Procrastination is a well-known and serious behavioral problem involving both practical and psychological implications. Taxpayers commonly put off submitting their annual returms until the last minute, risking mathematical errors in their frenzy to file. Lawmakers notoriously dawdle and filibuster before enacting sometimes rash and iladvised legislation at the eleventh hour. And, students burn the midnight oil to get their term papers submitted before the impending deadline, precluding proper polishing and proofreading. For these reasons, we are cautioned not to procrastinate: Don’t put of until tomorrow whal you can do today. He who hesitates is lost. Procrastination is the thief of time. However, the opposite of procrastination can also be a serious problem一a tendency we call“pre- crastination." Pre crastination is the inclination to complete tasks quickly just for the sake of getting things done sooner rather than later. People answer emails immediately rather than carefuly contemplating their replies. People pay bills as soon as they arrive, thus failing to collect interest income.' And, people grab items when they first enter the grocery store, carry them to the back of the store, pick up more groceries at the back, and then returm to the front of the store to pay and exit, thus toting the items farther than necessary. Familiar adages also warn of the hazards of pre-crastinating: Measure nwice, cut once. Mary in haste, repent at leisure.Look before you leap. We first found striking evidence of pre crastination in a laboratory study exploring the economics of effort. College students were asked to carry one of a pair of buckets: one on the left side of a walkway and one on the right side of the same walkway. The students were instructed to carry whichever bucket seemed easier to take to the end of the walkway. We expected students to choose the bucket closer to the end because it would have to be carried a shorter distance. Surprisingly, they preferred the bucket closer to the starting point, actually carrying it farther. When asked why they did so, most students said something like,“I wanted to get the task done as soon as possible," even though this choice did not in fact complete the task sooner. Nine experiments involving more than 250 students failed to reveal what might have been so compelling about picking up the nearer bucket. Although some hidden benefit may await discovery, a simple hypothesis is that getting something done, or coming closer to getting it done, is inherently rewarding. No matter how trivial the achievement, even something as inconsequential as picking up a bucket may serve as its own reward. Is pre-crastination一exhibited by college students, bill payers, e mailers, and shoppers - a symptom of our harried lives? The other study from our laboratories suggests it is not: ; that experiment was done with pigeons. The birds could earn food by pecking a touchscreen three times: first, into a square in the center of the screen; second, into the same square or into a square that randomly appeared to the left or right of it; and third, into a side square after a star appeared within it. Critically, food was given after the final peck regardless of whether. the second peck struck the center square or the side square where the star would be presented. The pigeons directed their second peck to the side square, hence moving to the goal position as soon as they could even though there was no obvious or extra reward for doing so. Thus, the pigeons pre-crastinated. The phrase“at the eleventh hour' in line 4, paragraph 1, is closest in meaning to_________.

Procrastination is a well-known and serious behavioral problem involving both practical and psychological implications. Taxpayers commonly put off submitting their annual returms until the last minute, risking mathematical errors in their frenzy to file. Lawmakers notoriously dawdle and filibuster before enacting sometimes rash and iladvised legislation at the eleventh hour. And, students burn the midnight oil to get their term papers submitted before the impending deadline, precluding proper polishing and proofreading. For these reasons, we are cautioned not to procrastinate: Don’t put of until tomorrow whal you can do today. He who hesitates is lost. Procrastination is the thief of time. However, the opposite of procrastination can also be a serious problem一a tendency we call“pre- crastination." Pre crastination is the inclination to complete tasks quickly just for the sake of getting things done sooner rather than later. People answer emails immediately rather than carefuly contemplating their replies. People pay bills as soon as they arrive, thus failing to collect interest income.' And, people grab items when they first enter the grocery store, carry them to the back of the store, pick up more groceries at the back, and then returm to the front of the store to pay and exit, thus toting the items farther than necessary. Familiar adages also warn of the hazards of pre-crastinating: Measure nwice, cut once. Mary in haste, repent at leisure.Look before you leap. We first found striking evidence of pre crastination in a laboratory study exploring the economics of effort. College students were asked to carry one of a pair of buckets: one on the left side of a walkway and one on the right side of the same walkway. The students were instructed to carry whichever bucket seemed easier to take to the end of the walkway. We expected students to choose the bucket closer to the end because it would have to be carried a shorter distance. Surprisingly, they preferred the bucket closer to the starting point, actually carrying it farther. When asked why they did so, most students said something like,“I wanted to get the task done as soon as possible," even though this choice did not in fact complete the task sooner. Nine experiments involving more than 250 students failed to reveal what might have been so compelling about picking up the nearer bucket. Although some hidden benefit may await discovery, a simple hypothesis is that getting something done, or coming closer to getting it done, is inherently rewarding. No matter how trivial the achievement, even something as inconsequential as picking up a bucket may serve as its own reward. Is pre-crastination一exhibited by college students, bill payers, e mailers, and shoppers - a symptom of our harried lives? The other study from our laboratories suggests it is not: ; that experiment was done with pigeons. The birds could earn food by pecking a touchscreen three times: first, into a square in the center of the screen; second, into the same square or into a square that randomly appeared to the left or right of it; and third, into a side square after a star appeared within it. Critically, food was given after the final peck regardless of whether. the second peck struck the center square or the side square where the star would be presented. The pigeons directed their second peck to the side square, hence moving to the goal position as soon as they could even though there was no obvious or extra reward for doing so. Thus, the pigeons pre-crastinated. The passage describes all of the following people as exhibiting pre-crastination EXCEPT_________.

Procrastination is a well-known and serious behavioral problem involving both practical and psychological implications. Taxpayers commonly put off submitting their annual returms until the last minute, risking mathematical errors in their frenzy to file. Lawmakers notoriously dawdle and filibuster before enacting sometimes rash and iladvised legislation at the eleventh hour. And, students burn the midnight oil to get their term papers submitted before the impending deadline, precluding proper polishing and proofreading. For these reasons, we are cautioned not to procrastinate: Don’t put of until tomorrow whal you can do today. He who hesitates is lost. Procrastination is the thief of time. However, the opposite of procrastination can also be a serious problem一a tendency we call“pre- crastination." Pre crastination is the inclination to complete tasks quickly just for the sake of getting things done sooner rather than later. People answer emails immediately rather than carefuly contemplating their replies. People pay bills as soon as they arrive, thus failing to collect interest income.' And, people grab items when they first enter the grocery store, carry them to the back of the store, pick up more groceries at the back, and then returm to the front of the store to pay and exit, thus toting the items farther than necessary. Familiar adages also warn of the hazards of pre-crastinating: Measure nwice, cut once. Mary in haste, repent at leisure.Look before you leap. We first found striking evidence of pre crastination in a laboratory study exploring the economics of effort. College students were asked to carry one of a pair of buckets: one on the left side of a walkway and one on the right side of the same walkway. The students were instructed to carry whichever bucket seemed easier to take to the end of the walkway. We expected students to choose the bucket closer to the end because it would have to be carried a shorter distance. Surprisingly, they preferred the bucket closer to the starting point, actually carrying it farther. When asked why they did so, most students said something like,“I wanted to get the task done as soon as possible," even though this choice did not in fact complete the task sooner. Nine experiments involving more than 250 students failed to reveal what might have been so compelling about picking up the nearer bucket. Although some hidden benefit may await discovery, a simple hypothesis is that getting something done, or coming closer to getting it done, is inherently rewarding. No matter how trivial the achievement, even something as inconsequential as picking up a bucket may serve as its own reward. Is pre-crastination一exhibited by college students, bill payers, e mailers, and shoppers - a symptom of our harried lives? The other study from our laboratories suggests it is not: ; that experiment was done with pigeons. The birds could earn food by pecking a touchscreen three times: first, into a square in the center of the screen; second, into the same square or into a square that randomly appeared to the left or right of it; and third, into a side square after a star appeared within it. Critically, food was given after the final peck regardless of whether. the second peck struck the center square or the side square where the star would be presented. The pigeons directed their second peck to the side square, hence moving to the goal position as soon as they could even though there was no obvious or extra reward for doing so. Thus, the pigeons pre-crastinated. The word toting in line 7, paragraph 2, is closest in meaning to _________.

Procrastination is a well-known and serious behavioral problem involving both practical and psychological implications. Taxpayers commonly put off submitting their annual returms until the last minute, risking mathematical errors in their frenzy to file. Lawmakers notoriously dawdle and filibuster before enacting sometimes rash and iladvised legislation at the eleventh hour. And, students burn the midnight oil to get their term papers submitted before the impending deadline, precluding proper polishing and proofreading. For these reasons, we are cautioned not to procrastinate: Don’t put of until tomorrow whal you can do today. He who hesitates is lost. Procrastination is the thief of time. However, the opposite of procrastination can also be a serious problem一a tendency we call“pre- crastination." Pre crastination is the inclination to complete tasks quickly just for the sake of getting things done sooner rather than later. People answer emails immediately rather than carefuly contemplating their replies. People pay bills as soon as they arrive, thus failing to collect interest income.' And, people grab items when they first enter the grocery store, carry them to the back of the store, pick up more groceries at the back, and then returm to the front of the store to pay and exit, thus toting the items farther than necessary. Familiar adages also warn of the hazards of pre-crastinating: Measure nwice, cut once. Mary in haste, repent at leisure.Look before you leap. We first found striking evidence of pre crastination in a laboratory study exploring the economics of effort. College students were asked to carry one of a pair of buckets: one on the left side of a walkway and one on the right side of the same walkway. The students were instructed to carry whichever bucket seemed easier to take to the end of the walkway. We expected students to choose the bucket closer to the end because it would have to be carried a shorter distance. Surprisingly, they preferred the bucket closer to the starting point, actually carrying it farther. When asked why they did so, most students said something like,“I wanted to get the task done as soon as possible," even though this choice did not in fact complete the task sooner. Nine experiments involving more than 250 students failed to reveal what might have been so compelling about picking up the nearer bucket. Although some hidden benefit may await discovery, a simple hypothesis is that getting something done, or coming closer to getting it done, is inherently rewarding. No matter how trivial the achievement, even something as inconsequential as picking up a bucket may serve as its own reward. Is pre-crastination一exhibited by college students, bill payers, e mailers, and shoppers - a symptom of our harried lives? The other study from our laboratories suggests it is not: ; that experiment was done with pigeons. The birds could earn food by pecking a touchscreen three times: first, into a square in the center of the screen; second, into the same square or into a square that randomly appeared to the left or right of it; and third, into a side square after a star appeared within it. Critically, food was given after the final peck regardless of whether. the second peck struck the center square or the side square where the star would be presented. The pigeons directed their second peck to the side square, hence moving to the goal position as soon as they could even though there was no obvious or extra reward for doing so. Thus, the pigeons pre-crastinated. Which of the fllowing is NOT true according to the passage?

In“Health and Climate Change: policy responses to protect public health" a group of European and Chinese academics built upon a 2009 report in The Lancet that outlined the expected public health impacts of climate change (full disclosure-the group of academics includes the author of this post). These impacts include increasing instances of respiratory, cardiovascular, and vector-borme diseases as well as under -nutrition and mental health challenges. But, even more immediately, the authors discuss how moving away from carbon-intensive energy technologies could improve public health today by reducing other types of air pollution including particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The core of this discussion lies on the fact that energy technologies that produce greenhouse gases also often produce these other air pollutants simulaneously. For example, diesel and gasoline vehicles, coal power plants, biomass (for example, wood and charcoal) for cooking, and many industrial processes (for example, mining, cement manufacturing, and smelting) all produce both carbon dioxide and particulate matter (PM). These other air pollutants lead to higher rates of ilness and premature death in exposed populations. In the United Kingdom, air pollution from coal power plants is responsible for an estimated £3.1 billion per year in added health costs to treat conditions including lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Overall, air pollution from the UK's power sector is responsible for approximately 3,800 premature deaths each year due to respiratory disease alone. Each year, pollution from the UK's transportation sector leads to 7,500 premature deaths across the country. Air pollution in China has an even more dramatic impact on human health. In 2010, air pollution led to an estimated 1.2 million premature deaths and the loss of 25 million healthy years of life. These premature deaths correspond to economic losses of up to USD 1.4 trillion. The average person in China will lose over 3 years (40 months) of life due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution even though the country already spends an estimated 0.37% of its GDP on cleaning the air. Countries could quickly and economically reduce air pollution and its direct impacts on public health by transition to low-carbon energy technologies, according to The Lancet report. For example, a combination of more fuel efficient vehicles and increasing amounts of walking and cycling in the U.K.'s urban areas could lead to a net savings of more than £15 billion by 2030 to the country's social security and healthcare systems. The overall message from the new Lancet report is that climate change mitigation could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century. Much of this opportunity lies in avoiding future negative health impacts from climate change. However, an arguably stronger 一and certainly more immediate 一case lies in the immediate benefits resulting from lower levels of air pollution as we move to low-carbon energy technologies. The word“that' in line 2, paragraph 1, refers to _________.

In“Health and Climate Change: policy responses to protect public health" a group of European and Chinese academics built upon a 2009 report in The Lancet that outlined the expected public health impacts of climate change (full disclosure-the group of academics includes the author of this post). These impacts include increasing instances of respiratory, cardiovascular, and vector-borme diseases as well as under -nutrition and mental health challenges. But, even more immediately, the authors discuss how moving away from carbon-intensive energy technologies could improve public health today by reducing other types of air pollution including particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The core of this discussion lies on the fact that energy technologies that produce greenhouse gases also often produce these other air pollutants simulaneously. For example, diesel and gasoline vehicles, coal power plants, biomass (for example, wood and charcoal) for cooking, and many industrial processes (for example, mining, cement manufacturing, and smelting) all produce both carbon dioxide and particulate matter (PM). These other air pollutants lead to higher rates of ilness and premature death in exposed populations. In the United Kingdom, air pollution from coal power plants is responsible for an estimated £3.1 billion per year in added health costs to treat conditions including lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Overall, air pollution from the UK's power sector is responsible for approximately 3,800 premature deaths each year due to respiratory disease alone. Each year, pollution from the UK's transportation sector leads to 7,500 premature deaths across the country. Air pollution in China has an even more dramatic impact on human health. In 2010, air pollution led to an estimated 1.2 million premature deaths and the loss of 25 million healthy years of life. These premature deaths correspond to economic losses of up to USD 1.4 trillion. The average person in China will lose over 3 years (40 months) of life due to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution even though the country already spends an estimated 0.37% of its GDP on cleaning the air. Countries could quickly and economically reduce air pollution and its direct impacts on public health by transition to low-carbon energy technologies, according to The Lancet report. For example, a combination of more fuel efficient vehicles and increasing amounts of walking and cycling in the U.K.'s urban areas could lead to a net savings of more than £15 billion by 2030 to the country's social security and healthcare systems. The overall message from the new Lancet report is that climate change mitigation could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century. Much of this opportunity lies in avoiding future negative health impacts from climate change. However, an arguably stronger 一and certainly more immediate 一case lies in the immediate benefits resulting from lower levels of air pollution as we move to low-carbon energy technologies. The word“exposed' in line 1, paragraph 4, is closest in meaning to_________.