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(国民生产总值). So the United States has produced more per worker than, say, France. The United States 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)？
1. 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
2. Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?
A. Spain. B. France.
C. Germany. D. America.
3. In the last paragraph, the underlined word “which” refers to ________.
A. family life B. situations
C. other values D. trends
4. 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.
5. 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
When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard. It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions(蒲公英）popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. "I think I am going to dig up all these weeds," she said. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden." "But I like dandelions," I protested. "All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions!" My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too," she added. When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the fact. “But you will be a beautiful narrator,” she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her. Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed.The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because_____
| A．she felt nervous on the stage. |
| B．she lost her interest in that role. |
| C．she preferred the role of the narrator |
| D．she had difficulty memorizing her words |
Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?
| A．To remove the dandelions |
| B．To enjoy the garden scene |
| C．to help her daughter with the play. |
| D．to have a talk with her daughter. |
What is the main idea of the story?
| A．Everybody can find his or her own way to success. |
| B．Everybody should learn to play different roles |
| C．Everybody has his or her own value in the world. |
| D．Everybody has some unforgettable memory. |
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意：每空格1个单词。
Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1995, widely known as the leading organization in the field of international volunteering, with more than 4,000 volunteers each year. CCS has a worldwide staff（员工、团队） of more than 300 people, and operates in 12 countries, with administrative（行政的） offices also located in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. It offers volunteer programmes in 12 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Cross-Cultural Solutions’ volunteer programmes in China are located in Xi’an, the crossroads of Western and Eastern China, and the starting point of the Silk Road. Culturally, Xi’an is a mixture of the ancient and modern worlds. Home to the famous terracotta army, Xi’an was once the imperial capital of China. The city’s ancient history is embodied by the huge stone walls that surround the city centre, originally intended to protect the city from invasion. In the modern world, Xi’an is the largest capital city in Central and Western China. Today, with a population of approximately eight million, this modern city still reflects its rich history and culture.
China’s diverse population is well represented in Xi’an’s Han and other minorities. Volunteering in Xi’an will provide you with opportunities to connect with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, exposing you to the wide scope of Chinese culture, one of the largest and most ancient cultures in the world.
Through our cultural and learning activities in China, you will see the work of local artists, visit the site of the famous ancient terracotta（兵马俑） army, participate in weekly Chinese classes, and engage in lively discussions on Chinese culture and society. Activities may also include cooking classes or visits from experts in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine and a local painter skilled in the unique arts of Chinese painting and calligraphy(书法). Guest speakers may also cover topics such as Chinese folklore（民间传说,民俗;民俗学）and traditional Chinese music. Many volunteers choose to participate in regular visits to local universities to meet with students interested in English conversation and cultural exchange.
CCS offers the following programmes in Xi’an, China:
t Volunteer Abroad---- two to twelve weeks
t Intern Abroad---- three to four weeks
t Insight Abroad---- one week
| About Cross-Cultural Solutions |
||||
| l Founded in 1995, it is a (1)_______ in the field of international volunteering. l It operates and offers volunteer programmes in 12 countries. |
||||
| About Cross-Cultural Solutions’ volunteer programmes in Xi’an, China |
||||
| (2)________ |
Xi’an |
Past |
It was where the Silk Road (3) _______. It used to be the imperial capital of China. |
|
| Present |
It has a (4)________ of about eight million, including Han and other minorities. |
|||
| Conclusion |
It is a city (5)_______ in history and culture. |
|||
| (6) ________ |
Seeing local artists’ work Visiting the famous terracotta army Having Chinese classes (7) ________ a week Discussing Chinese culture and society Being visited by a local painter and experts in traditional Chinese medicine Listening to (8)________about Chinese folklore and traditional Chinese music Visiting local universities and meeting students who take interest in English conversation and cultural exchange |
|||
| Benefits |
Volunteers can connect with individuals from various (9)________ and understand many different aspects of Chinese culture. |
|||
| (10)________of programmes |
Volunteer Abroad, which lasts two to twelve weeks Intern Abroad, which lasts three to four weeks Insight Abroad, which lasts one week |
|||
You feel generally depressed and unable to concentrate. Your pattern of daily activity may change：you find yourself awake and active in the middle of the night；you sleep late into the day. You stay in your room and have little contact with people except with those who speak your language. In your mind，you criticize the people around you；You are constantly comparing between life here and the perfect life back home. Above a11, you are homesick almost all the time.
If you ever find yourself behaving in these ways，you are probably suffering from culture shock. Culture shock is a psychological condition that sometimes has physical effects. It affects people who have moved away from an environment where they know how to live into a new environment where much is unfamiliar to them-the food，the weather, the language，and especially the unwritten rules for social behavior.
Culture shock is caused. therefore，by a lack of familiarity with the system of rules that the new society uses for everyday living. Language is an obvious example of one type of these rules. If your language is limited，even the simplest task can suddenly become difficult for you. However, knowledge of the language doesn’t make you free from the effects of culture shock as many Britons in the United States and many Americans in Britain will experience. Most people are unaware that each culture has its own rules for social behavior；they certainly think that polite， civilized people behave the same way worldwide. This mistaken belief will cause you to behave and judge the behavior of others according to the rules you learned as a member of your own culture. If the rules are different, then people will misunderstand your behavior, and you will misunderstand theirs.
How can you deal with culture shock? First, you need to realize that every newcomer suffers from some culture shock. You’re not the only case. Second，remember that culture shock can be cured. The process of recovery will start as you begin to become used to the new culture. Of course learning the language will help remove the obstacles to communication and will ease the job of making Mends with people. Recognizing and learning the new cultural rules of behavior, however, may be just as important. You’ll still have emotional reactions to unfamiliar situations but you’11 find yourself making jokes about them rather than condemning the entire society as “stupid.” The jokes are a good sign：they show that you are recovering.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．the causes of culture shock |
| B．some signs of culture shock |
| C．the cure for culture shock |
| D．an explanation of culture shock |
What does the underlined word obstacles mean?
| A．things that make a task easy |
| B．things that make at ask enjoyable |
| C．things that make a task difficult |
| D．things that make at ask funny |
What can be concluded when you find yourself making jokes about new culture?
| A．You are about to recover from culture shock. |
| B．You have completely got rid of culture shock. |
| C．You never suffered from culture shock before. |
| D．You’re in culture shock for many years. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The passage suggests that culture shock makes you miss your family badly. |
| B．A good knowledge of the language will prevent you suffering from culture shock. |
| C．In the writer’s opinion，the social rules for polite，civilized behavior are international. |
| D．If you have a perfect knowledge of their language, you will never be misunderstood. |
Shopping is not as simple as you think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand of product on the shelf.
Coloring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packages in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors. Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive foods, like chocolates, are gold and silver.
When some kind of pain killer was brought out recently, researchers found that the colors turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a product can attract a shopper. But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.
It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging.
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius to sell it.”Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?
| A．The cost of its package. |
| B．The price of the product. |
| C．The color of its package. |
| D．The brand name of the product. |
The underlined part in paragraph 3 means that the colors ________.
| A．attracted the customers strongly |
| B．had weak effect on the customers |
| C．tricked the customers into shopping |
| D．caused the customers to lose interest |
Which of the following would be the best title for this text?
| A．Choice of Good Products |
| B．Disadvantages of Products |
| C．Effect of Packaging on Shopping |
| D．Brand Names and Shopping Tricks |
Not everyone goes to university after high school graduation. Some work, others join the army and an increasing number worldwide are taking a “gap year” to travel or do community service in their own countries or abroad. They are studying sharks off the Australian coast, building schools in Mexico and learning Spanish or Italian.
The concept of a gap year may not be new, but the recent surge (涌现) of interest certainly is. Some students are putting off admissions. Others, who don’t get into the college of their choice, are taking a year to explore new frontiers before reapplying.
Students are choosing to take a breather; they are thinking. They are not sure what they are going to do. They are going and exploring some of their interests. They are getting experience they can take to the school they finally go to.
It is an idea actively encouraged by colleges. Princeton University has just launched a “bridge year” program that will send 10 percent of its incoming class to do volunteer work abroad, starting in 2009. And the Harvard has spent the last 30 years urging incoming students to take a gap year.
“Many speak of their year away as a ‘life-changing’ experience or a ‘turning point’” says Harvard admissions director Marlin Lewis. “Many come to college with new opinions about their academic plans, their extracurricular interests and the career possibilities they observed in their year away.”The reasons why some take a gap year are the following EXCEPT that ________.
| A．they hate studying |
| B．they don’t know what to do |
| C．they want to get experience |
| D．they want to know their real interests |
A student won’t ________ in a gap year.
| A．travel | B．join the army |
| C．do community service | D．learn a foreign language |
After a gap year, one would probably _________.
| A．take another year off |
| B．earn a lot of money |
| C．be refused by his college |
| D．have new ideas about their future career |
From the passage we know that ________.
| A．more and more students will take a gap year |
| B．fewer and fewer colleges will encourage his students to take a gap year |
| C．the gap year can only give one some experience about society |
| D．nobody will change his own interests after the gap year |