NEW YORK - People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop work completely or switch to another area of work, according to a U.S. study.
Researchers from the University of Maryland said the findings suggest that prospective retirees should consider moving into so-called "bridge employment" as a transition to full retirement.
"In essence, if someone is in a field where part-time work or self-employment is possible, he or she should consider it as they plan for retirement," researcher Dr. Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology, told Reuters Health.
For their study, Wang and his colleagues used data on more than 12,000 workers in a U.S. health study begun in 1992. Participants, who were between the ages of 51 and 61 at the outset, were surveyed every two years over a six-year period.
Overall, Wang's team found, people who went into some form of bridge employment reported lower rates of major diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis during the study period than their counterparts who went straight into full retirement.
The findings were not explained by older age or worse initial health among people who opted for full retirement, the investigators report in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
On top of their better physical health, "bridge" workers also tended to report fewer mental health problems, such as depression.
The same mental health benefits were not seen, however, when retirees took part-time work in other fields -- possibly, Wang said, because many of these people may have taken those jobs out of financial need rather than choice.
He noted that the lack of benefit could also stem from the fact that these retirees had to adjust to an unfamiliar job position or had to make lifestyle changes.
Bridge work, particularly in one's accustomed field, may benefit physical and mental health for a number of reasons, according to Wang.
In general, he explained, such work may help older adults maintain the active lifestyles they had during their careers and decrease any stress they might feel from the transition into retirement. wwwWang said when it comes to mental health, for instance, bridge work may help by allowing people to keep some of the "role identity" that they have formed over their careers.
Staying active in general, not only through work, can also benefit retirees' physical health, Wang noted. He added, however, that any mental health benefits are likely to depend on the type of activity -- whether it is something that the person truly enjoys, and that helps ease any stress of moving into retirement.
"These findings," Wang said, "suggest that for retirees and prospective retirees, carefully considering whether to engage in bridge employment -- and if so, what types of bridge employment -- is quite important."
1. What does the underlined phrase “at the outset” mean?__________
A.at least | B.at least | C.at the beginning | D.at last |
2. People who went into some form of bridge employment have less chances to get the following diseases, EXCEPT___________.
A.arthritis | B.heart disease | C.diabetes | D.low blood pressure |
3.Which of the following statement is WRONG?_________
A.As long as retirees move into “bridge employment”, they must be healthier than those who do not. |
B.The participants in the study were between 51 and 61 years old. |
C.The bridge workers are also less likely to get depression. |
D.Staying active is beneficial to the retirees’ physical health. |
4.What can we infer from the passage?________
A.The study was begun in 1992 and lasts for two 6-year periods |
B.If a bridge worker is older than 61 years old, it does not mean that he will get a better health than others who enjoy full retirement. |
C.Only by moving into “bridge employment” can the retirees enjoy better health both physically and psychologically. |
D.Any activity can benefit the retirees’ mental health. |
5.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.A US study |
B.Bridge Work |
C.Working after retiring can be good for your health |
D.Stay active |
高三英语阅读理解简单题
NEW YORK - People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop work completely or switch to another area of work, according to a U.S. study.
Researchers from the University of Maryland said the findings suggest that prospective retirees should consider moving into so-called "bridge employment" as a transition to full retirement.
"In essence, if someone is in a field where part-time work or self-employment is possible, he or she should consider it as they plan for retirement," researcher Dr. Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology, told Reuters Health.
For their study, Wang and his colleagues used data on more than 12,000 workers in a U.S. health study begun in 1992. Participants, who were between the ages of 51 and 61 at the outset, were surveyed every two years over a six-year period.
Overall, Wang's team found, people who went into some form of bridge employment reported lower rates of major diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis during the study period than their counterparts who went straight into full retirement.
The findings were not explained by older age or worse initial health among people who opted for full retirement, the investigators report in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
On top of their better physical health, "bridge" workers also tended to report fewer mental health problems, such as depression.
The same mental health benefits were not seen, however, when retirees took part-time work in other fields -- possibly, Wang said, because many of these people may have taken those jobs out of financial need rather than choice.
He noted that the lack of benefit could also stem from the fact that these retirees had to adjust to an unfamiliar job position or had to make lifestyle changes.
Bridge work, particularly in one's accustomed field, may benefit physical and mental health for a number of reasons, according to Wang.
In general, he explained, such work may help older adults maintain the active lifestyles they had during their careers and decrease any stress they might feel from the transition into retirement. wwwWang said when it comes to mental health, for instance, bridge work may help by allowing people to keep some of the "role identity" that they have formed over their careers.
Staying active in general, not only through work, can also benefit retirees' physical health, Wang noted. He added, however, that any mental health benefits are likely to depend on the type of activity -- whether it is something that the person truly enjoys, and that helps ease any stress of moving into retirement.
"These findings," Wang said, "suggest that for retirees and prospective retirees, carefully considering whether to engage in bridge employment -- and if so, what types of bridge employment -- is quite important."
1. What does the underlined phrase “at the outset” mean?__________
A.at least | B.at least | C.at the beginning | D.at last |
2. People who went into some form of bridge employment have less chances to get the following diseases, EXCEPT___________.
A.arthritis | B.heart disease | C.diabetes | D.low blood pressure |
3.Which of the following statement is WRONG?_________
A.As long as retirees move into “bridge employment”, they must be healthier than those who do not. |
B.The participants in the study were between 51 and 61 years old. |
C.The bridge workers are also less likely to get depression. |
D.Staying active is beneficial to the retirees’ physical health. |
4.What can we infer from the passage?________
A.The study was begun in 1992 and lasts for two 6-year periods |
B.If a bridge worker is older than 61 years old, it does not mean that he will get a better health than others who enjoy full retirement. |
C.Only by moving into “bridge employment” can the retirees enjoy better health both physically and psychologically. |
D.Any activity can benefit the retirees’ mental health. |
5.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.A US study |
B.Bridge Work |
C.Working after retiring can be good for your health |
D.Stay active |
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Why do people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work?
Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer. Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved. For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to expand their range of experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. If volunteer positions do not meet these needs, people may not wish to participate. To select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.
People also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor to an external factor. When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future. People must be sensitive to this possibility when they make volunteer activities a must.
Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them-to remain in their positions over time? To answer this question, researchers have conducted follow-up studies in which they track volunteers over time. For instance, one study followed 238 volunteers in Florida over a year. One of the most important factors that influenced their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. Although this result may not surprise you, it leads to important practical advice. The researchers note that attention should be given to “training methods that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problem they do experience”.
Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work. Participants indicated the degree to which the social role mattered by responding to statements such as “Volunteering in hospital is an important part of who I am.” Consistent with the researchers’ expectations, they found a positive correlation (正相关) between the strength of role identity and the length of time people continued to volunteer. These results, once again, result in concrete advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity... Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity.”
1.People volunteer mainly out of ________.
A.school requirements B.social expectations
C.financial rewards D.internal needs
2.What does the author want to tell us in the third paragraph?
A.People who participate in volunteer programs in schools are sensitive.
B.External factors are more important than internal factors in volunteer work.
C.Being required to be volunteers may make people reluctant to do volunteer work.
D.Volunteer programs in school can encourage people to do more volunteer work in future.
3.What can we learn from the Florida study?
A.Follow-up studies should last-for one year.
B.Volunteers should get mentally prepared.
C.Strategy training is a must in research.
D.Volunteers are provided with concrete advice.
4.What is most likely to motivate volunteers to continue their work?
A.Individual differences in role identity.
B.Practical advice from researchers.
C.Role identity as a volunteer.
D.Publicly identifiable volunteer T-shirts.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
The village was always very quiet.The people lived there. 1.
were busy working in their fields during the day ,and 2.
went to bed early at night,tiring after a long day’s hard 3.
work.All of them had lived in a village for all their 4.
life and have never left for more than one day at a time. 5.
On these days they left,they got up early in the morning. 6.
They filled their carts with fruit and vegetables and sheeps, 7.
and went on the market in the town beyond their valley. 8.
They came back in the evening and with some money and perhaps a 9.
present for their children.That was their left-hard yet 10.
simple,but not unhappy.
高三英语短文改错困难题查看答案及解析
听下面一段较长对话,回答以下小题。
1.Who gave New York its nickname?
A. Painters B. Musicians. C. People living in New York.
2.What is the woman interested in seeing?
A. An art show. B. A play. C. A modern dance show.
高三英语长对话中等难度题查看答案及解析
How do you design a pay plan that motivates people to do their best work? A new study by three Harvard researchers suggests a novel answer: Shortly after you hire new workers, give them a raise.
"Previous research has shown that paying people more than they expect may elicit reciprocity(相互作用) in the form of greater productivity," notes Deepak Malhotra, a Harvard business-administration professor who worked on the study. What he and his colleagues found, however, was that the connection between more pay and extra effort depends on presenting the increase "as a gift—that is, as something you've chosen to do purely as a nice gesture, with no strings attached."
Malhotra and his team studied 267 people hired by oDesk, a global online network of freelancers, to do a one-time data-entry project for four hours. All of the new hires were people in developing countries, for whom hourly wages of $3 and $4 were higher than what they had been making in previous jobs.
The researchers split the group up into three equal parts. One group was told they would earn $3 an hour. A second group was initially hired at $3 an hour but, before they started working, they got a surprise: The budget for the project had expanded unexpectedly, they were told, and they would now be paid $4 an hour. The third group was offered $4 an hour from the start and given no increase.
Even though the second and third groups were eventually paid the same amount, the second group worked harder and produced more—about 20% more—than either of the other two. People in the second group also showed the most stamina, maintaining their focus all the way through the assigned task and performing especially well toward the end of the four hours. Interestingly, the more experienced employees in the high-performing group were the most productive of all, apparently because their previous work experience led them to appreciate the rarity of an unexpected raise.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Malhotra points out that higher pay, in and of itself, didn't promote productivity: People who made $4 an hour from the beginning worked no harder than those who were hired at $3 and were then paid $3.
To get the most impact from their pay plans, he adds, companies might consider not only what to pay new hires, but when to pay it.
"The key thing is how you present [the reason for an increase]," he says. Doling out extra money could promote productivity most "if you make it clear that the pay raise is something you're choosing to do just because you can. Our theory is that people will reciprocate. If you do something nice, they'll do something nice back."
1.Which of the following is true about the research?
A. None of the participants earned more than $4 an hour in previous jobs.
B. 89 of the participants got a $1 wage raise for their high productivity.
C. It was so important that the budget for it was increased in the process.
D. Stamina shown in it was positively related to the amount of money paid.
2.What does the underlined word “stamina” most probably mean?
A. The quality of being intelligent or clever.
B. The quality of doing something difficult or dangerous.
C. The physical or mental energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time.
D. A particular method of doing an activity, usually involving practical skills.
3.Why did the second group produce more than the other two groups?
A. Because they thought they were better paid than the other groups.
B. Because they were experienced employees from developing countries.
C. Because an unexpected raise reminded them of their previous work.
D. Because they felt they were nicely treated and tried best to repay it.
4.What can we infer from this passage?
A. No pains, no gains.
B. It matters not what we give but how.
C. Honesty is the best policy.
D. Actions speak louder than words.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some hard working students always keep a torch in their dormitories _____ there is a power failure.
A.if B.unless
C.so that D.in case
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some hard working students always keep a torch in their dormitories _____ there is a power failure.
A. if B. unless
C. so that D. in case
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some hard-working students always keep a torch in their dormitories _____ there is a power failure.
A. if B. unless C. so that D. in case
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
Some hard-working students always keep a torch in their dormitories _____ there is a power failure.
A. if B. unless
C. so that D. in case
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night.
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. People who like country things prefer to live outside the city.
B. People who work in London prefer to live in the country.
C. Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London.
D. Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London.
2.One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
A. getting a small flat with a garden B. having a small flat with a garden
C. renting a small flat without a garden D. buying a small flat without a garden
3.When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
A. who live in the country
B. who have spent time working in the garden
C. who have a garden of their own
D. who have been digging, planting and watering
4. People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London.
A. their life was meaningless B. their life was invaluable
C. they didn’t deserve a happy life D. they were not worthy of their happy life
5.The underlined word “rest” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A. the rest time B. the rest people
C. the rest of the country D. the rest of the parks and of the sea
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析