作者：温海泉
1 )
When young people get their first real jobs, they may face a lot of new, confusing situations. They may find that everything is different from the way things were at school. It is also possible that they will feel uncomfortable and insecure in both professional and social situations. Eventually, they realize that university classes cant be the only preparation for all of the different situations that arise in the working world.
Perhaps the best way to learn how to behave in the working world is to identify a worker you admire and observe his behavior. In doing so, you will be able to see what it is that you admire in this person. For example, you will observe how he acts in a crisis. Perhaps even more important, you will be able to see what is his approach to day-to-day situations.
While you are observing your colleague, you should be asking yourself whether his behavior is like yours and how you can learn from his responses to a variety of situations. By watching and learning from a model, you will probably begin to identify and adopt good working habits.
1. The young people just graduated from school may not behave well in the
working world, because _____.
A. what they learned in university classes is not adequate for their
new life
B. they are not well educated
C. the society is too complicated to adapt to
D. they failed to work hard at school
2. In the last line of the first paragraph, the word "arise" means _____.
A. bring about B. come into being
C. occur to D. cause to happen
3. The best way to learn how to behave in the working world is _____.
A. to find a worker and follow him closely
B. to find a person you admire and make friends with him
C. to find a person you respect and watch carefully how he acts in
different situations
D. to make the acquaintance of a model you admire
4. In the last line of the second paragraph, the word "approach" means
_____.
A. means of entering
B. speaking to someone for the first time
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C. way of coming nearer to
D. manner of doing something
5. The passage could be best entitled _____.
A. "Learn from a Model"
B. "Learn, Learn and Learn Again"
C. "Learn Forever"
D. "One Is Never Too Old to Learn"
( 2 )
The first English window was just a slit in the wall. It was cut long, so that it would let in as much light as possible, and narrow, to keep out the bad we
ather. However, the slit let in more wind than light. This is why it was called "the winds eye." The word window itself comes from two Old Norse words for wind and eye.
Before windows were used, the ancient halls and castles of northern Europe and Britain were dark and smoky. Their great rooms were high, with only a hole in the roof to let out the smoke from torches and cooking fires.
As time went on, people wanted more light and air in their homes. They made the winds eyes wider so as to admit air and light. They stretched canvas of tapestry across them to keep out the weather.
1. The first window was a _____.
A. large hole in the wall
B. hole covered with canvas
C. slit in the wall
D. slit with a piece of paper over it
2. The word window meant _____.
A. opening to look through B. light given
C. wind D. winds eye
3. The window got its name because it _____.
A. kept out the wind
B. blew out the smoke
C. let in more wind than light
D. let in mostly light
4. In the ancient castles, smoke went out through _____.
A. the windows B. the doors
B. the chimney D. a hole in the roof
5. It seems true that the larger, canvas-covered windows _____.
A. were not as good as the first windows
B. let in more light and kept out more wind
C. did not let any air in
D. were as good as todays windows
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( 3 )
It was once believed that a person was in great danger when he sneezed-people imagined that the soul could escape from the body at the moment of sneezing. "God bless you" was a prayer for assistance in keeping the soul where it belonged.
The German word Gesundheit (good health) is a variation of this prayer; the Irish deiseal and the Italian felicita are similar prayers. The Hindus say a word that means "live," and when a Mohammedan sneezes, he praises God.
The Zulus of South Africa, far from being afraid of sneezes, believe that a sneeze signifies a friendly spirits blessing. Whenever a child sneezes, they shout "Grow!" hoping the friendly spirit that stimulated the sneeze will help the child grow tall and strong. The ancient Hebrews also believed that a sneeze was good-a sneeze indicates life; the dead never sneeze.
The Japanese say that if you sneeze once, someone is saying good things about you; if you sneeze twice, bad things are being said about you; if you sneeze three times, you have caught a cold.
< p>>
1. P
eople once thought that anyone who sneezed was _____.
A. sick B. in danger
C. in good health D. evil
2. "God bless you" was said in order to _____.
A. make children grow tall and strong
B. insure good health
C. keep the soul in the body
D. prevent someone from saying evil things about the sneezer
3. Gesundheit is a sneezing prayer most like _____.
A. the Zulu prayer
B. "God bless you"
C. the Japanese prayer
D. a warning
4. The Zulus believe that sneezing is caused by _____.
A. a good spirit
B. a bad spirit
C. illness
D. children
5. It would be reasonable to conclude that _____.
A. many people say prayers when they sneeze
B. a prayer keeps the soul where it belongs
C. all peoples were afraid of sneezes
D. the moment of sneezing is very dangerous
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( 4 )
Brenda Linson never goes anywhere without an empty spectacles case. It is as vital to her as her purse. Yet, she doesnt wear glasses. The reason she cant do without it is that she cant read and she cant write. If ever she gets into any situation where she might be expected to do either of these things, she fishes around in her bag for the specs case, finds its empty, and asks the person concerned to do the reading for her. Until a few months ago hardly anybody knew about her problem. Her husband didnt know and her children didnt know. The children still dont.
She had any number of tactics for hiding her difficulty-for example, never lingering near a phone at work, in case she had to answer it and might be required to write something down.
It has never occurred to the children that their mother cannot read. She doesnt read them stories, but then their father doesnt either, so they find nothing surprising in the fact. Similarly they just accept that Dad is the one who writes the sick notes and reads the school reports. Now that the elder boy Tom is quite a proficient reader, Brenda can skillfully get him to read any notes brought home from school simply by asking, "Whats that all about, then?"
Brendas husband never guessed the truth in ten years of marriage. For one thing, he insists on handling all domestic correspondence and bills himself. A salesman for a large company, he travels a great deal and so is not around so much to spot the truth. While hes away Brenda copes with any situations by explaining that she cant do anything until shes discussed it with her husband.
>Brenda was very successful in her job until recently. For the last five years she had worked as waitress at an expensive restaurant, and had eventually been promoted to head waitress. She kept the thing a secret there too, and got over the practical difficulties somehow.
1. Brenda carries an empty spectacles case wherever she goes because
_____.
A. she is always so forgetful
B. she uses it as a purse
C. it may provide her with an excuse
D. she wishes to look like an educated woman
2. The word "fish" in the first paragraph means _____.
A. search B. pretend C. examine D. touch
3. Brendas children have never found out about her problem as _____.
A. she isnt often at home
B. they are too young to guess the truth
C. they find it normal to ask their father for everything
D. they think it natural that short-sighted people like their mother
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dont do much reading or writing
4. What most probably made Brenda try hard to hide her difficulty?
A. Her desire to be successful in her job.
B. Her fear of losing face.
C. Her deceitful nature.
D. Both A and B
5. Of the following suggested titles, which is the most appropriate?
A. Brenda and Her Family
B. A Woman Who Doesnt Wear Glasses
C. A Woman with an Empty Specs Case
D. The Miserable Life of a Waitress
( 5 )
Georges case is not unique. In the last fifteen or twenty years, quite a number of men and women have chosen to drop out of the working world to try a different kind of life. Most of them are in their thirties and forties, often well educated, although all ages and backgrounds can be found among them. A variety of reasons have led them to give up their work and the security it provided.
Some, like George, have given up a career that was demanding too much from them. Others couldnt stand the pressure and the competition. A thirty-five-year-old woman, who had a high position in her company, decided to leave when she found herself suffering from allergies that made her life miserable. She had two children and no savings; but even her anxiety about the future couldnt spoil her feeling of relief and her new peace of mind. Her health improved. She may never work again; if she does, she says that she will take small temporary jobs.
Some people, on the contrary, have quit jobs that were boring or meaningless to them. An office employee who has been pushing papers (has been doing paperwork) for years m
ay start wondering whether those papers are achieving anything. An engineer in a large company, aware that he could be replaced by any man with the same training, may come to feel unimportant as an individual. Such people leave their work in the hope of finding stronger interests and a sense of personal worth.
There are also people who leave their work to fulfill an old dream, such as writing books, painting, sailing to remote islands, or growing fruit trees. An army officer left the service at thirty-eight to build doll houses, and another one, who had always been interested in archaeology,（考古学） did the same at forty-five to dig ancient Indian sites. His wife was delighted-instead of keeping house, she was going to satisfy her own dream of learning to make paper.
But most of the men and women who drop out of the working world have no special interest and no desire to take up any occupation. They want
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only to enjoy their freedom, their independence, and their leisure. No more rushing to catch a morning train, no more commuter（通勤者）traffic, no more anxiety to please a boss, no more meetings, no more obligations to behave and dress according to the rules. This endless vacation does not necessarily bring happiness; many of those who have chosen it as a style of life admit that leisure, too, can become boring. But they still prefer it to their former existence(But they like it more than working for a living). The main problem remains the lack of financial security, for, with few exceptions, the "dropouts"（退出世俗社会的人）are not wealthy. And so they survive by selling their possessions, by borrowing from friends and family, and by taking an odd job(a small temporary job) now and then for a short time when it becomes absolutely necessary.
Sam would never have understood their attitude. In the first place, he had never been unhappy with his occupation, and he had never felt any conflict between his work and his personal life. Neither had he ever dreamed of doing anything but selling groceries and chatting with Fred. And there was yet another factor. Todays dropouts can always find some small job to do when they are in need of money, or perhaps they can get unemployment compensation（补偿）from the government for a while. But Sam had lived through the 1930s, when work of any type was almost impossible to find. In those days a job, no matter how unpleasant or poorly paid, was a mans most precious possession. Losing it was a disaster; not looking for anotherone, a shame. As for not wanting to work at all, it was unthinkable, for society was not used to loafers（流浪者）then. A nonworking family man would have lost the respect of his friends and his place in the community of responsible men.
George might have tried to explain to his father the new point of view, to tell him that people have a right to be free, independent, and to watch birds all day if they want to. But he would not have convinced Sam, for whom independence and leisure were luxuries that had to be deserved through hard work. Sam himself had enjoyed a vacation once in a while, and he had been happy to rest in the sun without his tie. But that was only because, having earned his fun, he could enjoy it with a good conscience（良心）.
It would have shocked Sam to learn that those "shameless" people who choose to live in unearned idleness （懒惰）have a good conscience too.
1. In the last fifteen or twenty years, people like George have chosen
to drop out of the working world because _____.
A. they have earned enough money to spend for the rest of their lives
B. they are not well paid at work
C. they want to live a more leisurely life
D. all of them have work that is too demanding
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2. After leaving her position the thirty-five-year-old woman felt _____.
A. relieved and peaceful, though worried about her security
B. bored, without friends and companions
C. that she needed another job
D. the pressures and burdens of life
3. According to the text, people would probably not drop out of the work
force if they _____.
A. often worry about their work
B. work without any complaints
C. find it very easy to do their jobs
D. dont mind being controlled by others
4. According to Sam, a mans value lies in _____.
A. reaching a higher position in society
B. enjoying full freedom and independence
C. working hard and having a good relationship with his community
D. earning money and sending his children to colleges and universities
5. Which of the following statements might cause Sam and George to argue?
A. To be either a shopkeeper or a geologist will give one satisfaction.
B. Happiness can be obtained only through hard work.
C. Dropouts live a happier life than anyone else.
D. Dropouts live a miserable life if they have no financial security