It was once thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and/or heavy automobile traffic. Today, we know that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is actually worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the entire eastern half of the United States and led to health warnings even in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be affected by air pollution. Some scientists feel that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a “greenhouse effect" - holding in heat reflected from the earth and raising the world's average temperature. If this view is correct and the world's temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be under water.

Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particulate (废气排往空中而形成的微粒、颗粒) matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth's temperature ─ a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to new ice age and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. At present we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely). Perhaps, if we are very lucky, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world's temperature will stay about the same as it is now.

As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution ______.

    A. caused widespread damage in the countryside

    B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States

    C. had damaging effects on health

    D. existed merely in urban and industrial areas

As far as the greenhouse effect is concerned, the author ______.

    A. shares the same view with the scientists

    B. is uncertain of its occurrence

    C. rejects it as being ungrounded

    D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon

The underlined word “offset" in Para. 2 could best be replaced by______.

    A. slip into    B. make up for  C. set up   D. catch up with

This passage is mainly concerned with ______.

    A. the greenhouse effect                B. the burning of fossil fuels

    C. the potential effect of air pollution    D. the possibility of a new ice age

When you need a job very much, you may end up taking one for which you are over qualified. Although you were initially grateful just to have the work, you now feel bored and depressed. Is there any way to change that?

Start by changing your opinion, says Caitlin Kelly, the author of Malled, a book based on her experience as a sales clerk after losing her job in journalism. “Don’t focus on what you’re not getting but what you are getting,” she says. “Be patient and work attentively with a wide range of people. It doesn’t matter what the job is –there are always things you can learn and skills you can develop.”

Hilary Pearl, the founder of a coaching firm, says, “Tell yourself the current situation isn’t the end of your career. Don’t overdramatize(过分夸大)the negative aspects but try to view the situation more philosophically: life has a series of stages, and this is one of them. Don’t forget to study even in the worst stage.”

Consider that because you’re overqualified, you may be able to learn or do things on the job that might not have been possible in a more demanding position, says Sarah Hathorn, the chief executive of Illustra Consulting. “You could spend your extra time in learning different aspects of the business and teaching others in the organization,” she says.

Is it possible to make your work more challenging, even if your job responsibilities aren’t likely to change?

Of course, you may seek tasks and responsibilities that force you to learn something new or to work harder. “You may be operating on autopilot(习惯性地)right now, but chances are that people above you are stressed,” Sarah Hathorn says. “Take things off your boss’s plate and let him know which projects or tasks you want to learn more about.”

Always express your request positively, saying that you love new challenges, rather than complaining that you’re bored and underused, says Ethun, the president of the Park Avenue Group. In your down time, educate yourself about the company and its industry. “Read corporate information, analyst reports and related news articles,” she says. “If your boss accepts your suggestions, it will make you a more valuable employee.”

1.According to Caitlin Kelly, ______.

A.one should be willing to do some small things

B.being a salesman is not as important as being a journalist

C.performing your regular duties well is important

D.doing a simple job well will bring you a sense of success

2.What Hilary Pearl intends to express is that ______.

A.work is just a stage of our whole life

B.the present job doesn’t matter to us in a long run

C.one should be satisfied with his present situation

D.one should look forward instead of complaining about the present situation

3.The underlined words “take things off your boss’s plate” mean______.

A.draw your boss’s attention               B.share your boss’s burdens

C.give your boss useful advice               D.ask your boss for a better position

4. What is the common view about careers of the people mentioned in this passage?

A.One should start his career from doing a simple job.

B.One should improve himself and help others as well.

C.One should keep learning new things to improve himself.

D.One should pay much attention to the relationship with the boss.

 

 

         Specialists say it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” is the term these specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. There are three stages of culture shock, say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more.

There are some obvious factors(因素)in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems—the telephones, post office, or transportation—may be difficult to work out. The simplest things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.

         Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their own community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without any identity. They have to build a new self-image.

         Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation(迷失方向). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience — these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.

76. When people move to a new country, they _______.

         A. will get used to their new surroundings with difficulty

         B. have well prepared for the new surroundings

         C. will get used to the culture of the country quickly

         D. will never be familiar with the culture of the country

77. According to the passage, factors that give rise to culture shock include all of the following except __________.

         A. language communication                                    B. weather conditions and customs

         C. public service systems                                              D. homesickness

78. According to the passage, the more successful you are at home, _______.

A. the fewer difficulties you may have abroad          

B. the more difficulties you may have abroad

          C. the more money you will earn abroad               

D. the less homesick you may feel abroad

79. When people are homesick, they tend to ______.

         A. find some people to talk to                                      B. go outside to have a walk

         C. visit their friends far away                                       D. stay indoors all the time

80. The writer tells us that the best way to overcome culture shock is to ______.

A. protect ourselves from unfamiliar environment     

B. develop a strange sense of self-protection

C. get familiar with new culture                                      

D. return to our own country

 

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