Who says Americans worship the almighty (全能的) dollar? It's not true. Having enough free time is more important to most Americans than being rich, according to a new survey.
Only 13 percent of more than 2,400 people questioned in the telephone survey ranked being wealthy as most important to them, while 67 percent ranked free time as their top priority (优先考虑的事), higher than having a successful career, getting married, and having children. "Everyone wants free time to do the things they want to do, young, middle-aged or old," said Richard Morin, of the Pew Social ~ Demographic Trends Project, which conducted the survey. "So our desire to play unites us."
The survey also showed that people who were educated in university valued career success over wealth, so did middle-aged people. Not surprisingly, those who didn't have money, ranked wealth very highly. This included minorities, first generation Americans and less educated people. The survey also revealed that a disproportionate (不成比例的) number of people under the age of 30 and retired people in the group made $ 20,000 or less a year. But the emphasis on wealth lessens with age, with younger people putting value on it but hardly any seniors. "It just diminishes (减弱) with time as the reality sets in that you would never be rich," Morin said. "But also, as for old people the reality sets in that you don't have to be rich to lead a very comfortable and fulfilling life. "
While wealth was not at the top of people's list of priorities, 43 percent still said it was somewhat important.
【小题1】The survey showed that the majority of American people ranked ______ as the most important.

A.wealthB.a successful careerC.marriageD.free time
【小题2】Who cares least for wealth, according to the passage?
A.Young people B.First generation Americans
C.Old peopleD.Less-educated people
【小题3】 According to the survey, what did middle-aged people regard as more important?
A.success in career B.education levelC.wealthD.comfort
【小题4】 What is the belief of old people according to the third paragraph?
A.Wealth is as important to the old as health.
B.One needs to put money away for his retired life.
C.One doesn't have to be rich to live a satisfying life.
D.One would never get rich until he retires.

“When I grow up, I want to be...”

Almost all of us have thought about, or been asked to think about, our future careers. Our answers may differ greatly. Even now your aspirations may have changed from when you were in primary school.

However, it seems career options aren’t only based on personal taste. In a survey carried out by Teens, doctors, lawyers, and bankers were some of most popular careers that people said they hoped to follow. This is in line with a similar survey carried out in the UK in May 2011 by job website monster. Co.uk, in which medicine was the top choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17.

Medicine and law are two of the oldest and best known professions. Their prestige (威望) may come from the fact that doctors and lawyers are some of the most esteemed members of society, and they make good money. Joining these high-profile professions is often seen as a sign of upward social mobility.

It is equally unsurprising that banking is now one of the most common career choices. Youngsters worldwide think of banking and see the money rolling in. Wealth is increasingly becoming one of the most important indicators of a successful career. British young men list the UK tycoon Alan Sugar, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg as their top role models “for their wealth”. Just as Chinese teenagers see being a banker as a good and fun pathway to “wealth”.

However, not every child has the makings of doctor, lawyer, or banker. They are those who see fulfillment and happiness in other areas, and many teenagers dare to ink more individuality into their career options. As the Teens’ survey discovered, a variety of unconventional jobs---coffee shop owner, gourmet(美食家),waiter at a fast food restaurant---are among teenagers’ career choices. They can be equally interesting and rewarding jobs.

With every choice comes responsibility and challenge, and all career paths require specific education and training, you have to learn to balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Careers in teenagers’ mind.

B. Choosing a good job is very important.

C. Teenagers in the UK like doctors.

D. The choice of career needs challenge.

2.What is the top career choice among UK teenagers aged between 13 and 17 according to the article?

A. Medicine        B. Law        C. Bank        D. Education

3.According to the article, all of the following are the benefits of being a doctor except_______.

A. respect from others                B. the oldest profession

C. high pay                  D. upward social mobility.

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. According to your particular talents and skills, you can choose your favorite career.

B. Specific education and training can help get a good job.

C. Whatever career you choose, you should balance optimism and confidence with being realistic about your particular talents and skills.

D. Responsibility is the most important when you choose a good job.

 

The concept of health holds different meanings for different people and groups. These meanings have also changed over time. This change is no more evident than in Western society today, when notions of health and health promotion are being challenged and expanded in new ways.

For much of recent Western history, health has been viewed in the physical sense only. That is, good health has been connected to the smooth mechanical operation of the body, while ill health has been attributed to a breakdown in this machine. Health in this sense has been defined as the absence of disease or illness and is seen in medical terms.

In the late 1940s the World Health Organization challenged this physically and medically oriented (导向的) view of health. They stated that health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease (WHO, 1946). Health and the person were seen more holistically (mind / body / spirit) and not just in physical terms.

The 1970s was a time of focusing on the prevention of disease and illness by emphasizing the importance of the lifestyle and behaviour of the individual. Specific behaviours which were seen to increase risk of disease, such as smoking, lack of fitness and unhealthy eating habits, were targeted. Creating health meant providing not only medical health care, but also health promotion programs and policies which would help people maintain healthy behaviours and lifestyles. While this individualistic healthy lifestyle approach to health worked for some (the wealthy members of society), it was of little benefit to people experiencing poverty, unemployment, underemployment or who had little control over the conditions of their daily life.

During the 1980s and 1990s there has been a growing swing away from seeing lifestyle risks as the root cause of poor health. While lifestyle factors still remain important, health is being viewed also in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live. This broad approach to health is called the socio-ecological view of health.

At the Ottawa Conference in 1986, a charter was developed which outlined new directions for health promotion based on the socio-ecological view of health. This charter, known as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, remains as the backbone of health action today. In exploring the scope of health promotion it states that:

Good health is a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension (尺度) of the quality of life. Political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological factors can all favour health or be harmful to it. (WHO, 1986)

1.From the passage, we can infer that _________.

A.good health means not having any illness

B.health has different meanings for different people in different periods

C.health has always been viewed in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live

D.health has always been considered a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of quality of life

2.In the late 1940s, if you ___________, that meant you were healthy. 

A.were strong enough

B.were strong, optimistic and happy

C.had enough money

D.had a good lifestyle

3.        of society benefited most from the healthy lifestyle approach to health. 

A.Rich people

B.Poor people

C.Old people

D.Young people

4.The socio-ecological view of health includes the following broad areas EXCEPT ________.

A.the social contexts

B.the environmental contexts

C.the economic contexts

D.the area of personal development

5.This passage mainly tells us that                 .  

A.wealth is health

B.health means different things in different periods

C.it’s getting harder to be healthy

D.people should change their understanding of health over time

 

Most, if not all, Chinese have become richer thanks to 28 years of reform and opening up. But are we any happier?

  Various surveys attempt to answer this question. Though experts have presented varying percentages based on different standards, their answers tend to find we are generally happier, and the number of optimists rises each year. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ 2006 Blue Book on social progress says 70 per cent of rural and urban citizens surveyed in 2005 reported a feeling of happiness and were optimistic about their futures.

  But each survey shows a worrisome fact that 10 per cent, at the lowest, of citizens were not content with their lives or not hopeful about the future. We cannot be content with the fact that at least 130 million of our countrymen are not happy.

  Although a sense of happiness remains a luxury(奢望)for many of our countrymen because of poverty, we agree wealth is not the only factor of happiness. For most of us, except the extremely rich and naturally born optimists, there simply are too many variables (可变物) that may kill the feeling of happiness. These include, but are not limited to, rising housing prices, tight and instable job market, back-breaking schooling expenses and medical bills.

The most common one, however, is a low sense of security (安全). Some experts pointed that in the low-and-middle income group there was too much uncertainty regarding employment, income, housing, medical situations, and education. How can you feel happy when you always have to prepare yourself for the unexpected?

It may be beyond the government’s reach, not to mention duty, to guarantee (保证) higher income for every citizen. But it does have a burden to create an environment where all citizens can feel a reasonable level of security.

1.From the second paragraph we learn _____________________.

A.70 % of Chinese people feel happy and optimistic about their future

B.the data and the conclusions of the surveys are the same

C.the surveys about the sense of happiness were carried out in 2006

D.the purpose of the surveys is to find out the percentage of rich people

2.The following factors of happiness are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT _________.

A.security

B.environment

C.wealth

D.employment

3.The underlined word “countrymen” in Paragraph 3 refers to ___________.

A.people from the countryside

B.people from cities

C.people from all countries

D.Chinese citizens

4. According to the passage, the author tends to hold the view that _________.

A.the wealthier we get, the happier we become

B.though we get wealthier, we do not feel happier

C.it is the government’s duty to raise every citizen’s income

D.the government should make sure all citizens feel a good level of security

 

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