Among rich countries, people in the United States work the longest hours. They work much longer than in Europe. This difference is quite surprising because productivity per hour worked is the same in the United States as it is in France, Spain and Germany, and it is growing at a similar speed.

In most countries and at most times in history, as people have become richer they have chosen to work less. In other words they have decided to “spend” a part of their extra income on a fuller personal life. Over the last fifty years Europeans have continued this pattern, and hours of work have fallen sharply. But not in the United States. We do not fully know why this is. One reason may be greatly lower taxes in America, which increase the rewards (回报) to work. Another may be more satisfying work, or less satisfying personal lives.

Longer hours do of course increase the GDP (国内生产总值). So the United States has produced more per worker than, say, France. The United Sates also has more of its people at work, while in France many more mothers and older workers have decided to stay at home. The overall result is that American GDP per head is 40% higher than in France, even though productivity per hour worked is the same.

It is not clear which of the two situations is better. As we have seen, work has to be compared with other values like family life, which often get lost in its interest. It is too early to explain the

different trends (趋势) in happiness over time in different countries. But it is a disappointing idea that in the United States happiness has made no progress since 1975, while it has risen in Europe. Could this have anything to do with trends in the work-life balance (平衡)?

 

56.From the text we know that the author ___________.

       A.believes that longer working hours is better

       B.prefers shorter working hours to longer ones

       C.says nothing certain about which pattern is better

       D.thinks neither of the patterns is good

57.Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?

       A.Spain.                                             B.France.

       C.Germany.                                        D.America.

58.In the last paragraph, the underlined word “which” refers to __________.

       A.family life                                        B.situations

       C.other values                                     D.trends

59.What message can we get from the text?

       A.The GDP of Europe is higher than that of America.

       B.Two possible reasons are given for working longer hours in the US.

       C.People all over the world choose to work less when they are richer.

       D.Americans are happier than Europeans.

60.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

       A.Americans and Europeans.                B.Staying at Home.

       C.Work and Productivity.                     D.Work and Happiness.

 

 

In many countries the standard of living enjoyed by their people has increased rapidly in recent years. Sadly, not everyone in these countries is so fortunate and many people in rich countries are homeless.

The reasons for homelessness are various, but poverty(贫穷) is undoubtedly one of the main causes. The homeless people may have become jobless and then been unable to pay their rent and so no longer have a roof over their heads. Often, the fact that unemployed people get help from the government prevents this from happening, but not always.

Some homeless people are mentally ill and have no one to look after them. Some are young people who, for one reason or another, have left home and have nowhere to live. Many of them have had a serious disagreement with their parents and have left home, choosing to go to a city and live on the streets. Sometimes they have taken such action because they have been unable to get on with a step-parent.

Many homeless people get into the habit of begging to get enough money to stay alive, but many of the general public refuse to give anything to beggars. Often they are moved on by the police, being accused(指控), whether rightly or wrongly, of forceful begging. There are many who disrespect homeless people.

Some cynics(愤世嫉俗的人) declare that homeless people choose to live the life which they lead. But who would willingly choose to live in a shop doorway, under a bridge or in a cardboard box?

52.According to the text, what causes some people to be homeless?

       A.Lack of money.       B.The increased standard of living.

       C.No government help.                                   D.Agreement with their parents.

53.It can be inferred from the text that _________.

       A.the homeless are willing to live under a bridge or in a cardboard box

       B.you will not find homeless people in countries with a high standard of living

       C.the mentally ill live on the streets because they want the company of other home-

       less people

       D.the unemployed who receive help may still be among the homeless

54.In paragraph 2, “a roof over their heads” most probably means _________.

       A.a cap                      B.a car

       C.a home                   D.a covering

55.The author thinks that the homeless people are                .

       A.pitiful                     B.troublesome

       C.respectable              D.admirable

 

If you’re like most students, you probably read both at home and outside your home: perhaps somewhere on your schoolyard and maybe even at work during your breaks. Your reading environment can have a great effect on your understanding ,so give some thought to how you can create(营造)or choose the right reading environments. The right environment allows you to stay alert(专注的)and to keep all of your attention on the text, especially when it is both interesting and difficult.

       When you’re at home ,you can usually create effective conditions for reading. You might want to choose a particular place― a desk or table, for example where you always read .Make sure the place you choose is well lighted ,and sit in a chair that requires you to sit straight. Reading in a chair that’s too soft and comfortable is likely to make you sleepy! Keep your active reading tools (pens ,markers ,notebooks or paper) and a dictionary close at hand.

       Before you sit down for a reading period ,try to reduce all possible interruptions. Turn off your phone, the television, and the radio. Tell your family members or roommates that you’ll be busy for a while .If necessary, put a “Do not disturb” sign on your door! The more interruptions you must deal with while you read, the harder it will be to keep your attention on the task at hand.

49.The author believes that the right reading environment __________.

       A.helps readers a little in their reading tasks

       B.helps readers a lot in their reading tasks

       C.can only be created at one’s home

       D.can only be created outside one’s home

50.Which type of the following interruptions is mentioned in the text?

       A.Dictionaries.                                               B.Paper.

       C.Phone calls.                                               D.Notebooks.

51.What would be the best title for the text?

       A.How to Read Fast

       B.Creating an Effective Reading Environment

       C.The Ways to Reduce Possible Interruptions

       D.What to Read

LONDON Thursday July 26 (Reuters)―Eddy missed his girlfriend Anna so much he flew back to Britain from Australia to propose(求婚)to her. The problem is she did the same in the opposite direction.

       He and Anna even managed to miss each other when they sat in the same airport waiting room in Singapore at the same time to wait for connecting flights.

       Anna, heartbroken when she arrived at Eddy’s Sydney flat to find he had flown to London, told The Times: “It was as though someone was playing a cruel joke on us.”

       “He is the most romantic person I have ever known .I think our problem is that we are both quite impulsive(冲动的)people. We are always trying to surprise each other.”

       After an 11,000-mile flight across the globe, she was greeted by Eddy’s astonished roommate asking what she was doing there.

       Eddy, a 27-year-old engineer ,had taken a year off to travel round Australia .But he was missing Anna ,a 26-year-old secretary, so much he got a job on a Sydney building site(工地)and started saving for a surprise.

       He then flew home to Britain and went to her flat armed with an engagement(订婚)ring, wine and flowers.

       “I really missed Anna and I’d been thinking about her all the time. I was so excited when she phoned me from Australia,” he said.

       Eddy then asked Anna to marry him on the phone. “I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but I accepted,” she said.

       Anna was given a tour of Sydney by Eddy’s friends before going back home .Eddy had to stay in Britain for two weeks because he could not change his ticket.

 

45.What does the last sentence of the first paragraph tell us?

       A.Anna flew to Britain from Australia to marry him.

       B.Anna flew to Australia from Britain to marry him.

       C.Anna flew to Britain from Australia to propose to him.

       D.Anna flew to Australia from Britain to propose to him.

46.The underlined word “miss” in paragraph 2 most probably means      .

       A.escape from                                        B.fail to understand

       C.fail to meet                                          D.long to see

47.Eddy got a job on a Sydney building site because he      .

       A.wanted to travel round Australia

       B.needed money to pay his daily cost

       C.was an engineer at this building site

       D.hoped to make money from this job

48.Which of the following is TRUE about Eddy and Anna according to the text?

       A.Eddy proposed to Anna on the phone and Anna accepted.

       B.Anna stayed in Australia waiting for Eddy’s arrival.

       C.Anna had a good time touring Sydney with Eddy.

       D.Eddy met Anna in the airport waiting room by chance.

 

For centuries ,the only form of written correspondence(通信)was the letter .Letters were ,and are ,sent by some form of postal service ,the history of which goes back a long way. Indeed ,the Egyptians began sending letters from about 2000 BC, as did the Chinese a thousand years later.

       Of course ,modern postal services now are much more developed and faster ,depending as they do on cars and planes for delivery .Yet they are still too slow for some people to send urgent documents(紧急文件)and letters.

       The invention of the fax(传真)machine increased the speed of delivering documents even more .When you send a fax ,you are sending a copy of a piece of correspondence to someone by telephone service .It was not until the early 1980s that such a service was developed enough for businesses to be able to fax documents to each other.

       The fax service is still very much in use when copies of documents require to be sent ,but ,as a way of fast correspondence, it has been largely taken the place of by email. Email is used to describe messages sent from one computer user to another.

       There are advantages and disadvantages with emails. If you send someone and email, then he will receive it extremely quickly. Normal postal services are rather slow as far as speed of delivery is concerned.

       However ,if you write something by email ,which you might later regret ,and send it immediately ,there is no chance for second thoughts. At least ,if you are posting a letter you have to address and seal(封)the envelope and take it to the post box .There is plenty of time to change your mind. The message is think before you email!

41.We can learn from the text that         .

       A.email is less popular than the fax service

       B.the postal service has over the years become faster

       C.the postal service has over the years become slower

       D.the fax service has a history as long as the postal service does

42.It can be inferred from the text that         .

       A.the fax service had been fully developed by the 1980s

       B.letters have been used in China for about 1,000 years

       C.the fax machine was invented after the 1980s

       D.letters have been used in Egypt for about 2,000 years

 

43.In the last paragraph ,the writer mentions “think before you email” to show that         .

       A.you may regret if you don’t seal your envelope

       B.you may regret before you send something by email

       C.you’d better not send your email in a hurry

       D.you need plenty of time to send an email

44.The text mainly deals with         .

       A.the progress in correspondence

       B.the advantage of fax machines

       C.the advantage of emails

       D.the invention of fax machines

 

The child in the hospital bed was just waking up after having a throat(喉咙)operation. His throat  21   ,and he was afraid .However ,the young nurse  22   by his bed smiled so  23   that the little boy smiled back .He  24   to be afraid .The young nurse was May Paxton  25   she was deaf(聋的).May Paxton graduated  26   the Missouri School for the Deaf near the year 1909 .Three years  27   she went to see Dr. Richardson about   28   a nurse . Dr. Richardson was one of the founders of Mercy Hospital of Kansas City.  29   had never heard of a deaf nurse .She told May that her   30   would be very low and that the work would be   31   .However ,May said that hard work did not frighten her .Dr. Richardson was   32   her ,and accepted May as a student nurse.

       Dr. Richardson never   33   her decision .  34   ,she was so pleased with May’s work that she later accepted two other deaf women as student nurses .The   35   was Miss Marian Finch ,who was hard of   36   .The second was Miss Lillie Bessie .These three were   37    “the silent angles(天使)of Mercy Hospital” during the   38   they worked there.

       Dr. Richardson often   39   her faith in the girls’ ability to learn nursing .She wrote to May. “For three years ,you have been with us… It is wonderful to me that no man,  40   or child ever ,to my knowledge ,made a complaint(投诉)against you…”

21.A.cut                     B.hurt                    C.wounded             D.damaged

22.A.standing              B.jumping               C.lying                   D.crying

23.A.shyly                  B.sadly                   C.cheerfully            D.weakly

24.A.continued            B.began                  C.stopped               D.forgot

25.A.for                      B.so                       C.and                     D.but

26.A.as                       B.from                   C.with                    D.in

27.A.later                    B.before                 C.ago                     D.then

28.A.seeking               B.changing             C.hiring                  D.becoming

29.A.You                    B.She                     C.We                     D.He

30.A.money                B.check                  C.pay                     D.price

31.A.easy                    B.disappointing        C.joyful                  D.difficult

32.A.angry with           B.satisfied with       C.sorry for             D.ashamed of

33.A.regretted             B.thought of           C.liked                   D.believed

34.A.In fact                B.In a hurry            C.In surprise           D.In public

35.A.one                     B.others                 C.first                    D.other

36.A.reading                B.hearing                C.listening              D.writing

37.A.offered                B.chosen                C.told                     D.called

38.A.year                    B.month                 C.time                    D.term

39.A.spoke of              B.said                     C.heard of              D.noticed

40.A.person                B.woman                C.boy                     D.girl

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