A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure（闲暇）. As part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted.
The figures support the western prejudice（偏见） that the Japanese are all work and no play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day week by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and stock markets will be closed on Saturdays, staff of civil service will be forced out of their offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice.
But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitors may not cut hours. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say that shorter hours are a disguised（隐性的） pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government’s plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off, either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching television, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves, too.
1．The purpose of getting the Japanese to have more spare time is that ______________.
A．the government wants to show more concern for the health of the people
B．the government needs to get more goods from abroad
C．the Japanese have been working too hard
D．the Japanese hope to change the western prejudice
2．The group of people who welcome the shorter-hour system in Japan is______________.
A．the small companies B．the industrialists
C．the unions D．the younger generation
3．The unions think that______________.
A．the shorter hours they work, the higher pay the can get
B．the more they work, the less leisure they can enjoy
C．the shorter hours they work, the less pay they can have
D．the greater pressure the government is forcing on them, the less happy they can be
4．The best title for this passage can be ______________
A．Oh no! Not Saturday Again! B．Leisure: the Greatest Threat!
C．Enjoy While You are Young! D．Less Work and More Play!
Many people feel that their parents were harder on them than on their brother or sister. And many are quick to blame(责备) negative results in adulthood on it. But results from a Temple University study published this month suggest that it is not necessarily true.
Researchers have found that among siblings(兄弟姐妹)in the same family，recalled negative early experiences such as conflicts(冲突) with parents seem to have little influence over psychological(心理的)wellbeing(幸福) in midlife.
“Existing research suggests the importance of early childhood parental treatment on later wellbeing，but respondents in this study who thought they were treated less favorably than their siblings have been found to be just as satisfied in their lives，”said Adam Davey，a psychologist in the College of Health Professions.
Davey's study looked at data collected from 1,369 siblings between the ages of 26—74 from 498 different families to determine the extent(程度)to which different childhood treatment reached into adulthood. Each sibling answered a series of questions about their memories of parental affection(喜爱)，conflicts with their parents when they were young and current wellbeing. Davey and his team found that those who remembered having more conflicts with their parents than their siblings still tended to have generally high levels of wellbeing in adulthood. Not surprisingly，they also found that happier memories，such as memories of affection and warmth，can have positive effects.
Older respondents who were married and had children of their own tended to have a more positive recollection of their childhood. Davey says these findings could suggest that life experience acts as a filter(过滤)for remembering childhood memories. He adds that personality also plays a role：those who were more outgoing tended to have a better recollection of their childhood.
“Even people who grow up in the same environment can have different ways of recalling the past. And it's not necessarily what happens in the past，but the way we remember it that makes a difference to our wellbeing，”said Davey.What's the purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to improve wellbeing in midlife. |
| B．To teach parents how to give their children a happier childhood. |
| C．To blame some parents for being harder on one of their children. |
| D．To show the link between negative childhood experiences and wellbeing in adulthood. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor(因素) on how people recollect childhood in Paragraph 5?
| A．Having children or not. | B．Being healthy or not. |
| C．Life experience. | D．Personality. |
According to Davey，what influences our wellbeing in adulthood?
| A．What happened in the past. | B．How we remember the past. |
| C．The role we play in society. | D．How much we have. |
I'm a pig，and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters，and my wife，believe it or not，is a dragon！Do I live in a zoo？No，of course not！I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs(十二生肖)．Depending on the year of your birth，each person has an animal for a sign. That's why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you，like me，were born in the year of the pig，then you are brave，thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
Now let's take a closer look at this interesting animal.
Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago，and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don't just use pigs for their meat—almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists' brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax，rubber and plastics.
Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film Babe starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated(提名)for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer，Rob Shepherd，has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don't just want to eat pigs，it seems!
Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example，if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day，you can say “Pigs_might_fly！” to him. Hungry？Well then，you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you？Well，you can say that they “saved your bacon”．The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ________ tone.
| A．sad | B．confused |
| C．serious | D．humorous |
According to Paragraph One，his wife was born in the year of the ________.
| A．dragon | B．snake | C．rabbit | D．pig |
We may know from the passage that ________.
| A．people in England like pigs more than other animals |
| B．pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine |
| C．pigs are the first animals raised by man |
| D．more people don't want to eat pigs now |
Which diagram shows the structure(结构)of the passage?
One day when the famous American scientist Edison was on his way home, a young man stopped him and required to have a word with him. Edison accepted his request.
The young man asked, “How can you invent so many things and achieve your fame(名声, 名望)? ”
The scientist said, “It seems that you have been thinking of becoming famous every day. ”The young man nodded, “Yes. I have been dreaming of being a person as notable(著名的)as you. Every minute I am thinking of how to become reputable. I don’ t know when I can achieve my fame. ”
Edison told him, “Don’ t worry, young man. If you want to be a famous man this way, you will have to wait until you die! ”
“Why should I? ”the young man was puzzled.
Edison said, “What you dream is actually a high building. You never think of how to build it with bricks(砖块). Thus the building will never come into reality(现实). However, your story can serve as a mirror. People will remember you because of your illness and laziness. They will often speak of your name while they give warnings to their children. Aren’ t you a notorious(声名狼藉)person by then? ”
The man asked Edison to tell him .
| A．how to invent new things | B．how to become famous |
| C．how he became a nobleman | D．how to become a scientist |
After hearing Edison’ s talk, the young man was puzzled because Edison told him .
| A．he would die before he was famous |
| B．he would be famous before he died |
| C．he would die after he was famous |
| D．he would never be famous |
The man didn’ t achieve his fame because________.
| A．his wish was too high |
| B．he was too stupid |
| C．he didn’ t learn from others |
| D．he was short of hard-working spirit |
The story mainly tells us .
| A．a person needs high spirit |
| B．one shouldn’ t dream of becoming famous |
| C．only by hard work can one’ s wish come into reality |
| D．one person shouldn’ t be idle and lazy |
Ladybirds (瓢虫) didn't have black spots on their backs at first. Then a storm broke out, and their famous guide, Caius Insectus, disappeared into the flood (洪水), and the few ladybirds who survived had to choose a new leader to guide them out of trouble. They decided that their new leader would be the first ladybird to successfully travel south to the Great Lake and return to describe it.
Many young ladybirds moved off immediately into this adventure. One by one they returned and told of how beautiful the southern lake was at that time of year, with its clear waters and flowers. However, the last of the ladybirds was late in getting back. He hadn't managed to reach the lake. Everyone criticized (批评) him, and they prepared to continue their journey the next day.
Following their new guide, they spent a morning walking northwards until they reached some tall thick grassland, where they stopped. There were no clear waters or flowers in front of them. The heavy rain had turned the place into a huge green puddle (水坑). Everyone understood what had happened. When the ladybirds had gone out looking for the lake, they had gone in the wrong direction. Now they could see that, except that one late ladybird, they had lied in order to get what they wanted.
And so, the late little ladybird was made the Great Guide. They also decided that every time one of them was discovered lying they would paint a black spot on that ladybird's back. From then on, when a ladybird looks at another's back, it can tell whether that ladybird can be trusted.Why did the ladybirds decide to choose a new guide?
| A．They lost their way in the storm. |
| B．They weren't satisfied with Caius Insectus. |
| C．They needed someone to lead them out of danger. |
| D．They needed someone to help prepare for the storm. |
Many young ladybirds lied because they ________.
| A．didn't want to be in danger |
| B．wanted to be the new guide |
| C．wanted to make others happy |
| D．didn't want to get spots on their backs |
How did the ladybirds probably feel when they stopped at the tall thick grassland?
| A．Nervous. | B．Afraid. |
| C．Excited. | D．Angry. |
What's the main idea of the text?
| A．Why ladybirds have black spots on their backs. |
| B．How ladybirds choose their leaders and guides. |
| C．What the black spots on ladybirds' backs mean. |
| D．Why ladybirds lie to each other. |
It’s the dieting fashion that is sweeping the world, and encourages fasting (禁食) for two days of the week. But does it work?
People are starving themselves to lose weight, with a dieting trend known as the “fast diet” growing in popularity.
The method is also known as the 5:2 diet, and consists of eating normally for five days of a week and cutting calories to about 25 percent of normal intake during other two days. Men consume just 600 calories on the two fast days, while women are limited to 500 calories.
Notably, the two fasting days should not be back-to-back. The dieter should have at least one normal eating day in between.
In the best-selling book The Fast Diet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent (断断续续的) Fasting by Dr. Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer, the two authors claim that the 5:2 diet not only promotes weight loss, but also benefits health, offering protection from disease, improved cognitive (认知的) function and increased lifespan.
The diet originated in the United Kingdom and became popular in the United States. Now, it is gaining popularity among the Chinese middle-class.
Zhong Minghui, who is 178 cm tall and used to weigh 100 kilograms, finds fasting effective in weight control. He works in the sales department of a trade company and used to drink and eat a lot after work. After sticking to the fasting diet for five months, he managed to lose about 20 kilograms.
“Actually I did not exactly rely on the 5:2 diet to lose weight. My fasting was more extreme. I almost completely cut off my supper every day and only ate some fruit. I also used an app to calculate the calories in the food I ate and was cautious of not eating any high-calorie food. I did about an hour’s aerobic exercise (有氧运动) every day. Fasting is definitely effective, but I think sports also help,” he says.
“I do not really believe that fasting is the magical cure-all (灵丹妙药), but my high blood sugar has improved,” he adds.
The US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that although there is evidence that intermittent fasting diets may help prevent chronic disease, more research is needed.
Han Ting, a clinic nutritionist of Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, says that people who suffer diabetes (糖尿病) or eating disorders, pregnant women, kids, teens and frail seniors should not try fasting. She recommends a regular low-calorie diet, which is safer and less risky for health. When on a fasting diet, on the weekly fasting days, Han recommends low-fat, low-sugar, and low-protein food, such as vegetables, yogurt, non-fat milk, shellfish and fruits with high dietary fiber (食用纤维).What does the underlined word “back-to-back” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Continuous. | B．Different. |
| C．Vegetarian. | D．Fatty. |
What can we infer from what Zhong Minghui said in paragraph 8?
| A．He strictly relied on the 5:2 diet to lose weight. |
| B．He used an app to calculate how much sport he played. |
| C．Fasting and sports helped him a lot when he lost weight. |
| D．In order to lose weight he used to do gymnastic exercise. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Han thinks people who suffer diabetes should try a fasting diet. |
| B．A clinic nutritionist says that it’s safer to have a low-calorie diet. |
| C．Han Ting recommends that everyone should have a fasting diet. |
| D．Hang Ting says only a fasting diet can help people keep healthy. |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Fast diet | B．How to stay thin |
| C．Eating to stay healthy | D．The magical cure-all |