Owning a smartphone may not be as smart as you think. It may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are…but it also turns you into a workaholic, it seems.

A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.

The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have email-enabled phones, with a third accessing them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess(承认) they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they make work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., with more than a third checking their first emails in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 p.m. and midnight.

Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, “The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smartphones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smartphones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become , the more is expected of us in a work capacity(容量).”

1.What can we conclude from the text?

A. All that glitters is not gold.

B. It never rains but pours.

C. Every coins has two sides.

D. It’s no good crying over spilt milk.

2. The underlined word “accessing” in the third paragraph can be replaced by “________”.

A. calling B. reaching C. getting D. using

3.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. The average UK working time is between nine and twelve hours.

B. Nine- tenths spent over three hours checking work emails.

C. One-fourth check their first mail between 11 p.m. and midnight.

D. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 a.m. and 8 .am ..

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A. Workaholics like smartphones.

B. Smartphones bring about extra work.

C. Smartphones make our life easier.

D. Employers don’t like smartphones.

Zero gravity looks cool. But what about the thing no one likes to talk about? Yes, that is right: going to bathroom. Zero gravity makes this everyday task quite a challenge. Astronauts have to be toilet-trained all over again.

The Apollo astronauts raised themselves off the seat of their chairs and stuck a clear plastic bag to their back sides with sticky strips. A second astronaut watched closely to be sure no waste matter escaped the seal. (You would not want that stuff floating around the cabin!) When the deed was done, the astronaut cleaned up with a piece of plastic attached to the inside of the bag, removed the bag, dropped a disinfectant pill in with the waste matter, and put the whole thing, sealed, into a special container.

Donald W. Rethke, an engineer for Hamilton Standard Space Systems, developed a more private way to answer nature’s call: the space toilet. It is somewhat like the kind of toilet one would find on commercial airplanes --- with unique adaptations for zero gravity, of course. For instance, it has thigh bars that keep the astronaut from floating off the seat.

The astronaut (male or female) defecates (排便) in a bag and urinates (排尿) in a hose. Solid and liquid wastes are kept separated because at least 85% of the urine is recycled and, yes, after careful filtration, used for drinking and other purposes. (Water is always in demand in space.) A vacuum sucks the waste materials into the toilet, where the waste is compacted into hamburger-like patties for easy storage. Although not exactly like an earthbound visit to the toilet, it is at the very least much more private than in the early days of space travel.

1.According to the first paragraph, the lack of the gravity can turn something as simple as _______ into a major challenge.

A. eating B. taking baths

C. sleeping D. answering nature’s call

2.How did astronauts use toilet systems in the Apollo days?

A. None of the waste was separated as it is now.

B. Solid waste was compressed and stored on board.

C. The toilet units used water to remove the waste through the system.

D. The astronauts each used their own private restroom.

3.To ensure the user remains seated, the toilet comes equipped with _______

A. a plastic bag B. a sticky strip

C. a wide hose D. a thigh bar

4.What can be inferred from the fact that most of the astronauts’ urine is recycled?

A. The recycled water tastes better.

B. Water is limited on the space shuttle.

C. It is very convenient to get their urine recycled.

D. Space science includes recycling urine.

信息匹配(共1小题)

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

High school can be quite the stressful time for any student.There are numerous stresses to deal with and the pressure can be more intense as you enter your senior year.__1._____ The answer is as follows.

____2.__ Adjust your approach to your specific situation.For instance, if you’re active in your community and your school and have a large family, you may feel depressed by having all these people involved in your life on a daily basis.__3.___ You just may need a moment to be alone and collect your thoughts before moving on to the challenges that face you.

___4.__ If your stress persists and you can’t figure out a way to handle it, you may want to try speaking to your school counselor(顾问).If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to your counselor, try getting some other types of counseling.

Realize your limits, and plan around them.Don’t take on more than you can handle.If you take on too many things, you will be spread too thin and won’t be able to perform at your best in anything.______5.____ You will definitely feel more at ease!

A.Seek professional counseling.

B.Why does the stress come into being?

C.Try thinking of alternative ways to deal with stress.

D.When you feel relieved, you can have a happier life.

E.Taking some time out to be alone may be the best way to handle such stress.

F.But how on earth can you reduce some of the stress?

G.Evaluate what tasks and activities are most important and leave others behind.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网