In his 1930 essay “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren”, John Keynes, a famous economist, wrote that human needs fall into two classes: absolute needs, which are independent of what others have, and relative needs, which make us feel superior to our fellows. He thought that although relative needs may indeed be insatiable (无止境的), this is not true of absolute needs.
Keynes was surely correct that only small part of total spending is decided by the desire for superiority. He was greatly mistaken, however, in seeing this desire as the only source of insatiable demands.
Decisions to spend are also driven by ideas of quality which can influence the demand for almost all goods, including even basic goods like food. When a couple goes out for an anniversary dinner, for example, the thought of feeling superior to others probably never comes to them. Their goal is to share a special meal that stands out from other meals.
There are no obvious limits to the escalation of demands for quality. For example, Porsche, a famous car producer, has a model which was considered perhaps the best sports car on the market. Priced at over $120,000, it handles perfectly well and has great speed acceleration. But in 2004, the producer introduced some changes which made the model slightly better in handling and acceleration. People who really care about cars find these small improvements exciting. To get them, however, they must pay almost four times the prices.
By placing the desire to be superior to others at the heart of his description of insatiable demands, Keynes actually reduced such demands. However, the desire for higher quality has no natural limits.
1. According to the passage, John Keynes believed that ________.| A．desire is the root of both absolute and relative needs |
| B．absolute needs come from our sense of superiority |
| C．relative needs alone lead to insatiable demands |
| D．absolute needs are stronger than relative needs |
| A．Understanding | B．Increase | C．Difference | D．Decrease |
| A．absolute needs have no limits |
| B．demands for quality are not insatiable |
| C．human desires influences ideas of quality |
| D．relative needs decide most of our spending |
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【推荐1】Whether you’re considering gap time directly after high school, during college, or a mid-career break, taking a year off is a great opportunity to learn through new experiences, grow beyond your comfort zone, and get out of your ordinary routine.
If your hunger to travel the world, meet new people, and experience new adventures can no longer be ignored, a gap year program is a great opportunity to volunteer abroad, teach abroad, intern abroad, or attend a language school. Whether you’re attracted by a quick tour across country borders on multiple continents, or a long-term stay in a near or distant city, the best way to spend your gap year is completely up to you!
Gap years are becoming increasingly common for students and young professionals. In fact, many find that when applying for jobs, their gap year experience helps their resume stand out among a sea of qualified candidates.
Because of the popularity of gap years, potential gap year travelers have tons of questions like: Is taking a gap year possible?
• Who takes a gap year?
• How much does a gap year cost?
• How can I make the most of my gap year?
• When is the best time to take a gap year?
• Will a gap year affect my college applications?
• What are the pros and cons of a gap year?
• Am I too old to take a gap year?
• Are there gap year jobs available?
Here at Go Overseas we have detailed information to help you have a year of meaningful growth through exploring your interests, passions, and curiosities, as well as supporting your desire for experiential learning, either locally or abroad. Go through gap year program listings and reviews, read through expert gap year advice and ideas, and decide how to get the most out of your gap year.
1. What do you know about the gap year?| A．It is not worthwhile. | B．It mainly suits school students. |
| C．It does more harm than good. | D．It contributes to a new routine. |
| A．People who have only been on the job for a year. |
| B．People who always want to learn a new language abroad. |
| C．High school students who are tired of sitting all day long. |
| D．People who want to achieve work-life balance in the long run. |
| A．It makes little difference to them. |
| B．It makes their resumes look more authentic. |
| C．It makes their potential employers confused. |
| D．It increases their chances of being hired. |
| A．To draw the attention of new gap year travelers. |
| B．To show the difficulties that a gap year traveler may meet. |
| C．To reflect what people might want to know about taking a gap year. |
| D．To explain why people should take a gap year into consideration. |
| A．A travel guide. |
| B．A guide to career choices. |
| C．An advertisement for taking a gap year. |
| D．Suggestions for having a wonderful school life. |
【推荐2】French children are saying “Hello” to the new academic year and “Bye” to their cellphones during school hours. That’s because a new law has come into effect which bans phone use by students up to the age of 15. The law, which follows a campaign promise by French President Emmanuel Macron, also bans tablets and smart watches.
The ban is also in place at break times, with exceptions in case of emergency and for disabled children, the French Education Ministry said in a statement. In emergencies, students can ask their teachers for permission to use their phones. Meanwhile, high schools can voluntarily carry out the measure.
Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said the new rules aim to help children focus on lessons, better socialize and reduce social media use. The ban is also designed to fight online bullying(欺凌) and prevent thefts and violence in school. Blanquer has told the media that the new law would improve self-control among France’s 12 million school students, nearly 90% of whom have mobile phones. “Being open to technologies of the future doesn’t mean we have to accept all their uses,” Blanquer said in June as the bill was going through in Parliament.
School administrations will decide how to put through the ban and a series of practical measures will be adopted to store students’ phones in lockers or allow them to keep them, switched off, in their backpacks. The law allows teachers to take away the phones until the end of the day in case of someone disobeying the bans.
Jacqueline Kay-Cessou, whose 14-year-old son, David, is entering eighth grade at the Camille See International School, told ABC News she was happy to hear of the ban. “It’s fantastic news. It’s something I’ve wanted for years,” Kay-Cessou said. “I think phones are harmful socially. Kids can’t think and sit still anymore and it’s highly addictive.”
1. What can we know about the new rule?| A．The new rule is welcomed by teachers. |
| B．French students can use phones during breaks. |
| C．French students can bring phones to school. |
| D．The new rule bans all the electronic products at school. |
| A．Saving resources. |
| B．Opening to technologies. |
| C．Helping fight online bullying. |
| D．Reducing the misuse of electronic products. |
| A．Parents should take away cellphones. |
| B．The school should be strict with students. |
| C．The cellphone help people socialize better. |
| D．The cellphone brings a lot of harm to students. |
| A．Science. | B．Education. |
| C．Culture. | D．Entertainment. |
【推荐3】The messages always start with something like, “Hey, I’m so sorry but ...” Something has suddenly come up — a terrible headache or a pet cat having a problem. The person I have made plans with isn’t going to make it. By this point I usually have been fully dressed, about to walk out the door, or the party has already started. However, I mostly ignore it. I have to “flake” sometimes, too.
But over the past year or so, my friends and I have started to realize that people are flaking a lot more often. When people flake, the first question that appears in our brain is “Why?” or “Is something bigger really happening?”
Think of those flakers in your friend group who can’t arrive on time to get plans started. That may be more common among some personality types. For these people, they seem to have little concern for how other people feel. Another type is what scientists call conscientiousness. People who have no conscientiousness (责任心) are bad at planning things or don’t follow through – in other words, flake.
Flaking has got more common in the last ten years. Research shows it’s just easier to flake in the age of technology. Distance allows people to cheat others. You can just make up an excuse and don’t show up. You could say technology is just distance. In other words, when you don’t want to follow the plan, it’s easier to send a message to someone to cancel the plan than to tell them face to face. Being flaked on in this way can make you feel that they are treating you as is you don’t have thoughts or feelings.
1. Which of the following is flaking according to Paragraph 1?| A．Being late for a party on purpose. | B．Sending a message to say sorry. |
| C．Canceling a plan with an excuse. | D．Dealing with more important things. |
| A．Busy and active. | B．Dishonest and lazy. |
| C．Careless and impatient. | D．Self-centered and unreliable. |
| A．How to get along with flakers. | B．How to prevent flaking. |
| C．The influence of flaking. | D．The reasons for flaking. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Annoyed. |
| C．Understanding. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐1】Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but — regardless of whether it is or isn’t — we won’t do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly firm commitments (承诺) to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.
Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth,” as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don’t know enough to relieve global warming, and — without major technological breakthroughs — we can’t do much about it.
From 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is estimated to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 billion, a 42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. But that’s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn (注定) the world’s poor people to their present poverty and freeze everyone else’s living standards. With modest economic growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions will more than double by 2050.
No government will adopt strict limitations on economic growth and personal freedom (e.g. electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they’re “doing something”. Consider the Kyoto Protocol (京都议定书). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn’t. But it hasn’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories (签字国) didn’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets.
The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only a determined research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it.
The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it’s really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don’t solve the engineering problem, we’re helpless.
1. What is said about global warming in the first paragraph?| A．It may not prove an environmental crisis at all. |
| B．It is an issue requiring worldwide commitments. |
| C．To get rid of this problem is easier said than done. |
| D．Serious steps have been taken to avoid or stop it. |
| A．It is a reality both people and politicians are unaware of. |
| B．It is a problem that can be solved once it is recognized. |
| C．It is a phenomenon that causes us many inconveniences. |
| D．It is an area where people haven’t done much research. |
| A．politicians have started to do something to better the situation |
| B．few nations have adopted real tough measures to limit energy use |
| C．reductions in energy consumption have greatly cut back global warming |
| D．international cooperation has contributed to solving environmental problems |
| A．Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one. |
| B．The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technology. |
| C．The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs. |
| D．People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming. |
【推荐2】Time and time again, I hear someone ask why anyone would want to keep an “ugly” building or a building that is dirty and clearly in need of work. I think you could say we preservationists look at buildings through a different angle — an angle that can see the swan (天鹅) in the ugly duck, the story in the simple lines, the book behind the cover.
Take the Queen Emma Building for example. While people may remember that building being named as one of the ugliest buildings in town, the angle from which a preservationist will view the building is that it is uniquely constructed with an artistical brise-soleil to block the sun. The designer used standard concrete bricks to form a decorative wall. Unfortunately, the brise-soleil was removed in 2011, making the building look like many of the contemporary buildings in town.
Sometimes people remember a beautiful site that was replaced by a “horrid” piece of architecture and can’t get over their anger, even when that building becomes an important part of our story. This is particularly true in San Francisco where many preservationists themselves dislike anything newer than the Victorian era. Yes, it was a tragedy that many failed to appreciate the Victorian buildings and let many get torn down several decades ago, but those losses also tell another important story. It tells the story of the 1950s and 1960s when there was hope for a more equal society with inexpensive housing for the working class. Should that history be wiped from our memories?
Preservation is not just about keeping pretty, well-kept buildings, but about conveying parts of our history-not just the history of huge events, but the story of how everyone used to go to a certain corner market. Our history cannot be told only in buildings that meet someone’s criteria of beauty; sometimes our history is painful, but no less important.
1. How do preservationists see buildings?| A．They are devoted to repairing famous buildings. |
| B．They focus on their value rather than appearance. |
| C．They prefer ugly buildings to beautiful ones. |
| D．They pay great attention to ancient buildings. |
| A．It’s regrettable. | B．It’s confusing. |
| C．It’s pleasing. | D．It’s unbelievable. |
| A．To wipe the history of the Victorian era. |
| B．To restore the architecture before the Victorian era. |
| C．To work off the deep anger of the working class. |
| D．To make land available for cheap housing. |
| A．What kind of buildings are of historical value? |
| B．Why do architects make ugly buildings? |
| C．Are ugly buildings worth preserving? |
| D．Are preservationists’ work meaningless? |
【推荐3】Last summer, the story about a CEO who encouraged employees to take mental health days spread online. It led to many media stories about the importance of taking care of your mental health including taking a mental health day when you need one.
But what about kids? Should you let your child take a mental health day from school? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. It’s important for kids to power through some discomfort, like going to school even when they’re afraid of giving a presentation, or when they don’t have their math homework done. There’s a lot of value in showing them that they’re stronger than they think. But when they’re feeling so bad that they’re struggling to function, and going to school is likely to make it worse, a mental health day might be just what the doctor ordered.
Letting kids take the occasional(偶尔的) mental health day-maybe once or twice a year-could make them believe that taking care of their minds is vital, just as they should take care of their bodies. It can also be a great opportunity to help them sharpen their emotional skills and build the mental muscles they need to stay strong.
A good way to spend a mental health day is to use the time to do the following things.
Solve a problem. If your child is stressed out by a specific problem, you might be able to turn a mental health day into a problem-solving opportunity.
Practice self-care. If your child is exhausted or overworked, an occasional day off may help him recuperate. It could be an opportunity to develop healthier habits, like going to sleep earlier, eating nutritious (有营养的)food, and getting plenty of exercise.
See a professional. If your child is struggling to attend school, seek professional help. Schedule an appointment with your pediatrician(儿科医生)to talk about your child’s mental health needs. A physician may refer you to a mental health professional if it’s necessary.
1. What did people do after reading the story about a CEO?| A．They decided to take more days off work. |
| B．They realized mental health needs care too. |
| C．They decided to read some media stories about him. |
| D．They became worried about employees’ mental health. |
| A．All children need a mental health day. |
| B．Kids need a mental health day less than adults. |
| C．Schools should arrange regular mental health days. |
| D．A mental health day is sometimes necessary for children. |
| A．Recover. | B．Think. |
| C．Sleep. | D．Exercise |
| A．When do kids need mental health days? |
| B．Why do people need mental health days? |
| C．How can kids make use of mental health days? |
| D．Should kids be allowed to take mental health days? |
