A growing number of workers at Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and other employers are trading in their sit-down desks for standing ones, saying they feel more comfortable and energized. They also are motivated by medical reports saying that sitting for too long leads to increased health risks.
A standing desk sits high off the floor so a worker can either stand at it or sit on a high stool to use it. Officials at Palo Alto-based Facebook say a number of employees asked about standing desks after news articles were published about the health risks of sitting all day.
The stories cited medical studies that tied excessive sitting to increased obesity and other health problems because of factors including a drop in physical activity. A 2010 study by the American Cancer Society found that women who sat more than six hours a day were 37% more likely to die prematurely than women who sat for less than three hours, while the early-death rate for men was 18% higher. The American College of Cardiology released a study in January that found increased mortality (死亡率) among people who sat longer at home than those who didn't.
No one seems to compile statistics on the standing-desk trend. But anecdotal reports suggest Silicon Valley is embracing the movement.
Facebook officials say they have seen an upsurge in requests for standing desks to five to eight a week with a total of between 200 and 250 deployed (配置) at the company of more than 2,000 employees. Facebook also is trying out a treadmill station ─ where a worker can walk or run on a treadmill while tapping at a computer.
Google spokesman Jordan Newman said that 'many employees at Google opt for standing desks, and we offer them as part of our wellness program' though he said he didn't know the exact number.
Greg Hoy, 39 years old, asked for a standing desk shortly after joining Facebook seven months ago as a design recruiter. 'I don't get the 3 o'clock slump anymore,' he said. 'I feel active all day long.'The underlined word “motivated” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by .
| A．frightened | B．inspired | C．missed | D．discouraged |
According to paragraph 3, we can know that .
| A．a drop in physical activity was the only reason why excessive sitting caused increased obesity. |
| B．women who sat longer were more likely to die prematurely according to a 2010 study by American College of Cardiology |
| C．according to the study, the early-death rate for men was 18% higher than that for women. |
| D．the mortality among people who didn’t sat long at home was lower than that among people who did. |
According to paragraph 5, which of the following statements is true about a treadmill station ?
| A．is a computer that a worker can take along when he walks or runs |
| B．has been tried out by Facebook and now is very popular with other companies |
| C．is a place where workers can exercise while working. |
| D．is a treadmill on which workers can run or walk only after work |
The passage mainly talks about .
| A．sitting for too long leads to increased health risks |
| B．standing desks have replaced sit-down ones in Facebook Inc. |
| C．more and more workers choose standing desks instead of sit-down ones |
| D．many employees at Google opt for standing desks |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每篇短文后所给的四个选项（A、B、C 和 D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Steve Wayne, 16, who worked this summer as a lifeguard and swim teacher in Idaho Falls, was thrilled to see an extra $ 20 in his paycheck when the federal minimum wage increased in July.
“When you’re getting paid minimum wage, anything helps,” Wayne said.
Wayne is one of several hundred thousand American teenagers who earn the minimum wage. The last of three recent increases took the minimum from $5.15 an hour in 2007 to $7.25.
US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis says the minimum-wage increase will pump an extra $ 5.5 billion into the economy over the next year, which is helpful at a time when the economy is hurting.
“You’re giving people who spend money a raise,” said Kai Filion of the Economic Policy Institute. “Those people will go out and spend that money, and it will circulate through the economy.”
But other economists say raising the wage actually hurts the very people it’s designed to help. A higher hourly minimum, they say, could force businesses to cut workers’ hours, or even lay people off.
“What matters for people earning minimum wage is how much money they take home in total,” explained Rajeev of Georgia State University’s Economic Forecasting Center. “Their hourly rate may go up, but their number of hours may come down, so it’s not an overall increase.”
Business owners also say that raising the minimum wage exerts (施加) upward pressure on other wages. “If the minimum wage is $ 7 and I have to pay $ 8 or $ 9 to hire a dishwasher, then the cooks are going to say they want more,” said Cleveland restaurant owner Rick. “How much can I charge for that hamburger?”
Another argument is that it makes it more expensive for businesses to hire new workers. For many businesses already struggling to make ends meet in these tough times, it will be simply too expensive to keep them or to hire new people.
1. Steve Wayne was excited that ______.
A. his hard work had paid off
B. he had received a big wage increase
C. he has more money due to an increase in minimum wage
D. the wages of American teenage workers have been increased
2. According to the text, the US federal government has increased minimum wage with the aim of ______.
A. decreasing unemployment B. promoting economic recovery
C. increasing American teenagers’ wage D. narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor
3. What matters most to people in need of help is ______.
A. a higher hourly minimum B. more working hours
C. a minimum-wage increase D. an increase in total income
4. Some are against the increase in minimum wage because they say ______.
A. only very few workers will be helped
B. they have to cut down working hours
C. many business owners can’t afford to employ new workers
D. minimum wage workers will expect more pay rises in the future
People are being invited to sit down to eat with their neighbors in a nationwide lunch party designed to promote community spirit. The Big Lunch is the idea of the Eden Project in Cornwall. It aims to persuade people up and down the country to hold street lunch parties.
Tens of thousands of vegetables, fruits and flowers were used to construct a giant 2,000-square-foot lunch invitation in London’s Convent Garden. More than 9,000 cauliflowers and 800 bananas were used.
According to the organizers, people who decide to take part in the activity will get support from large companies which will supply many of the necessities, including plants to be given out to people to grow. The organizers think that the Big Lunch is a great opportunity for people to get together and spend time with their neighbors, friends and families. Events like this also help build strong communities. People can show their talents, get over their embarrassment, shake hands and get to know their neighbors, and realize that the neighborhood where they live can be a great source of happiness and enjoyment.
The Eden Project’s leader, Tim Smith, says, “It’s a good way to face this recession. Imagine a day on which millions of us, throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together with our neighbors in the middle of our streets, around our tower blocks, and on every patch of common ground. We’ll have cooked our own food, made our own entertainment, and created our own decorations. It will be a day to share bread with our neighbors, and put a smile on Britain’s face.”
1. The Big Lunch aims to _____.
A. persuade people to eat healthy food B. encourage people to cook at home
C. help poor people in the community D. develop community spirit
2. Which of the following is false?
A. Large companies will give participants enough money to hold the lunch parties.
B. The Big Lunch may be a good opportunity to show talents and make friends.
C. The Big Lunch is a nationwide activity designed by The Eden Project.
D. The giant lunch invitation in London used a lot of vegetables, fruits and flowers.
3. Big Lunch is a good opportunity for people to _____.
A. enjoy free food B. have fun with neighbors and families
C. shop on the street D. eat without cooking
4. The underlined word “recession” in the last paragraph probably means_____.
A. nice environment B. grand ceremony
C. rapid progress D. economic decline
1. For admission to the Detective House, a shopper needs to _____.
A. be a DBS card owner B. spend a total of $150
C. answer 3 simple questions D. have experience in solving cases
2. Mrs. Rosland, a DBS card holder, spent $200 in the mall, and she would be entitled to _____.
A. a free air ticket and a mother-of-pearl necklace
B. a white gold diamond and a limited edition key chain
C. a sure win gift of limited edition car key chain
D. a Peugeot P200 and a set of white gold diamond
3. Which of the following statements is true?
A. DBS Bank and Fraser Mall are the official sponsors.
B. All shoppers are entitled to a draw for free air ticket.
C. The rewards are open to all shoppers for the entire month of April.
D. DBS Card owners enjoy double chances in the "Win a car" lucky draw.
Babies born in summer are more likely to become short-sighted in late life, a study has shown.
As many as a quarter of all cases of short-sightedness are caused by too great an exposure to sunlight in the first weeks of life, say eye experts.
They are advising all parents to put sunglasses on their babies during the first weeks.
Scientists had already established that over-exposure to sunlight caused short-sightedness in animals.
Researchers who compared the months in which babies were born with whether they needed glasses later on say the principle also applies to humans.
A study of almost 300,000 young adults─the largest of its kind─showed that those born in June and July had a 25 per cent greater chance of becoming severely short-sighted than those born in December or January. Research leader Professor Michael Belkin, of Tel Aviv University, said it was because prolonged illumination(光照) causes the eyeball to lengthen, causing short-sightedness.
Hence the more light a newborn is exposed to, the more the eyeball lengthens and the worse the short-sightedness will be.
The mechanism which lengthens the eyeball is associated with levels of melatonin(褪黑激素), a pigment (色素) which protects the skin against harmful rays of the sun.
In young babies not enough melatonin is released as protection, meaning they are more vulnerable to sunburn and changes to eyeball shape.
Sight expert Professor Daniel O’Leary, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said “At the moment we don’t know the precise cause of why light exposure affects sight, but the evidence seems to prove that it is one of the reasons for people becoming short-sighted.”
1. Babies born in summer are more likely to be short-sighted ____________.
A. because the summer sun is too strong for babies
B. because babies born in summer have lengthened eyeballs
C. if they are exposed to much sunlight in the first weeks after they are born
D. if parents don’t know a proper way to protect their babies’ eyes
2. Melatonin is a kind of material to ___________.
A. prevent the eyes from becoming near-sighted
B. protect the skin from harmful sun rays
C. make our body strong
D. protect babies’ eyes from summer sun
3. From what Professor Daniel O’Leary says we can conclude that ___________.
A. there is no evidence that short-sightedness is related to exposure to sunlight
B. whether light exposure affects sight still needs to be further proved
C. he believes that light exposure can cause short-sightedness
D. he tries to give the cause of why light exposure affects sight
4. The underlined word “vulnerable” in the passage probably means __________.
A. easy to be harmed B. resistant
C. protective D. changeable
第三部分阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列四篇短文，从每题所给的四个选现（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Weighed down（压得喘不过气来） by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life? Frightened by the possible war? Well, you’re not alone. Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world’s best medicine─laughter.
In the past year, more than 25 laughter clubs have been set up across the country. People of all ages release their stress with an hour of group laughs. “People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh. They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while. So they come,” said 40-year-old Jocelyn Le Moan. She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques.
Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle-aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day.
Le Moan takes them through the “Lion Laugh” and the “Laugh Contest”, where participants “speak” to each other in different ways. And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter. At the end there are 15 minutes of “meditation”（沉思）,when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths.
“I love it. It’s an experience that has changed my life. Through it I rediscovered the child’s laugh inside me,” said Romain Jourffroy, 24.
Like Jourffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and why not? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day. The average adult only a sad seven to fifteen.
The physical benefits of laughter are already well-recognized. Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood-stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage（按摩）the digestive organs and strengthens the heart.
“A full hour is like having your insides go jogging! One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized (产生新活力). And on top of that, you’ve had a laugh,” said doctor Alexisd Estaing.
And many participants in Paris also emphasize the psychological benefits. They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident.
“Maybe it is because we are surrounded by so many troubles that we feel the need to keep laughing,” said Anne Maurigiano, a 29-year-old filmmaker.
1. From the passage, we can conclude the following but __________.
A. Jocelyn Le Moan is a teacher of the club.
B. the members are mostly middle-aged white collars.
C. people always need some way to relax in life.
D. laugh freely and everything goes well.
2. The writer suggested that you should __________.
A. have a good laugh after a busy day
B. talk to each other about what troubles you
C. learn series of laughter techniques
D. take the world’s best medicine
3. Which of the following is NOT included among the benefits of laughing ?
A. It can make people rediscover their children’s laugh.
B. It can release good chemical into blood-stream.
C. It can make you feel self-confident.
D. It can cure the illness of people.
4. What does the phrase “on the top of that ” mean?
A. besides B. on the top of tiredness
C. above all D. on the top of your energy