Tips for a Happier Workplace
You don’t have to be friends with your co-workers, but you do need to be friendly. Read on for fresh ways to make your office a kinder, gentler place.
◆Give a happy “Hello! ”in the morning
Do you walk into the office, eyes down, and immediately start work? If so, you are likely to find that co-workers ignore(忽视)you or avoid you. 1.It’s really amazing how fast this small gesture can change unfriendly workplace relations.
◆Learn the art of small talk
Ask your co-workers about their interests—their favorite music, movies, and books, as well as their hobbies. 2.Once you know what catches their imagination, pick up stories from newspapers or magazines to help start conversations.
◆Ask what they think
People love to be asked for their opinion, so go out of your way to ask, “What do you think of this report? ” or “How do you think I should deal with this situation? ” 3.
◆Avoid gossip(流言飞语)
4.So return the favor. When a co-worker walks towards you bearing a piece of gossip, respond(回应)with, “Really? ”and then change the subject or get back to work. If you don’t respond, the gossiper will move on.
◆5.
To win friends at work, start with good office etiquette(礼节). There’s nothing more frustrating(令人沮丧的)to busy co-workers than to have their emails and phone messages ignored. Your silence doesn’t just make their jobs harder; it also conveys(传达)an unpleasant message: You are unimportant to me.
A. Stop complaining.
B. Return calls and emails immediately.
C. Then give the advice giver a silent thank-you.
D. Always work as hard as anyone working for you.
E. You don’t want anyone talking about you behind your back, right?
F. Showing an interest in them will make them feel comfortable around you.
G. Get into the habit of greeting your co-workers with a smile as you arrive in the morning.
Scientists are making new studies of color and its effects on our health. They have known for a long time that the color of a room or the color of the light in it can affect our feelings and emotions. Many prisons and hospitals have at least one room that is painted pink. Officials have found that light and color can produce physical changes in our bodies.
Professor Falfan worked with a group of 9 disabled children at school in Albert. Two of the children were blind. The other seven had normal sight. The scientists changed the color of the school room, and then looked for changes in blood pressure, heart beat and breathing rate. The effects of color changes were the same for the blind children as for those with normal sight. Their blood pressure dropped from about 120 to 100. Similar changes were reported in heart-beat and the breathing. The children were also calmer and less excited. Then the colors of the room were returned to orange and white. Blood pressure, heart-beat and breathing rate went up and the children became excited again.
Professor Falfan said different colors produce different levels of light energy. He said the differences seem to affect chemicals in the brain that carry messages from nerve to nerve and from nerve to muscle.
1. Light and color can affect .
A. only one’s feelings and emotions
B. one’s energy
C. one’s mental changes
D. one’s heart-beat, brain activities, blood pressure, feelings and emotions
2. The color of pink had a calming effect, that is to say, the color affects .
A. the chemicals in the brain
B. the eyes
C. the skin
D. the muscle
3.According to the text, orange and white are colors which can make people .
A. calm B. active C. sick D. blind
13. The colors in the school room mentioned in the passage were changed from .
A. orange to white
B. orange to dark blue
C. orange and white to pink or some other colors
D. gray to more colors
4. After reading the passage we can conclude that .
A. blind people can be affected by colors, too
B. one’s heart will beat faster in a colorful room than in a white room
C. the chemicals in the brain change with feelings and emotions
D. if one’s blood pressure drops, his breathing will get slower and slower
Although considered an excellent exercise, jumping rope has never received widespread acceptance because of two reasons. First, most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular(心血管的)exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes in order to achieve a beneficial physical effect. Second, many regard it as somewhat boring and overly repetitive(重复乏味的)—not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun as long as you find a proper way to practise it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce(跳)over and over again, players good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps: a single bounce, a double-bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping.
Nowadays researchers are discovering that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres(半球)to perform equally to each other.
In short, jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life.
1. One reason that can explain why rope-jumping has not spread widely is that
.
A. it benefits the cardiovascular system
B. it is too difficult for people to learn to jump
C. it is believed to be boring and repetitive
D. it requires little equipment, time and space
2. The first sentence in Paragraph 2 means that in rope-jumping.
A. there is only one proper way to follow
B. the usual way should not be used again
C. the easiest way is always the best one
D. there are different kinds of ways to follow
3.According to the researchers, jumping rope .
A. only prepares the brain for learning
B. is suitable for students only
C. helps both brain hemispheres work together
D. can be dangerous for old people
4.What does the writer think of rope-jumping?
A. He is strongly against it.
B. He is for it.
C. The passage doesn’t mention it.
D. He knows little about it.
Has been a dream for 30 years but now the world’s first flying car is set to hit the roads this year.
Ever since the “Back to the Future” movies lit up our screens in the 1980s, designers have dreamt of cars that could take to the sky at the push of a button(按钮). And now pilots can order their own “roadable” plane for just￡127, 000.
The plane, which has fold-out wings that span 17. 5 feet, can be up to 115 mph. Back on the land, it can also travel at “highway speeds” in car mode(模式).
Fuelling(加燃料)the 19 feet long plane couldn’t be simpler—you just drive it into a petrol station and fill it up.
A spokeswoman said, “You can keep your ‘light-sport airplane’ in your garage. But because it needs a short runway to take to the air, you will have to drive to your local airport, fly up to 460 miles, land and drive directly to your destination(目的地). You will always be ready to drive or fly. ”
The spokeswoman added, “Never let bad weather change your trip. You can simply divert(使转向)and continue on the ground until the weather clears. ”
There’s no risk to you—this is only the chance for you to be the first at your home field to unfold(展开)your wings and fly into the future.
1.According to the text, the “roadable” plane .
A. can fly in the sky at “highway speeds” in car mode
B. is a kind of car with fold-out wings
C. is a little difficult to fuel
D. can only travel on the highway
2.We can infer that in the “Back to the Future” movies .
A. there are some skillful pilots
B. pilots have no cars to drive
C. pilots can’t afford a “roadable” plane
D. cars can fly in the sky
3.What does the underlined word “it” in the 5th paragraph refer to?
A. Light-sport airplane.
B. Your garage.
C. The local airport.
D. A petrol station.
4.The last sentence of the text aims to .
A. call for people to buy the “roadable” plane
B. show people the use of the “roadable” plane
C. tell people only the “roadable” plane can fly in the future
D. ask people to unfold their wings and fly into the future
5.If you meet with a thunderstorm in your “roadable” plane in the skies, you can .
A. land in a nearby airport until it clears
B. turn back home until it clears
C. land and drive on the ground
D. fly high up to 460 miles
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? 1. Do you prefer grey and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist(悲观者). At least, this is what psychologists(心理学家)tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. 2. If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
3. A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.
4. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀者)than any other bridge in the area—until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
5. It is an established fact(既成的事实)that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.
A. On the other hand, black is depressing.
B. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as we grow up—we are born with our preference.
C. The rooms are painted in different colors as you like.
D. If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.
E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it.
“Just ate chicken feet for lunch. ”These were the words I wrote on my blog yesterday. By the next day there were hundreds of comments from my friends. They included “OH MY GOD! That is so disgusting(令人厌恶的)! ”, “What were they like? ” and “Why can’t you eat sandwiches like everyone else? ”
To Chinese people, chicken feet are a normal snack. To my friends in Britain, the thought of eating a chicken’s feet is weird(不可思议的). As weird, in fact, as eating a bullfrog(牛蛙), scorpion(蝎子), snake, or turtle.
But if there are two things I love more than anything else in life, they are trying new things and food.
I arrived in Beijing five months ago. Since then, I’ve searched for the “weirdest” foods so I can try them, then treat my friends to some “virtual eating”on my blog.
One weekend, I went to Wangfujing, Beijing’s “snack street”. The trip gave me tons of blog materials.
“I chose a stick with three live, wriggling scorpions on it, ”I wrote. “And it was pretty good. The scorpion was warm and crispy. The legs did have a tendency to get stuck between one’s teeth, however. What’s more, I am sure scorpion stung(蜇伤)me twice with its tail in revenge. ”
Next came snake: “A bit like a cross between fish and chicken, with a slightly rubbery texture(弹性口感)and meaty taste. ”
Some people were actually angry when I ate turtle soup—especially when I posted pictures showing the poor little guy’s head staring sadly up at us from the bowl. “I am never speaking to you again, ”wrote one former friend.
Still, I will continue my culinary quest(美食征程).
Next on my list is starfish, though I feel I should have some vegetables too—algae, maybe.
So what am I eating, tonight, you may ask. Pizza. Well, a girl’s gotta have a break sometimes.
1.According to the passage, which of the following “weirdest” foods is the one the author hasn’t tried?
A. Chicken feet. B. Bullfrog.
C. Scorpion. D. Chicken head.
2. What does the author like most in life?
A. Trying new things and food.
B. Traveling.
C. Walking.
D. Shopping.
3.Where did the author get her blog material?
A. From her friends.
B. From Wangfujing, Beijing’s “snack street”.
C. From shopping.
D. From the Internet.
4. What is the author’s friends’ attitude towards her trying “weird” foods?
A. They are satisfied.
B. They are happy.
C. They are surprised and even angry.
D. They are sorry.
5. What can we learn from the passage about the author?
A. The author likes eating.
B. The author enjoys traveling.
C. The author is fond of shopping.
D. The author is interested in Chinese food.
