如何制定与实现2024年目标？

How to set and achieve goals for 2024?

语速：TEM-8听力 / 词汇：六级 (CET-6) 偏易 / 篇幅：1358词 / 时长：8分29秒

刘立军 供稿

Part I. QUESTIONS

Listen to the talk and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

Q1. What is the suggested starting point for setting New Year's goals in the text?

A. To differentiate between resolutions and goals.

B. To plan steps for measurable success.

C. To pledge to improve personal habits.

D. To reflect on the past year's experiences.

Q2. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

A. Writing down personal thoughts has no impact on future planning.

B. Changing the past is one of the methods to improve future performance.

C. Reflecting on the personal patterns can aid in identifying strengths and weaknesses.

D. Toxic relationships should be continued as part of personal growth.

Q3. How does the text describe the aspect of "Achievable" within the S.M.A.R.T. framework?

A. Goals should be as large and complex as possible.

B. It’s recommended to have few small goals instead of a big one.

C. Large goals can be broken into smaller steps to manage them better.

D. One should always choose goals that require new skills or education.

Q4. What additional elements are included in the extended version of the S.M.A.R.T. acronym, as noted in the text?

A. Excitement and Reflection.

B. Evaluate and Reward.

C. Endurance and Resolve.

D. Education and Realism.

Q5. Based on the text, what inference can be made regarding the prioritization of goals?

A. Prioritizing goals is not necessary if one has a large number of goals.

B. Goals linked to important aspects of life are likely to be pursued with more enthusiasm.

C. The number of goals one sets is more crucial than the content of those goals.

D. Goal-setting should be avoided as it is often too challenging and leads to failure.

Q6. What is the primary purpose of the text as a whole?

A. To emphasize the importance of past experiences on future goal setting.

B. To compare different goal-setting methodologies like S.M.A.R.T. and F.A.S.T.

C. To encourage readers to set and achieve personal goals using structured approaches.

D. To promote the benefits of frequent discussions and ambitious scopes in team settings.

Part II. TRANSCRIPT

How to Set and Achieve Your Goals in 2024

A new year is on the horizon. This is a time when many people start to think about what changes they can make through goals or personal resolutions. What’s the difference between a goal and a resolution? Well, a resolution tends to be a starting point, such as making yourself a pledge to begin exercising more or eat better. A goal is more focused on a specific endpoint, such as losing ten pounds in six months, or walking for 20 minutes every evening after dinner. A goal has planned steps and measurable success. So this year, when you think about what you want to accomplish in 2024, you might consider setting goals instead of new year’s resolutions. But where do you start?

Reflect on 2023 

(Q1) To know where you’re going, it can help to know where you’ve been. Research has shown that reflecting on your past endeavors can improve your future performance. You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it. (Q2) Notice your patterns and habits, both good and bad. When you know your strengths and weaknesses, you can identify what’s working for you, and what’s working against you. For example, if you’re a person who rises early in the morning and starts the day with vigor and enthusiasm, then that’s a habit you’ll want to continue. But if you identify other areas of your life that are holding you back, such as fears, unhealthy food choices or toxic relationships, you can examine these behaviors, and think about how you might want to change them. Some topics you might choose to reflect on, depending on what’s relevant to you, could be your health, your career, your relationships, self-care, and personal growth. Journaling about your personal thoughts on the past year can help put things into perspective. Some examples of questions to ask yourself are things like:

endeavor n. 努力，尽力

toxic adj. 有毒的；引起中毒的

 How did I spend the majority of my time, and how do I feel about that?

 What was the best thing that happened to me in the past year?

 What were my biggest achievements?

 What was my lowest point and why?

 What lessons did I learn, and what might I do differently next year?

 What was I most thankful for?

 What goals did I have that didn’t happen?

 And do I want to carry them over to next year?

By reflecting on the feelings and events of 2023, you can begin to form a picture of what happened and why. Take the information you gather from your observations and create a new plan.

Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals 

Once you’ve identified what areas of your life you want to focus on, then begin the planning process. Deciding what your goal is, setting an end date to accomplish it, and writing down the steps you’ll take can help create a solid plan. (Q3) One method often used to help formulate goals is called the S.M.A.R.T. system, and was outlined in an article, written in 1981, by George Doran, Arthur Miller, and James Cunningham.

5 key aspects of the acronym “S.M.A.R.T.” are: 

Specific - Have a defined goal with a clear picture of what is to be accomplished, and what actions you will take to achieve it. For example, if your goal is to buy a new car, know exactly what car you want, and how you will pay for it. Make a step-by-step plan that includes saving money each month for a down payment, and arranging your budget to include the new car payment. By factoring in details of your plan, you can be clear about what it is you want and how to get there.

Measurable - Think about how you will track your progress. Once you know what your goal is, you need to be able to measure your success along the way to be sure you are reaching your milestones. In thinking of the car scenario, checking each month to be sure you are putting money aside for the down payment can create momentum as you watch your savings grow. If you are not able to save money each month, then you can use this information to restructure your goal.

milestone n. 重要事件；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

scenario n. 设想；方案；预测

momentum n. 契机

(Q4) Achievable - Be realistic about the goals you set. Smaller goals may be met more easily in less time. But a large goal, like buying the car, may need more steps, or more planning. You may need to extend the end date to give yourself more time to save up the money, or adjust your expectations, and buy a lower priced car. Breaking a large goal into smaller steps can keep you going over a longer period of time, and make the overall task more manageable. If the goal you set requires additional skills or education, these can be made into individual goals of their own.

Relevant - When setting a goal, choose something that really matters to you. If it will make a difference in your life, such as better health, improved finances, or make life easier and more enjoyable in some way, you will be more likely to stick with it. If your heart’s not in it, it may be hard to justify the time and energy you need to invest, to reach the goal.

(Q5) Time-Bound - Setting a finish line for your goal, lets you know how close you are to achieving it, and when you have actually completed the goal. It allows you to plan your steps in a timely fashion that makes it manageable and measurable.

By setting goals using the S.M.A.R.T. method - S.M.A.R.T., you can focus with intention, using a step-by-step plan, track your success along the way, and reach a clearly defined finish line!

(Q6) Some people add “E.R.” to the S.M.A.R.T. method, which then reads, “S.M.A.R.T.E.R.”, to include the words, “Evaluate” and “Reward”. Evaluating your finished goal and rewarding your efforts can bring even more value to the process.

Another method used in goal setting uses the acronym “F.A.S.T”, which stands for “frequent discussions, ambitious scope, specific milestones, and transparency.” This system is more geared for team environments and allows for flexibility and changes along the way. Regardless of what system you use to set goals, the main thing is to find something that works for you, and don’t quit.

Mountain climber, Junko Tabei, was the first woman to complete the “Seven Summits”, climbing the tallest mountain on each continent. She was familiar with setting goals and achieving them, which is reflected in her motto, “Do not give up. Keep on your quest.”

motto n. 座右铭

quest n. 探索，寻找，追求（幸福等）

Prioritize 

How do you decide what goals to set? Maybe you don’t have very many goals in mind. Or maybe you have so many, you don’t know where to start. When planning goals for the coming year, it may be helpful to think about what’s really important to you. Setting a goal that will make a difference in your life will be easier to get excited about. Make a list of all of the goals that come to mind. It may be helpful to group them into similar topics. For example, in the health category, you may list things like weight loss, exercise, and healthy eating. In the fun goal category, you may write down travel ideas, learning a new craft or sport, or adopting a pet. Once you have all of your ideas on paper, rank them within their group as to which are most meaningful or realistic for you. Continue to narrow down the list until you have five goals that you want to work on next year. Once you know which items are most important to you, you can then begin to plan the steps to achieve them. Author C.S. Lewis wrote, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” As you look forward to 2024, think about the goals you have for your life and how you want to achieve them. Find support and encouragement from people you trust, evaluate your progress often, and hold yourself accountable to succeed. The coming year is the perfect time to reach new heights by setting goals that matter most to you. So go ahead and plan the celebration now. You got this!

Part III. KEY

Q1. D。细节题。文章第 段提到：“To know where you’re going, it can help to know where you’ve been.” 意为：“要知道你要去哪里，了解你来自哪里会有所帮助。” 根据这句话，建议在设定新年目标时从回顾过去一年的经历开始。因此答案为D。

Q2. C。细节题。文章第 段提到：“Notice your patterns and habits, both good and bad. When you know your strengths and weaknesses, you can identify what’s working for you, and what’s working against you.” 意为：“注意你的行为模式和习惯，无论好坏。当你了解自己的优点和缺点时，你就可以识别什么对你有利，什么对你不利。” 因此，根据文本，通过反思个人的模式可以帮助识别优势和弱点。答案为C。

Q3. C。细节题。文章第 段提到：“Achievable - Be realistic about the goals you set... Breaking a large goal into smaller steps can keep you going over a longer period of time, and make the overall task more manageable.” 意为：“可实现性 - 对你设定的目标要现实……把一个大目标分解成小步骤可以让你更长时间地坚持下去，并使整体任务更易于管理。” 这说明在S.M.A.R.T.框架中，“可实现性”指的是将大目标分解成更容易管理的小步骤。答案为C。

Q4. B。细节题。文章第 段提到：“Some people add ‘E.R.’ to the S.M.A.R.T. method, which then reads, ‘S.M.A.R.T.E.R.’, to include the words, ‘Evaluate’ and ‘Reward’.” 意为：“有些人在S.M.A.R.T.方法中加入了'E.R.'，成为'S.M.A.R.T.E.R.'，包括了‘评估(Evaluate)’和‘奖励(Reward)’两个词。” 因此，在文中提到的S.M.A.R.T.首字母缩略词的扩展版本中添加了额外元素“评估”和“奖励”。答案为B。

Q5. B。推理题。文章第 段提到：“Setting a goal that will make a difference in your life will be easier to get excited about.” 意为：“设定一个能改变你生活的目标会更容易让你感到兴奋。” 根据此信息，可以推断与生活中重要方面相关联的目标更有可能被积极追求。因此答案为B。

Q6. C。主旨题。整篇文章围绕如何利用结构化方法（如S.M.A.R.T.）设定和实现个人目标给予建议，强调了设定目标的重要性，并提供了如何进行规划和评估的具体方式。文章并未主要比较不同的目标设定方法，也没有特别强调团队环境中讨论的频繁性和雄心勃勃的范围的好处。因此答案为C。