Why do people feel so rushed? Part of this is a perception (认知) problem. Generally, people in rich countries have more free time than they used to. This is particularly true in Europe, but even in America free time has been inching up. Women's paid work has risen a lot over this period，but their time in unpaid work，like cooking and cleaning, has fallen even more significantly, thanks in part to dishwashers, washing machines and microwaves, and also to the fact that men shift themselves a little more around the house than they used to.
The problem, then, is less how much time people have than how they see it. Ever since a clock was first used at a workplace to record labor hours in the 18th century, time has been understood in relation to money. Once hours are financially quantified (量化), people worry more about wasting, but tend to save or use them more profitably. When economies grow and incomes rise, everyone's time becomes more valuable. And the more valuable something becomes, the rarer it seems.
Once seeing their time in terms of money, people often grow stingy with the former to maximize the latter. Workers who are paid by the hour volunteer less of their time and tend to feel more upset when they are not working.
The relationship between time, money and anxiety is something Gary Becker noticed in America's post-war boom years. "If anything, time is used more carefully today than a century ago," he noted in 1965. He found that when people are paid more to work, they tend to work longer hours, because working becomes a more profitable use of time. So the rising value of work time puts pressure on all time. Leisure time starts to seem more stressful, as people are forced to use it wisely or not at all.
1.Women's time in unpaid work has fallen partly because ______.
A. men's ability to support a family has been improved
B. men's involvement in housework has increased
C. women's leisure time was taken up by heavy housework
D. women become more skilled at household equipment
2.From the second paragraph, we learn that ______.
A. labor hours were recorded with a clock
B. people haven't realized the value of time
C. more work hours bring in more money
D. The rise of incomes makes time less valuable
3.The underlined phrase grow stingy with can probably be replaced by "______".
A. refuses to delay B. intend to kill
C. try to accumulate D. hesitate to spend
4.According to Gary Becker, what causes people feel anxious about time?
A. The wrong way of time being spent.
B. People's willingness to work hard.
C. The increasing value of work time.
D. More and more leisure time.
一家英语报社向中学生征文，主题是“十年后的我”，请根据下列要求和你的想象完成短文：
1. 家庭；
2. 工作；
3. 业余生活。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语已为你写好。
I often imagine what my life will be like in the future.
共有十处错误，增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符∧，并在其下写上该词
删除：把多余的词用\划掉
修改：在错词下画一横线，在其下写上修改后的词
My grandfather and I enjoy fishing.
One Sunday morning we go fishing at a lake. We took ours fishing poles and headed for the lake.As soon as we arrived, so we dropped the lines into the water.Before waiting for about half an hour, I was beginning to get impatiently, I wanted to give up, and my grandfather told me to wait a little longer. Finally, there were a sudden pull at the pole and fish was caught. Within the next few minute, my grandfather also caught a fish.
Felt hungry, we built a fire by the lake and barbecued the fish. It was delicious.
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卷上相应题号的横线上。
You want to be confident and feel confident, but what if you're starting with little or no confidence? True self-confidence isn't an overnight acquisition. It takes dedication to realize you are a good human being that is worthy of respect and love.
Recognize your insecurities
What does that voice in the back of your mind say? Why do you feel uncomfortable or ashamed of yourself? This could be anything from regrets to friends at school or negative experience. Whatever is making you feel unworthy, or ashamed, identify it, give it a name, and write it down. You can also tear these written pieces to start feeling positive on those points.
Get rid of insecurities gradually
Each day you should weaken it. There's no quick fix. Get to the root of the problem; focus on it and understand that you need to resolve each issue before you can move on. Check if it is an old past emotion and if it is really still relevant or applicable in your life today. And that does not mean you have to get rid of whatever makes you feel bad (many times, you simply can't). You need to learn to accept yourself, your past, your circumstances as they are, without necessarily thinking of them as “bad”.
Identify your successes
Everyone is good at something, so discover the things at which you do extremely well, then focus on your talents. Give yourself permission to be proud of them. Give yourself credit for your successes. Inferiority (自卑) is a state of mind in which you've declared yourself a victim. Do not allow yourself to be victimized.
Be Positive
Avoid self-pity, or the pity and sympathy of others. Never allow others to make you feel inferior—they can only do so if you let them. If you continue to dislike and look down upon yourself, others are going to do and believe likewise. Instead, speak in a positive way about yourself, about your future, and about your progress. Do not be afraid to show your strengths and qualities to others. By doing so, you strengthen those ideas in your mind and encourage your growth in a positive direction.
Apply “facial feedback theory”
Studies surrounding what’s called the "facial feedback theory" suggest that the expressions on your face can actually encourage your brain to express certain emotions. So look in the mirror and smile every day, and you might feel happier with yourself and more confident in the long run.
Help others
When you know you’re of help to the people around you, and are making a positive difference in other people’s lives (even if it's just being kinder to the person who serves you coffee in the morning), you'll know that you are a positive force in the world—which will boost yourself confidence.
Now, dear friends, will you let confidence keep you company? Be confident, and accomplishing your goals will be just around the corner.
Title: The ways to become confident
Specific ways | Supporting details |
Recognizing insecurities | Find out what1.you uncomfortable or ashamed, forget it and feel positive. |
2. insecurities gradually | Find out the3.of problems, resolve them and learn to accept 4.you are. |
Identifying successes | Find out your talents, take 5.in them and praise yourself for your successes. |
Being positive | Speak 6. about yourself. Don’t make yourself 7. by others. |
Applying “facial feedback theory” | Look in the mirror and smile to gain more8.. |
Helping others | Be9. to the people around you. |
Conclusion Confidence helps people accomplish goals and become worthy to be10.and loved. | |
完形填空
The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish from each other a lot.This is because the culture systems are two separate systems ____.
The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two countries：China and India.Both of the two cultures are gestated(孕育) by ___.In China，the mother river is the Yellow River ___ the Indian one is the Hindu River.These two cultures were ____ for several thousand years and formed their own styles.Then in the Tang Dynasty of China，the Chinese culture ____ went overseas to Japan，____ into the Japanese society and ___ the Japanese culture nowadays.Though a bit different from the Chinese one，it ____ to the same system.
When the two mother rivers gave birth to the eastern culture，another famous culture was ____ on the Mesopotamian Plain(美索不达米亚平原)—the Mesopotamian Civilization.This civilization later on developed into the cultures of the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.And these two are wellknown as the ____ of the European culture.____ the Chinese culture，the European one also ____ waters.When the colonists of England ____ in America，their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean.So the American culture doesn’t ___ from the European one a lot.
At the same time，the ____ of the language systems adds to the cultural differences.In the East，most languages belong to the pictographic(象形文字的) languages while the Western languages are ____ based on the Latin system，for example，the one I’m using to write this paper.
Other factors like human race difference ____ as well.However，___ the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West，the two cultures seldom ___ until recent centuries.____ they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference(干扰) from the other.
1.A.above all B．on the whole C．in all D．in no case
2.A.mountains B．plains C．lakes D．rivers
3.A.or B．for C．while D．when
4.A.developed B．improved C．created D．protected
5.A.suddenly B．quietly C．gradually D．naturally
6.A.mixed B．changed C．decided D．forced
7.A.expanded B．interrupted C．influenced D．shaped
8.A.comes B．belongs C．amounts D．adds
9.A.brought up B．carried out C．given out D．picked up
10.A.result B．sign C．base D．content
11.A.Via B．Except C．With D．Like
12.A.affected B．spread C．crossed D．formed
13.A.joined up B．went up C．broke down D．settled down
14.A.come B．suffer C．result D．differ
15.A.difference B．developmen C．appearance D．feature
16.A.properly B．partl C．simply D．mostly
17.A.last B．count C．reduce D．change
18.A.in terms of B．due to C．as to D．in case of
19.A.transform B．display C．communicate D．distinguish
20.A.Furthermore B．Meanwhile C．Therefore D．However
“You are going abroad and will live there? Oh, wonderful! You are so lucky.”
Perhaps your family and friends said similar things to you when you left home. But is it true all the time? Is your life in the new country always wonderful and exciting?
Specialists say that it isn’t that easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” (冲击) is the term specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. “There are three stages of culture shock,” say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers adapt to their surroundings and finally enjoy their life there.
Culture shock arises from many obvious factors. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems such as the telephone, post office, or transportation may be difficult to work out. Even the simplest things become headaches. Still worse, the language may be difficult.
Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new selfimage.
Culture shock leads to a feeling of disorientation (迷惘). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create and escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience are the long term solutions to the problem of culture shock.
1.When people move to a new country, they ________.
A. find their new life always wonderful and exciting.
B. dislike the new surroundings from the beginning.
C. quickly get accustomed to the new culture there.
D. will get used to the new life with certain difficulty.
2.Based on the passage, which of the following results from culture shock?
A. weather conditions and customs
B. public service and transportation
C. feeling homesick and disoriented
D. language communication issues
3.According to the passage, the more successful you are at home, ________.
A. the fewer difficulties you will meet with abroad
B. the more problems you may have to face abroad
C. the greater success you are likely to make abroad
D. the less homesick you will eventually feel abroad
4.Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?
A. Cultural shock affects and surprises those who live in a new culture.
B. A new culture makes everything difficult except the simplest things.
C. Since culture shock is painful, we can never get over it completely.
D. Escaping by staying inside does solve the problem of culture shock.
