英语读写试卷.doc

Work-life Balance： A Growing Struggle

A) We can email, text， face-book and tweet anywhere, anytime. But have smart—phones and tablets (平板电脑) made it easier to balance work with the rest of life？

B) In the decade since John Howard dubbed the work—life balance a “barbecue stopper"， mobile technologies have revolutionized work for many Australians。 They have eliminated the physical boundaries that once defined workplaces and allowed employees unprecedented flexibility 优点
in where and when they work. But new technologies can be a mixed blessing for workers. The office is always in your pocket.

C） The Australian Work and Life Index， prepared by the Centre for Work + Life at the University of South Australia, has tracked the work-life experience of Australian workers for five years. The latest report, titled “The Big Squeeze"， shows little improvement in work—life outcomes in that time。 According to the centre’s director and a co-author of the report， Professor Barbara Pocock， at least a quarter of Australian workers are badly affected by work—life interference. “We are not seeing a runaway train here but we are seeing a problem that is affecting a lot of people and it is very persistent，缺点
” Pocock says.

D） However， there is one group for which things are getting worse: full—time women workers。
That group’s dissatisfaction with their work-life balance has climbed from 15。9 percent to 27.5 percent over the past five years, while the same rate for full-time men has been fairly steady. Seven out of 10 full-time women workers often or always feel “rushed and pressed for time” and 41 percent of mothers with full-time jobs said they would prefer to work part-time – the largest proportion since 2007。

E) Professor Pocock says mobile technologies are a contributing factor， especially for those who work in the service sector and among managers and professionals。 “We’ve got work that’s leaping the spatial boundary of the workplace and that's particularly affecting full—time women who are holding households together，" she says。 “Mobile technologies are a fantastic resource but our data shows there's a dark side. there’s a dark side.
And it’s often overwhelming the flexibility that new technologies give。 People feel good about being able to deal with stuff on the run and when it suits them, but it’s got a real shadow side。"

F) Liz Marchant relies heavily on mobile technologies in her role as a director of the Sydney—based marketing and public relations firm Recognition PR。 Checking emails is “the first thing I do when I wake up and the last thing I do before I go to sleep”， she says. “Because I’m a working mum， I typically leave the office at five o’clock on the dot but I always check in of an evening to make sure that I haven’t left anything undone。” She always waits until her six-year-old has gone to bed before checking in on work。 “What we have now is an ‘instant response' society，” she says. “We send an email and we do expect a response no matter what time it is， or even what day it is， and that changes the dynamics of every day。"现状
“Mobile devices provide opportunities we didn’t have a few years ago in that we can leave and pick up the kids from school and not feel guilty,” she says. “But it means you never turn off because you are always connected and there’s an expectation that you will always be across things. Mobile devices enable me to be there with the kids but it also means you might not be paying 100 percent attention – so it’s a catch—22 (进退两难的处境）， right？”

G） Melissa Gregg， a Sydney University academic who has done extensive research on the impact of technology on work life, says the flexibility and convenience offered by mobile technologies get much more attention than the costs. “The trouble is that mobile technologies are changing the locations of work，" she says。 “We no longer have physical limits on how we access our work and I think that’s something that we’ve avoided thinking about carefully."

H) Gregg found new technologies meant many employees – especially women who work part—time – are doing large amounts of unpaid work. “During my research women would say to me， ‘It’s so convenient to have my laptop open on the dining room table. I can keep an eye on my email while I’m cooking dinner and while I’m helping my child do his homework’。 While that’s described as convenient， they are actually engaging in three different types of unpaid labor in that situation。 It’s hardly convenient if your work isn’t being recognized.” She also discovered many workers check emails in the morning to try to gain more control over their work days。

I) Pocock said her team's study confirms the importance of policies that promote greater flexibility for workers. Two years ago parents with of preschool children， or children under 18 with a disability, were given the “right to request” work flexibility from their employer。 But the University of South Australia’s research showed many parents are unaware of the right to request flexibility, or unwilling to ask their employer。

J) “In many workplaces getting flexibility is difficult especially where standard working arrangements are dominant，非常有道理
the climate is hostile to flexibility， or workers anticipate a stigma (耻辱) arising from a request for flexibility,” the report says。

K) Since 2008 the university’s research points to more people saying that work interferes with activities outside their jobs and with spending time with friends.
The rates of perceived “work intensification” reported by Australian workers is higher than in Europe using similar measures。 Nearly a third of workers feel that they have too much work for one person to do （33。2 percent of women and 30.3 percent of men）. Almost one in three men put in more than 48 hours a week and most of them wanted to work less。

L) But there is a paradox. Over the last four years those satisfied with their work-life balance has risen slightly， from 68。3 percent to 69.1 percent. Workers are as stressed or more stressed than ever but there is a level of acceptance about it that this is the way things are。 “This is not all a negative story,” Pocock says。 “Lots of people are managing fine。"
“Lots of people are managing fine.”

M) Architect Helena Barriga works 32。5 hours a week, has two daughters aged five and eight， and does much of the unpaid work at home such as taking the girls to gymnastics or swimming. Her schedule allows her to pursue a career she enjoys. “I wouldn’t want to reduce my hours，” she says。 “I think it works for the girls and works for me." Another architect and mother of two, Kirsten Grant， says the balance to manage work and family is part of a life she wants and a career she loves。 “Work is important to me so I’m prepared to pay for it。 If you do a list of pros and cons, there’d be a significant number of negatives but I’d say the positives outweigh the negatives."总结

1)
L)Though under greater pressure than ever before， many workers can not only accept it but also manage it well.
2）
H) It is found that new technologies make many workers， especially part—time working women, do a lot of unpaid work.
3）
B）Mobile technologies have completely changed many Australians’ way of working， making their working time and place more flexible.
4）
F） Mobile devices make working mothers have more time to be with their kids， but they are unable to pay all their attention to the kids with the devices kept on all the time。
5）
C)It is reported that at least one fourth of Australian workers are seriously influenced by work—life interference。
6)
K)More and more people think that work interferes with their time with friends and their activities outside work。
7）
M)We pay far more attention to the flexibility and convenience brought by mobile technologies than the costs we have to pay。
8）
J)In the workplaces where standard working arrangements prevail， it is difficult for workers to ask for flexibility.
9)
D) Over the past five years， the rate of full—time women workers who are dissatisfied with their work-life balance has been on the rise。
10)
I） Although parents with preschool children were given the right to request for work flexibility, they are not realizing the existence of the right or unwilling to exercise it。
阅读理解15题，总分值：15分
Directions：

Read the following passages carefully。 Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished sentences。 For each of them there are four choices marked A， B, C, and D。 Choose the best answer to each question。
We all laugh. We all hurt. We all make mistakes. We all dream， that’s life. It’s a journey. Please follow these rules to make the journey of your life a journey of joy！ Staying positive through the cold season could be your best defense against getting ill， new study findings suggest。

In an experiment that exposed healthy volunteers to a cold or flu virus, researchers found that people with a generally sunny disposition （性格) were less likely to fall ill. The findings， published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine， build on evidence that a “positive emotional style” can help ward off the common cold and other illnesses。

Researchers believe the reasons may be both objective as in happiness boosting immune function and subjective as in happy people being less troubled by a scratchy throat or runny nose。 “People with a positive emotional style may have different immune response to the virus，” explained lead study author Dr Sheldon Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh。 “And when they do get a cold, they may interpret their illness as being less severe。”

Cohen and his colleagues had found in a previous study that happier people seemed less likely to catch a cold， but some questions remained as to whether the emotional trait itself had the effect。

For the new study， the researchers had 193 healthy adults with complete standard measures of personality traits, self—perceived health and emotional “style”。 Those who tended to be happy, energetic and easy—going were judged as having a positive emotional style, while those who were often unhappy, tense and hostile had a negative style。 The researchers gave them nose drops containing either a cold virus or a particular flu virus。 Over the next six days, the volunteers reported on any aches, pains， or sneezing (打喷嚏） they had, while the researchers collected objective data。 Cohen and his colleagues found that based on objective measures of nasal woes (鼻部的不适）, happy people were less likely to develop a cold.
11)
The new study findings in the experiment suggest that _________.
  A。 Having a negative emotion is harmful to the character.
  B。 Being optimistic is more probable to keep healthy.
  C。 Staying positive is more likely to catch cold。
  D。 Having a good disposition is more likely to get ill.
12)
The phrase “ward off” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “_________”。
  A. shrug off
  B. keep away
  C. set aside
  D. give in
13)
It can be inferred from Dr。 Sheldon Cohen’s interpretation that _________
  A. people with a positive emotion are more likely to regard their illness as less serious。
  B. people with a positive emotion are more likely to interpret their illness objectively.
  C. people with a negative emotion are more likely to interpret their illness subjectively.
  D。 people with a negative emotion are more likely to boost immune function to the virus.
14)
It can be learnt from the passage that the benefits of having a positive emotional style are _____________。
  A. self-evident
  B. to be further studied
  C. still dubious
  D. proven by scientific research
15)
Which of the following would be the best TITLE for the passage?
  A。 Scientific Evidence of Staying Healthy
  B。 The Health Benefits of Staying Positive
  C。 The Secrets of Staying Positive
  D。 A Happy Journey Full of Joy
    A generation after Americans lost the habit of knowing who their space heroes really are, the Columbia astronauts were remembered Tuesday as awe-struck （肃然起敬的） youngsters who longed to “reach the stars”， and as fun—loving but dedicated adults who never lost their sense of adventure. President Bush and first lady Laura Bush attended a 45—minute memorial ceremony at the Johnson Space Center。

    The president and the chief of the astronaut corps helped bring the adventurous lives of the seven Columbia astronauts who died Saturday into focus for NASA employees and the nation. Navy Capt。 Kent Rominger, the astronaut corps chief, remembered the crew as a ’’generous and caring bunch with a great sense of humor’'。

    Bush also eulogized each astronaut。 He spoke on a breezy, clear day as thousands of space program workers stood around a tree-lined pond。 The televised ceremony was also broadcast for workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ''Their mission was almost complete， and we lost them so close to home,’’ Bush said. ’'Their loss was sudden and terrible。 And for their families, the grief is heavy。 Our nation shares in your sorrow and your pride。 And today we remember not only one moment of tragedy but seven lives of great purpose and achievement。’’ Bush declared that the United States would continue its manned space program： ’'This cause of exploration and discovery is not an option we choose. It is a desire written in the human heart.’’

    Bush was accompanied to Houston on Air Force One with former senator John Glenn， the first American to orbit the Earth, and Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon。 The president arrived at the ceremony walking hand—in-hand with the first lady. Afterward， they met privately with about 40 family members。 A White House assistant said Bush spoke to each person. He made small talk with the children about school and offered his regrets for meeting at such a tragic time。 He told one widow， ‘‘you're a strong soul。'’ He said to one father who lost a child, ‘‘we’re so proud of you as a father。 ''

    The roar of NASA T-38 training jets that flew a ’’missing man’' formation still echoed in the distance, as space agency workers leaving the ceremony said they had found comfort in the service。
16）
What is the main topic of the passage?
  A。 Spirit of those space heroes.
  B。 Address of the president Bush.
  C。 Description of the memorial ceremony。
  D。 Tragedy of seven Columbia astronauts.
17)
Where was the ceremony in memory of the seven Columbia astronauts held?
  A. In Washington.
  B。 In Florida.
  C. At the Kennedy Space Center。
  D. At the Johnson Space Center。
18）
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
  A。 Laura Bush， the first lady, took part in the ceremony with the president.
  B。 Workers at the Kennedy Space Center attended the memorial ceremony.
  C. The seven Columbia astronauts lost their lives on Saturday.
  D. The United States will continue its manned space program。
19)
What does the word “eu