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(生產(chǎn)力) 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 greatly lower taxes in America, which increase the rewards to work. Another may be more satisfying work, or less satisfying personal lives.
Longer hours do of course increase the GDP(國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值). 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 its interest. It is too early to explain the different trends(趨勢(shì))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?
小題1:Which of the following countries has more of its people at work?
A.Spain.B.France.C.Germany.D.America.
小題2: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.
小題3:Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Americans and Europeans
B.Staying at Home
C.Work and Productivity
D.Work and Happiness

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:D

試題分析: 盡管美國人工作時(shí)間長(zhǎng)但是每小時(shí)的生產(chǎn)效率卻和其他一些富裕的歐洲國家相同,作者認(rèn)為美國人喜歡工作時(shí)間長(zhǎng)是因?yàn)楣ぷ鲿?huì)給人帶來一種滿足感,因此美國也成為了工作人數(shù)最多的國家。在本文中作者通過對(duì)比的方法對(duì)此現(xiàn)象進(jìn)行了剖析。
小題1:D細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第三段The United States also has more of its people at work,可知美國工作的人數(shù)比別的國家要多,故答案選D。
小題2:B細(xì)節(jié)理解題。文章第二段介紹了為什么在美國人們的工作時(shí)間要更長(zhǎng)一些,給出了兩種可能的原因,由此判斷B選項(xiàng)內(nèi)容正確。
小題3:D主旨大意題。在文中作者對(duì)比了美國和其他富裕國家人們的不同工作時(shí)間和工作效率,分析認(rèn)為工作帶來的滿足感可能是美國人喜歡工作的原因,但是最后提出盡管美國人喜歡長(zhǎng)時(shí)間工作,但是人們的幸福感卻沒有像其他國家一樣增長(zhǎng),由此可知文中中心內(nèi)容是講述工作和幸福的關(guān)系,故D選項(xiàng)內(nèi)容更能反應(yīng)文章中心,答案選D。
練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Nowadays,much of the profit of a business—sometimes the whole of its success—depends upon the use of the odds and ends.The odds and ends are various small things,which are left over when the main things are produced.But they possess a real value of their own.
If a business,big or small,looked down upon these odds and ends,it would mean a big difference in the amount of the benefit of the business.Take a meat factory for instance,there are countless odds and ends—bones and hair,which can be made into glue and rope to increase its profit greatly.
Then,if we are college students,what about our odds and ends—the odd moments?Take time for example.Every one of us has the exact same amount of it.Everyone’s success or failure depends on the use of their time.But everyone uses the time more or less in the same way.However,why many great men in science or art have made huge successes for themselves in the world?Because they have made best use of their odd moments.Thomas A.Edison,never allowed his odd moments to slip by.He thought,planned,and tried his inventions.He always worked twenty hours out of each twenty­four.His inventions made him famous all over the world,and provided valuable wealth for the human beings.
So,remember this axiom:busy people always find time  for everything.However,people with great spare time find time for nothing.Is it very strange?Not at all!The question is how to gather up fragments of time and make full use of them.As many big businesses have found,the real profit is in using the odds and ends.We also must do in this way to make best use of our odd moments and manage to be successful in something we do.
小題1:What are odds and ends?
A.They are nothing useful.
B.They are very small,but valuable things.
C.They are the main things factories produce.
D.They are odd moments students refuse to gather up.
小題2:Why should the odds and ends be made full use of?
A.Because they often determine success or failure.
B.Because they can only be found by successful people.
C.Because they are various small things people don’t want.
D.Because they are useless things left over.
小題3:The underlined word axiom in the last paragraph means________.
A.a(chǎn) statement given by famous people
B.a(chǎn) statement accepted as true
C.a(chǎn) statement that can be argued
D.a(chǎn) statement accepted in scientific field
小題4:Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The profit of all companies depends on the odds and ends.
B.In some way,big meat companies can ignore some small things,such as bones.
C.College students only make full use of their spare time before exams.
D.Many successful men are good at using the odds and ends.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空

For my daughter's 19th birthday, we bought her tickets to go and see Linkin Park, as they were playing in our city. We didn't really have the    ____   but we knew how much this band meant to her.
The night before she was like a  ____   at Christmas. Every so often she got up and came to    ____   with us, because she couldn't   ___. On the night of the   ____   it was good to see her so    ____    and excited, as she and her boyfriend set off.
Needless to say when they   ____    after midnight, with T­shirts and lots of pictures of the band,    ____    her telling about how fantastic they had been, we knew the money had been well   ____. This will be a memory she would   ____   forget, and nor would we.
____   full of excitement from the night before, the following day they   ___   to go shopping on the other side of the city. My husband and I   ____, loving the fact that she had not   ____ that quality as she grew up.
Later that day they returned, with faces full of happiness and warmth. They presented my husband and me with a   ____    each. On each present were the words “Because you are the    ____   mum/dad in the world”. When we said our thank­yous and told her she didn't have to, we asked her   ____   she had bought us gifts. Her    ____   was simply “Just because I love you”.
This wasn't something   ____    from our daughter; she had always given us a gift when she wanted to express her  ____, and each gift was always a welcome surprise. It could have been anything, it wouldn't have mattered, and it was  the act itself and the feelings behind it.
小題1:
A.moneyB.timeC.interestD.news
小題2:
A.workerB.babyC.kidD.parent
小題3:
A.danceB.learnC.walkD.sit
小題4:
A.speakB.sleepC.standD.leave
小題5:
A.concertB.holidayC.partyD.travel
小題6:
A.healthyB.happyC.prettyD.surprised
小題7:
A.stayedB.leftC.returnedD.turned
小題8:
A.worrying aboutB.caring forC.looking atD.listening to
小題9:
A.lentB.earnedC.savedD.spent
小題10:
A.everB.neverC.oftenD.neither
小題11:
A.StillB.OnlyC.JustD.Also
小題12:
A.continuedB.triedC.decidedD.struggled
小題13:
A.refusedB.criedC.shoutedD.laughed
小題14:
A.keptB.lostC.realizedD.discovered
小題15:
A.giftB.prizeC.ticketD.picture
小題16:
A.richestB.oldestC.bestD.cleverest
小題17:
A.whereB.howC.whenD.why
小題18:
A.wayB.a(chǎn)nswerC.suggestionD.idea
小題19:
A.importantB.ordinaryC.newD.valuable
小題20:
A.feelingsB.concernsC.understandingsD.opinions

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.
Some people blame(責(zé)備) the fact that we are surrounded by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation(一代人)) of grown-ups who don’t often cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.
There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will probably choose sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives. There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food. What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports. The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.
小題1:According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?
A.Those who often take exercise.
B.Those who often watch television
C.Those who often have meals at home.
D.Those who often walk to school.
小題2:The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because _______.
A.their parents often cook meals for them.
B.they are too busy to go out and play.
C.they can't choose what to eat.
D.there are too many fast food shops around.
小題3:The underlined word "steering" in the last sentence most probably means ____.
A.forcingB.guidingC.drivingD.moving
小題4:According to the author, which of the following is WRONG?
A.We should encourage children to be more active.
B.Children ought to keep away from fast food shops.
C.Parents needn't cook meals for their children.
D.Parents should help their children form a good eating habit.
小題5:The main purpose of the text is to _______.
A.tell a storyB.provide factsC.give adviceD.compare opinions

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The Couch Surfing network is an online community stretching across the globe with over one and a half million members. The basic concept is to provide a platform for travelers to contact people who are willing to put them up free of charge. Travelers connect with potential hosts online and, if they like each other, exchange details to make farther arrangements.
  Basil is one traveler from Switzerland who is currently couch surfing with a Chinese host in Beijing. "I thought staying in hostel is nice but you mostly meet foreigners and speak English. If you use Couch Surfing you have chance to meet people living here and really get a chance to know the life of the place you visit. " Basil was speaking during a regular meeting of Beijing network of Couch Surfing with a membership of almost 2,000.
  Although some people may have concerns about meeting complete strangers and giving them full access to your house, Beijing group member Fred Sharp from California says that the Couch Surfing community is one that generally attracts trustworthy people.
  "I have never had a problem with guests. I'd say that this Couch Surfing community worldwide is a fairly trustworthy community like I say, always be cautious, make sure that you read everyone's profile that you're considering hosting, and if it doesn't feel right just say' no', it's OK. "
  Originally launched in the US as a non-profit organization in 2004, Couch Surfing is growing fast across the world. China is no exception with around 30,000 members and hundreds more signing up each week. One of them is Beijing resident Hai Yan who joined in November 2009. She says the first time she hosted a guest was a very positive experience. "My first guest was from Italy. He was very kind and helpful. He bought me a present from Italy, a handbag. It's a famous brand!"
  As the organization grows from strength to strength, hotel owners across the world will be watching very closely and possibly thinking twice about raising their prices too high.
小題1:The Couch Surfing network is intended to __________ .
A.offer travelers convenience to find suitable hosts for free accommodations
B.provide people with a platform to contact each other
C.find potential hosts who want to supply travelers with couches
D.give reliable information about hotels
小題2:According to Fred Sharp, ______________.
A.couch surfers can fully rely on Couch Surfing community
B.Couch Surfing community enables you to meet different people
C.Couch Surfing community is trusted by all couch surfers
D.Hosts may form a judgment on couch surfers and make a final decision
小題3:We can infer from the passage that ________________.
A.Couch Surfing has a long history
B.Hai Yan is satisfied with her host
C.Couch Surfing is getting popular in China
D.Basil works at the Beijing Network
小題4:The last paragraph suggests that hotels will ___________ .
A.be replaced by the organization
B.probably not charge too much
C.not consider raising their prices
D.show no concern about the organization

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Read about some teenage problems on a website for students and Linda’s replies to their online messages.


小題1: Linda advises Simon ____.
A.not to laugh at othersB.to get on well with his friends
C.to follow his friendsD.to be strong to make decisions
小題2:The underlined word “anorexia” probably means _____.
A.酗酒B.肥胖C.厭食D.嗜睡
小題3:The text mainly talks about _____.
A.the pressure from our neighbours
B.some wrong behaviours at school
C.problems of losing confidence among teenagers
D.some teenage problems and certain suggestions

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

I bought a Paul Smith shirt three months ago. For those who don’t know, Paul Smith is an English designer brand.
His shirts cost about 1,000 yuan and upwards. I paid 50 yuan for my colorful shirt from a street vendor in Beijing.
Of course my shirt was a knockoff, a cheap copy of the brand. After a few washes, little balls formed on the surface of the thin material.
Do I care? Not at all. You get what you pay for.
I have to admit I hate shopping. I don’t care enough about spending money on clothes. I have other priorities.
In You Are What You Wear, US writer Jennifer Baumgartner says people’s clothes tell a story about their personality.
She writes: “The clothes you choose to wear provide important information about you as a person: your approximate education level, your income, social status and even your level of self-esteem (自信).” When I started work as an undercover crime reporter, I had to shop for jeans and a hoodie (連帽衫) in order to fit in with a rough and ready (世故的) social group.
I bought the hoodie in a charity shop. My daughters were shocked. They thought I looked bad, but I knew my disguise was perfect.
Elizabeth L. Cline thinks she knows best when it comes to cheap clothes in her book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. She expresses sadness that clothing has been turned into a good that is thrown away after being used once or twice.
She looks down her nose at cheap fashion and longs for the good old days when department stores sold quality clothes at high prices.
I don’t agree. At least people now can choose what to wear without breaking the bank.
小題1:The underlined sentence in the article meant that         .
A.I don’t mind spending money on clothes
B.there’s not much point spending money on clothes
C.it is too much trouble to spend money on clothes
D.I never spend money on clothes
小題2:From the text we can infer that the author’s disguise         .
A.immediately won the admiration of his daughters
B.turned out unsuited to his plan
C.proved that clothes can’t show a person’s true personality
D.had something to do with his income
小題3:The author mentions Elizabeth L. Cline’s book to         .
A.express his anger at the poor quality of clothes
B.show his disagreement with her idea
C.show his dislike for how people treat their clothes
D.support her attitude toward spending money on clothes
小題4:Which of the following might be the best title for the story?
A.The variety of clothesB.You are what you wear
C.High cost of cheap fashionD.You get what you pay for

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Twice in the past few days, I've witnessed families arguing to the point of having major 'falling outs' (when you get so angry with each other that there is threat of withdrawing love from a family member and/or abandoning the relationship). Last night, one of those situations occurred and a friend contacted me on QQ and asked my advice.
Their situation arose where a son-in-law had disagreements with his wife and then got into a quarrel with his mother-in-law and father-in-law. In the end, the son-in-law threatened to cut off all relationship with his in laws and also to deny his in laws a relationship with his own daughter, their granddaughter. 
Not only did the son-in-law threaten his wife's parents, but he has followed through with his threat and hasn't allowed his wife or his child to have any contact with his wife's parents in almost a year.
The first question my friend asked me was, "Michael, what do you do when you get into a quarrel with your family?" I said, "I don't know." They said, "Well what about when you quarrel with your mother or one of your siblings (brother or sister)?" I said, "I don't know." He said, "Well, what would you do if you got into an argument with your in laws when you were married?" I said, "I don't know." He said, "What do you mean that you don't know?" I said, "Well, I never got into a quarrel with my in-laws, my mother or my siblings." He said, "Be serious, Michael. I need some help with this situation." I said, "I am serious. I never quarreled with mother, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law or brother-in-law. At least not in my adult life (since I turned 18 years old)." My friend found it hard to believe that I never did any of these things. I suppose (I really don't know; Ha!) that many people wouldn't believe that an entire family could maintain a such a level of peace, harmony, respect and love. The truth is, my family doesn't do those things.
You may wonder 'why' we don't do that. Well, I never really thought about 'why' we don't do that. But I do know, we don't. So, I did the most logical thing I could think of. I asked my mother 'why' we don't quarrel, argue, fight and have such situations. Some people believe that if you don't argue, quarrel and fight, then, you don't care enough. I would say that my family cares very deeply for each other and love each other and express our love to each other, very often. We don't believe that you have to quarrel, argue and fight in order to show that you care and that you love the other. Instead, we show that we love, care and respect each other by, well, loving, caring and respecting each other.
小題1:What can we infer from the passage?
A.The writer doesn’t care his family.
B.The writer has cultural differences with his friends.
C.The writer often quarrels with his family member.
D.The writer knows why their family don’t quarrel.
小題2:How did the quarrel mentioned in the passage happen?
A.The son-in-law had disagreements with his wife.
BThe son-in-law had disagreements with his in laws.
C.The son-in-law had disagreements with his daughter.
D.The son-in-law threatened to cut off relationships with his in laws.
小題3:How many questions did the friend ask the writer?
A.2 B.3C.4 D.5
小題4:How do the members in the writer’s family live in harmonious?
A.by quarrelling with each other.
B.by showing love, care and respect to each other.
C.by living together with each other.
D.by giving gifts to each other.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first movie from a black director to win the film industry's highest honor in 86 years of the Oscars.Can anyone tell me your ideas about this movie? —— GreatMartin
“12 Years a Slave is a surprisingly underwhelming movie.It is more of a string of picture about several heartless and evil white men(and women)who are just mean without the motivation of running a plantation on their minds.There is very little character development and most of the film relies on what the audience already knows and feels about slavery.” 一一GeminiJef
‘‘Never have I been stunned into an emotional silence after watching a film in the theater.I've come out of films before thinking” My god,that was unbelievable”,like when I saw The Lord of the Rings for the first time,but this film just hits you on another level entirely.You sit there after it’s over,wondering if what you’d just experienced was real.The day after.you feel the same.”一一Pauljohnson
“This movie is just an average movie about slavery.Are you kidding me,segregation movies are a dime a dozen and this movie beat out Gravity for Golden Globes? Gravity has never been done before.12 Years a Slave I watched once and will never watch again.I watched Gravity 5 times and still love it.’’一一Dominionator
“This movie was realistic and engaging at every second.Even the dramatic pauses were worthwhile and definitely not a waste of time.The script inferred and hinted at events rather than just plain saying them,and that was genius.Outstanding photography,amazing special effects and the acting is top notch.There were a few people that walked out during some scenes.What a shame!” 一一Apols
小題1:The main purpose of GreatMartin’s writing is __________ .
A.to give a brief introduction of the movie
B.to share his own opinions with others
C.to invite answers to his question
D.to explain why he asks the question
小題2:The underlined word “stunned’’ in the third paragraph probably means __________ .
A.puzzledB.shockedC.disappointedD.concerned
小題3:Among the four speakers,who made positive comments on the movie?
A.GeminiJef and PauljohnsonB.Pauljohnson and Dominionator
C.GeminiJef and DominionatorD.Pauljohnson and Apols
小題4:Which of the following best states Pauljotmson’s ideas about l2 Years a Slave?
A.It leaves little room for character development.
B.It reaches the height of The Lord of the Rings.
C.It doesn’t deserve such high praise.
D.It amazes the audience with its special effects.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案