The office of the future will look quite different from the office of today. There will be big savings in space, because records will not to be kept on paper. Also, because things can be done at a much quicker pace, it’s likely that working hours will be much shorter. 1.Because a company needs less stuff it can afford to pay workers more money.

2.Are you a secretary, clerk, or a receptionist? If you are, you should be worried by the changes that are going to take place. Because of information technology, your job may become unnecessary in the near future. You will certainly have to know more about using the computer. 3.Instead of doing just one of the three jobs mentioned above, it’s likely that a person will have to do all three. Because of this, there’s likely to be unemployment. While bosses will benefit because they can employ less people, thousands of office workers will find themselves out of work. 4.They will be forced to learn new skills which require the use of the computer to survive.

There may be some good points to the changes for workers as well as employers however. Government should benefit from IT and have more money to spend. Because of the increase in revenue(收入) caused by higher productivity, the government could afford to spend more on things such as social work, charities and culture.5.

A. However, not all the news is good.

B. Salaries are also expected to increase.

C. Even workers who can keep their jobs may have to suffer.

D. Their bosses will not want to employ them in a few years time.

E. Travel companies need to adopt IT to be competitive and survive.

F. Therefore, some who lose their office jobs may be able to work in these new areas.

G. And you will be expected to get a lot more information by using the computer than you did in the past

Coolest Hotels in the World

Ariau Amazon Towers中/华-资*源%库

The Ariau Amazon Towers hotel will make you sleep in a tree house. Eight towers make up this hotel that offers over 300 rooms. If you really want to get into the spirit, book the Tarzan Suite which is large enough for a big family. You'll be thirty feet up in the air and can travel between the towers through their wooden walkways.

Prices: starting at $300 one night for each person for a regular room and going all the way up to $3000 for the Tarzan Suite.

For more information, visit the website: http://www.ariautowers.com

The Ice Hotel

Every winter in Jukkaarvi, Sweden, a special kind of hotel called the Ice Hotel is built. Each year, world-famous artists are invited to design and produce works of art from the ice, many of which can be found in the rooms. You'll have your choice between hot or cold rooms but you will be well advised to stay at least one night in a cold room for a true experience.

Prices: starting at $318 one night for each person for either a cold room or a warm one. For more information, visit the website: http://www.icehotel.com

Propeller Island

Propeller Island City Lodge is a very special hotel that was designed by a German artist. Each room provides you with the possibility of living in a work of art. Every single piece of furniture in the thirty rooms of the hotel has been hand-made and each room is completely different. You'll be able to choose a room based on your own personal tastes.

Prices: starting at just $91 a night for each person, and an additional person for only 20 extra dollars. For more information, visit the website: http://www.propeller-island.com

For information about other cool hotels in the world, visit the website: http://www.bahamabeachclub.com

1.What it special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?

A. You can sleep in tree houses. B. You can choose any of the towers.

C. It is designed for big families. D. Every room has a walkway.

2.For two persons spending a night in one of these hotels, they have to pay at least _______.

A. $111 B. $182

C. $600 D. $636

3.Which website should you visit if you want to find out whether there exists a hotel under the sea?

A. http://www.icehotel.com B. http://www.ariantowers.com

C. http://www.propeller-island.com D. htlp://www.bahamabeachclub.com

Housework is a frequent source of disputes (争论) between lazy husbands and their hard-working wives, but women have been warned not to expect men to pull their weight any time soon.

A study from Oxford University has found that men are unlikely to be doing an equal share of housework before 2050. Mothers, the researchers warned, will continue to shoulder the burden of childcare and housework for the next four decades, largely because housework such as cleaning and cooking is still regarded as “ women’s work”.

The gap between the amount of time men and women spend on housework has narrowed slowly over the past 40 years. But it will take another four decades before true housework equality is achieved, the study concluded. The research found that in the Nordic countries, the burden of housework is shared more equally between men and women. In the UK, women spend an average of four hours and forty minutes each day on housework, compared with two hours and twenty-eight minutes for men. This is an improvement from the 1960s, when British women typically spent six hours a day on housework, while men spent just 90 minutes every day.

But progress towards housework equality appears to be slowing in some countries. Dr Oriel Sullivan, a research reader from Oxford’s Department of Sociology, said, “we’ve looked at what is affecting the equality in the home, and we have found that certain tasks seem to be given according to whether they are viewed as ‘men’s work’ or ‘women’s work’.”Dr Sullivan said cultural attitudes taught at school may be responsible for the views of housework.“At school it is much easier for a girl to be a tomboy, but it is much more difficult for a boy to enjoy baking and dancing,” she said.

1.What does the underlined part word probably mean in Paragraph 1?

A. Lose weight. B. Be lazy.

C. Earn money. D. Do equal housework.

2.Why will women continue to do more housework before 2050 ?

A. Because men are too busy to help.

B. Because they would like to do so.

C. Because they can do better in housework .

D. Because housework will still be considered as women’s work.

3.From Paragraph 3,what do we know in the UK?

A. Men now spend just 90 minutes a day on housework on average.

B. Women now are too busy with their work to do housework.

C. Women now spend less time on housework than before.

D. Housework is shared equally between men and women.

4.In Dr Sullivan’s opinion, what is to blame for the housework inequality?

A. Cultural attitudes towards housework.. B. Policies made by the government.

C. The time spent on work. D. The type of housework.

It’s official. Denmark—as well as being the world’s best country to live in for women with the second-happiest people and one of the best healthcare systems in Europe—has the most contented babies. Or, at least, the ones who cry the least. According to research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, Danish, German and Japanese babies cry the least, while British, Canadian and Italian babies cry the most.

“I’m not surprised,” Danish parenting expert and co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting Jessica Alexander tells me. “The first year of a child’s life is considered so important in Denmark. Danish parents are much less stressed because they get good maternity and paternity leave (孕产假). The atmosphere is much calmer and, if mothers are getting more time off, that goes hand in hand with less stress, more contact, more routines and less crying.” She pauses before throwing in a final tip: “Oh, and Danish babies sleep outdoors a lot.”

In Denmark, a woman is given four weeks pregnancy leave followed by 52 weeks of paid leave that can be shared between parents. And Alexander thinks there is another important reason why Danish babies cry less: breastfeeding. “It’s just the done thing in Denmark,” she says of a country that has the world’s highest breastfeeding rates. “In other countries, there are continual discussions about whether you should or shouldn’t breastfeed. In Denmark, breastfeeding has never gone out of style. And everyone does it for a year.”

For Iben Sandahl, Alexander’s co-author, it comes down to the Danish attitude to life in general. “We are an honest and pure people,” she tells me. “We are surrounded by social support and are less likely to become angry, sad or annoyed when our babies are crying. And we are good at embracing (拥抱) all kinds of feelings, so we aren’t scared. Instead, we try to connect with the babies when they cry. It’s how babies communicate and it’s about trying to understand it.”

1.Which of the following can make a baby cry less?

A. An effective healthcare system.

B. More company from a parent.

C. An energetic busy mother.

D. More chances to meet fellow babies.

2.It can be learned from the text that ________.

A. something in the milk from breastfeeding can keep babies happy

B. Demark is second to none in protecting its females’ rights

C. Danish parents’ attitudes to a baby’s first year vary considerably

D. breastfeeding is a common and accepted practice in Denmark

3.When babies cry, Danish parents will probably ________.

A. try to figure out what they want

B. put them outdoors for a good sleep

C. seek social support for guidance

D. wait a moment for them to calm down

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