Your money or your time?A friend once invited...

试题详情

Your money or your time?

A friend once invited me to spend a cold winter’s day picking up rubbish in a park. It was a community-service event organized by a charitable organization(慈善组织) she was involved with. I immediately told her I was not interested.

“It just makes no sense,” I explained. “Why would I spend three hours of my time picking up rubbish?” I argued that if the goal was neighborhood beautification, then I would rather donate three-hours’ worth of my labor income. The organization could then hire several people in need of a job. The rubbish gets picked up, we provide jobs, and I do not have to spend three hours in the cold. “Where can I make a donation?”

My friend sighed, said something in a low voice about it seeming like a good way to meet men, and then shuffled off to ask someone else.

When we feel inspired to do good, many of us choose to give time instead of money. Given how precious our time is– limited by demands of work, family and friends–setting some of it aside to clean parks or deliver meals seems like a valuable donation. But is this the most efficient way to give?

The economist in me is inclined to say no. As I explained to my friend, what my time is worth may be far more valuable to most charities than my actual labor. The money could go towards hiring people with limited employment opportunities, or to help cover more pressing needs facing the charity, such as rent or staff salaries. My hours of labor, on the other hand, serve the charity in only one way, and can only be provided by me.

Volunteer labor becomes more valuable if it involves a special skill. For example, if a talented doctor donates a few hours of his time to a free clinic, this may serve the charity better than a $1,000 donation. Unfortunately, I can think of few local charities that would benefit from the unique skills of an economist.

I recently explained this to a professional who regularly donates his time to a local soup kitchen. But he argued that “just throwing money at a cause” is potentially irresponsible and enables disengagement. Donating time may be a greater personal sacrifice, but it also gives him a stronger connection with the cause. He has created a bond not only with the other volunteers, but also with the people he feeds, and the result is an enriching sense of community. He also believes, as a member of the same minority group of many of the people he serves, that he provides them with a positive role model. He recognizes the value in the social interaction volunteering provides.

Of course charities benefit from both kinds of donations. They need some people to just hand over cash, but they also develop successfully by being an important part of the community. Whether it is better to give money or time depends on your goals as a donor. If the objective is simply to provide food for the hungry or to clean a park, then money is more valuable. However, if you hope to also engage with your community–not only with your peers, but also with less fortunate people whom you might not otherwise meet –no amount of money can make up for your time spent.

1. In the first 3 paragraphs, the author uses the case to .

A. describe a scene 　　 B. lead in a topic

C. make a comparison D. offer an argument

2.The author believes there are some efficient ways to donate EXCEPT.

A. picking up rubbish in the community

B. offering service in a free clinic as a doctor

C. donating money to deal with the charity rent

D. helping cover the needs of charity staff salaries

3.By “The economist in me is inclined to say no”(Paragraph 5), the author means that he 　　　　　　 .

A. is willing to serve the charity

B. aims to say no to the economist

C. tends to reject giving time instead of money

D. is longing to share his efficient way to give with his friend

4. In the professional’s opinion (Paragraph 7), donating time is .

A. one-sided B. debatable

C. meaningless D. reasonable

5.Which of the following does the author finally agree with?

A. It is donors’ participation that really matters.

B. Cash or labor is determined by a donor’s aims.

C. Time is much more valuable than one’s actual labor.

D. It is not responsible for donors to just donate money to the charities.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题

相关试题

Your money or your time?
A friend once invited me to spend a cold winter’s day picking up rubbish in a park. It was a community-service event organized by a charitable organization(慈善组织) she was involved with. I immediately told her I was not interested.
“It just makes no sense,” I explained. “Why would I spend three hours of my time picking up rubbish?” I argued that if the goal was neighborhood beautification, then I would rather donate three-hours’ worth of my labor income. The organization could then hire several people in need of a job. The rubbish gets picked up, we provide jobs, and I do not have to spend three hours in the cold. “Where can I make a donation?”
My friend sighed, said something in a low voice about it seeming like a good way to meet men, and then shuffled off to ask someone else.
When we feel inspired to do good, many of us choose to give time instead of money. Given how precious our time is– limited by demands of work, family and friends–setting some of it aside to clean parks or deliver meals seems like a valuable donation. But is this the most efficient way to give?
The economist in me is inclined to say no. As I explained to my friend, what my time is worth may be far more valuable to most charities than my actual labor. The money could go towards hiring people with limited employment opportunities, or to help cover more pressing needs facing the charity, such as rent or staff salaries. My hours of labor, on the other hand, serve the charity in only one way, and can only be provided by me.
Volunteer labor becomes more valuable if it involves a special skill. For example, if a talented doctor donates a few hours of his time to a free clinic, this may serve the charity better than a $1,000 donation. Unfortunately, I can think of few local charities that would benefit from the unique skills of an economist.
I recently explained this to a professional who regularly donates his time to a local soup kitchen. But he argued that “just throwing money at a cause” is potentially irresponsible and enables disengagement. Donating time may be a greater personal sacrifice, but it also gives him a stronger connection with the cause. He has created a bond not only with the other volunteers, but also with the people he feeds, and the result is an enriching sense of community. He also believes, as a member of the same minority group of many of the people he serves, that he provides them with a positive role model. He recognizes the value in the social interaction volunteering provides.
Of course charities benefit from both kinds of donations. They need some people to just hand over cash, but they also develop successfully by being an important part of the community. Whether it is better to give money or time depends on your goals as a donor. If the objective is simply to provide food for the hungry or to clean a park, then money is more valuable. However, if you hope to also engage with your community–not only with your peers, but also with less fortunate people whom you might not otherwise meet –no amount of money can make up for your time spent.
1. In the first 3 paragraphs, the author uses the case to .
A. describe a scene    　　 B. lead in a topic
C. make a comparison    D. offer an argument
2.The author believes there are some efficient ways to donate EXCEPT.
A. picking up rubbish in the community
B. offering service in a free clinic as a doctor
C. donating money to deal with the charity rent
D. helping cover the needs of charity staff salaries
3.By “The economist in me is inclined to say no”(Paragraph 5), the author means that he 　　　　　　 .
A. is willing to serve the charity
B. aims to say no to the economist
C. tends to reject giving time instead of money
D. is longing to share his efficient way to give with his friend
4. In the professional’s opinion (Paragraph 7), donating time is .
A. one-sided    B. debatable
C. meaningless    D. reasonable
5.Which of the following does the author finally agree with?
A. It is donors’ participation that really matters.
B. Cash or labor is determined by a donor’s aims.
C. Time is much more valuable than one’s actual labor.
D. It is not responsible for donors to just donate money to the charities.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Spending your spare time alone or with your friends, which do you prefer? For me, I'd rather be alone. 1. Being with friends can be fun and can help you get through the rough spots in life. However, it's the time alone, I think, that forms you as a person.
2. Of course, I can think about these things when I’m with others, but it's harder to concentrate in a crowd. Being alone gives me the quiet time to really think about my life and what I want to do with it.
By staying alone, I can listen to the silence and relax completely. When I'm alone I can practice meditation (冥想) and lower my stress level. 3. Too much time with friends means filling my mind with a lot of chats. That’s enjoyable for a moment, but can dull my Concentration.
If I’m with other people, it's easy sometimes to become too worried about what other people think of me. When I'm alone I have time to step back. 4.
Finally, when I’m constantly in the company of other people, I’m always making compromises in order to find solutions that the entire group can enjoy. 5.
It’s natural to want to be with other people, but I find the time I spend alone is more valuable to me in the long run.
A.And that naturally leads to you feeling more independent.
B.This will prevents me from doing things I actually enjoy.
C.I need this time alone to re-energize my mind and spirit.
D.That's a very good way to sharpen my powers of concentration.
E.The time spent alone gives you a greater appreciation for yourself.
F.When alone, I have time to think about my goals and to develop a strategy to reach them.
G.Thus, I can see the real value of things, without being influenced by the opinions of others.

高三英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析
Bored? Don’t know what to do with your time? Get your friends or family together, go to the park or go hiking, do something fun---just don’t turn on your TV.
The 10th annual TV-Turnoff Week starts on Monday. The TV-Turnoff Network, a nonprofit organization, began the program in 1994 to get children and adults to watch less television so that their time is spent doing more productive things. This year, millions of people will participate and find much more interesting things to do besides sitting in front of the television.
Experts are convinced that watching too much TV keeps kids from participating in healthy physical activities. The average household has a television on for 7 hours and 40 minutes a day! Kids spend more time watching TV than they spend in school. Turning off the TV gives you a chance to be with your family and friends. Going without it frees up valuable time that could be spent reading a good book, writing, drawing, or discovering something else that may interest you.
There are many organizations that support TV-Turnoff week, including The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, YMCA, Girl Scouts USA, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. Even First Lady Laura Bush is a supporter. “Television is no substitute for a parent. It doesn’t help develop language skills; it’s simply background noise,” said Mrs. Bush.
Even kids who may not have liked going without TV have discovered the benefits. “I really didn’t like TV-Turnoff Week except I did notice that my grades went up and I was in a good mood all week,” said Drew Henderson, a student in Donora, Pennsylvania.
1.The TV-Turnoff Network started TV-Turnoff Week to ___________.
A. to get people to spend more time doing more productive things
B. to keep kids from participating in healthy physical activities
C. to advise people not to buy television sets
D. to persuade more people to join the organization
2.Which is not the advantage of turning off the TV?
A. Giving you a chance to be with your family and friends.
B. Spending more time reading books.
C. Developing language skills.
D. Participating in healthy physical activities.
3.Drew Henderson’s words in the last paragraph imply that _____________.
A. he doesn’t like TV-Turnoff Week
B. he doesn’t support TV-Turnoff Week at all
C. it’s unnecessary to have TV-Turnoff Week
D. he doesn’t support TV-Turnoff Week until he finds it does good to his study

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Which do you enjoy___your summer holiday,taking a part-time job or staying at home?

A．to spend

B．spending

C．being spend

D．spend

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

例如: It was very nice to get your invitation to spend ∧ weekend with you. Luckily I was

the am

completely free then, so I’ll to say “yes”. I’ll arrive in Bristol at around 8 p.m. in Friday evening.

Sports and games are very useful for character training. In their lessons at the school, boys and girls may learn about such virtues like unselfishness, courage, discipline and love of one’s country. So what is learned in books cannot have the same deep effect on child’s character as what is learned by experience. As most of the pupils’ time is spent in classes study lessons, the ordinary day school can’t give many practical training for their lives in the future. So it is how the pupils do in the spare time that really prepare them to take their places in society as citizens when they grow up. Unless each of them learns to work for his team, and not for himself on the football field, he will later find it naturally to work for the good of his country instead only for his own benefit.

高三英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析

Want to pick up that new best-seller for your flight, but not sure you want to spend the money?
This will change your mind.
If you’ve done a lot of traveling, you’ve probably noticed that the bookstores at airports all look pretty similar. They’ve all got familiar logos, the walls of inviting plane snacks, and, of course, the towers of new hardcover books. Chances are you’ve wanted to grab one of those books for the plane ride. However, those hardcover books are a little pricey. Is it worth it to splurge, just to relieve the midair boredom?
Yes it is—because of a cool program that these bookstores have in place. These similar airport stores are all owned by the company Paradies Lagardère, and all of those stores take part in what’s called the “Read and Return program.” It’s exactly what it sounds like. Whenever you buy one of those books, you’ve got six months to finish it and bring it back to the same, or another, Paradies Lagardère location. When you do that, you get half your money for the original purchase back.
If you’re going on a trip, buy that book you’ve been dying to read. When you go back to the airport for the return trip, bring the book back with you and get half the money back. While you’re still in the bookstore, go ahead and get that other book you’ve been dying to read. Or the sequel to the book you read on the way there. Either way, your boredom on the flight back will be cured. And it gets better: the book you gave back will be re-sold for half price! Here’s what you can get for free at an airport.
There are two things you do need to make sure of. You have to bring back the receipt to get your money back. Also, the book needs to be in decent condition. But other than that, this program couldn’t be easier. In a way, it’s like a buy-one-get-one-half-off deal for books. Or get two books for the price of one-and-a-half. Either way, count us in.
1.What does the underlined word “splurge” in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Spend the money. B.Take the effort.
C.Take the trouble. D.Spend the time.
2.How does the “Read and Return program” run?
A.You can read books for free in any Paradies Lagardère store.
B.You can buy books for half price in airport bookstores.
C.You need to return the book to the same store where you buy it.
D.You can get half your money back if you return the book timely.
3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.It is difficult to take part in the program.
B.The receipt is necessary if you want to return the book.
C.The program is popular with readers.
D.The program runs successfully.
4.Why does the author write this passage?
A.To encourage people to read on airplanes.
B.To introduce Paradies Lagardère company.
C.To advertise the “Read and Return program”.
D.To show the advantages of reading on airplanes.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Which do you enjoy _____ your summer holiday，going to Tibet or going to Dalian?
A．spending B．to spend C．being spent D．to be spent

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
By the time your habit of managing time is developed, you　　　　　　 better decisions about how to spend your time in your future career.
A.will have made B.will be made
C.are to make D.have been making

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
Next time you raise an eyebrow at the views of your friend, brother, sister or colleague, remember they could be helping to make you smarter. New research shows that intelligence is not fixed but can be improved throughout adulthood by family members, bright mates and intellectually challenging careers. The study challenges the commonly held belief that intelligence is fixed by the age of about 18.
Scientific consensus (共识) suggests intelligence is controlled by genes, with environmental factors such as schooling and nutrition playing a part up to this age. After this point, IQ scores become steady. But James Flynn, professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, argues that people can “upgrade” their intelligence throughout their lives. He believes intellectual stimulation (刺激)from other people is important as the “brain seems to be rather like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets”. However, the opposite is also true—so people who share a home or workplace with the intellectually challenged risk seeing their IQ levels nosedive as a result.
Professor Flynn analyzed US intelligence tests from the last 65 years and created new IQ “age tables”. He found a bright ten-year-old with brothers and sisters of average intelligence will suffer a five to ten point IQ disadvantage compared to a similar child with equally bright brothers and sisters. However, children with a low IQ could gain six to eight points by having brighter brothers and sisters and special educational treatment to help pull them up.
Professor Flynn concluded that although genetics and early life experiences determine about 80% of intelligence, the remaining 20% is linked to lifestyle. This means people can raise their IQ, or allow it to fall, by ten points or more. He suggests the best way to improve IQ levels is to socialize with bright friends, and find an intellectually challenging job.
1.What do people commonly believe?
A.People1 s IQ levels fall as they get older and older.
B.It’s wise for people to share family members’ views.
C.The intelligence changes no more during adulthood.
D.Doing challenging deeds is good for one’s intelligence.
2.The underlined word “nosedive” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.
A.vary B.fall C.change D.develop
3.Which of the following can help improve one’s intelligence according to Professor Flynn?
A.Staying with smart people. B.Making many friends.
C.Doing exercise every day. D.Learning from parents.
4.The purpose of the text is to ________.
A.persuade B.advertise C.entertain D.inform

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It isn't wise to spend all your salary every month. Keep some money _____ just in case.
A. in store　　　　　　　　　 B. in return
C. in need　　　　　　　　　　 D. in trouble

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析