Half of all bosses say a lack of sleep makes them irritable (易怒的) and prone to(有……倾向的) shout at their staff, a study said.
One in five managers also said being kept awake at night meant they were more likely to make mistakes, the Mori poll of 1,006 people revealed(显示).
Some 48% of people aged 35 to 44 said they did not get enough sleep compared to a national average 39%.
Among that age group, people with young children and managerial (管理的) jobs were most likely to suffer.
The report, commissioned (委托) by the think tank Demos and Ikea, said the issue of sleep had been forgotten in the work / life balance debate.
Report author Charles Leadbeater said, "On any working day, a quarter of all managers in Britain are likely to be in a bad mood because they have not slept well. "
"These sleep-deprived and shouty managers with a tendency to make mistakes are responsible for millions of British workers. It’s hardly a recipe for good management. "
And Mr. Leadbeater called on the government and employers to take action.
A small loss of sleep is likely to have a big impact on people who lead stressful lives.
"Stressed out parents are already not sleeping enough. They are the people most likely to have their sleep disrupted and they are least able to recover."
Apart from children keeping their parents awake, worrying about work is the biggest cause of wakefulness at night among managers.
Women are five times more likely than men to lose sleep because their partners snore (打呼噜).
The report predicted that there was likely to be a growing market of sleep-deprived people, with an increase in "public napping".
Opportunities to take a nap at work are also likely to increase, and the report recommended that employers take their responsibility for ensuring employees were well slept more seriously.
Peter Jelkeby, marketing manager at Ikea, said the research confirmed suspicions Britons were not getting enough sleep.
And he added: "This is having a detrimental effect on our society as a whole. "
9. Which of following is true according to the text?
A. Half of the people say a lack of sleep makes them irritable.
B. 20% managers said being kept awake at night meant they were more likely to make mistakes.
C. Some 48% of people said they did not get enough sleep.
D. People with young children and managerial jobs were most likely to suffer.
10. What does the underlined word "detrimental" mean?
A 良好的. B.有害的 C.片面的 D.致命的
11. Who that suffered sleep disrupted are least able to recover?
A. The bosses. B. Managers.
C. People aged 35 to 44. D. Stressed out parents.
12. Apart from children keeping: their parents awake, ________is the biggest cause of wakefulness at night among managers.
A. worrying about work B. their partners’ snoring
C. the relationship D. working conditions
One day a teacher was giving her young students a lesson on how the government works .She was trying to explain the principle of income tax (收入税).
“You see ,” she began , speaking slowly and carefully , “each person who works must pay part of his or her salary (薪水)to the government .If you make a high salary , your taxes are high .If you don’t make much money, your taxes are low .”
“Is that clear ?” she asked .“Does everyone understand the meaning of income tax ?” The students nodded.“Are there any questions ?” she asked .The students shook their heads .
“Very good !” she said .“Now ,I would like you to take a piece of paper and write a short paragraph on the subject of income tax .”
Little Joey was a slow learner .He had lots of problems with spelling and grammar , but this time he at least seemed to understand the task .He took his pen and after a few minutes , he handed the teacher the following composition :
Once I had a dog.His name was Tax.
I opened the door and in come Tax.The teacher was trying to explain one day .
| A.the basic principles of the income tax |
| B.how the government works |
| C.everyone should pay income tax |
| D.how much tax one should pay for his income |
After the teacher’s explanation, .
| A.all the students shook their heads |
| B.many of the students were still puzzled |
| C.not all the students understood the meaning of income tax |
| D.a few students disagreed with their teacher |
The students were asked .
| A.to say something about income tax |
| B.to answer some questions on income tax |
| C.to write a composition on “income tax” |
| D.to explain the principle of income tax |
Little Joey .
| A.was clever |
| B.understood what the teacher said |
| C.was not clever enough |
| D.did as what he was told to do |
Linda Evans was my best friend like the sister I never had.We did everything together; piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away.Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special times—like my wedding and Linda’s.Soon we were busy with children and moving to new houses, and we wrote less often.One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address Unknown”.I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much.I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren.And I need to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died.There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagmans—Linda’s married name.“There must be thousands of Wagmans.” I thought, but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter.“Ms Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagmans is my mother.” Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives.Now the empty place in my heart is filled.And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!What happened to me when I was 13?
| A.My father died of an illness. |
| B.I got married and had a son. |
| C.My family removed to a new place. |
| D.Linda moved away with her family. |
Why was the card I sent returned to me?
| A.I forgot to write the address. |
| B.The address couldn’t be found. |
| C.Something was wrong with the card. |
| D.Linda was sent to a foreign country. |
Over the years, I missed Linda very much because________.
| A.Linda could fill my dream |
| B.Linda made a promise that she would visit me |
| C.Linda had a deep effect on my choice of life |
| D.I wanted to share happiness and sorrow with Linda |
What did I notice in the newspaper one day?
| A.A photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda. |
| B.Linda was still looking for me in the newspaper. |
| C.Linda fell in love with a man called Wagmans. |
| D.Linda was still living in the nearby city. |
We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book.Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down.While I watched mouth open in surprise, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold.She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop(拖把).She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered.She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe (拖一下)of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall.I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book.After a long time Mum came back.Her eyes were shining.
She quickly put the mop back and took my hand.As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me “Grandma is fine.No fever.”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course.I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow.Dad will stop worrying as well.It’s a fine hospital.But such floors! A mop is not good.You need a brush.”When she took a mop from the small room what Mum really wanted to do was ______.
| A.to clean the floor |
| B.to please the nurse |
| C.to see a patient |
| D.to surprise the story-teller |
When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a ______.
| A.nurse | B.visitor |
| C.patient | D.cleaner |
After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital? ______
| A.The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. |
| B.It has strict rules about visiting hours. |
| C.The conditions there aren’t very good. |
| D.It is a children’s hospital. |
Which of the following words best describes Mum? ______.
| A.Clever | B.Warm-hearted |
| C.Strange | D.Hardworking |
Scientists have long understood the key role that oceans play in regulating the Earth’s climate. Oceans cover 70 percent of the globe and store a thousand times more heat than the atmosphere does. What’s newer is the understanding of how this key component of our climate system responds to global warming.
A brake on global warming — for now
One of oceans’most important climate functions is absorbing heat and carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the gases that cause global warming. Acting as a heat sponge (海绵), oceans have absorbed huge amounts of heat and CO2 in the last forty years.
Fujita explains that "oceans are saving us from faster climate change — they are a big flywheel that delays rapid overheating of the Earth, putting a brake on the climate system."
"That’s the good news," he adds. "The bad news is that oceans only slow the atmospheric warming. Once oceans come to balance with a greenhouse gas warmed earth, the extreme heat will remain in the atmosphere and things will get much hotter." But where and how oceans release this accumulated (积累的) heat is uncertain. And as oceans store heat, fragile underwater ecosystems are struggling.
The most recent scientific report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also notes with concern that oceans are acidifying because of increased absorption of atmospheric CO2, and thus causing a threat for shell-forming species. Sharp increases in carbon dioxide levels will cause further acidification of oceans.
Currents distributing heat
Another important role oceans play is that of distributor. Oceans deliver heat and life-sustaining nutrients around the globe. Just as blood vessels bring oxygen and nutrients to cells in the human body, oceans’ currents carry oxygen, nutrients and heat throughout the Earth. Oceans distribute 25 percent to 50 percent of the energy the planet receives from the sun. For example, the Gulf Stream carries heat across the Atlantic. This warm current gives northwestern Europe a milder climate than it would normally have so far north. A change to oceans’ circulation (循环) patterns could throw Europe into a colder period, even as the rest of world experiences warmer temperatures.
This passage mainly talks about .
A.the roles of oceans B.global warming
C.ocean currents D.carbon dioxide
Arriving in Sydney on his own from India, my husband, Rashid, stayed in a hotel for a short time while looking for a house for me and our children.
During the first week of his stay, he went out one day to do some shopping. He came back in the late afternoon to discover that his suitcase was gone. He was extremely worried as the suitcase had all his important papers, including his passport.
He reported the case to the police and then sat there,lost and lonely in a strange city, thinking of the terrible troubles of getting all the paperwork organized again from a distant country while trying to settle down in a new one.
Late in the evening, the phone rang. It was a stranger. He was trying to pronounce my husband’s name and was asking him a lot of questions. Then he said they had found a pile of papers in their trash can(垃圾桶)that had been left out on the footpath.
My husband rushed to their home to find a kind family holding all his papers and documents. Their young daughter had gone to the trash can and found a pile of unfamiliar papers. Her parents had carefully sorted them out, although they had found mainly foreign addresses on most of the documents. At last they had seen a half-written letter in the pile in which my husband had given his new telephone number to a friend.
That family not only restored the important documents to us that day but also restored our faith and trust in people. We still remember their kindness and often send a warm wish their way.
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A.From India to Australia. |
| B.Living in a New Country. |
| C.Turning Trash to Treasure. |
| D.In Search of New Friends. |