A round of applause, please, for the Indian man who recently sang for 80 hours straight, setting a new Guinness world record. It’s an impressive feat, to be sure, but let’s just hope he still has a voice．According to Indian newspapers, Rajesh Burbure has been told to keep silent for several days so his vocal cords（声带）can heal．
It was reported that Burbure and his family are in a celebratory mood. "It's a proud moment for all of us," his wife told DNAIndia.com．
I, on the other hand, am unable to share their enthusiasm．Don't get me wrong: I hope the 35-year-old Burbure lives forever, sells a million records and becomes an international celebrity．But his record—singing for 80 hours straight—is about as meaningful as most of the other curious but crazy feats listed in the Guinness Book of World Records．
Granted, I'm not qualified to speak on the subject．I've got no world records to my name, and I never expect to have any．Then again, maybe I am qualified to speak for those of us who have better things to do than train for years to sing an 80-hour medley（集成曲）of pop songs．
But let’s not just pick on poor Burbure．He’s not the only person chasing meaningless accolades（荣誉）．The Guinness Book of World Records is full of the names of people who at one time grew the longest hair, or built the biggest bicycle, or baked the largest cheesecake．
To all of these enterprising souls I ask, simply, "What was it all for?"
Congratulations! For all of your painstaking effort, you became a footnote in a thick book that no one reads, except for you and the person who will eventually surpass you, with one more hour of singing, a few more centimeters of steel or a few more pounds of cheese．
After all, records are made to be broken．
【小题1】From the text, we can conclude that the author _________．

One of the biggest challenges facing students and their families is what career they should enter and what is the best path for them to take.

I was talking to someone the other day who told me he first studied accounting because that was what everyone was studying several years ago. It was and some say still is a reliable career. However, then he told me that he was now studying financial investment because again--- that’s what everyone was studying now and it was needed if he wanted to get ahead in the company.

And I asked him what he was actually interested in and then— well the conversation kind of died. So I asked why he had bothered studying accounting in the first place and he explained that it was his parents’ idea. Finally I asked what his passion was and he wasn’t too sure because he never thought about it.

And so it is— lifelong learning— or the continual need to make ourselves marketable in a world that appears to be more competitive as time goes by. Is there a secret to help us so we can live a life of quality?

Regardless or not at this stage in world history with increasing connection between people,

ideas and markets — the ability to match the needs and desires of the day with your own skills and products is a tremendous and vigorous challenge.

Many have gone into English or foreign language study because it was encouraged at the time when China was entering the WTO. Or maybe they were interested in international affairs or working abroad. Upon graduation they then faced the reality that there was a limit to how many jobs they could apply for.

Perhaps some then studied further doing courses for work such as a tour guide or translator/ interpreter. Many may have decided that going into teaching was more rewarding or stable. Others would have gone into media or advertising or conference management and acquired new skills along the way.

This constant quest to remain ahead of the game makes many upset and exhausted. Some futurists who examine technology have even predicted that people should expect to change careers six or seven times during their lifetime!

So if you are concerned by the nature of change, why not start spending more time looking at the most modern leading economies, institutions and their publications. A whole lot of changes are starting to happen yet there is no reason why this cannot be enjoyable, exciting and also rewarding. Our attitude, approach and willingness to continually learn and update our skills must remain strong.

My tip is to track the work that our government is setting about to achieve. In particular, look at the people who have been chosen as the key support team and try to read behind the light surface news and look at their career development and examine the recent reports that they are now recommending the government move towards. Key industry development, new ways of dealing with information and new demands are creating opportunities for the students and workers of tomorrow — if we stay prepared.

1.Who is this article intended for?

A．Government administrators.

B．Students planning their careers.

C．Foreign language learners.

D．Professors designing courses.

2.The case of the student who first studied accounting and then financial investment shows ______.

A．many people decide their majors without knowing their own interest

B．parents’ decisions are always blind and will result in a life of low quality

C．accounting and financial investment are necessary to ensure a reliable career.

D．people never have a chance to think about their own interest in choosing career.

3.In the writer’s opinion, to make yourself competitive in the changing world today is _____.

A．exhausting        B．disappointing       C．unbelievable       D．necessary

4.According to the writer, lifetime learning can be exciting if ______.

A．we are prepared for the changes

B．we know who President has on his support team

C．we read the publications of advanced institutions

D．we learn English or some other foreign languages

5.Whoever has been chosen as the key support team of the government _______.

A．shows the government’s interest in new information

B．enables you to find out how hard-working these people are

C．indicates the direction the economy is developing

D．reveals the government encourages creative young people

What makes Americans spend nearly half their food dollars on meals away from home? The answers lie in the way Americans live today. During the first few decades of the twentieth century, canned and other convenience foods freed the family cook from full-time duty at the kitchen range. Then, in the 1940s, work in the wartime defense plants took more women out of the home than ever before, setting the pattern of the working wife and mother. Today about half of the country’s married women are employed outside the home. But, unless family members pitch in with food preparation, women are not fully liberated from that housework. Instead, many have become, in a sense, prisoners of the completely cooked convenience meals. It’s easier to pick up a bucket of fried chicken on the way home from work or take the family out for pizzas or burgers than to start opening cans or heating up frozen dinners after a long , hard day. Also, the rising divorce rate means that there are more single working parents with children to feed. And many young adults and elderly people, as well as unmarried and divorced mature people, live alone rather than as part of a family unit and don’t want to bother cooking for one.

Fast food is appealing because it is fast, it doesn’t require any dressing up, it offers a “fun” break in the daily outline, and the outlay of money seems small. It can be eaten in the car--- sometimes picked up at a drive-in window without even getting out---or on the run. Even if it is brought home to eat, there will never be any dirty dishes to wash because of the handy disposable (一次性的) wrappings. Children, especially, love fast food because it’s finger food, no struggling with knives and forks, no annoying instructions from adults about table manner.

1.Americans enjoy fast food mainly because __________.

   A. it can be eaten in the car

   B. it is much more tasty than home-made food

   C. one only uses his fingers while eating it

   D. it is time-saving and convenient

2.It can be inferred that children __________.

   A. want to have more freedom at table

   B. never wash dishes after each meal

   C. are good at using forks and knives while eating

   D. take eating time as a fun break

3. Many Americans are eating out and not cooking at home partially because __________.

   A. they want to make a change after eating the same food for years at home

   B. the food made outside home tastes better than food cooked at home

   C. many of them live alone and don’t like taking trouble to cook

   D. American women refuse to cook at home due to women’s liberation movement

4.According to the text, a drive-in window is a __________.

   A. car window from which you can see the driver

   B. window in the restaurant from which you get your takeout in the car

   C. place where you check the mechanic condition of your car

   D. place where you return the used plates after eating

Travel can be a lifesaver. But in today’s economy (经济) with airlines adding new fees almost daily and ticket prices sharply on the rise, many have written off travel as too expensive. However, with a few saving tricks and a little research, there are still lots of great deals to be had on airline tickets and more.

Early Bird Gets the Deal.

Travel experts say that there are certain times of day when more deals are available. Airfares can change three times a day as airlines adjust their prices to fill up flights. Early morning is when the fares tend to be lowest.www.zxxk.com

What Wouldn’t a Business Traveler do?

Flying when business travelers don’t can save you big money. Most business travelers fly on Mondays and Fridays, so Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days. Airlines will usually lower their prices on these days to aggressively try and fill empty seats.

Fly to popular places at unpopular times. The slowest time of the year for travel is in the Fall between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Again, to try and fill more empty seats, the airlines will lower prices and offer better deals to get people to fly during this time of the year.

Package Deals

Many times the best deals on airfare can be found as part of a package rate. Most travel sites have package rates available. Often, the entire package (hotel, airfare, rental car) is cheaper than just the plane ticket on another site. Even if you don’t need the rental car, with the money you’ve saved on the flight, you can afford to take a taxi. These deals are especially good on last minute bookings.

With a little inside knowledge and some good timing, you can get yourself a steal on a ticket to the vacation you thought was out of reach.

1.Which would be the best title for the text?

A. Tips on Vocation Travelling

B. Advice for Business Travelers

C. The Effect of Economy on Airlines

D. Tricks of Finding the Cheapest Flights

2.Many people have to cancel their travel plan because they _____.

A. have no saving tricks                  B. consider economic reasons

C. seldom do research                                   D. can’t have great deals

3.Which of the following can be filled in the blank in the text?

A. Fly to popular places.

B. Don’t Miss the Holydays.

C. Better Avoid the Crowds.

D. Lose No Chance for Travelling.

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Saving tricks can make the seemingly impossible vacation possible.

B. Inside knowledge and good timing help you to steal tickets from airlines.

C. Vacation will be out of reach without inside knowledge and good timing.

D. Who thinks the vacation is out of reach never grasps the tricks of saving.