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.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Sometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength. Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.
The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move.“Sensei,” the boy finally said, “shouldn't I be learning more moves?”“This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know,” the sensei replied.
Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy skillfully used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened.
“No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.” Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. “Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?” “You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered. “First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”
The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.
1.we can infer from Paragraph 2 that the teacher__________.
A. was unwilling to teach the boy
B. regarded mastering one move as extremely important.
C. worried about the boys ability
D. trained the boy to win judo tournaments
2.After the boy came in the finals, __________.
A. he feared to get hurt.
B. the teacher felt satisfied
C. he thought of giving up.
D. the judge stopped the game.
3.The underlined expression “be overmatched” in Paragraph 3 is closed in meaning to__________.
A. lose heart
B. lose patience
C. be defeated
D. be monitored
4.How did the boy’s teacher explain his success of the tournament?
A. His opponent was too confident and careless.
B. The boy was experienced in playing the games.
C. His opponent didn't notice the boys left hand.
D. The boy made use of his judo skill and weakness.
5.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To suggest we turn weakness into strength.
B. To encourage us to insist in a match.
C. To show us how to win a match luckily.
D. To tell us to choose an experienced teacher.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Online Money Earning
Yes, you can earn money online without any investment or without anytime limit. I have many useful easy methods for earning easy money while we all spend our useful time on the Internet by surfing, chatting, downloading and other work. There is no need to stop any other work. We can earn with or without our daily routine. Here I tell you the complete method for online earning.
First Method
Earn money with“Bux. to”. You can earn money through “Bux.to” by clicking on ads on“Bux. To” site. First you need to open an account at“Bux. To”.
“Bux. To” is a new international and free English based service that allows advertisers to reach thousands of potential customers by displaying their ads on our“Surf Ads”page. An exact calculated percentage of all advertising income is paid to our members. “Bux. to” makes money through advertising.
How you make money
You view websites in 30 seconds through the “Surf Ads” page. Once the 30 seconds is up, you’ll either get a green tick(对号) sign or a red “x”. The green tick sign means you’ve earned $0.01and the “x” means you have not earned money for the visit. You’ll get red “x”s when you have more than one website from the “Surf Ads” page open. When this happens, you get no credit.
Earnings example
You click 10 ads per day =$0.10
20 referrals(转送) click 10 ads per day =$2.00
Your daily earnings =$2.10
Your weekly earnings =$14.70
Your monthly earnings =$63.00
How to get paid
If you have at least $10.00 accumulated, you can click on your account balance within your states area and it will meet your request. At present, it only makes payments through “AlertPay”. It will soon be using other methods of payment.
AlertPay is the payment processing solution that we use to pay members. Your AlertPay address is the e-mail address you use to register with AlertPay. You can get a free AlertPay account at http:// alertpay. com.
Method 2 will publish soon…
1.What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
A. To tell an interesting story.
B. To introduce a surprising way to earn money.
C. To solve a puzzling problem.
D. To present an exciting research.
2.You can earn money by ________.
A. chatting online
B. advertising some products
C. clicking on advertisements
D. choosing green ticks or “x”s
3.The underlined word “accumulated” can be replaced by “________”.
A. wasted. B. spent.
C. lost. D. gathered.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil have gone on sale, with fans able to apply on FIFA’s website. FIFA is expecting a similar demand to that in Germany 2006, when there were about seven applicants for every ticket of the 64 matches. And now around 3.3 million tickets will be available for the matches in 2014.
Tickets will range in price from￡58 for first-round matches to￡632 for the final at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian citizens over 60, local students and members of some social programs can purchase tickets for ￡15．
The Price of Football - World Cup 2014
| Items | Prices | Items | Prices |
| Ticket | ￡58-￡112 | Final ticket | ￡281-￡632 |
| Sun cream | ￡9.50 | T-shirt | ￡13 |
| McDonald’s meal | ￡11 | Water | ￡1.28 |
| Imported beer | ￡3.83 | Domestic beer | ￡1.91 |
| Coffee | ￡2.55 | Average dinner | ￡29 |
“It’s always difficult to predict,” said FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil. “But I truly believe that it will be more similar to what happened in Germany than in South Africa in 2010.” According to FIFA, the 2006 World Cup was attended by more than 3.3 million fans. Almost two million tickets were sold to the general public in South Africa, although the number of applications during the first ticketing phase was significantly lower．
All applications made before 10th October 2013 will enter a random selection draw if there are not enough tickets available to fulfill all requests. The sales of the leftover tickets will begin on 5th November on a first-come, first-served basis. Another phase will begin on 8th December after the draw is made. The tournament begins on 12th June, with Brazil playing the opener in Sao Paulo．
A study on the price of World Cup 2014 looked at the ticket prices and the cost of travelling to Brazil and found that our English fans face hotel costs of between￡46 and￡797 a night, while packages range from￡2,999 to￡14,999．
1.How much should a Brazilian student pay for the opening match?
A．￡15 B．￡58 C．￡112 D．￡632
2.From the passage we know that Thierry Weil_______.
A．feels proud of what they achieved in South Africa 2010
B．feels worried about the sales of the tickets for Brazil 2014
C．holds the belief that Brazil 2014 will be the greatest world cup
D．believes that more fans will attend Brazil 2014 than South Africa 2010
3.What will FIFA do if there are not enough tickets available for requests before Oct.10, 2013?
A．They will sell the spare tickets to the applicants．
B．They will sell on a first-come, first-served basis．
C．They will choose the applicants based on a random selection draw．
D．They will sell them the tickets to be sold on Dec.8．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
When something goes wrong，it can be very satisfying to say，”Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault,” or “I know I’m late，but it’s not my fault；the car broke down”. It is probably not your fault，but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation，you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your workmate causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. You should accept the fact and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your workmate fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners also have some problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own abilities. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.
1.According to the passage, winners .
A. deal with problems rather than blame others
B. meet with fewer difficulties in their lives
C. have responsible and able colleagues
D. blame themselves rather than others
2.The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. avoid B. refuse C. improve D. consider
3.When your colleague brings about a problem, you should .
A. find a better way to handle the problem
B. blame him for his lack of responsibility
C. tell him to find the cause of the problem
D. ask a more able colleague for help
4.When problems occur, winners take them as
A. excuses for their failures
B. barriers to greater power
C. challenges to their colleagues
D. chances for self-development
5.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. A Winner’s Achievement.
B. A Winner’s Problem.
C. A Winner’s Opportunity.
D. A Winner’s Secret.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空
As I entered womanhood，mom told me that no matter what happened and no matter what I did，I could always come home. Because of what those words meant to me，I said the same thing to my .
My childhood was filled with —a lot of kisses，lots of hugs，and lots of spoken “I love you”．Because of what those meant to me，I my sons the same things.
My mom came from a family and had a difficult childhood，yet she never about how unlucky she was my mom，I saw love’s ability to forgive.
I saw my sweet mom love my Grandpa， he had abandoned her and my Grandma and failed to them with basic necessities；I never saw mom treat Grandpa any way but lovingly，even though he was far from . I learned how love behaves and forgives.
I watched my mom my 100yearold grandma who，in her blindness，deafness and feebleness(虚弱)，needed almost care. When I was in her home，I heard what I’ve heard all my life，“I love you，mom.” They would each other this at least five times a —when mom got Grandma up，made her comfortable in bed，or prepared her . And I would hear love’s when Grandma said，“And I love you too.”
Love forgives and not focusing on what has happened ，love’s focus is on what needs to be done and on doing it the we can.
My mom taught me to love；she told me to it on to my children，and she forgiveness herself.
1.A. children B．friends C．classmates D．neighbors
2.A.confusion B．imagination C．happiness D．attraction
3.A. gave B．ordered C．paid D．bought
4.A. famous B．peaceful C．rich D．broken
5.A. thought B．complained C．learned D．wondered
6.A. With B．Like C．In D．Before
7.A. although B．because C．so D．if
8.A. prepare B．run C．hope D．provide
9.A. special B．kind C．normal D．smart
10.A. wait for B．laugh at C．turn to D．look after
11.A. little B．free C．early D．total
12.A. call B．tell C．ask D．encourage
13.A. year B．month C．day D．second
14.A. books B．money C．meal D．travel
15.A.response B．question C．solution D．measure
16.A. walks on B．moves on C．falls behind D．runs away
17.A. Besides B．Therefore C．Also D．Instead
18.A. quickest B．least C．best D．longest
19.A. look B．pass C．put D．write
20.A. showed B．expected C．remembered D．doubted
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
njoys playing with me, that brings much happiness to me.
One evening, I noticed that my cat stopped playing. I looked up, and here, about three meters ahead of my cat, was a big mouse. It seems to be eating something, their little eyes turning to look around from time to time.
I held my breath and felt a bit exciting. I couldn’t help wondering whether my cat was able to catch so big mouse. Suddenly, he jumped at the mouse with his mouth widely open. The mouse tried to escape, and it was too late. The poor mouse was killed before it realized that what had happened. Then my cat held the mouse between his tooth and brought it over to me as if to say he had done a good job.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Aristotle once wrote that “happiness is a state of activity”. In other words, whether you’re
Seeking life-long satisfaction or a few moments of good cheer, you’ve got to move forward. We’ve interviewed the experts and found five steps to take toward a sunny mood（心情）：
Over a 30-year period, University of Illinois researchers asked nearly 120,000 people how income, education, political participation, volunteer activities and close relationships affected their happiness. Reported Newsweek’s Sharon Begley on the findings, “The highest levels of happiness are found with the most stable and satisfying relationships.”
Singing aloud, talking to a stranger, raising your hand: all may increase a feeling of happiness, according to a study from Wake Forest University. Participants（参与者）followed the development of their moods for two weeks and reported feeling happier when they were more outgoing and less happy when reserved or withdrawn.
The editors of forbes.com gave $5 or $20 to 46 strangers by chance. Half the group was told to spend the money on themselves, while the other half was told to spend it on others. Those who’d shared the wealth felt much happier at the end of the day than those who’d spent it on themselves. There was no difference in happiness between those who spent $5 or $20, suggesting that it’s not how much money you spend, but how you spend it, that inspires the spirit.
Studies from the Positive Psychology Center showed that discouraged people who wrote down three good things that happened to them each day for six months reported an improved attitude.
Drinking water really can help keep you cheerful. A small 2012 study from the University of Connecticut suggested that even slight dehydration（脱水） affected the moods of its female participants.
| Title | 1.for Happiness | |
| Introduction | You will move2.in the course of finding happiness. | |
| The findings of3. | Some4.toward happiness | |
| •Value your relationships | •The5.happiness lies in the most stable and satisfying relationships | |
| •6. yourself | •You can gain happiness by singing aloud or talking to others. | |
| •Spend money on others | •Your spirit will be inspired by7.the wealth. | |
| •8.on the positive | •You attitude would be improved when you fix your attention on good things. | |
| •Drink water | •If a woman takes in enough water,her9.of happiness may remain. | |
| Conclusion | Happiness can be found if all10.have been done. | |
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
假如你是育才中学的一名英国交换生Tom。为了放松心情、结交朋友并了解中国的风土人情，
你计划这个假期去云南大理、丽江旅游。请根据以下要点撰写一篇博文寻找中国学生作为旅游伙伴：
1．时间： 2月2 1日-2月26日；
2．对旅伴的要求；
3．联系方式：电话：13012345678; E-mail:tommy1999@163.com.
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
I'm Tom, a British exchange student at Yucai High School.
Looking forward to meeting you.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析