshall Plan’. That’s it! I need a plan.

30 minutes later I have a great study plan. Now, all I need to do is to start studying. However, it’s almost midnight, so I give up and go to bed.

MONDAY

My History book is open and I have a yellow highlighter in my hand. I’m ready to revise. I glance at my reflection in the window. ‘I’m going to pass this exam,’ I tell myself. Then I notice my hair is a mess. I need a haircut. So, I go on social media and watch some hairstyle videos. I redo my study plan. I’m really going to work hard tomorrow.

TUESDAY

I’m going to revise for three hours. I’m about to start when I feel peckish, so I go to the kitchen to get a biscuit. I get some orange squash.

I carry on studying for a few minutes but then I need to go to the toilet. After that, I call my cousin Ramzi. He’s sitting for the same exam as me. I ask how he’s getting on. We talk for ages. Finally, I’m ready to start revising seriously. I can’t find my notes in all the clutter on my desk. I should clear it up.

Three hours later my room is tidy. I’m exhausted. I fall into bed.

WEDNESDAY

I’m in a panic. I really don’t want to fail this exam. My brother yells up the stairs, ‘There’s football on the telly in ten minutes!’ He comes up to the landing. ‘Jordan are playing England.’ I ignore him. I can’t watch football. I’m going to study all night.

hours of study per day

 

THURSDAY

I studied until 4 a.m. I felt dreadful in the morning but I did the exam. I think I passed but I’m not sure.

I wonder why I always put off important things until the last moment. It’s not sensible. It means I never do the things I have to do until panic makes me do them.

I want to change. Procrastination makes me miserable. I find a video called ‘How to stop procrastinating’. I’m going to watch it. But maybe not right now.

 

The main idea in points:

  1. Procrastination prevents effective time management.
  2. Distractions and excuses delay important tasks.
  3. Last-minute efforts cause stress and reduce productivity.
  4. Recognizing procrastination is the first step to change.

 

Phrasal Verb

Meaning

Be about to

To be on the verge of doing something soon.

Carry on

To continue doing something.

Check out

To examine or look at something; to leave a place after paying.

Clear up

To tidy or clean; to resolve or explain something.

Find out

To discover or learn information

Get on

To make progress; to have a good relationship.

Give up

To stop trying or quit.

Go back

To return to a place or previous activity.

Look for

To search for something.

Put off

To postpone or delay something.

 

Read the text then answer the questions

  • What does the narrator plan to do on Sunday night, and why does the plan fail?

He plans to study the first moon landing but ends up playing a computer game and making a study plan instead. He gives up because it’s too late.

 

  • On Monday, what distracts the narrator from studying, and what excuse does the narrator use to postpone studying again?

He gets distracted by his messy hair and spends time watching hairstyle videos. He decides to start studying the next day.

 

  • Describe the narrator’s activities on Tuesday. How do these activities prevent real progress in studying?

He eats snacks, goes to the bathroom, calls his cousin, and cleans his desk. These take up all his time, so he doesn’t study.

 

  • How does the narrator feel on Wednesday, and what decision does he make about watching football?

He feels panicked and skips watching football to study all night.

 

  • What lesson does the narrator learn by the end of the story? Does he take action to change his behaviour?

He learns that procrastination is bad and makes him miserable. He finds a video to help but doesn’t watch it right away.