Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades and industry professionals expect that trend to continue. Consumers saved 6.4 percent of their after-tax income in June. Before the recession, the rate was 1 to 2 percent for many years. In June, consumer spending and personal incomes were essentially flat compared with May, suggesting that the American economy, as dependent as it is on shoppers opening their wallets and purses, isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon.
On the bright side, the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could make them happier. New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.
If consumers end up sticking with their newfound spending habits, some tactics (策略) that retailers and marketers began using during the recession could become lasting business strategies. Among those strategies are offering goods that makes being at home more entertaining and trying to make consumers feel special by giving them access to exclusive events and more personal customer service.
While the current round of stinginess may simply be a response to the economic downturn, some analysts say consumers may also be permanently adjusting their spending based on what they’ve discovered about what truly makes them happy or fulfilled.
“This actually is a topic that hasn’t been researched very much until recently,” says Elizabeth W. Dunn, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of British Columbia, who is at the forefront of research on consumption and happiness. There’s massive literature on income and happiness. It’s amazing how little there is on how to spend your money.
Studies over the last few decades have shown that money, up to a certain point, makes people happier because it lets them meet basic needs. The latest round of research is, for lack of a better term, all about emotional efficiency: how to reap the most happiness for your dollar.
So just where does happiness reside for consumers? Scholars and researchers haven’t determined whether Armani will put a bigger smile on your face than Dolce & Gabbana. But they have found that our types of purchases, their size and frequency, and even the timing of the spending all affect long-term happiness.
One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.
“‘It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea,” says Professor Dunn.
Thomas DeLeire, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin discovered that the only category to be positively related to happiness was leisure: vacations, entertainment, sports and equipment like golf clubs and fishing poles.
1.What’s the dark side of American consumers’ saving more and spending less?
A.The job and housing markets will become even weaker.
B.There is little hope that the American economy will recover soon.
C.More and more retailers and marketers will have to go bankrupt.
D.It’s possible that the American economy will rebound sooner.
2.What will happen if customers keep their spending habits formed in the economic downturn?
A.They will get goods and services much cheaper.
B.It’s likely that they spend more time indoors.
C.Retailers will change their business strategies.
D.They will enjoy better services and experiences.
3.What surprises Elizabeth W. Dunn according to the passage?
A.There is little about how to spend money to make people happy.
B.Consumers unconsciously adjust their spending habits to be happy.
C.People started researches on consumption-happiness relationship so early.
D.Happiness is proved to have nothing to do with consumption.
4.Scholars such as Prof. Dunn and Prof. DeLeire agree that_______.
A.richer people feel happier and more satisfied
B.most consumers prefer leading brands like Armani
C.spending on vacations brings long-term happiness
D.people should curb their spending on material thing
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades and industry professionals expect that trend to continue. Consumers saved 6.4 percent of their after-tax income in June. Before the recession, the rate was 1 to 2 percent for many years. In June, consumer spending and personal incomes were essentially flat compared with May, suggesting that the American economy, as dependent as it is on shoppers opening their wallets and purses, isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon.
On the bright side, the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could make them happier. New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.
If consumers end up sticking with their newfound spending habits, some tactics (策略) that retailers and marketers began using during the recession could become lasting business strategies. Among those strategies are offering goods that makes being at home more entertaining and trying to make consumers feel special by giving them access to exclusive events and more personal customer service.
While the current round of stinginess may simply be a response to the economic downturn, some analysts say consumers may also be permanently adjusting their spending based on what they’ve discovered about what truly makes them happy or fulfilled.
“This actually is a topic that hasn’t been researched very much until recently,” says Elizabeth W. Dunn, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of British Columbia, who is at the forefront of research on consumption and happiness. There’s massive literature on income and happiness. It’s amazing how little there is on how to spend your money.
Studies over the last few decades have shown that money, up to a certain point, makes people happier because it lets them meet basic needs. The latest round of research is, for lack of a better term, all about emotional efficiency: how to reap the most happiness for your dollar.
So just where does happiness reside for consumers? Scholars and researchers haven’t determined whether Armani will put a bigger smile on your face than Dolce & Gabbana. But they have found that our types of purchases, their size and frequency, and even the timing of the spending all affect long-term happiness.
One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.
“‘It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea,” says Professor Dunn.
Thomas DeLeire, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin discovered that the only category to be positively related to happiness was leisure: vacations, entertainment, sports and equipment like golf clubs and fishing poles.
1.What’s the dark side of American consumers’ saving more and spending less?
A.The job and housing markets will become even weaker.
B.There is little hope that the American economy will recover soon.
C.More and more retailers and marketers will have to go bankrupt.
D.It’s possible that the American economy will rebound sooner.
2.What will happen if customers keep their spending habits formed in the economic downturn?
A.They will get goods and services much cheaper.
B.It’s likely that they spend more time indoors.
C.Retailers will change their business strategies.
D.They will enjoy better services and experiences.
3.What surprises Elizabeth W. Dunn according to the passage?
A.There is little about how to spend money to make people happy.
B.Consumers unconsciously adjust their spending habits to be happy.
C.People started researches on consumption-happiness relationship so early.
D.Happiness is proved to have nothing to do with consumption.
4.Scholars such as Prof. Dunn and Prof. DeLeire agree that_______.
A.richer people feel happier and more satisfied
B.most consumers prefer leading brands like Armani
C.spending on vacations brings long-term happiness
D.people should curb their spending on material thing
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
This year arrives amid a few interesting trends. More America ns are interested in local and sustainable foods: urban farming, chicken-raising. And more Americans are hunting, spending increasing time and money on that pursuit.
Viewed from the right angle, though, both these trends could have a place at the holiday table. What would happen if more Americans made Thursday's (Thanksgiving Day) meal out of wild turkeys? What if more people enjoyed a wild Christmas goose, or wild pig ham? If more did, the results might be better for the environment, for our health-and perhaps for our souls as well.
Americans' growing interest in local food is evident everywhere. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the number of farmers markets rose from 1,755 in 1994 to 8,144 this year. Cities from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Gainesville Florida, have eased restrictions on backyard chickens, some “locavores” are content to get community-supported agricultural produce delivered, and buy grass-fed beef. But for a growing number, hunting is the next step. The meat is local and avoids the ethical complications of factory farms.
Hun ting has definitely enjoyed a resurge nee. Census statistics show that the percentage of America ns who hunt -which had been falling for decades-is back up at a 20-year high.
Hank Shaw, author of the new wild bird cookbook Duck, Duck, Goose, and owner of the James Beard Award-winning website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, calls it The Omnivore's Dilemma effect. After reading Michael Pollan's best-selling book on where food comes from many people join a community-supported agriculture group, but some get a hunting license, too.
“I can't tell you how many people I talk to who view hunting as a part of a larger, personal goal of sustainable eating,” Shaw says.
Of course, characterizing hunting this way blurs many lines. To some, shooting animals cannot possibly be an environmentally friendly activity. The existence of “hipster hunters" is also limited by cultural attitudes toward guns. It's almost impossible to legally own a hunting weapon in Brooklyn. But hunting wild animals requires the preservation of wild land -certainly an environ mental plus -and if you're going to eat meat, hunting has a lot going for it that industrial farms do not. The animal lived a free and natural life, up to its last day.
Add to this the fact that some game populations have grown unnaturally large due to the lack of predators(食肉动物). The East Coast is filled with white-tailed deer. Geese take up residence on golf courses, and wild pigs wander through the woods. In his 2012 book Nature Wars journalist Jim Sterba argued that more humans live in closer contact with wild animals than at my point in history. Hunting can keep a check on that.
Hunting can keep a check on our appetites too, Susan Cameron Devitt, a biologist who recently moved from Florida to Texas, notes that one of the things you learn quickly from hunting is how much labor goes into producing a meal. “If you buy meat at the grocery store, you can eat three servings a day, but if you imagine trying to keep that up with hunting, it just wouldn't be possible;” she says.
Which brings us back to holiday tables? In the original version of Thanksgiving and Christmas, these were special meals, based around dishes you wouldn't eat frequently. These days, you can buy turkey whenever. A wild turkey, caught and then cooked, is a different matter. A speckle-belly goose elevates the Christmas dinner in a way a regular supermarket ham does not.
When you know where your food comes from, when you've labored to bring it to your table, you more naturally feel grateful for the amazing abundance of this planet. “There's no better way to engage with nature than to seek dinner within it” says Shaw.
1.What can we learn about the trends?
A.Few people regard hunting as a part of a personal goal of sustainable eating.
B.Hunting in the USA is consistent with the cultural attitude to guns.
C.The media play a part in promoting the popularity of hunting.
D.Hunting is likely to replace industrial farms
2.The underlined phrase “game populations” in paragraph 8 refers to ______
A.the number of hunters
B.the number of wild animals and birds
C.animals and birds caught through hunting
D.campaigns to ban the hunting of wild animals and birds
3.The underlined part in Paragraph 9 implies ______
A.some hunters do not have the desire to eat meat from industrial farms
B.hunting provides hunters with three servings a day
C.some hunters do not have a healthy appetite
D.hunting helps hunters control their appetite
4.What can we infer from the last but one paragraph?
A.In the past, people ate turkeys only on Thanksgiving Day.
B.Supermarket turkeys will not be accepted by people any more.
C.Wild turkeys are more delicious then those bought from grocery stores.
D.Wild turkeys help bring back the festive atmosphere of Thanksgiving Day.
5.According to the last paragraph, hunting is beneficial for ______
A.our mental health B.our physical fitness
C.the environment D.farmers’ markets
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
More consumers are waiting for the further drop of housing prices with money in their hands _______ buying houses, according to a report.
A. no better than B. little more than C. other than D. rather than
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
More consumers are waiting for the further drop of housing prices with money in their hands _________ buying houses, according to a report.
A．no better than B．little more than C．other than D．rather than
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Maybe you are aware that the latest job markets news isn’t promising: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero, which is bad for economy, of course. And it may be especially discouraging if you happen to be looking for a job or hoping to change careers right now. But it actually shouldn’t matter to you nearly as much as you think.
That’s because job growth numbers don’t matter to job hunters as much as job turnover data. After all, existing jobs open up every day due to promotions, resignations, terminations, and retirements. In both good times and bad, turnover creates more openings than economic growth does. Even in June of 2007, when the economy was still falling along, job growth was only 132,000, while turnover was 4.7 million!
And as it turns out, even today — with job growth near zero — over 4 million job hunters are being hired every month.
I don’t mean to imply that overall job growth doesn’t have an impact on one’s ability to land a job. It’s true that if total employment were higher, it would mean more jobs for all of us to choose from. And it’s true that there are currently more people applying for each available job opening, regardless of whether it’s a new one or not.
But what often distinguishes those who land jobs from those who don’t is their ability to stay motivated. They’re willing to do the hard work of identifying their valuable skills; be creative about where and how to look; learn how to present themselves to potential employers; and keep going, even after repeated rejections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed that 2.7 million people who wanted and were available for work hadn’t looked for a job within the last four weeks and were no longer even classified as unemployed.
So don’t let the headlines fool you into giving up. Four million people get hired every month in the U.S. You can be one of them.
1.The author tends to believe that high unemployment rate _______.
A. causes many people to lose job opportunities
B. should not stop people from looking for a job
C. prevents many people from changing careers
D. does not mean the U.S. economy is worsening
2.Where do most job openings come from?
A. Job growth. B. Business expansion.
C. Improved economy. D. Job turnover.
3.What does the author say about overall job growth?
A. It increases people’s confidence in the economy.
B. It doesn’t have much effect on individual job seekers.
C. It gives a ray of hope to the unemployed.
D. It doesn’t mean greater job security for the employed.
4.What is the key to landing a job according to the author?
A. Never giving up. B. Being intelligent.
C. Being educated. D. Being experienced.
5.What do we learn from the passage about the unemployment figures in the US?
A. They clearly indicate how healthy the economy is.
B. They provide the public with the latest information.
C. They don’t include those who have stopped looking for a job.
D. They warn of the structural problems in the economy.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
More Americans are turning to charm school to gain an advantage over competitors in a job market stricken by the longest economic slowdown since the Great Depression.
Etiquette (礼节) trainers report business growing from clients who believe that good manners could be the key selling point that helps them get hired or keeps them off the unemployment line.
“People are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep their job”, said Gloria Starr, an adviser on image, etiquette and communications in North Carolina. Starr, who says business is up 40 percent in the past year at her school, said people were “realizing that it takes more than just ability and knowledge” to keep or win a job.
Peggy Newfield, who has been teaching etiquette for 30 years and runs a charm school, said business was “booming.” “When the economy is down etiquette training will always be up. They’re focusing on ‘What I can do to survive, I really have to keep up my game because the competition is keen.’”
Proper business manners, however, extend far beyond greeting or thanking a would-be employer. Etiquette classes deal with the basics of presentation in an interview, including what to say and how to dress.
“It’s so much more than writing the thank-you note at the end,” Newfield said. “It’s about walking in for the job interview, every hair is in place, your clothes are perfectly pressed, your shoes are polished, you’re groomed to the nines, you speak the part, and your English is correct.”
It’s great that we have seen this renewal in etiquette and manners and self respect.
Studies have shown that 85 percent of the reason a person gets a job, keeps a job and moves up is related to their personal skills. There are very few jobs out there where your manners, where your socials skills, are not a big piece of being successful. If you have manners you can walk into any business or social situation.
Teaching etiquette has become a tougher task. Some people point to bad public behavior by athletes and celebrities (名人) as a factor in ruining good manners in U.S. society. Hotel owner Paris Hilton, actress Lindsay Lohan and singer Britney Spears are among those who have been charged with setting a poor example, especially for children and adolescents. Hilton is infamous （声名狼藉的）for a sex tape that became an Internet hit, Lohan has long been gossip stuff due to her quarrels with the law and Spears was photographed partying without underwear.
1.The writer wants to tell the readers___________.
A. the etiquette training in America B. the ways to avoid failure
C. good manners count in keeping a job D. how to keep business up
2.From the passage we learn that the charm school____________.
A. helps those who are unemployed B. deals with moral problems
C. becomes more popular with people D. does good to the economy
3.The underlined sentence “you’re groomed to the nines” probably means “you’re_________.”
A. dressed in the best way B. fully understood
C. greeted with good manners D. very concerned
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
A. Good examples contribute to etiquette teaching
B. good public behavior doesn’t exist any more
C. teaching etiquette has become a tougher task
D. some famous people don’t have good manners
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
As you are probably aware, the latest job markets news isn’t good: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero. That’s bad for the economy, of course. And it may be especially discouraging if you happen to be looking for a job or hoping to change careers right now. But it actually shouldn’t matter to you nearly as much as you think. That’s because job growth numbers don’t matter to job hunters as much as job staff-turnover(人员流动)data. After all, existing jobs open up every day due to promotions, resignations(辞职), and retirements. (Yes, people are retiring even in this economy.)In both good times and bad, staff-turnover creates more openings than economic growth does. Even in June of 2014, when the economy was still booming along, job growth was only 132，000, while staff-turn over was 4.7 million!
And as it turns out, even today—with job growth near zero—over 4 million job hunters are being hired every month.
I don’t mean to imply that overall job growth doesn’t have an impact on one’s ability to land a job. It’s true that if total employment were higher. It would mean more jobs for all of us to choose from(and compete for). And it's true that there are currently more people applying for each available job opening, regardless of whether it’s a new one or not.
But what often distinguishes those who land jobs from those who don’t is their ability to stay motivated. They’re willing to do the hard work of identifying their valuable skills; be creative about where and how to look；learn how to present themselves to potential employers; and keep going, even after repeated rejections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that 2.7 million people who wanted and were available for work hadn’t hunted for it within the last four weeks and were no longer even classified as unemployed.
So don’t let the headlines fool you into giving up．Four million people get hired every month in the U.S. You can be one of them.
1.The author tends to believe that high unemployment rate____.
A. takes job opportunities from people
B. prevents many people from changing careers
C. does not mean the U.S. economy is worsening
D. should not stop people from looking for a job
2.What does the author say about overall job growth?
A. It increases people’s confidence in the economy.
B. It doesn’t have much effect on individual job seekers.
C. It gives a ray of hope to the unemployed.
D. It doesn’t mean greater job security for the employed.
3.What is the key to finding a job according to the author?
A. Education B. Intelligence
C. Experience D. Persistence
4.What do we learn about The Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment data?
A．They clearly indicate how healthy the economy is.
B．They don’t include those who have stopped looking for a job.
C．They provide the public with the latest information.
D．They warn of the structural problems in the economy.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
As you are probably aware, the latest job markets news isn’t good: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero. That’s bad for the economy, of course. And it may be especially discouraging if you happen to be looking for a job or hoping to change careers right now. But it actually shouldn’t matter to you nearly as much as you think.
That’s because job growth numbers don’t matter to job hunters as much as job turnover(人员更替) data. After all, existing jobs open up every day due to promotions, resignations, terminations(解雇), and retirements. (Yes, people are retiring even in this economy.) In both good times and bad, turnover creates more openings than economic growth does. Even in June of 2007, when the economy was still moving ahead, job growth was only 132,000, while turnover was 4.7 million!
And as it turns out, even today — with job growth near zero — over 4 million job hunters are being hired every month.
I don’t mean to imply that overall job growth doesn’t have an impact on one’s ability to land a job. It’s true that if total employment were higher, it would mean more jobs for all of us to choose from (and compete for). And it’s true that there are currently more people applying for each available job opening, regardless of whether it’s a new one or not.
But what often distinguishes those who land jobs from those who don’t is their ability to stay motivated. They’re willing to do the hard work of identifying their valuable skills; be creative about where and how to look; learn how to present themselves to potential employers; and keep going, even after repeated rejections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 2.7 million people who wanted and were available for work hadn’t looked within the last four weeks and were no longer even classified as unemployed.
So don’t let the headlines fool you into giving up. Four million people get hired every month in the U.S. You can be one of them.
1.The author tends to believe that high unemployment rate ______.
A．discourages many people from landing jobs
B．prevents many people from changing careers
C．should not stop people from looking for a job
D．does not mean the U.S. economy is worsening
2.Where do most job openings come from?
A．Job growth. B．Job turnover.
C．Improved economy. D．Business expansion.
3.What does the author say about overall job growth?
A．It doesn’t have much effect on individual job seekers.
B．It increases people’s confidence in the economy.
C．It gives a ray of hope to the unemployed.
D．It doesn’t mean greater job security for the employed.
4.What is the key to landing a job according to the author?
A．Education. B．Intelligence. C．Persistence. D．Experience.
5.What do we learn from the passage about the unemployment figures in the US?
A．They clearly indicate how healthy the economy is.
B．They provide the public with the latest information.
C．They warn of the structural problems in the economy.
D．They don’t include those who have stopped looking for a job.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
As you are probably aware, the latest job markets news isn’t good: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero. That’s bad for the economy, of course. And it may be especially discouraging if you happen to be looking for a job or hoping to change careers right now. But it actually shouldn’t matter to you nearly as much as you think.
That’s because job growth numbers don’t matter to job hunters as much as job turnover data. After all, existing jobs open up every day due to promotions, resignations, terminations, and retirements. (Yes, people are retiring even in this economy.) In both good times and bad, turnover creates more openings than economic growth does. Even in June of 2007, when the economy was still humming along, job growth was only 132,000, while turnover was 4.7 million!
And as it turns out, even today — with job growth near zero — over 4 million job hunters are being hired every month.
I don’t mean to imply that overall job growth doesn’t have an impact on one’s ability to land a job. It’s true that if total employment were higher, it would mean more jobs for all of us to choose from (and compete for). And it’s true that there are currently more people applying for each available job opening, regardless of whether it’s a new one or not.
But what often distinguishes those who land jobs from those who don’t is their ability to stay motivated. They’re willing to do the hard work of identifying their valuable skills; be creative about where and how to look; learn how to present themselves to potential employers; and keep going, even after repeated rejections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 2.7 million people who wanted and were available for work hadn’t looked within the last four weeks and were no longer even classified as unemployed.
So don’t let the headlines fool you into giving up. Four million people get hired every month in the U.S. You can be one of them.
1.The author tends to believe that high unemployment rate ______?
A.deprives many people of job opportunities.
B.prevents many people from changing careers.
C.should not stop people from looking for a job.
D.does not mean the U.S. economy is worsening.
2.Where do most job openings come from?
A.Job growth
B.Job turnover
C.Improved economy
D.Business expansion
3.What does the author say about overall job growth?
A.It doesn’t have much effect on individual job seekers.
B.It increases people’s confidence in the economy.
C.It gives a ray of hope to the unemployed.
D.It doesn’t mean greater job security for the employed.
4.What is the key to landing a job according to the author?
A.Education
B.Intelligence
C.Persistence
D.Experience
5.What do we learn from the passage about the unemployment figures in the US?
A.They clearly indicate how healthy the economy is.
B.They provide the public with the latest information.
C.They warn of the structural problems in the economy.
D.They exclude those who have stopped looking for a job.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It's our hope that we will play a greater role in the market place and, ,supply more jobs.
A. however B. anywhere
C. therefore D. otherwise
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析