The Importance of Time Management
Effective time management is essential for success in both personal and professional life. By managing time efficiently, individuals can prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and reduce stress. Time management skills involve setting goals, creating schedules, and allocating time for specific activities. With good time management, individuals can achieve a better work-life balance and have more time for leisure activities. It also enables them to make the most of their time and increase productivity.
Questions:
1. Why is time management important?
2. What are some benefits of effective time management?
3. What skills are involved in time management?
2 . New research into a little-known text written in ancient Greek shows that “stressed poetry”, the ancestor of all modern poetry and song, was already in use in the 2nd century CE, 300 years earlier than previously thought. It has been found sculpted on twenty precious stones and as a graffito (雕画) in Cartagena, Spain.
In its shortest version, the nameless four-line poem reads “They say what they like; let them say it; I dont care.” Other versions extend with “Go on, love me; it does you good.” The poem, unparalleled (绝无仅有的) so far in the classical world, consists of lines of 4 syllables (音节), with a strong accent on the first and a weaker on the third. This allows it to come into the rhythms of numerous pop and rock songs. So it became popular across the eastern Roman Empire and survives.
By comparing all of the known examples for the first time, Cambridges Professor Tim Whitmarsh noticed that the poem used a different form of rhythm to that usually found in ancient Greek poetry. As well as showing signs of the long and short syllables characteristic of traditional “quantitative” poem, this text employed stressed and unstressed syllables. The new study, published in The Cambridge Classical Journal, also suggests that this poem could represent a “missing link” between the lost world of ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song, and the more modern forms that we know today. A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek takes a similar form to traditional high poetics. This poem, on the other hand, points to a distinct and rich culture, primarily oral.
1. Where was the “stressed poetry” discovered?| A．In Greece. | B．In Spain. |
| C．In Britain. | D．In Mediterranean. |
| A．A syllable. | B．A strong accent. |
| C．The four-line poem. | D．The content of the poem. |
| A．A missing link between poems was found finally. |
| B．A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek was then popular in the world. |
| C．The stressed and unstressed syllables distinguished the poem from others. |
| D．The ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song was older than the poem. |
| A．Ancient Greek “pop culture” discovery rewrites the history of poetry and song |
| B．The unparalleled poem made ancient Greek culture more attractive |
| C．Ancient Greek poetry lay the foundation of modern culture |
| D．Four syllables are still popular in modern poetry and song |
3 . The Importance of Handwriting is Becoming Better Understood
As primary-school pupils and PhD hopefuls return for a new school year, many will study with reliance on computers to take notes and write papers.
The benefits of using a pen or pencil lie in how the motor and sensory memory of putting words on paper reinforces that material. The arrangement of squiggles (涂鸦) on a page feeds into visual memory.
One of the best-demonstrated advantages of writing by hand seems to be in superior note-taking.When primary-school pupils and PhD hopefuls take notes, handwriting forces students to synthesise (合成) ideas into their own words. This aids conceptual understanding at the moment of writing.
Many studies have confirmed handwriting’s benefits, and policymakers have taken note. Though America’s “Common Core” curriculum from 2010 does not require handwriting instruction past first grade (roughly age six), about half the states since then have required more teaching of it, thanks to campaigning by researchers and handwriting supporters.
| A．However, note-taking by hand takes longer time. |
| B．One solution to the complaints may be handwriting. |
| C．A line of research shows the benefits of computers replacing handwriting. |
| D．Some parents are disturbed that their children are playing games on laptops in class. |
| E．And those taking notes by hand also perform better on tests when they review notes. |
| F．In Sweden there is a push for more handwriting and printed books and fewer devices. |
| G．People might remember a word they wrote down in class as being at the bottom-left on a page. |
4 . Recent research reveals that the adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) by companies in the US has a disproportionate impact on women. According to a recent analysis, approximately 79% of the jobs lost to AI were held by women. This difference can be due to several factors.
Women are more likely to work in industries that are highly be influenced by automation, such as retail, hospitality, and administrative support. These sectors often involve repetitive tasks that can be easily automated by AI technologies. Consequently, women employed in these industries face a higher risk of job displacement.
Gender biases in AI algorithms (运算法则) can worsen the situation for women. AI systems are trained on historical data, which may reflect existing gender biases in hiring and promotion practices. This can result in biased decision-making during recruitment and performance evaluations, putting women at a disadvantage in the workplace.
The lack of diversity in the development of AI technologies contributes to the gender difference. The underrepresentation (代表名额不足) of women in the field of AI means that their perspectives and experiences are not adequately considered during the design and development process. As a result, AI systems may not fully understand or cater to the needs of women, continuously leading to gender inequalities.
To address these challenges, it is crucial to prioritize diversity and inclusion in the development and deployment of AI technologies. This involves increasing the representation of women in AI-related fields and ensuring diverse perspectives are considered during the design and testing phases. Additionally, companies should actively work towards eliminating gender biases in AI algorithms and regularly assess their impact on different demographic groups.
In conclusion, although men currently dominate the labor market, women bear a disproportionate burden due to the adoption of generative AI. The combination of industry composition, gender biases in algorithms, and lack of diversity in AI development contribute to this disparity. To relieve these effects, it is essential to prioritize diversity and inclusion in AI development and address gender biases in algorithms. Only through these efforts can we ensure that the benefits of AI are distributed equitably among all individuals, regardless of gender.
1. Why are women in the US workforce more influenced by the adoption of generative AI than men?| A．Women are less adaptable to technological changes. |
| B．Women have a lower level of education compared to men. |
| C．Women are generally less skilled in technology and AI-related fields. |
| D．Women are more likely to work in industries that are highly automatable. |
| A．Increasing gender proportion in AI development teams. |
| B．Providing targeted training and programs for women and giving them more chances in AI-related fields. |
| C．Encouraging women to pursue careers in non-automatable industries. |
| D．Offering financial supports to companies that prioritize gender diversity in AI programmes. |
| A．It ensures equal opportunities for women in the workforce. |
| B．It promotes innovation and creativity in AI solutions. |
| C．It reduces the risk of biased algorithms that perpetuate gender inequalities. |
| D．It improves the overall performance and effectiveness of AI systems. |
| A．The impact of AI on job losses in the US. |
| B．The role of women in AI-related fields. |
| C．Gender biases in AI algorithms and their effects on women. |
| D．Solutions to address challenges faced by women due to generative AI. |
5 . As is the fate of anyone running a hotel in Kerala these days, Bijoy George is a man with too much to do. Before pandemic-caused lockdowns began in 2020, he managed 40 employees at the Eighth Bastion Hotel in the charming historic quarter of Kochi, a bustling coastal city. Now that business is back to pre-covid levels he needs the same number of staff again. But he has only 20 workers. His plight is shared with every other hotel, café and bar. It is a result of the state’s hospitality (招待) employees moving all together in large numbers to Qatar, not to watch football but to take up employment tied to the World Cup.
As the start of the competition approaches on November 20th, workers are quitting at a rate Mr. George says he has never seen in his 22 years in the business. Qatar, a country with a population of under 3m, will have welcomed more than 1.5m visitors before the matches conclude on December 18th. That means finding staff to run all the new hotels that have been built along with other venues that have been pressed into service to profit from the sports fans.
Kerala has long been a significant source of hospitality workers for Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. Its state government provides good schools with English-language instruction but few jobs. More than 2m people, 17% of its working population, already work overseas, largely in the Gulf.
The appeal of Qatar is straightforward. Starting salaries approach $1,000 a month, more than six times the level for similar jobs in Kerala. To replace those who have left, Kerala’s employers have been casting their nets wider. Recruiters have been extending their searches to many other Indian cities. But that means the most common word on name-tags pinned to the breast pockets of workers is “trainee”.
Among the many skills that need to be taught, says Mr. George, is smiling at customers — the failure to do so a result of shyness among those new to the workforce. The danger is that after a week or so when confidence grows, even these employees may slip away to the Gulf.
Most contracts run for three months, concluding at the end of December, not long after the World Cup final. Returning workers will be welcomed back with open arms. Filling the gaps is even more important as Indian tourism and weddings have restarted. The reunions, though, may be short-lived. The game these workers will have learned from the World Cup is how to be paid better. That means leaving India.
1. The underlined sentence in paragraph one implies that __________.| A．other hotels, cafes and bars will share Bijoy’s 20 employees |
| B．other hotels, cafes and bars will have to lay off some workers |
| C．other hotels, cafes and bars also send the workers to Qatar |
| D．other hotels, cafes and bars also find it hard to employ enough workers |
| A．Millions of tourists have to be served during the World Cup. |
| B．Hospitality workers are in high demand with new hotels and venues open for business in Qatar. |
| C．Qatar provides good education and English training for potential workers in Kerala. |
| D．The salaries of similar jobs in Kerala are much lower than those in Qatar. |
| A．Kerala’s employers have to take on new employees in Asian cities. |
| B．Many of the new employees will pin their name tags to their breast pockets. |
| C．The new employees will not greet the customers as a result of shyness. |
| D．The new employees may soon follow the trend of going to the Gulf. |
| A．Jobs outside India can provide Indian workers with a more decent life. |
| B．It will soon be the off season for Indian tourism and weddings. |
| C．Another grand occasion will soon begin in the Gulf. |
| D．The workers only sign short-term contracts with the employers in India. |
6 . Pay No Mind: People Admit to Driving, Texting, Drinking During Telehealth Visits
A recent study of 1,000 Americans revealed people are quite distracted during their virtual doctors and therapy appointments.
Hello, people of the technologically advanced world. Remember how we all hoped technology would make us better, more evolved? How’s that going for us lately? Great, I suspect — because look at how far we have come!
The only problem is that we all seem to be having a tough time concentrating. On Wednesday, a survey from a health company found people texting, driving, watching TV, playing video games and even drinking during telehealth visits.
The study was small, surveying only 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 — but people admitted to exercising (18%), scrolling through social media (21%) and even smoking (11%) during health visits.
Confused? Well, let’s talk it through…
Who decided we should be sober during health visits anyway?
To be fair, I have always thought that conversations about fungal infections, or having to strip off completely naked in front of a complete stranger, are things best done drunk. But if you really want to take your health seriously, perhaps it’s better to start with a clear mind.
Oh, so you mean there are downsides to visiting the doctors from the comfort of our homes?
Get used to it! Now people are pretty good in the art of multitasking.
Yes. And for us to truly move forward we must constantly disrupt! Or be disrupted! By, er…drinking beers. At least some people were exercising during their health visits, I suppose.
Are there any dangerous behaviors which have been reported?
Some have admitted to driving during their health appointments. In fact, one doctor told Forbes that she has had to ask patients to pull over on to the side of the road during their appointments so that they can concentrate.
Perhaps your life is not that interesting-your therapist might be busy doing more important things, like watching TV series.
| A．So that’s why my therapist just seems to be absent-minded. |
| B．Yes, the downside is that humans are fickle beings who can’t even look away from Twitter during a therapy session. |
| C．We can now have doctors’ visits from the comfort of our homes, phones and laptops. |
| D．We simply find it unable to enjoy the advances brought by technology. |
| E．A quarter of these people were doing so while in a virtual therapy session. |
| F．But it’s not just us patients that are feeling distracted. |
7 . Success is something that all of us wish to attain. Its relative elusiveness is what makes it special. It’s exclusive to a handful of people who did extraordinary things in their lives to get them to where they are today. Most successful people in this world started from the bottom and worked their way up in life. The only time luck plays a role is when you are in the right place at the right time, but it’s up to you to get yourself there and then.
They have sacrificed everything to get to their positions and will eat and sleep thinking about work. It becomes a part of their life. They will rarely complain about how hard they are working because they know that all their hard work will pay off.
Most people are stubborn.
They know that knowledge is the backbone of success and they are hungry for more information because the more they know, the easier it makes it for them. They apply or take advantage of what they learn in life.
| A．And it wasn’t because they were lucky or because it was just handed to them. |
| B．The truly successful people work on themselves and never quit! |
| C．Successful people understand that without hard work you get nowhere in life. |
| D．Do you have what it takes? |
| E．Successful people want to learn everything about everything! |
| F．Successful people are the complete opposite. |
8 . “May 17, 2157
Dear diary,
Today, Tommy found a real book!...”
“What’s it about?” Margie asked.
“School.” replied Tommy, turning the yellow pages.
“Why would anyone write about school? I hope they can take my geography teacher away.”
“It’s not our school. This is the old sort that they had centuries ago.”
“Anyway, they had a teacher.” Margie said, reading the book over his shoulder.
“Sure, they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
“A man? How could a man be a teacher?”
“Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them assignments and asked them questions.”
“A man isn’t smart enough.”
“Sure, he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”
Margie wasn’t prepared to argue about that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”
Tommy laughed. “The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”
“And all the kids learned the same thing?”
“Sure, if they were the same age.”
“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.
They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!”
“Not yet, Mamma.”
“Now!” said Mrs. Jones.
Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”
“Maybe,” Tommy said.
Margie went into the schoolroom, right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on waiting for her.
The screen was lit up, and it said, “Please insert yesterday’s assignments in the proper slot.”
Margie was still thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another on the assignments and discussed them.
And the teachers were people…
1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?| A．Margie doesn’t like her school. |
| B．It’s common to read paper books in 2157. |
| C．Online learning is what Margie wants. |
| D．Tommy feels his father is smarter than his teacher. |
| A．There are only female teachers at school. |
| B．Teachers give no assignments to students. |
| C．A special building is constructed for teachers. |
| D．Students learn different things at their own pace. |
| A．Envelope. | B．Opening. |
| C．Screen. | D．Schoolroom. |
| A．Longing. | B．Objection. |
| C．Suspicion. | D．Tolerance. |
9 . Facebook Tagging and Privacy
On Facebook, there are some Privacy settings you can set to limit who can see posts and photos where you are tagged.
See, if your Facebook friend posts a photo, and you are in that photo, then usually only her friends (or whichever audience she chooses) will see the photo. But, if she TAGS you in the photo, then potentially YOUR friends will see it too.
But you can limit the visibility of photos and posts that you are tagged in. Just take a look at the Privacy settings page and click on “Timeline and Tagging”.
For “Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline?” you want that to say “Yes”. With this setting enabled, you will be notified when you are tagged and can choose whether an individual tag will show up on your Timeline. (For example, you can preview a photo to make sure you look good before all your friends see it! )
Next take a look at the setting “Who can see posts you’ve been tagged in on your timeline?” Your choices here are the standard audience settings such as Everyone, Friends, Friends or Friends, Custom or Only Me. This is the most private option, as your friends will not see posts that you are tagged in (assuming you did not tag yourself; we’re talking about posts by other people here).
So what if your friend did indeed post an unflattering photo of you? You can also “untag” yourself from a photo on Facebook.
Follow the steps to remove a tag of yourself from a Facebook photo:
1. Click Options at the bottom of the photo;
2. Check to untag yourself;
3. Click Remove tag, and voilà, you are no longer tagged in the photo! The photo remains on Facebook but the tag is gone. This photo will no longer show up on your timeline under the heading “Photos of You”.
1. Who will have a go at your presence on Facebook if you are tagged?
| A．Only friends. | B．The friends chosen. |
| C．Friends’ friends. | D．The union of all the friends. |
| A．Active the option to approve any tagging before they appear on your timeline. |
| B．Double check whether you’ve posted unflattering photos of you on Facebook. |
| C．Unfollow those who can either see your posts or add your posts to their stories. |
| D．Remove any posts or photographs that have been previously tagged. |
| A．An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure | B．Bad news has wings. |
| C．Details are the key to success. | D．Better late than never. |
| A．show us how to use Facebook |
| B．tell us how to remove tags on Facebook |
| C．teach us how to beautify pictures on Facebook. |
| D．inform us how to set limits to protect privacy online. |
10 . How Did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Die?
On November 20th, 1791, Mozart suddenly came down with fever and was wracked with pain. His arms and legs were severely swollen. In the following days his health significantly deteriorated. He died on December 5 after lapsing into a coma. The death certificate states he died of “severe miliary fever”. Exactly which disease led to Mozart’s death has been a mystery for the last 200 years.
SpeculationsMany myths —some more plausible than others — entwine (缠绕) Mozart’s early demise. One of the most popular myths — that Mozart was poisoned by his rival Antonio Salieri — rose to prominence due to the popularity of the film Amadeus. This theory is supported by the fact that Mozart had been living through a phase of depression before his death, suffering from paranoia and existential fear. Mozart himself suspected that the cause of his deteriorating health was being poisoned over a long time. However, it is highly likely that this was just his subjective view of reality.
Many other speculations circulate. Syphilis and trichinellosis are frequently mentioned. In 1905, a French physician assumed uric acid poisoning due to a never fully healed nephritis. In 1961, lead poisoning was suggested as a possible cause of death.
Scientific attempts to explain Mozart’s deathIn 2000, a group of American scientists proposed rheumatic fever caused by a strep infection after conducting meticulous detective work. The symptoms stated in literature and the reports of Mozart’s contemporaries yielded the clues. Without antibiotics, such an infection would inevitably lead to death. Rheumatic fever causes a weakening of the heart, which could explain Mozart’s swollen limbs.
In 2009, the Dutch scientist Richard Zegers extensively studied surviving documents and concluded that Mozart had been suffering from pharyngitis, a throat infection with symptoms including cramps, fever, rashes and a swollen neck. Mozart’s sister-in-law Sophie Haibel had described these symptoms. The death registry of Vienna for winter 1791 lists several deaths caused by this disease.
Whatever the cause of Mozart’s death, it came far too early. Let us thank him for his manic urge to create art and remember him on December 5th!
1. Which of the following is similar in meaning to the underlined word “deteriorate” (Paragraph 1)?| A．To become worse. | B．To change greatly. |
| C．To recover quickly. | D．To be harmed rapidly. |
| A．It is generally believed that Mozart was poisoned by his friend. |
| B．Mozart’s depression paranoia and existential fear led to his death. |
| C．Mozart had been poisoned sustainably for a long time before he died. |
| D．Mozart once got a nephritis and it was never healed. |
| A．Mozart’s disease was recorded in contemporary literature and reports. |
| B．Antibiotics were not discovered at that time. |
| C．Rheumatic fever can only be caused by strep infection. |
| D．Mozart’s illness cannot be cured even today. |
| A．To back up the Dutchman’s study. |
| B．To prove they were common symptoms causing death in 1791. |
| C．To prove Mozart did have such symptoms before his death. |
| D．To emphasize her special identify as a witness to Mozart’s death. |
