Working as a manager in the head office of a bank, as I do, clothes can be a nightmare. In
New York, where I worked for a time last summer, you have to brave the burning heat every
time you dare to go outside, yet freeze once you arrive in a meeting with the air-conditioner
turned up. I struggled to know what to wear. The problem was worsened by the office dress
code for the months of July and August, which was "dress-down".
     The dress-down phenomenon seems to have begun in places where staff work through the
terrible heat of summer while their families take shelter at the coast or in the hills. Dress-down,
limited to Friday, allows staff to head straight for their out-of-town places on Friday evenings
without going home to change. But in New York it has now become a week-round state of
affairs. This move may have been born out of consideration; to allow people on Wall Street to
travel to work in the heat in something more comfortable than a suit, but the effect is less kind.
     For me, dress-down is bad for two reasons. The first is that it actually requires a whole new
wardrobe. For my male colleagues in the US, it seemed to mean a switch 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.
     Returning to London, I was therefore rather embarrassed to discover that my employers had
started summer dress-down. Here too, though its relevance to the climate is far from immediately
apparent. At first, I tried to sidestep it by simply turning up 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'm still required to have a suit hanging up in my office in
case I'm suddenly called to a meeting on our conference floor, where dress-down is banned for
fear that a client should witness it. One of my colleagues started to accumulate more and more
very smart suits in her office, explaining that she was having her flat renovated and that in-office
wardrobe was a necessity as she was staying at a different friend's place each night. We weren't
convinced.
     For the other great inconvenience of dress-down for the staff 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 overly smart clothes and then go out for a "dental appointment". I would
normally applaud this state of affairs, as an important part of my time is spent trying to prevent
valued employees from moving elsewhere, and any clues about their intentions are helpful and
allow me to nip things in the bud(消灭于萌芽中).
      However, the clothes hanging in my office are now finding a second use. I have suddenly
become the target for several "headhunters", people employed by other companies to try and
attract employees away with offers of better pay and conditions. The only problem with this is
that I have just the one suit at the office. As a series of interviews with one future employer
progresses, I'm having to bring in additional clothes. I can hardly present myself as a highly-paid
investment banker, requiring a vast salary, if they only ever see me in one suit. At this rate, I shall
have to tell my staff that I, too, have decided to have my flat done up.

1. According to the writer, "dress-down" in New York began as a way of ______.

A. making life easier for staff in the summer months
B. discouraging staff from taking summer holidays
C. showing concern for staff who lived out of town
D. rewarding those employees willing to work in the heat

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

A. She argued against it.              
B. She attempted to ignore it.
C. She recognized the need for it.        
D. She persuaded her staff to adopt it.

3. Why does " dress-down" annoy the writer?

A. Not everyone obeys the rule.            
B. Her clients find it embarrassing.
C. It does not apply on all occasions.        
D. The clothes themselves do not suit her.

4. In which aspect of her work does the writer find "dress-down" an advantage?

A. Training new members of staff.            
B. Providing her staff with some information.
C. Making sure that her staff remain faithful.    
D. Making her staff feel more comfortable at work.

5. The underlined word "giveaway" in the sixth paragraph means_________.

A. something that is given away free.          
B. willingness to stop doing something.
C. willingness to give away to the other's wishes.
D. something that makes it easy for you to guess something.

6. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. The writer wants to have her flat redecorated.
B. The writer is concerned about her dressing in the interviews.
C. The headhunters discovered the writer by her suit.
D. The writer feels it wrong to meet with the headhunters.

     How often do you sit still and do absolutely nothing. The usual answer these days is"never". or
"hardly ever". As the pace of life continues to increase,we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once
you are in the habit of rushing through life,being on the go from morning till night,it is hard to slow
down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
     Stress is fl natural part of everyday life. There is no way to avoid it, since it takes many and varied
forms-driving in traffic,problems with personal relationships are all different forms of stress. Stress,in
fact,is not the"baddy"it is often reputed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation
and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance
and ill health.
     The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people
are not afraid of stress,and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities.
Others lose heart at the first sight of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress,in whatever form,we
react both chemically and physically. In fact we make a choice between "fight" or "fright" and in more
primitive days the choice made the difference between life and death. The crisis we meet today are
unlikely to be so extreme,but however little the stress,it involves the same response. All the energy is
shifted to cope with the stress. It is when such a reaction lasts long,through continued exposure to
stress,that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart
disease have established links with stress.
     Stress in some people produces stomach disorders,while others experience tension headaches.
Since we cannot remove stress from our 1ires,We need to find ways to cope with it.

1. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because       .

A. they are working harder than they used to
B. they are often too busy to find the time
C. they are not clear of how to relax by themselves
D. they are suffering from the effects of stress

2. What is implied but not stated in the passage?

A. The art of relaxation can greatly help people bear stress.
B. People in primitive days know certain ways to deal with stress.
C. If one gets into the habit of relaxing every day he can overcome stress easily.
D. Stress can lead to serious health problem if one is exposed to it for too long.

3. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 suggests that       .

A. stress is not always a bad thing for people
B. stress has a bad reputation of causing ill health
C. stress is not so terrible as people often believe it to be
D. stress is always harmful to people all the time

4. According to this passage,which of the following statements is true?

A. Relaxation in life only benefits us mentally.
B. Different people can stand different amounts of stress.
C. All the stress can lead to poor performance.
D. Large amounts of stress is important to people's lire.

5. What is the writer's attitude to stress according to the passage?

A. Stress as well as relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.
B. Stress should not be rid completely from the life.  
C. Stress produces both positive and negative effects on people.
D. People usually work better under stress if they are healthy.