Psychologists in Britain have said that the last full week of January is the most depressing time of year, and labelled next Monday ‘Blue Monday’. Blue is a slang way of saying unhappy.
Mondays are generally seen as the worst day of the week because people feel grumpy(脾气坏的) and tired at having to go back to work after a weekend with a different sleep pattern.
There are various reasons why more people feel depressed at this time of year. Many people have unpaid credit card bills for the Christmas presents they bought, and pay day is often not until the end of the month.
As the party season is over, people feel stressed because they have to go back to real life – work and commuting; and they may be unhappy with their body image after bingeing on booze, chocolates, and other food at Christmas-time.
People may have already failed in their New Year’s resolutions, such as giving up smoking. The bad weather in January can also contribute to people feeling fed up.
Some companies are taking this quite seriously and offering counselling (咨询) for any staff who are feeling depressed. They hope that helping people as soon as there are signs of depression will avoid absenteeism(旷工). Evidence shows that unreasonable managers who contribute to their staff feeling fed up at this time can expect an uncooperative workforce.
However, it’s not all bad! Many people feel optimistic at this time, that things can only get better. Psychologists offer suggestions of how to combat feeling blue. These include spending 15 minutes doing a ‘gratitude exercise’ thinking about and writing down what you are grateful for, such as health, family, friends and so on.
Taking up a new hobby, doing some exercise, going to bed earlier, eating a healthy breakfast, and listening to some uplifting music, are all recommended as ways to feel more cheerful.
To avoid feeling blue next January, experts say that the best thing to do is to plan better next December. Spend less on presents, eat and drink less over the festive period, and make more realistic New Year’s resolutions.What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．A Happy Monday. | B．Blue Monday. |
| C．New Year’s Resolutions. | D．A Sad Christmas. |
What can be inferred from the second and the third paragraphs?
A. People have to pay for the things and can’t get paid until the end of the month.
B. People feel happy when they go to work on Monday.
C. Many companies offer counselling to their staff who are feeling depressed.In order to avoid feeling blue next time, you can do the following EXCEPT _______.
| A．spend less on gifts. |
| B．eat and drink less over the holidays. |
| C．drinking alcohol with your best friends. |
| D．make more realistic New Year’s resolutions. |
Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．the last full week of January is the most depressing time of year. |
| B．The bad weather in January can also lead to people feeling fed up. |
| C．Some companies are offering counselling for any staff who are feeling depressed. |
| D．Many people feel optimistic at that time and can get better. |
Talk about a real-life hero! Ten-year-old Larry Champagne from St. Louis, Missouri, hit the brake (刹车) on a runaway school bus. He saved himself and 20 other kids on board from disaster.
It all happened in one terrible accident. On the way to school, the bus driver, Ernestine Blackman, suddenly fell ill. Seeing the car was running away, the other kids started to scream, but Larry ran to the front and stopped the bus.
“At first I thought, ‘We’re going to die,’” says Larry, “but after I pressed the brake, I felt safe.”
Larry’s speedy reaction made news all over the country. He appeared on TV shows as a hero. The bus company gave Larry a big gift. His school hung a medal of honor around his neck.
“My grandmother always tells me to do what’s right,” says Larry. He thanked his brother, Jerrick, 9, who “helped me get the bus driver up” during the emergency. How did he know how to stop the bus? Larry is something of a mechanic（机械师）. He helps his grandfather work on his old truck. “He gets his hands dirty,” says his grandfather. One thing is for certain: Larry knows where to find the brakes. What did Larry do to save the runaway bus?
| A．He parked it for the sleeping bus driver. |
| B．He helped all the kids climb out through the windows. |
| C．He made a call to the police. |
| D．He pressed the brake. |
When did Larry finally feel safe?
| A．When the kids finally stopped screaming. |
| B．When the police officers arrived. |
| C．Once he pressed the brake, and the bus stopped. |
| D．When the bus driver started driving again. |
Larry got the following as praise for his hero action Except _______.
| A．appearing on TV shows | B．a scholarship from his school |
| C．a big gift from the bus company | D．a medal of honor |
Larry thanked his brother Jerrick for ________.
| A．helping him get the bus driver up |
| B．helping him work on his old truck |
| C．teaching him how to find the brake |
| D．teaching him how to stop the bus |
The underlined sentence “Larry is something of a mechanic” tells us that ____.
| A．Larry’s job is a mechanic |
| B．Larry knows something about machines |
| C．Larry is a robot |
| D．Larry knows nothing about machines |
Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers. They use robotic systems to milk their cows. Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations. Only one cow at a time can enter a station.
Once inside, the cow is rewarded with food. As the cow eats, a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine. A few minutes later, milking is complete. The gate is opened, the cow is released and the next cow enters.
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day. The cows get to decide when they want to be milked. Cows are milked an average of about three times a day. Some are milked four to six times a day.
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system. A computer keeps records on their eating and milking. A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk. Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers. She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm. Still, she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm. Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system. A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot cost 175 000 dollars. The second cost 150 000.
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot. He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.From the first paragraph, we can infer________.
| A．the robotic system is designed to reduce labor |
| B．cows can be raised by robots in the future |
| C．robots direct cows into milking stations |
| D．cows are kept clean by robots on some farms |
Besides milking cows, the robotic system also can ________.
| A．adjust the temperature of milking stations |
| B．judge the quality of fresh milk |
| C．improve the appetite of cows |
| D．keep fresh milk for two weeks |
Why is the robotic system not popular now?
| A．Because young people have no interest in it. |
| B．Because it is difficult to learn how to use it. |
| C．Because people can’t afford to buy it. |
| D．Because it usually causes the waste of milk. |
According to Doug, what is the wage of an employee?
| A．150, 000-170, 000. | B．750, 000. | C．150, 000 -30, 000. | D．30, 000- 32, 000 |
The best title for the passage may be_______.
| A．Letting robot milk your cow | B．Milking cows by hand |
| C．Improving the quality of milk | D．Drinking fresh milk every day |
We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it’s an ingredient in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce. It was _______ that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.
| A．The workers in the chocolate factory | B．The Spaniards |
| C．The people in England | D．The owner of a chocolate factory |
According to the passage which of the following statements is true?
| A．Nobody had the idea of adding sugar until the sixteenth century. |
| B．The word “chocolate” comes from a Mexican word. |
| C．The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys like them. |
| D．Workers must dry and roast the beans to remove the bitter taste. |
The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because________
| A．it was strong and bitter. | B．it was good for digestion. |
| C．it cured man’s diseases. | D．it was a kind of drink for good health. |
Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?
a. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.
b. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.
c. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.
d. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.
e. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together.
| A．a-b-c-d-e | B．c-d-e-b-a | C．c-d-a-b-e | D．c-d-b-e-a |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar |
| B．Mexicans like chocolate very much |
| C．chocolate is a product of the cacao tree |
| D．people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk |
April 27 is Take Our Daughters to Work Day in Britain. Started at first in the United States and brought to Britain in 1994, Take Our Daughters to Work Day has become a special day for girls between 11 and 15. On that day thousands of girls take a day off school and go together with one of their parents to their work places. The purpose of this day is to broaden girls' horizons（视野）and raise their self-confidence.
For many years people have thought that boys can do better than girls in society. But actually, “girls can be whatever they want to be just like boys, whether it is a pilot, a nurse or a chief executive(主管).”says the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, an organization which supported the activity of the Day. “Now the girls have a close look at what their parents are doing and this may help them to be more self-confident when they are faced with a choice of work."
Schools and many companies support the activity too. Palmers Green High School for girls in north of London, has made the day a necessary part of careers education.
Zarina Bart, 15, from Palmers Green, went with her mother Gwen to her Lawyer's office this year's Take Our Daughters to Work Day. "I learned how to fill in a legal aid form and I read details of a case. Then I went to see the actual trial." she said.
Zarina found it interesting to see her mother at work. “It's really strange seeing Mum at work--running around, getting serious and telling people what to do.” She has always liked this idea of going into law and thinks it likely that she will follow in her mother’s footsteps. Having a chance to see how her mother works has given her more self-confidence.
Experts believe that girls with higher self-confidence aim higher and are more likely to be successful in life. Parents have important effect on the confidence of teenage girls. If parents believe in their daughters and show examples both at work as well as at home for them, this will give a lot of help to girls. Take Our Daughters to Work Day is surely a step in the right direction.The writer’s purpose in writing this text is to ______.
| A．tell how the special day for girls came into be. |
| B．show us the girls can do as well as boys. |
| C．introduce a special day for girls to us. |
| D．broaden girls’ view and raise their confidence. |
According to the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, ______.
| A．girls can do as well as boys in any field. |
| B．girls need more opportunities in society compared to boys. |
| C．girls will follow their parents’ jobs after watching them work. |
| D．girls will be more confident than boys due to the special day. |
A particular mention of Zarina’s story ______.
| A．tells what a woman lawyer’s daily work is like |
| B．serves as an example of how the Day works. |
| C．shows a successful mother’s effect on the daughter. |
| D．explains why a girl should go to see mum's office rather than dad. |
In the text the writer especially suggests the importance of ______.
| A．parents’ job. |
| B．support from society. |
| C．understanding of the parents. |
| D．girls’ self-confidence. |
Technology has totally transformed our ability to communicate with each other. Linking to each other both literally and figuratively, many of us connect through cell phones, email, instant messaging, blogs, and networking web sites, yet we may be less connected to each other than we think.
According to a study, Americans are becoming increasingly socially isolated(孤立的). The study suggests, for example, that one quarter of Americans say that they have no one to discuss important personal issues with, and that the number of close friends that Americans have has dropped from three to two. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that this spreading isolation is experienced more sharply among those with less education, people of color, and older Americans. Unsurprisingly, those who are young, white, and well educated tend to have stronger social networks.
From my own experience I have to say that I’ve never felt more connected, thanks to a web of friends, family, and colleagues. One of my closest friends is someone I met through an online discussion group who lives hundreds of miles away from me. We have met face-to-face only twice, yet our regular electronic correspondence and cell phone calls maintain our close friendship. And, speaking of blogging, my blog has introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise and has led to enduring and important friendships.
On the other hand, I recently saw a scene unfold that proved to me how deeply disconnected we as Americans have become. I had just wrapped up a presentation on mediation at a family therapy (治疗) center.
As I was leaving, I noticed a mother and her teenage son who had just completed their session with their family therapist. After making their next appointment, they both took out their cell phones, placed calls, and began loud conversations with whoever was on the other end. I walked out behind them to the parking lot to my car. They both jumped into their cars, and, as I saw them drive off, they were still talking on their cell phones but not to each other.What does the passage lead you to believe?
| A．Americans are more socially isolated today. |
| B．Americans are more socially connected today. |
| C．Americans don’t make good use of technology. |
| D．Technology plays a bigger role in American society. |
Which of the following has nothing to do with the isolation among Americans?
| A．Sex. | B．Education. | C．Skin color. | D．Age. |
What is true about the mother and son in the passage?
| A．They came for therapy in the same car. |
| B．They were quite close to each other. |
| C．There was not much communication between them. |
| D．They preferred talking to each other on cell phones. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The writer is totally against the modern technology. |
| B．The mother and the son have finished their family therapist and get a better relationship. |
| C．As far as the writer is concerned, he has benefited a lot from the modern technology. |
| D．Those black and well-educated people have stronger social network than aged white people. |