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 more satisfying work, or less satisfying personal lives.
Longer hours do of course increase the GDP (国内生产总值). 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 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)?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 |
Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?
| A．Spain. | B．France. | C．Germany. | D．America. |
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. |
MELBOURNE, Australia – A kangaroo frightened by a man walking his dog attacked the pair, throwing the pet underwater and hitting the owner in the stomach with its back legs. The Australian, Chris Rickard, was in stable condition Monday after the attack, which ended when the 49-year-old struck the kangaroo in the throat.
Rickard said he was walking his blue dog, Rocky, on Sunday morning when they surprised a sleeping kangaroo in Arthur's Creek northeast of Melbourne. The dog chased the animal into a pond, when the kangaroo turned and knocked the pet underwater.
When Rickard tried to pull his dog free, the kangaroo turned on him, attacking with its back legs and tearing a deep cut into his stomach and across his face.
"I thought I might take action to drag the dog out from under his grasp, but I didn't expect him to actually attack me," Rickard, 49, told The Herald Sun newspaper. "It was a shock at the start because it was a kangaroo, about 5 feet high, they don't go around killing people."
"I was stuck having to hold on to the dog with both hands because it was half drowned and I couldn't really see anything because the kangaroo just attacked me.”
He added, "All I could do was just keep pushing for the bank and he was trying to push me under the water, so at that point I struck him in the throat and that made him back off a little bit.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to watch kangaroo programs quite the same as I used to — it might bring back a couple of bad memories.”
Kangaroos rarely attack people but will fight if they feel threatened.
Dogs often chase kangaroos, which have been known to lead the pets into water and defend themselves there.
Rickard said he ended the attack by hitting the kangaroo in the throat adding Rocky was "half-drowned" when he pulled him from the water.Rickard and his pet dog were attacked when _________.
| A．swimming in the pond | B．he was teasing a kangaroo |
| C．he was walking his dog | D．dragging his dog out from water |
In Australia, kangaroos ________.
| A．get along rather peacefully with people | B．are only seen in zoos |
| C．frequently attack people and pets | D．can be found swimming in ponds |
The kangaroo attacked the man and his dog probably because ________.
| A．the man struck it in the throat | B．it wanted to drown the dog |
| C．the man wanted to drown it | D．the dog chased it |
As a result of the attack, ________.
| A．the kangaroo was killed |
| B．Rickard was left a deep impression |
| C．kangaroos should be under stricter protection |
| D．the dog was drowned dead |
Five Ways to Rock the Rest of the Semester
With exams around the corner, how can you possibly pack in one more English word, let alone the causes of the Cold War? Don’t worry. Here is our handy guide to help you
Power Down
So you stayed up too late last night reading Mockingjay for the fifth time. Oops! When you’re that fired, your schoolwork suffers. Instead of studying inefficiently while you are sleepy, allow yourself a 15-minute afterschool power nap. Studies show that even a few minutes of shut-eye can improve memory and concentration.
Take Notes
Not quite grasping that super complicated concept in your chemistry class? You may need to change the way you take notes. Instead of recording every word your teacher says, try using visual hints like pictures, symbols and word bubbles. You can even switch computer fonts or pen color for the important stuff.
Dream On
Your bed’s not just for zzz’s. Experts say it may be good to study in bed, too. Why? We’re able to absorb more right before bed because we’re less distracted and the new information stays in our minds as we sleep. So, slide into bed with a textbook or notes, read for 15 minutes, and then turn off the lights for some sweet and smart dreams.
Brain Food
You’re in the middle of a biology exam when your mind goes blank. You knew this stuff cold at home, but now you can’t tell a ribosome from a chloroplast. What’s going on? Your brain’s in need of some refueling. Have some snacks like apple slices or cheese before class, and have plenty of water, too. If your teacher doesn’t mind, pop in a piece of gum during an exam. Some scientists think the chewing increases the flow of oxygen to the brain.
Smart Move
Ugh! You’re taking an English test and you cannot remember the past participle of “understand”. What to do? Skip it. Test taking is all about timing, so don’t waste it on tricky questions. Move ahead and answer everything you know before returning to the ones you don’t. Chances are, once you get back to the toughies, you’ll recall the answer or at the very least, you’ll have a little more time to come up with one that works.When taking notes, we can do all these except ______.
| A．draw pictures | B．change the typeface | C．switch on the computer | D．colour the key points |
According to the passage, _____.
| A．it’s good to study under the covers for some time every day |
| B．you cannot skip the difficult questions and go on to the rest |
| C．you can have some snacks and drink enough water to refresh yourself in exams |
| D．when taking notes, you should record whatever the teacher says |
What does the underlined phrase “knew this stuff cold” mean?
| A．had no clue about it | B．were a cold fish | C．knew it was cold | D．were familiar with |
You have been working on your essay for two hours and your eyes feel tired, you’d better
| A．Power down | B．dream on | C．eat brain food | D．make a smart move |
Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old.
Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is a federal government agency. Its goal is to determine which experiences can influence healthy development in people.
Researchers at the institute note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other people.
The researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.
Another study has suggested that low birth weight babies with no evidence of disability may be more likely than other children to have physical and mental problems.
American researchers studied almost five hundred boys and girls. They were born in, or admitted to, one of three hospitals in New Jersey between 1984 and 1987. At birth, each child weighed fewer than two thousand grams.
The boys and girls had an average age of sixteen at the time of the study. They were asked to complete intelligence and motor skill tests in their homes. Their test results were compared with those of other children their age.According to the passage, some people used to think that babies began to learn _________.
| A．on their first day of life | B．even before they were born |
| C．before five or six months old | D．at or after five or six months old |
Babies learn to connect and communicate with other people through_____________.
| A．smiles | B．cries | C．facial expressions | D．body language |
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development tries to find out ________.
| A．what affects people’s healthy development |
| B．what influences babies’ learning ability |
| C．how to cure some children’s health problems |
| D．how to develop children’s learning ability |
What will be mentioned in the following passage?
| A．The evaluation method of the tests. |
| B．The cause of low birth weight babies. |
| C．The result of the intelligence and motor skill tests. |
| D．The evidence proving babies began to learn before birth. |
Fans of US television dramas watch their favorite series for different reasons: some want to improve their English skills, others just want to kill time.
Some TV series are more than pure entertainment―they have a certain depth. Mad Men, which returned with a sixth season recently; Monday Mornings, which just finished its first season; and Modern Family, which sweeps the awards every year, are just a few examples.
Why do these shows stand out among so many similar ones? TV critics Raymond Zhou will give you an idea of why some shows are better than others.
Period drama—More than time travel
Period dramas are intended to capture the ambience (气氛) of a particular era. Directors must therefore attract audiences as much by their recreation of a historical setting as by an interesting storyline.
Mad Men is an excellent example of this balance being struck. Set in New York during the 1960s, it accurately shows US attitudes in the workplace through the alcoholism and chain-smoking common of the time, and places an absorbing plot right in its center.
But rather than merely presenting a past decade, Mad Men’s subtle (微妙的) description of the struggles of white-collar workers at the time, both male and female, makes it stand out.
“The series’ attention to detail is superb,” Raymond Zhou said. “For example, creator Matthew Weiner makes Don Draper―the leading role of the series―drive a Buick instead of a Cadillac, because Weiner thinks the ad man lacks the self-pride to buy a luxury car. It’s this kind of attentiveness that raises the show’s artistic value.”
Critics also recommend
Another period drama that works is Broadwalk Empire, set during the prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Heather Havrilesky at Salon magazine noted how the show “revels in the oddities(怪事) of its time, peeling back the layers of polite society to reveal a shadow world of criminals and politicians working together to keep the liquor flowing.”
Why does it appeal to viewers? Because they know that the “liquor” is a metaphor (暗喻) for today’s political scandals (丑闻). How many US TV series are mentioned in this passage?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
The following statements are the reasons why many people are attracted by US television dramas EXCEPT that __________.
| A．US television dramas merely present a past decade |
| B．directors recreate a historical setting and adopt interesting storylines |
| C．the dramas can improve their English skills, and help people kill time |
| D．some TV series are more than pure entertainment, and they have a certain depth |
According to Raymond Zhou, Don Draper’s driving a Buick instead of a Cadillac shows __________.
| A．Mad Men attaches much importance to details |
| B．Mad Men places an absorbing plot right in its center |
| C．the director wants to raise the show’s artistic value |
| D．Mad Men’s description of the struggling white-collar workers makes it stand out |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Directors of US dramas. | B．US dramas and their storylines. |
| C．US period dramas to kill time. | D．US dramas and their magic touch. |
When I was struggling with cancer a few years ago, my wife and I formed our own “couple caution circle”. Anytime a doctor came with news of my progress, my wife would give me a big hug. The reports were seldom good during the early stages of my illness, and one day a doctor brought particularly frightening news. Staring at my reports, he said in a low voice, “It doesn’t look like you’re going to make it.”
Before I could ask him a question, my wife stood up, handed me my clothes, adjusted the tubes fastened to my body and said, “Let’s get out of here. This man is a risk to your health. ” As she helped me struggle to the door, the doctor came near us. “Stay back,” demanded my wife. “Stay away from us.”
As we walked together down the hall, the doctor attempted to catch up with us “Keep going,” said my wife, pushing the intravenous（静脉注射的）stand. “We’re going to talk to someone who really knows what is going on.” Then she held up her hand to the doctor. “Don’t come any closer to us.”
The two of us moved as one. We escaped to the safety and hoped of a doctor who did not confuse diagnosis with conclusion. I could never have made that walk toward wellness alone. When hearing his progress, what did the author’s wife usually do?
| A．She would give a present to the doctor. |
| B．She would keep quiet and cry. |
| C．She would not say anything about the progress. |
| D．She would give her husband a big hug. |
From the passage we know ________.
| A．the wife’s decision in crisis contributed to the husband’s wellness |
| B．hearing that her husband was not going to make it, the wife went out of her mind |
| C．the husband was diagnosed with cancer by mistake |
| D．the husband became weaker and weaker as a result of the treatment conducted by the doctor |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The wife loved her husband very much. |
| B．The doctor was a dangerous man. |
| C．The wife was a woman hard to get along with. |
| D．The husband was a man who believed everything would be OK. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Happy Couple in Crisis | B．In Crisis, Become As One |
| C．Struggle with Cancer | D．Don’t Believe the Doctor |
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