It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin.

  Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. He was 90 years old when doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They expected to find out that he needed sleep of some kind. But they were surprised. Though they watched him every hour of the day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. He did not even own a bed. He never needed one.

  The closest that Herpin came to resting was to sit in a rocking chair(摇椅) and read some news papers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. Herpin offered the only probable explanation of his condition. He remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born.

The point of this story is that _______.

 A. We needn't feel surprised to find someone who doesn't sleep

 B. one person was found who actually didn't need any sleep

C. everyone needs some rest to stay alive

 D. not sleeping may help one to live longer

After watching him closely, the doctors believed that Al Herpin _______.

 A. needed some kind of sleep    B. slept while one was watching

 C. needed no sleep at all     D. nearly slept in a rocking chair

One suggested explanation of Herpin's sleeplessness was _______.

 A. his old age     

B. his not having a bed

 C. his magnificent physical condition

 D. his mother's injury while carrying him

The writer of the story obviously thinks that Al Herpin's sleeplessness ___.

 A. could be cured     B. could be explained

 C. was healthful      D. was uncommon  


D
“Pay has little to do with motivation in the workplace”.That’s the argument put forward by best-selling author Daniel Pink in his new book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.“Pay for performance is supposed to be a folk tale,” he says.
Daniel argues that, if employees receive a basic level of payment, three other factors matter more than money: a sense of independence, of mastery over one’s labor, and of serving a purpose larger than oneself.For example, in 2008 at the offices of Best Buy’s Richfield, salaried workers there were allowed to organize their own work day, putting in only as many hours as they felt necessary to get their jobs done.Productivity increased by 35% according to The Harvard Business Review.
But the managers at Goldman Sachs aren’t exactly making some efforts to adjust.Like others on Wall Street, the banking giant argues that fat bonuses (extra rewards) are essential to make its numbers.“That’s exactly the attitude that leads to the recent financial crisis in the United States,” responds Daniel, “as managers always focus on short-term rewards that encourage cheating, shortcuts, and dishonest behavior.”
Moreover, the 45-year-old author and former Al Gore speechwriter refers to social-science experiments and experiences at such workplaces as Google and 3M.In one 2005 experiment he describes, economists working for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston tested the power of incentives (激励) by offering cash rewards to those who did well in games that included reciting a series of numbers and throwing tennis balls at a target.The researchers’ finding: Over and over, higher incentives led to worse performance --- and those given the highest incentives did the poorest job.
From this and other cases, Daniel draws a conclusion that monetary incentives remove the element of play and creativity, transforming “an interesting task into a dull one.” It’s even possible, he adds, for oversized rewards to have dangerous side effects, like those of a drug dependency in which an addicted requires ever larger amounts.He refers to scientific testing that shows the promise of cash rewards increase a chemical in the brain similar to that brought on by cocaine or nicotine.
Daniel, however, is also aware that his company examples --- no GE, no IBM, no Microsoft --- hardly represent the commanding heights of the economy.But he thinks his approach will catch on, even in the biggest companies.“Managers tend to be realistic, and in time they will respond,” he says.
53.In his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink is promoting the idea that _____.
A.it is a money-driven society    B.all workers are not driven by money
C.money plays a key role in management  D.pay has nothing to do with workplaces
54.In Daniel’s point of view, many Wall Street managers are _______.
A.dishonest      B.considerate   C.short-sighted       D.ridiculous
55.In paragraph 5, the example of drug-taking is given to show _______.
A.money is as addictive as cocaine or nicotine
B.big rewards bring about dangerous side effect
C.nicotine and money bring the same chemical
D.workers do not need the incentives of money at all
56.We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.
A.Daniel’s approach will be popular in a wider field
B.realistic managers will first consider Daniel’s approach
C.Daniel’s approach meets the demand of economic crisis
D.GE, IBM and Microsoft will join in Daniel’s approach next

How the Iron of Tomorrow Can Change Your Lifestyle Today.

(the first Self Cleaning Iron)

General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself inside where an iron gets dirty. Because it cleans itself each time you empty it. How? With a push of a magic blue button.

◆The magic blue button

The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked "Self Clean". Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits(沉淀物) that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.

◆Less chance of brown spots

Sure, Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots. (Those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes.) Because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean each time you press that magic blue button.

◆Steams better longer

Common sense tells you that if you’ve an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long period of time. In other words, it steams better longer. That’s another joy of ow­ning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.

◆What does it mean to you

Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids. You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle by giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better housekeeper, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from Gener­al Electric.

Lifestyle .We are with yours. Gener­al Electric.

1.This passage is ________.

A.an introduction to General Electric

B.an operating instruction of Self Cleaning Iron

C.an advertisement of Self Cleaning Iron

D.a description of the change of lifestyle

2.This iron can clean itself by ________.

A.emptying itself                         B.washing out mineral deposits

C.blocking up mineral deposits               D.giving off more steam

3.According to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?

A.It is made by General Electric.

B.The iron will not produce mineral deposits.

C.There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes.

D.Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time.

4.Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because________.

A.you can run your house better

B.you don’t have to run after the kids

C.you can use it while you are working

D.we want you to be a better housekeeper

 

 

III  阅读理解(共25小题;每小题2分,满分50分)

阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。                                 

It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.

Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.

The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.

Al Herpin died at the age of 95. 

41.The main idea of this passage is that _______

A. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

B. people can live longer by trying not to sleep

C. large numbers of people do not need sleep

D. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep

42.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting ______

A. to find out whether his sleeplessness was really true

B. to find out why some old people didn't need any sleep

C. to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping

D. to cure him of his sleeplessness

43. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ____

A. needed no sleep at all                     B. needed some kind of sleep   

C . was too old to need any sleep       D .often slept in a chair

44.One reason that might explain Herpin' s sleeplessness was ______

A. his mother's injury before he was born

B. his magnificent physical condition

C. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit

D. that he hadn't got a bed

45.Al Herpin' s condition could be regarded as ______

A. a common one      B. very healthy      C. one that could be cured    D. a rare one

 

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