I was born in Korea, and my family came over to America when I was 10. I’m the middle child of three girls, and my parents moved so we would experience a different life. They did it for our education and to give us more of a chance than they had. We moved to Staten Island, and I went to the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. My parents were depressed when I told them I wanted to be an actress. My father suggested I try premed(医学预科). But after they saw me in plays they were really proud.
I graduated from Boston University and was doing theater in New York when I got cast in a Korean miniseries(电视连续剧). We started shooting the show in New York, and then went to Korea to finish it up. They said I would be there for three weeks, but it ended up being two months. The miniseries took off, and overnight, I became recognizable. It was sort of like Lost. It blew up. Then amazing projects were offered to me. I kept thinking, “ I’ll do one more and then go back to the US.” I ended up staying for seven years.
Some people described me as the Julia Roberts of Korea, which is a bad comparison because she’s the queen of romantic comedy. I became famous in Korea for a dramatic role in a film called Shiri. I played a “La Femme Nikita” type of role. I was the girl with the gun—all action．The writer’s parents moved to America so as to _________.
| A．offer a good chance to their children. |
| B．receive a good education in performing |
| C．seek a successful life in America |
| D．film a Korean miniseries |
When the writer announced her decision to become an actress, her parents_____.
| A．were both in favor of her | B．felt very ashamed of her |
| C．didn’t agree at first | D．took it for granted |
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The author’s performing life in America. |
| B．The difficulties of filming abroad. |
| C．The popularity of the miniseries Lost. |
| D．The author’s first performing breakthrough. |
The writer referred to the Julia Roberts of Korea as a bad comparison to show______.
| A．she looked down upon Julia Roberts. |
| B．she disliked to be compared with others |
| C．she had a different style of performing |
| D．she was better at dramatic roles than Julia |
How do you design a pay plan that motivates people to do their best work? A new study by three Harvard researchers suggests a novel answer: Shortly after you hire new workers, give them a raise.
"Previous research has shown that paying people more than they expect may elicit reciprocity(相互作用) in the form of greater productivity," notes Deepak Malhotra, a Harvard business-administration professor who worked on the study. What he and his colleagues found, however, was that the connection between more pay and extra effort depends on presenting the increase "as a gift—that is, as something you've chosen to do purely as a nice gesture, with no strings attached."
Malhotra and his team studied 267 people hired by oDesk, a global online network of freelancers, to do a one-time data-entry project for four hours. All of the new hires were people in developing countries, for whom hourly wages of $3 and $4 were higher than what they had been making in previous jobs.
The researchers split the group up into three equal parts. One group was told they would earn $3 an hour. A second group was initially hired at $3 an hour but, before they started working, they got a surprise: The budget for the project had expanded unexpectedly, they were told, and they would now be paid $4 an hour. The third group was offered $4 an hour from the start and given no increase.
Even though the second and third groups were eventually paid the same amount, the second group worked harder and produced more—about 20% more—than either of the other two. People in the second group also showed the most stamina, maintaining their focus all the way through the assigned task and performing especially well toward the end of the four hours. Interestingly, the more experienced employees in the high-performing group were the most productive of all, apparently because their previous work experience led them to appreciate the rarity of an unexpected raise.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Malhotra points out that higher pay, in and of itself, didn't promote productivity: People who made $4 an hour from the beginning worked no harder than those who were hired at $3 and were then paid $3.
To get the most impact from their pay plans, he adds, companies might consider not only what to pay new hires, but when to pay it.
"The key thing is how you present [the reason for an increase]," he says. Doling out extra money could promote productivity most "if you make it clear that the pay raise is something you're choosing to do just because you can. Our theory is that people will reciprocate. If you do something nice, they'll do something nice back." What does the underlined word “stamina” most probably mean?
| A．The quality of being intelligent or clever. |
| B．The quality of doing something difficult or dangerous. |
| C．The physical or mental energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time. |
| D．A particular method of doing an activity, usually involving practical skills. |
Why did the second group produce more than the other two groups?
| A．Because they thought they were better paid than the other groups. |
| B．Because they were experienced employees from developing countries. |
| C．Because an unexpected raise reminded them of their previous work. |
| D．Because they felt they were nicely treated and tried best to repay it. |
What can we infer from this passage?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．It matters not what we give but how. |
| C．Honesty is the best policy. |
| D．Actions speak louder than words. |
In the Caucasus region of Russia, nearly 50 out of every 100,000 people live to celebrate their 100th birthday, and many don’t stop at 100! By comparison, in America only 3 people in 100,000 reach 100. But these Russian old people aren’t alone. The Pakistanis, who live high in the Himalaya Mountains, and the Ecuadorans of the Andes Mountains seem to share the secret of long life, too.
These people remain healthy in body and spirit despite the passage of time. While many older persons in industrial societies become weak and ill in their 60s and 70s, some Caucasians aged 100 to 140, work in the fields beside their great-great-grandchildren. Even the idea of aging is foreign to them. When asked “at what age does youth end?”most of these old people had no answer. Several replied, “Well, perhaps at age 80.”
What accounts for this ability to survive to such old age, and to survive so well？First of all, hard physical work is a way of life for all of these long-lived people. They begin their long days of physical labor as children and never seem to stop. For example, Mr . Rustam Mamedov is 142 years of age. His wife is 116 years old. They have been married for 90 years. Mr. Mamedov has no intention of retiring from his life as a farmer. “Why？What else would I do？”he asks. All these people get healthful rewards from the environment in which they work. They all come from mountainous regions. They live and work at elevations of 1,660 to 1,000 meters above sea level. The air has less oxygen and is pollution-free. This reduced-oxygen environment makes the heart and blood vessel(血管) system stronger.
Another factor that may contribute to the good health of these people is their isolation. To a great extent, they are separated from the pressures and worries of industrial society. Inherited factors also play some role. Most of the longest-lived people had parents and grandparents who also reached very old ages. Good family genes may, therefore, be one factor in living longer.The example of Mr. and Mrs. Mamedov implies that some Caucasians aged 100 to 140 ____.
| A．become weak and hopeless |
| B．are too old to work in the fields |
| C．benefit from physical work |
| D．are still working in the fields |
What is the main way of life for all of these long-lived people?
| A．Retiring from their lives as farmers. |
| B．Having been married for 90 years. |
| C．Hard physical work. |
| D．Having no intentions. |
Which of the following factors isn’t helpful to people’s health and long life?
| A．Clean mountain air. |
| B．Daily hard work. |
| C．Good genes |
| D．Stress and pressure. |
An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first –year lectures—which are open to students from all departments were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done.” He said.
University applications rose 7% last year, but there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector(部门), which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said, “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn(衰退) will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”Professor John Beath’s lectures are ___________.
| A．given in a traditional way |
| B．connected with the present situation |
| C．open to both students and their parents |
| D．warmly received by economics |
In the opinion of most parents, ___________.
| A．economics should be the focus of school teaching |
| B．more students should be admitted to universities |
| C．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened |
| D．children should solve financial problems themselves |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Universities have received more applications. |
| B．Economics is attracting an increasing number of students. |
| C．College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty. |
| D．Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection. |
Finland (芬兰) is perhaps the most beautiful and mysterious country of Northern Europe. Two-thirds of its surface is covered with thick forests. Relative to its size, Finland has more lakes than any other country. The northern part of this country is inside the Arctic Circle, where almost no trees can grow because of its cold weather and the people use their deer of transport, clothing and food.
The Finnish history began in the Middle Ages. In about 1155, Finland was conquered (侵略) by its western neighbor Sweden (瑞典). After a period of rule by Denmark (丹麦) in the 14th century, the Swedes won back independence and power in 1523 under their brave king. During the Napoleonic (拿破仑的) Wars (1804-1818) Finland was passed finally from Sweden to Russia. The opportunity came in 1917, when the Russian Revolution brought foreign rule of Finland to an end. Shortly after Soviet Russia made peace with Germany, 1919 saw the founding of the Finnish Republic.
The years between the First and Second World Wars were years of progress and growing development. Finland is the fifth largest country in Europe, and despite a relatively small population of 5.2 million, the market potential is much greater. Finland has no coal or oil, and the nation’s wealth lies in the timber from its forests, which supplies material for paper and furniture making, and in the electric power from its water. Finland is an excellent gateway to trading with Russia and the Baltic States because of a long history of trading with these marks. Finland has also enjoyed a strong and long-Finland’s accession to the European Union in January 1995.From the passage, we learn that Finland _______.
| A．lies inside the Arctic Circle |
| B．lies east of Sweden |
| C．is next to the countries of northern Europe |
| D．is entirely covered with forests and lakes |
Finland must have been under the control of _______ for as long as one hundred years or so.
| A．Russia | B．Denmark | C．Sweden | D．foreign countries |
Among natural resources, the Finnish people benefit mainly from _______.
| A．coal and oil | B．forests and water | C．paper and furniture | D．timber and power industry |
What does the underlined word “timber” probably mean?
| A．Fruits. | B．Wood. | C．Animals. | D．Money. |
I know what you’re thinking: pizza? For breakfast? But the truth is that you can have last night’s leftovers in the a.m. if you want to.
I know lots of women who skip breakfast, and they have a ton of different excuses for doing it. Some say they don’t have time, others think they’re “saving” calories, still others just don’t like breakfast food.
But the bottom line is that eating in the morning is very important when you’re trying to lose weight. “Eating just about anything from 300 to 400 calories would be better than nothing at all,” says Katherine Brooking, R. D., who developed the super-easy eating plan for this year’s “SELF CHALLENGE”. And even pizza can be healthy if it’s loaded with vegetables, and you stick to one small piece.
Breakfast is one meal I never miss, and the same goes for most weight loss success stories. Research shows that eating breakfast keeps you from overeating later in the day. Researchers at the University of Southern California found that breakfast skippers have a bigger chance of gaining weight than those who regularly have a morning meal.
So eat something in the morning, anything. I know plenty of friends who end up having no breakfast altogether, and have just coffee or orange juice. I say, try heating up last night’s leftovers—it may sound crazy, but if it works for you, do it! I find if I tell myself, “You can always eat it tomorrow,” I put away the leftovers instead of eating more that night. Try it…you may save yourself some pre-bedtime calories. And watch your body gain the fat-burning effects.The word “leftovers” in Paragraph 1 probably means _________.
| A．food remaining after a meal |
| B．things left undone |
| C．meals made of vegetables |
| D．pizza topped with fruit |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Working women usually have breakfast in a hurry. |
| B．Many people have wrong ideas about breakfast. |
| C．There are some easy ways of cooking a meal. |
| D．Eating vegetables helps save energy. |
The text is written mainly for those ________.
| A．who go to work early |
| B．who want to lose weight |
| C．who stay up late |
| D．who eat before sleep |
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