Desk toys are simple toys made for office workers. They make wonderful presents for those who spend lots of time on the job and need a break from a stressful working environment.
One consistently popular office toy is the Zen garden.
Allowing workers to have fun items such as desk toys will make them feel more comfortable, more appreciated, and more at home in their office. In large corporations, it can also show potential customers or clients that the organization is made up of individuals rather than being faceless. However, too many displays can damage a healthy and serious working environment.
Finding desk toys for a hard worker can be fun, and the large selection allows for many tastes. Not all desk toys are childish in nature.
Choose desk toys to match the personality of the owners, but take care to consider their working environments and whether the toys are appropriate.
| A．Those toys are usually inexpensive and popular. |
| B．Anyone who works in an office needs a desk toy. |
| C．Some desk toys are actually children’s toys for adults. |
| D．However, these toys actually prove the complete opposite. |
| E．It usually consists of a shallow wooden box filled with sand. |
| F．So many offices and workplaces disapprove of or forbid the use of them. |
| G．In fact, many can add to the beauty and interesting atmosphere of an office. |
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【推荐1】The idea that richer countries are happier may seem obvious. However, in 1974, research by economist Richard Easterlin found otherwise. He discovered that while individuals with higher incomes were more likely to be happy, this did not hold at a national level. In the United States, for example, average income per person rose steadily between 1946 and 1970, but reported happiness levels showed no positive long-term trend.; in fact, they declined between 1060 and 1970. These differences between nation-level and individual results gave rise to the term “Easterlin paradox”: the idea that a higher rate of economic growth does not result in higher long-term happiness.
Having access to additional income seems to only provide a temporary growth in happiness. Since a certain minimum income is needed for basic necessities, it’s possible that the happiness boost from extra cash isn’t that great once you rise above the poverty line. This would explain Easterlin’s findings in the United States and other developed countries. He argued that life satisfaction does rise with average incomes but only in the short term.
Recent research has challenged the Easternlin paradox, however. In 2013, Ruut Veenhoven and Floris Vergunst conducted a study using statistics from the World Database of Happiness. Their analysis revealed that economic growth has a positive impact on happiness. Another study by the University of Michigan found that there is no maximum wealth threshold at which more money ceases to contribute to your happiness: “If there is a satiation point, we are yet to reach it.” The study found that every extra dollar you earn makes you happier. With a much debate about the relationship between money and happiness, it’s clear that happiness itself is a complex concept and depends on many factors.
According to psychologists Selin Kesebir and Shigehiro Oishi, happiness also depends on how your income compares to the people around you. They argue that a country’s economic growth only makes its citizens happier if wealth is equally distributed. In countries with high income inequality—where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer—average happiness tends to drop because only relatively few people benefit from the economic prosperity. This suggests that governments should consider carrying out policies to ensure more equal distribution of wealth. The happier people are, the more productive they are likely to become, thus leading to improved economic outcomes at the individual and national levels.
There is continuing debate about the link between wealth and happiness, with arguments both for and against the notion that richer countries are happier. However, it is clear that wealth alone isn’t enough to make us happy. The effect of income inequality on happiness shows that happiness is a social responsibility. We need to remember the positive effects of generosity and building social connections. Perhaps our focus should be less on how much money we have, and more on how we use it.
1. According to the passage, Easterlin Paradox refers to________.| A．the fact that the more money, the happier people will feel |
| B．the suggestion that money should be given the top priority |
| C．the question how economic outcomes are distributed nationwide |
| D．the opinion that higher income doesn’t necessarily generate happiness |
| A．satisfaction | B．controversial | C．central | D．sensitive |
| A．Money not enough. | B．Money not fairly distributed. |
| C．Rich people richer | D．Unequal money paid for equal work. |
| A．It’s all relative | B．Easternlin paradox |
| C．The impact of wealth on happiness | D．Rising income, rising happiness |
【推荐2】The 31,000-year-old skeleton (骨骼) of a young adult found in Indonesia reveals the oldest known evidence of an amputation (截肢), according to a new study.
“We were exploring a cave in Borneo, in a rainforest region, for some of the earliest rock art in the world, when we came across the burial site and the skeleton, which then excited our curiosity,” said Tim Maloney, the study’s lead researcher. Though much of the skeleton was complete, it missed its left foot and the lower part of its left leg, he explained. After examining the remains, the researchers concluded the foot bones weren’t lost in the site or in an accident — they were carefully removed. The remaining leg bone showed a clean cut.
Researchers believed the find presents a remarkable deed. It’s tricky and demanding to prevent infection in amputations, even to this day. Yet more than 30,000 years ago someone was able to handle it. Researchers didn’t know what tool was used to cut the body parts, but they assumed a sharp stone tool may have made the cut. What seems certain is that the patient enjoyed great post-operative care for considerable time, for the person appeared to have lived for around six to nine more years after being disabled.
The operation’s good end result is not pure chance. It implies that the person who performed the operation had some understanding of antimicrobial (抗菌的) medicine. In this respect, their lifestyle and forest environment might have proved to be advantages. “Given these people lived in an area with many medicinal plants, there is a strong case to guess that adapting to this environment may have boosted the development of advanced medical knowledge,” Maloney said.
The surgery rewrites the history of human medical developments. Before this find, the earliest example of amputation had been in a French farmer from almost 7,000 years ago. Researchers had believed advanced medical practice developed around 10,000 years ago, as humans settled down into agricultural societies. But this study adds to evidence that humans started caring for each other’s health long before that.
1. What did Maloney say about the skeleton?| A．It is preserved poorly. | B．It is found by accident. |
| C．It needs further study. | D．It shows ancient wisdom. |
| A．Seeking proper tools. | B．Keeping the cut clean. |
| C．Avoiding the infection. | D．Providing post-operative care. |
| A．Reasons for the surgery’s success. | B．Geographical features of Borneo. |
| C．Knowledge of plants’ medicinal use. | D．Benefits of the forest environment. |
| A．Borneo is the source of surgical amputation. |
| B．Amputation is common for prehistoric people. |
| C．Ancient agriculture promoted medical development. |
| D．Humans made advanced medical practice earlier than thought. |
【推荐3】Can you really find out where someone is from based on how they queue (排队)?And why — across the world — do some queues seem to take forever, while others, even of the same waiting time, seem to go relatively quickly?
Richard Larson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and a world expert on queues, as well as various social scientists, believes how you queue does, in fact, often give away your origin. In the United States, how people queue even depends on which city they are from. “One of my findings is that you can tell a lot about the social culture of citizens by watching their micro behavior in queues. People in Boston, New York and Washington D. C. all queue in different ways,”he says. “In Washington, people queue at a random point in a sidewalk. These are government workers who know that the bus stops at this place at 4:05, so they queue up dutifully — first come first serve. I have never seen any such behavior in New York or Boston.”
No matter how “good” the queuers are, though, scientists agree that for the queue to function, it needs to be fair. As long as people are served in the order they are lined up, queue anger can be avoided.
This is the idea behind the winding queue behind ropes or barriers where, when you reach the front, you are directed to the next available server. It’s no faster than having individual lines all the way through. But it does mean that no one arriving after you will get served before you.
The final moments of the queue are also important. Research by INSEAD business school professor Ziv Carmon and Princeton University psychology professor Daniel Kahneman found that if our wait ends on a happy note — for instance, if the queue speeds up at the end — we will view that experience more positively, even if for most of the time we were very uncomfortable, quietly cursing (骂) the person in front.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By analyzing facts. | B．By presenting findings. |
| C．By raising questions. | D．By making comments. |
| A．Some people get more pleasure from queuing up than others. |
| B．The way you queue is a reflection of your cultural background. |
| C．People from Washington behave better than those from Boston. |
| D．The understanding of social distance varies from place to place. |
| A．Queuing patiently. | B．No pain no gain. |
| C．Queuing randomly. | D．First come first serve. |
| A．One should take a positive attitude towards queuing. |
| B．It is a good idea to keep queuing until the last moment. |
| C．Waiting in a queue is anything but a pleasant experience. |
| D．The movement speed of a queue might make a difference. |
【推荐1】There is no question that fewer teenagers are on the roads in the US.
In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had got their first driving licences. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%. The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licences has also been declining since 1978, when 11,989,000 had licences. In 2010, it was 9, 932,441, or 4.1% of American drivers.
In the UK, 683,273 teenagers have driving licences—just 1.85% of total licence holders, according to Department of Transport figures from September 2010.
But the decline in the US may have more to do with tougher tests and the introduction of the new rule in many states, which force drivers aged under 16 to be with licensed drivers of 21 years and older when driving.
In recent years, the annual number of journeys being made by American drivers of all ages has declined clearly for the first time ever. Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $ 4.12 a gallon, and the economy became worse.
But there are signs that it is getting back to normal and America remains a country on wheels. It has a higher number of cars per head of population than any other country in the world.
“Cars will always be a popular means of transportation in America. You have to take into consideration some places don’t have access to public transportation. Cars are the only way some people can get around,” says Kristin Nevels. This makes driving necessary in some rural states, where about twice as many teenagers are on the road than in big cities.
1. The underlined word “declining” in the second paragraph most probably means “ ”.| A．rising | B．dropping |
| C．improving | D．holding |
| A．traffic jams | B．harder tests |
| C．expensive petrol | D．worst economy |
| A．doubts the popularity of the car use in the future |
| B．thinks American people cannot live without Cars |
| C．holds a confident attitude to the cars’ future in America |
| D．believes America should build up its public transportation |
| A．The UK has more teenager drivers than the US. |
| B．A 15-year-old boy cannot drive alone in the US. |
| C．The US has very developed bus transportation systems. |
| D．Big cities have more teenager drivers than rural areas in the US. |
【推荐2】Police recently caught the suspected Golden State Killer using a tool they could only have dreamed of decades ago, when a shocking series of murders shook California: a database filled with people’s genetic data (基因数据).
Police used an open-source database called GEDmatch to find relatives who matched genetic material taken from an old crime scene, then worked backward to identify and catch 72-year-old former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo.
GEDmatch’s 950, 000 users voluntarily upload and share their genetic information, making it accessible to others who share their own data—including law enforcement (执法). More than a dozen other similar platforms also exist. “If your relatives have contributed and you are part of even a family tree that appears online in one of these shared resources, you can be indirectly tracked through the combination of their DNA and the publicly available family history,” says Dr. Robert Green, a medical geneticist at Harvard Medical School.
Data sent to commercial companies like 23andMe, which has over 5 million customers, is much tougher for outsiders to access, but the case has still highlighted the issue of genetic privacy.
Although many genetic-testing companies have been asked to cooperate with legal investigations (调查), and clearly warn customers of this possibility, not all requests are honored. “23andMe has never given customer information to law-enforcement officials, ” a company representative told TIME.
The risks of keeping such sensitive data private are high. The potential for abuse exists; for example, insurance companies could theoretically use genetic data to refuse coverage (保险项目), Green says. But the systems in place to prevent misuse appear to be working. One is the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a 2008 law that protects consumers from employment and insurance discrimination related to genetics. As long as that’s the case, Green says, the good of genetic tests outweighs the bad.
Sharon Zehe, a lawyer for the department of laboratory medicine and pathology at the Mayo Clinic, takes a more cautious approach. “Family tree services can be fun, but make sure you are using a reputable organization that has strong privacy policies in place,” she says. “Genetic data is biologically as important as a fingerprint.”
1. Who is the Golden State Killer?| A．Robert Green. | B．Joseph James De Angelo. |
| C．The author. | D．Sharon Zehe. |
| A．The Police’s force. | B．Their relatives’ advice. |
| C．The boss’s order. | D．Their own willingness. |
| A．The police. | B．GEDmatch. |
| C．Insurance companies. | D．23andMe. |
| A．Genetic data is equal to a fingerprint. |
| B．A 72-year-old killer was put into prison. |
| C．Murders causes concern for genetic privacy. |
| D．Genetic information is shared on the Internet. |
【推荐3】It’s a common experience: You’re looking through a social media page, and you see pictures of friends traveling or going to parties. Suddenly you start to wonder why you’re not doing those things. Are you missing out on something fun and exciting because you’re locked into everyday life? This experience has come to be known as the fear of missing out, sometimes shortened FOMO. To some extent people have always worried about missing out on things. But with the rise of social media, FOMO is becoming much more common.
Wanting to be in on the fun when exciting things are happening is completely normal. But for some people, it can lead to fascination with checking their phones to find out what other people are doing. Even while doing things that are fun or necessary, people can feel like there’s something better going on elsewhere. This urge to connect can ironically lead them to disconnect from the people they are actually with. It prevents them from being satisfied with the good things in their lives. It can even be dangerous; some people try to check messages while driving.
It’s important to remember that what people choose to post on social media does not necessarily reflect their life overall. People tend to pick and choose the things they share, so we only ever know a small part of anyone else’s life.
It’s also important to be modest and accept your limitations. You cannot be everywhere and do everything that might be interesting or productive, and that’s OK.
It might even be necessary to turn off your phone or log out of social media for a while. Get rid of the constant reminders of everything that’s happening in the world. You can even set particular times in your day to check email and social media. By stepping away for a time, you can help keep other people’s lives in perspective.
Finally, focus on the things in front of you. Relish them, do them well and let everything else go. When you fully engage with life, you’ll worry less about what you’re not doing.
Don’t let the fear of missing out cause you to miss out on the good things you have in life. Relax, enjoy what you do and let other people enjoy their lives without envying them.
1. The fear of missing out is mainly caused by________ according to the passage.| A．locking into others’ life |
| B．the frequent use of social media |
| C．the rise of social media |
| D．travelling or going to parties |
| A．No checking messages while driving. |
| B．Checking social media unwillingly. |
| C．Being pleased with my good things. |
| D．Separating from the people around. |
| A．enjoy | B．ignore | C．hate | D．envy |
| A．Try to check and find out what people have shared in media. |
| B．Let other people enjoy our lives without envying theirs. |
| C．Don’t let thoughts of what you could be doing steal your happiness. |
| D．Pick and choose the things people share on social media. |
