1 . As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That is partially
What is far less understood by scientists,
Newspapers relay (转发) accounts of goal-setting in industries and businesses up and down both Wall Street and Main Street, yet there has been
“Goals are widely used because they really have beneficial effects. And yet, the same
“It turns out there’s no economic benefit to just having a goal — you just get a psychological benefit.” Schweitzer says. “But in many cases, goals have economic
A good example Schweitzer and his colleagues mention is the 2004 collapse (崩塌) of energy-trading company called Enron, where managers used financial (财经) encouragements to encourage salesmen to
Other studies have shown that giving employees unrealistic goals can force them to lie, cheat or steal. Such was the case in the early 1990s when the company called Sears
Schweitzer says that his research is different from other researches which
| A．though | B．unless | C．when | D．because |
| A．moreover | B．furthermore | C．however | D．otherwise |
| A．surprisingly | B．generally | C．particularly | D．potentially |
| A．definition | B．appreciation | C．motivation | D．expression |
| A．risks | B．problems | C．expenses | D．rewards |
| A．need | B．meet | C．kneel | D．feel |
| A．overtake | B．overlook | C．overcharge | D．overflow |
| A．blame | B．discover | C．finish | D．direct |
| A．praises | B．denies | C．ignores | D．attacks |
| A．problem | B．factor | C．purpose | D．evidence |
2 . According to the majority of Americans, women are every bit as capable of being good political leaders as men. The same can be said of their ability to dominate the corporate boardroom. And according to a new Pew Research Center survey on women and leadership, most Americans find no difference between women and men on key leadership qualities such as intelligence and capacity for innovation, with many saying they’re stronger than men in terms of being passionate and organized leaders.
So why, then, are women in short supply at the top of government and business in the United States? According to the public, at least, it’s not that they lack toughness, management talent or proper skill sets.
It’s also not all about work life balance. Although economic research and previous survey findings have shown that career interruptions related to motherhood may make it harder for women to advance in their careers and compete for top executive jobs, relatively few adults in the recent survey point to this as a key barrier for women seeking leadership roles. Only about 20% say women’s family responsibilities are a major reason why there aren’t more females in top leadership positions in business and politics.
Instead, topping the list of reasons, about 40% Americans point to a double standard for women hoping to climb to the highest levels of either politics or business, where they have to do more than their male workmates to prove themselves. Similar shares say the electorate (选民) and American companies are just not ready to put more women in top leadership positions.
As a result, the public is divided about whether the imbalance in American companies will change in the foreseeable future, even though women have made major advances in the workplace. While 53% believe men will continue to hold more top executive positions in business in the future, 44% say it’s only a matter of time before as many women are in top executive positions as men. Americans are less doubtful when it comes to politics: 73% expect to see a female president in their lifetime.
1. What do we learn from previous survey findings about women seeking leadership roles?| A．They have unconquerable difficulties on their way to success. |
| B．They are lacking in confidence when competing with men. |
| C．Their failures may have something to do with family duties. |
| D．Relatively few are held back in their career advancement. |
| A．More and more women will sit in the boardroom. |
| B．Gender imbalance in leadership is likely to change. |
| C．The public is undecided about whether women will make good leaders. |
| D．People have opposing opinions as to whether they will have more women leaders. |
| A．A woman in the highest position of government. |
| B．More and more women actively engaged in politics. |
| C．A majority of women voting for a female president. |
| D．As many women in top government positions as men. |
| A．What do most Americans think of women leaders? |
| B．How to balance work and life for working women? |
| C．When can women achieve equality in the workplace? |
| D．Why are women leaders fewer in companies or governments? |
3 . There is a traditional view that a degree from top universities can in itself place you on the highest career path. If your career playing field is assessed purely by salary, then the data support this view: Oxford and Cambridge graduates have the highest median incomes of all employed graduates, five years after leaving university.
In any event, it is not just university choice that affects your career outcome. Sometimes, biases exist. For example, on Wall Street, male applicants form upper-middle-class backgrounds with an interest in team sports are particularly preferred.
Some employers are leveling the playing field, actively seeking graduates from other well-known universities, to increase diversity and perhaps because the courses at these universities offer their students advantages, including vocational elements. Other employers are trying out “background blind” admissions, removing from applications references to schools or universities.
While there may be peer or family pressure to study at certain universities, your long-term career success depends on more than the brand name, including what you can demonstrate in terms of technical and employability skills.
Research all leading universities to decide which course would suit you best, including the content, style and intensity of teaching, and examination methods. You may also consider which institution would provide the best extra-curricular (课程以外的) opportunities.
Even if Oxbridge doors close for you, other doors will open: employers will be impressed by what you do with the opportunities you actually had, not what might have been.
1. The word “biases” in Paragraph 2 most probably means| A．unexpected career outcomes | B．emphasis on culture awareness |
| C．common employing practices | D．tendencies to like someone better |
| A．one’s career outcome is affected by more factors than his university choice |
| B．it is better to apply to the companies that care less about educational backgrounds |
| C．well-known institutions prefer university graduates with proper vocational training |
| D．job applicants must provide potential employers with references to universities |
| A．your learning style | B．the brand name of the course |
| C．the way of examinations | D．the style of the teaching content |
| A．Coaches in playing field. | B．Teachers in certain universities. |
| C．Students in senior high schools. | D．Employers from famous companies. |
“I saw that the restaurant kept a record of customers who cleared the food on their plates, rewarding them accordingly.
5 . A recent study shows that more years of school could help students get higher scores on intelligence tests. That was the finding of a study of teenage males in Norway. Now, other research shows that
The research comes as educators in some countries are reducing time for activities like physical education. They are using the time instead for
Researchers at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam
Research Amika Singh says the studies showed a
Ms. Singh
Also, students
The study
Also, they were mostly observational studies. An observational study is where researchers do not do controlled comparisons. They only describe what they observe. So they might observe a link that students who are more active often have better grades. But that does not
Still, the general finding was that physically active kids are more likely to do better in school. Ms. Singh says schools should consider that finding before they
| A．mental | B．emotional | C．physical | D．potential |
| A．academic | B．imaginative | C．objective | D．useful |
| A．previewed | B．reviewed | C．preserved | D．concealed |
| A．record | B．explanation | C．treatment | D．link |
| A．risky | B．beneficial | C．affordable | D．inevitable |
| A．offers | B．discovers | C．reveals | D．recognizes |
| A．passive | B．active | C．patient | D．anxious |
| A．excuse | B．respect | C．perform | D．debate |
| A．involved | B．supposed | C．attempted | D．separated |
| A．action | B．awareness | C．recognition | D．behaviour |
| A．leaves | B．plans | C．urges | D．holds |
| A．load | B．permit | C．accept | D．affect |
| A．permanently | B．frequently | C．accordingly | D．necessarily |
| A．convert | B．confirm | C．confess | D．convey |
| A．promote | B．cut | C．develop | D．encourage |
| A. likely B. common C. necessary D. sense E. usual F. remains G. drive H. close I. occurs J. mobile K. contact |
Family Patterns in Modern Britain
The family is a central institution of modern British society, at least in the
One pattern that was
Another pattern is where parents and married children live further apart (usually about an hour’s car
7 . The huge thirst for jobs in the civil service has made the national civil servant exam one of China's most Competitive tests. The first exam was held in 1995, and since then more and more people have
The latest online
Nearly 1 million people
But the influx of applicants has already broken the exam's website once. China Youth Daily
In general, the exam means 50 people competing for one post, the report said.
| A．put up | B．signed up | C．made up | D．taken up |
| A．discussion | B．search | C．survey | D．project |
| A．found | B．told | C．spoke | D．insisted |
| A．interest | B．concept | C．difficulty | D．stability |
| A．But | B．Otherwise | C．Meanwhile | D．Instead |
| A．entered | B．adopted | C．allowed | D．applied |
| A．employed | B．won | C．succeeded | D．dismissed |
| A．examination | B．applications | C．vote | D．decision |
| A．declared | B．translated | C．praised | D．reported |
| A．generally | B．unusually | C．commonly | D．naturally |
| A．provided | B．introduced | C．supplied | D．planned |
| A．grasped | B．pulled | C．attracted | D．drawn |
| A．Spots | B．Locations | C．Work | D．Positions |
| A．satisfied | B．complained | C．compared | D．recognized |
| A．sources | B．entertainments | C．resources | D．developments |
8 . The red phone box in Britain is a perfect example of the British traditional culture. However, with the fast development of mobile phones, it has lost its place in people’s everyday life. In order to save their loved red phone boxes, people have come up with many ideas, for example, to turn them into toilets or art houses.
In a village in Somerset, a place in South West England, villagers have found a new way to save their red phone box.
People can put the books that they have read inside the phone box, and take away the books that they’d like to read.
| A．It was used as an inventory to store books. |
| B．The books are of different kinds, ranging from cooking books to the classics. |
| C．They turned it into a mini library to cope with the shortage of libraries in their area. |
| D．However, not everyone can get access to the library. |
| E．The books in the library are always changing. |
| F．Anyone is free to come to read books there. |
Most people assume that life in the rat race is bad for your health.But reversing the traditional gender roles is a stressful
According to Dr Eaker, the key to the problem is that some man became
Professor Gary Cooper, a psychologist at the University of Manchester, said many men tend to
It is estimated that men have taken over the main homemaker’s role in one seven homes, as increasing numbers of women become the main breadwinner. The study also found that women in high-powered jobs were more likely to develop heart disease than those in more
10 . Just over a decade into the 21st century, women’s progress can be celebrated across a range of fields. They hold the highest political offices from Thailand to Brazil, Costa Rica to Australia. A woman holds the top spot at the International Monetary Fund; another won the Nobel Prize in economics. Self-made billionaires in Beijing, tech innovators in Silicon Valley, pioneering justices in Ghana—in these and countless other areas, women are leaving their mark.
But hold the applause In Saudi Arabia, women aren’t allowed to drive. In Pakistan, 1,000 women die in honor killings every year. In the developed world, women lag behind men in pay and political power. The poverty rate among women in the U.S. rose to 14.5% last year.
To measure the state of women’s progress, Newsweek ranked 165 countries, looking at five areas that affect women’s lives: treatment under the law, workforce participation, political power, and access to education and health care. Analyzing data from the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, among others, and consulting with experts and academics, we measured 28 factors to come up with our rankings.
Countries with the highest scores tend to be clustered in the West, where gender discrimination is against the law, and equal rights are constitutionally enshrined (神圣化). But there were some surprises. Some otherwise high-ranking countries had relatively low scores for political representation. Canada ranked third overall but 26th in power, behind countries such as Cuba and Burundi. Does this suggest that a woman in a nation’s top office translates to better lives for women in general? Not exactly. “Trying to quantify or measure the impact of women in politics is hard because in very few countries have there been enough women in politics to make a difference,” says Anne-Marie Goetz, peace and security adviser for U.N. Women.
Certain conclusions are nonetheless clear. For one thing, our index backs up a simple but profound statement made by Hillary Clinton at the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. “When we liberate the economic potential of women, we elevate the economic performance of communities, nations, and the world,” she said. “There’s a stimulative effect that kicks in when women have greater access to jobs and the economic lives of our countries: Greater political stability. Fewer military conflicts More food. More educational opportunity for children. By harnessing (利用) the economic potential of all women, we boost opportunity for all people.”
1. What does the author think about women’s progress so far?| A．It still leaves much to be desired. | B．It is too remarkable to be measured. |
| C．It has greatly changed women’s fate. | D．It is achieved through hard struggle. |
| A．Where women hold key posts in government. |
| B．Where women’s rights are protected by law. |
| C．Where women’s participation in management is high. |
| D．Where women enjoy better education and health care. |
| A．It does not necessarily raise women’s political awareness. |
| B．It does not guarantee a better life for the nation’s women. |
| C．It enhances women’s status. |
| D．It boosts women’s confidence. |
| A．Give women more political power. | B．Stimulate women’s creativity. |
| C．Allow women access to education | D．Tap women’s economic potential. |
