Dress Down

Dress-down seems to have originated in places where people work through the heat of summer. Dress-down，restricted to Fridays, allows staff to head straight for their out-of-town retreats on Friday evenings without going home to change . But in New York it has now become a week-round state of affairs.

For me ,a manager in the head office of a bank，dress-down is a real headache for two reasons. The first is that it actually requires a new wardrobe（衣柜）. For my male colleagues in the US, it seemed to mean a change from one uniform to another. I basically only own two types of clothes—suits for working in and truly casual clothes for relaxing weekends in the countryside. 

Later in London, I was rather confused to discover that my employers had employers had started summer dress-down. At first, I tried to sidestep it in my suit as usual, but my staff complained that they then felt pressured into doing the same. So, I found myself having to buy “smart casual” clothes specifically to wear to work; a ridiculous expense. Even more annoying is the fact that I still have to prepare a suit in my office in case I’m suddenly called to a meeting, where dress-down is banned.

For the other great inconvenience of dress-down is that it makes it easier than ever to spot when colleagues are going to job interviews . For the rest of the year, it is easy enough to arrange these during the working week，but in the summer when dress-down rules, it’ s a dead giveaway to arrive in smart clothes for such a formal appointment. However, I would normally applaud this state of affairs，as most of my time used to be spent trying to prevent valued employees from moving elsewhere.

1．According to the writer. “dress-down” in New York began as a way of_________.

A．discouraging staff from taking summer holidays

B．showing concern for staff who lived out of town

C．rewarding those employees willing to work in the heat

D．making life easier for staff in the summer months

2．What was the writer’s first reaction to the idea of “dress-down” in her London office?

A．She attempted to ignore it.                   B．She argued against it.

C．She recognized the need for it.             D．She urged her staff to adopt it.

3．The aspect of “dress—down” that most annoys the writer is the fact that         .

A．her clients find it embarrassing             B．not everyone has to conform to it

C．it does not apply on all occasions          D．the clothes themselves do not suit her

4．The writer thinks “dress-down”_________ according to the passage.

A．develops her ability to make a business   B．increases her expense on clothes

C．disturbs her personal life after work       D．damages her interpersonal relationships

5．In which aspect of her work does the writer find “dress-down” an advantage?

A．Employing new members of staff.        B．Monitoring the honesty of her staff.

C．Providing her staff with feedback.       D．Ensuring her staff remain loyal.

People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

1.Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

2.Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

3.What do you know from the passage?

4.On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, _______.

短文填词 （共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

         Changbaishan stands in Jilin Province, northeast China. It is famous

for its thick forest, China’s largest _____________ (自然) reserve, which             1. ___________

is _____________ to wildlife. Every year, Changbaishan attracts tourists      2. ___________

from all over the world to enjoy v_______________ of unique rare plants     3. ___________

and animals. Besides, visitors to Changbaishan are also rewarded _______    4. ___________

the beautiful s__________ of Tianchi, once the crater of a volcano. However,  5. ___________

_____________ is no need to worry about the volcano, for it is a dead one.    6. ___________

The winter here is f________________ cold. The most interesting thing about  7. ___________

Tianchi is a beautiful story c____________ the father of the Manchu people,   8. ___________

who is said to have been born by a young woman from heaven _______ (沐浴)  9.__________

in the deep lake. The story is told to convey the message ______ the Manchu   10. __________

people are clever.