【推荐1】It may not be quite old enough to be the world’s oldest living organism—that “honour” goes to the bristlecone pine tree(aged 5,000 years)—but, at 4,000 years of age, Leiopathes glaberrima, a deep-water coral species, does set the record for being the oldest animal living under the sea.

Located on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, off Hawaii, the 3-metre-tall, (extremely) long-lived “black coral” could have some valuable clues about past climate change; specifically, it could better scientists’ understanding of how oceans draw down carbon dioxide—and of ocean acidification in general. Brendan Roark of Texas A & M University, who led a research expedition in 2006 to study the corals’ climate records, presented his findings at the recent AAAS meeting.

How long they can live is anybody’s guess, Roark told Science’s Erik Stokstad. He and his colleagues used radiocarbon dating to determine the coral’s age. What this suggests, he said, is that the harvesting of deep-water coral for jewellery should be completely banned; because the corals grow at such a low rate, any level of harvesting would likely wipe out the remaining specimens—those not yet affected by ocean acidification.

Roark believes it could be possible to reconstruct records of subsurface (地下的) temperature variability and ocean circulation changes, which would provide some insight into climate changes and help predict future effects. By comparison, that ocean quahog clam (圆蛤) we mentioned a while back—aged 405 years—seems almost sprightly.

1. What does the underlined word “clues” in the second paragraph mean?

A．Evidence.

B．Treasure.

C．Worth.

D．Usage.

2. What’s the value of the finding of the Leiopathes glaberrima?

A．It shows which is the oldest in the ocean.

B．It helps the scientists get more information about the ocean.

C．It shows why the weather changes so much.

D．It helps the scientists know how to live longer.

3. Why should the harvesting of deep-water coral for jewellery be completely banned?

A．Because the jewellery has little value.

B．Because the jewellery is hard to harvest.

C．Because harvesting the coral for the jewellery does great harm to deep-water coral.

D．Because it is very dangerous.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．The World’s Oldest Living Organism

B．The Oldest Animal Under the Sea

C．How to Protect the Corals

D．A Great Discovery

【推荐2】Although the word workaholic usually has a negative meaning, it is sometimes used by people wishing to express their devotion to their career positively. The “work” in question is usually associated with a paying job, but it may also refer to independent pursuits such as sports. A workaholic in the negative sense is popularly characterized by a neglect of family and other social relations. Similarly, people considered to be workaholics tend to lose track of time.

Workaholism is an addiction, and it’s not the same as working hard. Experts say the continuous work-related activity masks anxiety, low self-esteem, and privacy problems. Workaholics feel the urge of being busy all the time, to the point that they often perform tasks that aren’t required or necessary for project completion. As a result, they tend to be inefficient workers, since they focus on being busy, instead of focusing on being productive. In addition, workaholics tend to be less effective than other workers because it’s difficult for them to work as part of a team, they have trouble entrusting co-workers, or they take on so much that they aren’t as organized as others. Workaholics are occupied with work all the time, which prevents them from maintaining healthy relationships, hobbies, or even take measures to protect their health.

As with addictions to alcohol, drugs or gambling, Workaholics’ harmful behavior will continue despite advice from loved ones or danger signs such as worsening relationships. Poor health is another warning sign. Because there’s less of social shame attached to workaholism than to other addictions, health symptoms can easily go unrecognized. In the US and Canada, workaholism remains what it’s always been: the so-called “respectable addiction” that’s dangerous as any other. Workaholism in Japan is considered a serious social problem leading to early death, often on the job, a phenomenon called karōshi(过劳死).

As with other psychological addictions, workaholics often cannot see that they have a problem. Reasoning the workaholic out of the problem will generally be met with denial. Co-workers, family members and friends may need to communicate the effects of the workaholic’s behavior to them. Indeed, mental treatment to cure a workaholic can successfully reduce the hours spent on the job, while increasing the person’s productivity. Studies show that fully recovered former workaholics can accomplish in 50 hours what they previously couldn’t do in 80.

1. Sometimes people use “workaholism” in a positive way just because_________.

A．workaholics work extra hours

B．workaholics pay little attention to their family members

C．workaholics seem to be buried in their work

D．workaholics work hard just to flatter their employers

2. In the writer’s opinion, ________.

A．workaholics take work as a solution to the settlement of the troubles in their life

B．workaholics aim at keeping themselves occupied instead of accomplishing their work

C．workaholics like to work in teams because they believe in their co-workers

D．workaholics enjoy lots of hobbies and are able to keep themselves healthy.

3. Which of the following is wrong according to the passage?

A．It is difficult for workaholics to overcome this addiction.

B．Workaholics even shorten their lives if they do not get rid of this addiction.

C．Workaholics’ poor health can easily be identified.

D．Treating workaholics mentally turns out to be successful in many cases.

4. What can be the best title for this passage?

A．Team--spirit	B．Hard-working employees
C．Workaholism	D．Success via work