It’s time to reevaluate how women handle conflict at work. Being overworked or over-committed at home and on the job will not get you where you want to be in life. It will only slow you down and hinder your career goals.
Did you know women are more likely than men to feel exhausted? Nearly twice as many women than men aged 18—44 reported feeling “very tired” or “exhausted”, according to a recent study.
This may not be surprising given that this is the age range when women have children. It’s also the age range when many women are trying to balance careers and home. One reason women may feel exhausted is that they have a hard time saying “no”. Women want to be able to do it all—volunteer for school parties or cook delicious meals—and so their answer to any request is often “Yes, I can.”
Women struggle to say “no” in the workplace for similar reasons, including the desire to be liked by their colleagues. Unfortunately, this inability to say “no” may be hurting women’s heath as well as their career.
At the workplace, men use conflict as a way to position themselves, while women often avoid conflict or strive to be the peacemaker, because they don’t want to be viewed as aggressive or disruptive at work. For example, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, resulting in a dispute over who should be the one to fix it. Men are more likely to face that dispute from the perspective of what benefits them most, whereas women may approach the same dispute from the perspective of what’s the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem—even if that means doing the boring work themselves.
This difference in handling conflict could be the deciding factor on who gets promoted to a leadership position and who does not. Leaders have to be able to assign and manage resources wisely—including staff expertise. Shouldering more of the workload may not earn you that promotion. Instead, it may highlight your inability to assign effectively.
1. What does the underlined word “hinder” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．set | B．block | C．stimulate | D．achieve |
| A．They are too devoted to work and unable to relax as a result. |
| B．They are obliged to take up too many responsibilities. |
| C．They do their best to cooperate with their workmates. |
| D．They struggle to satisfy the demands of both work and home. |
| A．women tend to be easily content |
| B．men are generally more persuasive |
| C．men tend to put their personal interests first |
| D．women are much more ready to compromise |
| A．The ability to allocate work. |
| B．The courage to admit failure. |
| C．A dominant personality. |
| D．A strong sense of responsibility. |
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【推荐1】Chinese tourists prefer hotels and restaurants that offer free Wi-Fi when traveling abroad. Most Chinese tourists instantly update their social networks using their mobile phones. They send photos and short videos to friends and family when traveling abroad.
About 10 percent of outbound (出境的) Chinese tourists get expensive marring charges (漫游费) by using 4G-powered smart phones. About 90 percent of Chinese travelers consider free Wi-Fi indispensable when traveling abroad. They often use phone apps to create travel routes and book hotels, which requires large data flows that can be expensive without Wi-Fi.
But free Wi-Fi is not always available, even in regions with advanced telecommunications, such as the United States and Europe. Portable Wi-Fi costs 15~50 yuan a day, depending on the country. It’s cheaper in South Korea, Japan and Thailand. The Wi-Fi services increase rapidly thanks to reasonable pricing and smooth surfing.
More than 100 million Chinese went abroad last year, and the10 percent who used Wi-Fi services spent an average of 150 yuan, and it’s expected to grow largely. But the travel agencies business may become out of date in five to eight years, because more locations are offering free Wi-Fi. In the meantime, it is reported that more for-profit models should be introduced and offer more services for outbound travelers in the future.
1. Why do Chinese travelers prefer hotels and restaurants with free Wi-Fi when traveling abroad?| A．They want to have their phones updated. |
| B．They are fond of using phone apps to create their travel routes. |
| C．They prefer to experience the Wi-Fi service in different countries. |
| D．They'd like to share what they have seen with their friends and-family. |
| A．Necessary. | B．Useless. | C．Expensive. | D．Amazing. |
| A．Travel websites will stop offering free Wi-Fi services to travelers. |
| B．Travel website Tuniu intended to compete with Ctrip and launched its Wi-Fi phone service. |
| C．The Wi-Fi costs less when traveling in some Asian countries than in European countries. |
| D．The demand for Wi-Fi transmitters is growing in pace with 4G-smart phones. |
| A．It will be useless when for-profit models are introduced. |
| B．It will be used by more than 100 million Chinese next year. |
| C．It will grow in the future but will be outdated in a couple of years. |
| D．It will offer more non-profit services for outbound travelers. |
【推荐2】Since the pandemic (流行病) hit, we’re on video calls more than ever before, and many are finding it extremely tiring.
Being on a video call requires more focus than a face-to-face chat, says Gianpiero Petriglien, an associate professor at Insead. Video chats mean we need to work harder to process facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, and body language: paying more attention to these consumes a lot of energy. “Our minds are together when our bodies feel we’re not. That causes people to have conflicting (互相冲突) feelings, and i: is exhausting You cannot relax into the conversation naturally.” he says.
“Silence is another challenge.” he adds. “Silence creates a natural rhythm in a real-life conversation. However, when it happens in a video call, you become anxious about the technology.” It also makes people uncomfortable. One 2014 study by German Scholars showed that delays (延迟) on phone or conferencing systems shaped our unpleasant views of people: even delays of 1.2 seconds made people regard the responder as less friendly or focused.
An added factor, says Marissa Shulffer, an associate professor at Clemson University, is that if we are physically on camera, we are very aware of being watched. “When you’re on a video conference, you knew everybody’s looking at you; you are on stage, so there comes the social pressure and feeling like you need to perform. Being performative is nerve-wracking.” It’s also very hard for people not to look at their own face if they can see it on screen, or not to be conscious (有意识的) of how they behave in front of the camera.
Both experts suggest limiting video calls to those that are necessary. Turning on the camera should be optional and is general there should be more understanding that cameras do not always have to be on throughout teach meeting. Having your screen off to the side, instead of straight ahead, could also help your concentration, particularly in group meetings, says Petriglien. It makes you feel like you’re in a next-door room, so you may be less bring.
1. What does Gianpiero Petriglien think of video calls?| A．They need more concentration. | B．They go on more naturally. |
| C．They are more relaxing. | D．They take longer time. |
| A．Facial expressions. | B．Occasional silence. |
| C．Processing body language | D．Not receiving a timely reply |
| A．Causing excitement. | B．Causing disappointment. |
| C．Making one feel nervous. | D．Making one feel surprised. |
| A．The convenience of video chats. | B．Why video chats are so exhausting. |
| C．The development of mobile phones. | D．What technological development brings |
【推荐3】Wang Ling, a middle school girl, felt angry with her parents after getting a boy’s phone call. “A classmate called me to discuss homework. We talked for just a few minutes before my parents got mad,” said the girl. “They asked whether I liked the boy. I’m sad I didn’t, but they wouldn’t believe me.”
Wang’s trouble is not strange at all because puppy love becomes a big headache for both parents and schools. They worry that puppy love will be bad for their study. Her school makes it a rule not to allow any talk or any physical contact between one boy and one girl alone.
Many students say they understand why parents and teachers are so nervous about puppy love. But some think they are going too far. “We have our own thoughts and we know what to do with it.” said Wang Ling.
Another girl, Jiang Ting, liked making friends with boys. “Boys and girls can learn from each other,” she said. “My mother asks me to study hard. However, she never stops me from making friends with boys.” Once Jiang Ting told her mother she might fall in love with a boy. Her mother let Jiang make her own decision. Soon Jiang found that she didn’t like him any more because the boy was not as good as what she had thought before. And she did worse and worse in her subjects because she spent much on it. At last she understood the worry from school and most parents about puppy love.
1. What’s the right meaning of the underlined word “physical contact” in the second paragraph?| A．物理联系 | B．相互接触 | C．身体接触 | D．独自相处 |
| A．Wang Ling told her mother she might fall in love with a boy. |
| B．Jiang’s mother doesn’t care about her at all. |
| C．Puppy love will be bad for student’s study. |
| D．Puppy love becomes a problem for all students. |
| A．Jiang doesn’t like making friends with students. |
| B．Jiang can’t make a decision for herself |
| C．Jiang worked hard and she did not bad in her subjects. |
| D．Jiang understood her parents’worry at last |
【推荐1】There have been assumptions about possible detrimental long-term consequences of school closures on young children and adolescents, but now a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports provides convincing evidence that the mental health of school children was damaged by school closures during the pandemic.
The study surveyed 907 adolescents and their parents in Germany between May and June of 2020. Depression and psychosomatic symptoms were evaluated, in addition to other aspects of mental health. Telephone call volume to German youth crisis helplines was also analyzed. Both sets of data found higher depression and psychosomatic symptoms, particularly among boys, younger children, and adolescents, especially those living in homes with limited space. The research suggests that increased pressure on families forced to adapt to new work, school, and family life situations during the pandemic school closures promoted the increase in mental health problems in school children.
Not all children suffered the effects equally. Young children suffered the most from the pressure caused by school closures. Boys coped much worse with school closures than girls. The effects were strongest in school-aged children living in homes that had limited living space. That factor supports the conclusion that family living stresses promoted the decline in mental health.
Disrupting daily routine and social interactions do damage to the mental health of school children, the researchers conclude. Given the obvious importance of wholesome daily routine in family life and the value of health y social interactions in nurturing the well-being of children, it is not surprising that kids’ mental health suffered when their schools were closed for long periods and their family life was greatly changed.
COVID-19 is not the first, nor will it be the last serious infectious disease sweeping the globe. These new findings will be valuable in deciding how best to manage such outbreaks in the future.
1. What does the underlined word “detrimental” in paragraph1 mean?| A．Harmful. | B．Improper. | C．Beneficial. | D．Desirable. |
| A．By making telephone calls. |
| B．By consulting a former study. |
| C．By analyzing different groups of data. |
| D．By examining teenagers’ physical activities. |
| A．Boys with severe mental problems. |
| B．Kids engaging in many social interactions. |
| C．Teenagers with disturbed daily routines. |
| D．Adolescents lacking adequate living space. |
| A．COVID-19 School Closures Harmed Children’s Well-being |
| B．COVID-19 Remains A Major Threat To School-aged Children |
| C．Mental Health Problems Greatly Increased After The Pandemic |
| D．The Closure of Schools Has Affected School Children’s Performance |
【推荐2】By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms (海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Centre for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing,” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”
And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.
Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．The various patterns at the ocean surface. |
| B．The cause of the changes in ocean colour. |
| C．The way light reflects off marine organisms. |
| D．The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton. |
| A．Sensitive. | B．Beneficial. |
| C．Significant. | D．Unnoticeable. |
| A．Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem. |
| B．Dutkiewicz’s model aims to project phytoplankton changes. |
| C．Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate. |
| D．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener. |
Being an astronaut sounds cool, doesn't it? In space, they get to do some pretty amazing things, like floating in zero gravity.
However, there are also plenty of things that astronauts can't do because of their weightless environment, and that's very sad. What's worse, they can't even let their sadness show—because it's impossible to cry in zero gravity.
Of course, astronauts can still produce tears. But crying is much more difficult in space，reported The Atlantic in January. Without gravity, tears don't flow downward out of the eyes like they do here on Earth. This means that when you cry in space, your tears have nowhere to go—they just stick to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this during one of his spacewalks. “Tears,” he said, “don't fall off your eye... They just kind of stay there.”
Besides making your vision unclear, this can also cause physical pain. Back on Earth, tears are supposed to bring comfort to the eyes. But that's not the case in space. The space environment dries out astronauts' eyes, and when tears suddenly wet the eyes, it can cause pain rather than comfort. “My right eye is painful like crazy.” Feustel told his teammate during the walk.
Since gravity doesn't work in space, astronauts need some extra help to get rid of the tears. Feustel chose to rub his eyes against his helmet to wipe the tears away. Another choice is to just wait—“When the tears get big enough they simply break free of the eye and float around,” astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic.
There are lots of small things—things like crying—that we are so used to on Earth. We usually take them for granted, until they become a problem in a totally different environment, like space. There, astronauts can't talk to each other directly. They also can't eat or drink in normal ways. They can't even burp (打嗝), because there is no gravity to hold the food down in their stomach. If they do burp, they just end up throwing up (呕吐) everything in their stomach，according to the UK National Space Center.
Thus, perhaps it's only space explorers who can honestly say: “Gravity, you're the best.”
1. What can we conclude from Paragraphs 2 and 3?| A．Astronauts are unable to feel sad in space. |
| B．Astronauts produce fewer tears in space. |
| C．Tears produced in space flow down more slowly. |
| D．Tears produced in space don't flow downward. |
| A．They cause physical pain. |
| B．They bring comfort to them. |
| C．They make their vision clearer. |
| D．They float around and cause trouble. |
| A．Rub his eyes against his helmet to let the tears float forward. |
| B．Rub his eyes by hand to let the tears float around. |
| C．Get the tears big enough to fall off of his eyes. |
| D．Get the tears big enough to break away from his eyes. |
| A．Suggestions on how astronauts can stay comfortable in space. |
| B．Other basic things that are difficult to do in space. |
| C．Why burping is impossible in space. |
| D．Things that humans can't do without gravity. |
