In recent years many countries of the world have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive. Some experts claim the answer is to make jobs more varied. But do more various jobs lead to greater productivity? There are facts to suggest that while variety certainly makes the worker's life more enjoyable, it does not actually make him work harder. As far as increasing productivity is concerned, then variety is not an important factor.
Other experts feel that giving the worker freedom to do his job in his own way is important, and there is no doubt that this is true. The problem is that this kind of freedom cannot easily be given in the modern factory with its complicated machinery that must be used in a fixed way. Thus while freedom of choice may be important, there is usually very little that can be done to create it.
Another very important consideration is how each worker contributes to the product he is making. In most factories the worker sees only one part of the product. Some car factories are now experimenting with having many small production lines rather than one large one, so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his line. It would seem that not only is degree of the worker’s contribution an important factor, therefore, but it is also one we can do something about.
To what degree does more money lead to greater productivity? The workers themselves certainly think this is important. Maybe they want more money only because the work they do is boring. Money just lets them enjoy their spare time more. A similar argument may explain demands for shorter working hours. Perhaps if we succeed in making their jobs more interesting, they will neither want more money, nor will shorter working hours be so important to them.
Which of the following is the best way to make workers work harder according to the author?
A.Increasing their pay. |
B.Giving them more spare time. |
C.Making the work itself meaningful. |
D.Replacing large production lines with small ones. |
The reason why a worker cannot have freedom in doing the job in his own way is that ___ .
A.the machine is so badly needed that more of it should be bought |
B.there are e production lines in factories |
C.the bosses can create very little freedom of choices |
D.the machines must be operated strictly according to instructions and rules |
Besides money, what may make workers work more actively?
A.extra free hours | B.More comfort of life |
C.interesting jobs | D.better working conditions |
The best title for this passage may be _______.
A.Problems of Modern Workers | B.Making Jobs More Interesting |
C.Pushing Workers to Produce More | D.How to Improve Labor Productivity |
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet (彗星) is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our plant, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere(大气层) with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, and temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?What is mainly described in the passage?
A.An event of imagination. |
B.A scientific adventure. |
C.A research on space. |
D.A historic discovery. |
When the first piece hits the South Atlantic , it causes _____
A.an earthquake | B.damages to cities |
C.an Earth explosion | D.huge waves |
Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long?
A.Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the earth. |
B.Because the land is covered with water |
C.Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero. |
D.Because wars break out among countries. |
By giving the example of dinosaurs, the author tries to prove______
A.the Earth could be hit by other objects in space |
B.what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story |
C.the human beings will die out in 2094 |
D.animals could not live in the cold climate |
We may guess that the writer is ______________.
A.worried | B.practical |
C.a scientist | D.full of imagination |
Tayka Hotel de Sal
Where:Tahua,Bolivia
How much:About $95 a night
Why it’s cool:You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood,but salt?That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses(床垫) and blankets).The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni,a prehistoric driedup lake which is the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633squaremile flat to make the bricks,and glue them together with a paste (糊) of wet salt that hardens when it dries.When rain starts to dissolve the hotel,the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where:Vythiri,India
How much:About $240 a night
Why it’s cool:Taking a pulley(滑轮)operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure.As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy(罩篷).Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel,or just sit on your bamboo bed and read.You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulleydrawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where:Cottonwood,Idaho
How much:$92 a night
Why it’s cool:This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet_Willy is a 30foottall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side.You can relax in the main bedroom,go up a few steps of the loft(阁楼) in Willy’s head,or hang out inside his nose.Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters,there is also a toilet in the 12foottall fire hydrant(消防栓) outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where:Ayvali,Turkey
How much:Between $130 and $475 a night
Why it’s cool:This is caveman cool!Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago,when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash.But your stay will be much more modern.Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel,and the white volcanic ash,called tufa,keeps the rooms cool,about 65in summer.(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)
What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?
A.It is located on a prehistoric lake. |
B.It should be protected against the rain. |
C.Everything in the hotel is made of salt. |
D.You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel. |
What is the similarity of the four hotels?
A.Being expensive. |
B.Being comfortable. |
C.Being natural. |
D.Being unique. |
What does the underlined words “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A.The name of the hotel.
B.The name of the hotel owner.
C.The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D.The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.
Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
A.Tayka Hotel de Sal.
B.Green Magic Nature Resort.
C.Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D.Gamirasu Cave Hotel.
There are thousands of products of all colors and shapes in a supermarket, making you believe that they are worth a try. How? Packaging is the silent but persuading salesman.
There on the shelves, each bottle, can ,box, and jar has been carefully designed and measured to speak to the inner self of the consumer, because he/she is buying not only a product but also his/her belief in life. Scientists have studied consumer behavior recently and found that the look of the package has a great effect on the “quality” of the product and on how well it sells, because “consumers generally cannot tell between a product and its package. Many products are packages and many packages are products.”, as Louis Cheskin, the first social scientist studying consumers’ feelings for packaging, noticed.
Colors are one of the best tools in packaging. Studies of eye movement have shown that colours draw human attention quickly. Take V8 for example. For many years, the bright red color of tomatoes and carrots on the thin bottle makes you feel that is it very good for your body. And the word “green” today can keep food prices going up.
Shapes are another attraction. Circles often suggest happiness and peacefulness, because these shapes are pleasing to both the eye and the heart. That’s why the round yellow M signs of McDonald’s are inviting to both young and old.
This new consumer response to the colors and shapes of packages reminds producers and sellers that people by to satisfy both body and soul.
According to the passage, _____ seems to be able to persuade a consumer to buy the product.
A.the pleasing color of the package |
B.he special taste of the product |
C.the strange shape of the package |
D.the belief in the product |
If a package or a product is round in shape, it can ____________.
A. bring excitement to the consumers
B. attract the consumers’ attention
C. catch the eye movement of the consumers
D produce a happy and peaceful feeling
“And the word green today can keep food prices going up ” This sentence suggests that consumers today are _________.
A.starting to notice the importance of new food |
B.enjoying the beauty of nature more than before |
C.beginning to like green vegetables |
D.paying more attention to their health |
It can be inferred from the passage that V8 is a kind of ________.
A vegetable dish B. healthy juice
C. iced drinkD red vegetable
Elizabeth and I are 18 now, and about to graduate. I think about our elementary school friendship, but some memories have blurred(模糊). What happened that day in the fifth grade when Beth suddenly stopped speaking to me? Does she know that I’ve been thinking about her for seven years? If only we could go back, and discover what ended our relationship.
I have to speak with Beth. I see her sometimes, and find out school is “fine”. It’s not the same. It never will be. Someone says that she’s Liz now. what happened to Beth?
I can’t call her. Should I write? What if she doesn’t answer me? How will I know what she’s thinking?
Yes, I’ll write her a letter. These things are easier to express in writing. “Dear Be-,” no, “Dear Li-” no, “Dear Elizabeth,” I begin. The words flow freely, as seven-year-old memories are reborn. I ask her all the questions that have been left unanswered in my mind, and pray she will answer. I seal my thoughts in the perfect white envelope, and imagine Beth looking into the mailbox. Will she know why I’m writing? Maybe she once thought of writing the same letter.
As the mailman takes my envelope from me forever, I wonder if I’ve made the right decision. Do I have the right to force myself into Beth’s life again? Am I simply part of the past? I have taken the first stop. Beth has control of the situation now.
One day has passed. Are my words lying on the bottom of the post office floor.
Two days are gone. I’m lost in thought and don’t even hear the phone ring.
“Hello? It’s Elizabeth”
What can we learn about Beth?
A.She had a quarrel with the author in the fifth grade |
B.She moved to another school in the fifth grade |
C.She is now called Liz instead of Beth |
D.She hasn’t seen the author for seven years |
Why does the author decide to write a letter instead of calling?
A.She is sure that Beth will not answer |
B.She’s afraid that they’ll quarrel on the phone |
C.She doesn’t know Beth’s telephone number |
D.It is easier to express her feelings in writing |
What does the underlined sentence mean in the fifth paragraph?
A.It’s up to Beth to decide what to do next |
B.Beth is to be blamed for the ending of their friendship |
C.Beth is in the same situation as the author is |
D.The author is completely in the hands of Beth now |
What might happen at the end of the story?
A.Beth answers her letter two day later |
B.The letter doesn’t reach Beth at all |
C.They make up their friendship |
D.Beth refuses to make peace with her |
Sometimes two very different individuals (个体)become the best friends. For example,, who could have thought that a spider would become friends with a pig? But in American writer E.B.White’ novel Charlotte’s Web, this is exactly what happens
Wibur the pig grows up in a barn(谷仓) and makes many friends, including a spider called Charlotte. One day a sheep tells Wibur that he will finally be served up as dinner. But Charlotte decides to save her friend. To help Wibur,Charlotte writes words like “terrific”, “radiant” and “humble” on her web to praise Wibur. This makes the farmer believe that is too important to kill.Wibur is saved, but Charlotte is so tired that she dies.
The book was first published in 1952. In over 60 years Charlotte has become one of the most famous spiders of all time. She teaches us about love and promise. “She is very, very loving under that crusty(暴躁),that ugly look,” Peter Neumeyer, writer of The Annotated Charlott’s Web
The book’s success drew the attention of Hollywood filmmakers , however, they wanted a happier ending. White was strongly against this idea and as a result the film, like the book, ends with Charlotte’s death.
Jen Doll, reporter with The Atlantic, believe that “death is a part of life”. She says this is one of the main messages of the book.
As Charlotte tells Wibur, “You have been my friend. That in itself is a wonderful thing. I wove(纺织)my webs for you because I like you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while and then we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess(杂乱), with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a little. God knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”
Which of the following about the story is TRUE?
A.It’s a good example of how differences make us different |
B.It encourages children to love their family and friends |
C.The farmer kills Wibur as dinner |
D.Charlotte is loving and helpful although she is ugly |
What is the disagreement about Charlotte’s Web between Hollywood filmmaker and White?
A.How Charlotte makes friends with Wibur |
B.How to make Charlotte lovely |
C.Whether Charrlotte should die |
D.Whether Wibur should be killed |
In the last paragraph, Charlotte’s main message is that _________
A.life could be boring and troublesome |
B.friendship is more important than life |
C.dying for a good cause is worthwhile(值得的) |
D.life is like a web |