阅读理解Passage 1 A new study suggests that contrary to most surveys, people are actually more stressed at home than at work

阅读理解(1) When Steven Judy was executed in Indiana [in 1981] America took another step back towards legitimizing murder as a way of dealing with evil in our society

阅读理解PartADirections:Readthefollowingfourtexts.AnswerthequestionsaftereachtextbychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersontheANSWERSHEET.Text4ThepersonalgrievanceprovisionsofNewZealand’sEmploymentRelationsAct2000(ERA)preventanemployerfromfiringanemployeewithoutgoodcause.Instead,dismissalsmustbejustified.Employersmustbothshowcauseandactinaprocedurallyfairway.Personalgrievanceproceduresweredesignedtoguardthejobsofordinaryworkersfrom“unjustifieddismissals”.Thepremisewasthatthecommonlawofcontractlackedsufficientsafeguardsforworkersagainstarbitraryconductbymanagement.Longgonearethedayswhenabosscouldsimplygiveanemployeecontractualnotice.Buttheseprovisionscreatedifficultiesforbusinesseswhenappliedtohighlypaidmanagersandexecutives.Ascountlessboardsandbusinessownerswillattest,constrainingfirmsfromfiringpoorlyperforming,high-earningmanagersisahandbrakeonboostingproductivityandoverallperformance.ThedifferencebetweenC-gradeandA-grademanagersmayverywellbethedifferencebetweenbusinesssuccessorfailure.Betweenpreservingthejobsofordinaryworkersorlosingthem.Yetmediocrityisnolongerenoughtojustifyadismissal.Consequently—andparadoxically—lawsintroducedtoprotectthejobsofordinaryworkersmaybeplacingthosejobsatrisk.Ifnotplacingjobsatrisk,totheextentemploymentprotectionlawsconstrainbusinessownersfromdismissingunder-performingmanagers,thoselawsactasaconstraintonfirmproductivityandthereforeonworkers’wages.Indeed,in“AnInternationalPerspectiveonNewZealand’sProductivityParadox”(2014),theProductivityCommissionsingledoutthelowqualityofmanagerialcapabilitiesasacauseofthecountry’spoorproductivitygrowthrecord.NorarehighlypaidmanagersthemselvesimmunefromtheharmcausedbytheERA’sunjustifieddismissalprocedures.Becauseemploymentprotectionlawsmakeitcostliertofireanemployee,employersaremorecautiousabouthiringnewstaff.Thismakesitharderforthemarginalmanagertogainemployment.Andfirmspaystafflessbecausefirmscarrytheburdenoftheemploymentarrangementgoingwrong.Societyalsosuffersfromexcessiveemploymentprotections.Stringentjobdismissalregulationsadverselyaffectproductivitygrowthandhamperbothprosperityandoverallwell-being.AcrosstheTasmanSea,Australiadealswiththeunjustifieddismissalparadoxbyexcludingemployeesearningaboveaspecified“high-incomethreshold”fromtheprotectionofitsunfairdismissallaws.InNewZealand,a2016privatemembers’Billtriedtopermitfirmsandhigh-incomeemployeestocontractoutoftheunjustifieddismissalregime.However,themechanismsproposedwereunwieldyandtheBillwasvoteddownfollowingthechangeingovernmentlaterthatyear.

阅读理解Passage E There were several reasons why the Industrial Revolution started in the Great Britain rather than in France, the other great power of the day

阅读理解According to a survey, which was based on the responses of over 188,000 students, today''s traditional-age college freshmen are "more materialistic and less altruistic (利他主义的)"than at any time in the 17 years of the poll. Not surprising in these hard times, the student''s major objective "is to be financially well off. Less important than ever is developing a meaningful philosophy of life." It follows then that today the most popular course is not literature or history but accounting. Interest in teaching, social service and the "altruistic" fields is at a low. On the other hand, enrollment in business programs, engineering and computer science is way up. That''s no surprise either. A friend of mine (a sales representative for a chemical company) was making twice the salary of her college instructors her first year on the job—even before she completed her two-year associate degree. While it''s true that we all need a career, it is equally true that our civilization has accumulated an incredible amount of knowledge in fields far removed from our own and that we are better for our understanding of these other contributions—be they scientific or artistic. It is equally true that, in studying the diverse wisdom of others, we learn how to think. More important, perhaps, education teaches us to see the connections between things, as well as to see beyond our immediate needs. Weekly we read of unions who went on strike for higher wages, only to drive their employer out of business. No company; no job. How shortsighted in the long run! But the most important argument for a broad education is that in studying the accumulated wisdom of the ages, we improve our moral sense. I saw a cartoon recently which shows a group of businessmen looking puzzled as they sit around a conference table; one of them is talking on the intercom (对讲机): "Miss Baxter," he says, "could you please send in someone who can distinguish right from wrong?" From the long-term point of view, that''s what education really ought to be about.

阅读理解Anewstudyhasdrawnableakpictureofculturalinclusivenessreflectedinthechildren’sliteratureavailableinAustralia.Dr.HelenAdamfromEdithCowanUniversity’sSchoolofEducation【C1】________theculturaldiversityofchildren’sbooks.Sheexaminedthebooks【C2】________inthekindergartenroomsoffourday-carecentersinWesternAustralia.Just18percentof2,413booksinthetotalcollectioncontainedany【C3】________ofnon-whitepeople.Minoritycultureswereoftenfeaturedinstereotypicalortokenisticways,forexample,by【C4】________Asianculturewithchopsticksandtraditionaldress.Charactersthatdidrepresentaminoritycultureusuallyhad【C5】________rolesinthebooks.ThemaincharactersweremostlyCaucasian.Thiscausesconcernasitcanleadtoanimpressionthatwhitenessisofgreatervalue.Dr.Adamsaidchildrenformedimpressionsabout’difference’andidentityfromaveryyoungage.Evidencehasshowntheydevelopown-race【C6】________fromasyoungasthreemonthsofage.Thebookswesharewithyoungchildrencanbeavaluableopportunitytodevelopchildren’sunderstandingofthemselvesandothers.Bookscanalsoallowchildrentoseediversity.Theydiscoverbothsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthemselvesandothers.Thiscanhelpdevelopunderstanding,acceptanceand【C7】________ofdiversity.CensusdatahasshownAustralianscomefrommorethan200countries.Theyspeakover300languagesathome.Additionally,Australiansbelongtomorethan100differentreligiousgroups.Theyalsoworkinmorethan1,000differentoccupations.Australiaisamulticulturalsociety.Thecurrent【C8】________promotionofwhitemiddle-classideasandlifestylesrisks【C9】________childrenfromminoritygroups.Thiscangivewhitemiddle-classchildrenasenseof【C10】________orprivilege,Dr.Adamsaid.A)alienatingB)appreciationC)biasD)fraudE)housedF)investigatedG)overwhelmingH)portrayingI)representationJ)safeguardedK)secondaryL)superiorityM)temperamentN)tentativeO)threshold

阅读理解No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It''s a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line. 　　At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin,56,who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company''s mountainous debt, which will increase to $17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently. 　　The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company''s rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T''s violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won''t retreat in the face of any threats." 　　Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month''s stockholders'' meeting, Levin asserted that" music is not the cause of society''s ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the" balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music. 　　The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce."I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this."

阅读理解Over the past century, all kinds of unfairness and discrimination have been condemned or made illegal. But one insidious form continues to thrive, alphabetism. This, for those as yet unaware of such a disadvantage, refers to discrimination against those whose surnames begin with a letter in the lower half of the alphabet. It has long been known that a taxi finn called AAAA cars has a big advantage over Zodiac cars when customers thumb through their phone directories. Less well known is the advantage that Adam Abbott has in life over Zo? Zysman. English names are fairly evenly spread between the halves of the alphabet. Yet a suspiciously large number of top people have surnames beginning with letters between A and K. Thus the American president and vice-president have surnames starting with B and C respectively; and 26 of George Bush'' s predecessors ( including his father) had surnames in the first half of the alphabet against just 16 in the second half. Even more striking, six of the seven heads of government of the G7 rich countries are alphabetically advantaged (Berlusconi, Blair, Bush, Chirac, Chretien and Koizumi). The world''s three top central bankers (Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters. As are the world'' s five richest men (Gates, Buffett, Allen, Ellison and Albrecht). Can this merely be coincidence? One theory, dreamt up in all the spare time enjoyed by the alphabetically disadvantaged, is that the rot sets in early. At the start of the first year in infant school, teachers seat pupils alphabetically from the front, to make it easier to remember their names. So short -sighted Zysman junior gets stuck in the back row, and is rarely asked the improving questions posed by those insensitive teachers. At the time the alphabetically disadvantaged may think they have had a lucky escape. Yet the result may be worse qualifications, because they get less individual attention, as well as less confidence in speaking publicly. The humiliation continues. At university graduation ceremonies, the ABCs proudly get their awards first; by the time they reach file Zysmans most people are literally having a ZZZ. Shortlists for job interviews, election ballot papers, lists of conference speakers and attendees: all tend to be drawn up alphabetically, and their recipients lose interest as they plough through them.

阅读理解Questions 1 to 10 are based on the following passage

阅读理解Accents tend to reflect existing prejudices towards people we hear using them

阅读理解Questions 21 to 30 are based on the following passage

阅读理解Passage FourFingers were made before forks when a person gives up good manners， puts aside knife and fork， and dives into his food， someone is likely to repeat that saying

阅读理解A massive pool of warm ocean water is causing changes in the atmosphere that could produce unusual weather around the world in the next few months, the US National Weather Service reported on Monday. As a result of this phenomenon, known as El Nino, more rainfall than normal is likely this winter across some areas ofthe United States, with unusually warm or cold weather in other parts ofthe country.Currently the phenomenon is marked by a warm pool ofwater along the equator extending from the International Date Line nearly to the coast of South America. “That water is nearly 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal”, explained Vernon Kousky ofthe climate center.This warm water “spreads almost a quarter of the way around the globe. So it’s massive and it has an impact on our weather. It has a global influence... because it disturbs the atmosphere”, said Dave Rodenhuis, director ofthe climate center. “El Nino is probably the most important climate event beyond the annual cycle ofseasons”, he added.Because the changes tended to be first noticed around Christmas, the phenomenon was given the name El Nino, which is Spanish for child, a term often used to refer to the baby Jesus. The phenomenon occurs every three to five years, sometimes in a mild form and sometimes strongly affecting weather patterns worldwide. Details of its cause are not fully understood, but when it occurs, unusually warm air can be pumped into Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. At the same time, conditions tend to be wetter than normal along the US Southeast Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. And the Atlantic and Caribbean hurricane season tends to be milder than usual.The strong El Nino of 1982-1983 was blamed for worsening the devastating drought in Africa, causing a series or severe winter storms to come ashore in California, spawning the first typhoon to strike French Polynesia in 75 years — followed by five more in five months — deluging Peru and Ecuador with torrential rains and promoting the worst drought in two centuries in Australia.Overall damage was estimated at between $2 billion and $8 billion by a United Nations analysis and the death toll topped l,500 worldwide.

阅读理解 Parents are on a journey of discovery with each child whose temperament, biology, and sleep habits result in a unique sleep-wake pattern. It can be frustrating when children's sleep habits do not conform to the household schedule. Helping the child develop good sleep habits in childhood takes time and parental attention, but it will have beneficial results throughout life. An understanding of the changing patterns of the typical sleep-wake cycle in children will help alleviate any unfounded concerns. Maintaining a sleep diary for each child will provide the parents with baseline information in assessing the nature and severity of childhood sleep problems. Observant patents will come to recognize unusual sleep disruptions or those that persist or intensify. Developmental changes throughout childhood bring differences in the sleep-wake cycle and in the type and frequency of parasomnias that may interrupt sleep. Medical consultation to rule out illness, infection of injury is prudent if the child's sleep problems prevent adequate sleep and result in an ongoing sleep deficit. As reported by News-Medical in Child Health News, children's sleep problems should be taken seriously as they may be a 'marker' for predicting later risk of early adolescent substance use.' In the same article. University of Michigan psychiatry professor Kirk Brower, who has studied 'the interplay of alcohol and sleep in adults' stressed that 'The finding does not mean there's a cause-and-effect relationship.' Consultation with a child psychologist may be helpful if frightening dreams intensify and become more frequent as this may indicate a particular problem or life circumstance that needs to be changed or one that the child may need extra help working through. Most childhood sleep disturbance will diminish over time as the brain matures and a regular sleep-wake cycle is established. Parental guidance is crucial to development of healthy sleep habits in children.

阅读理解A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night s sleep

阅读理解Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen

阅读理解The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $7,000, and the average Nigerian earned $1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years. What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time? The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries'' productivity—that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker''s time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation''s productivity determines the growth rate of its average income. The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity. The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.

阅读理解American teachers sometimes have trouble understanding Japanese students in class because Japanese students_______ .

阅读理解Text 3 This year marks exactly two countries since the publication of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley

阅读理解Questions 31 to 40 are based on the following passage