We’ve considered several ways of paying to cut in line: hiring line standers, bu

We’ve considered several ways of paying to cut in line: hiring line standers, bu

题型:不详难度:来源:
We’ve considered several ways of paying to cut in line: hiring line standers, buying tickets from scalpers (票贩子), or purchasing line-cutting privileges directly from, say, an airline or an amusement park. Each of these deals replaces the morals of the queue (waiting your turn) with the morals of the market (paying a price for faster service).
Markets and queues—paying and waiting—are two different ways of allocating things, and each is appropriate to different activities. The morals of the queue, “First come, first served, have an egalitarian (平等主义的) appeal. They tell us to ignore privilege, power, and deep pockets.
The principle seems right on playgrounds and at bus stops. But the morals of the queue do not govern all occasions. If I put my house up for sale, I have no duty to accept the first offer that comes along, simply because it’s the first. Selling my house and waiting for a bus are different activities, properly governed by different standards.
Sometimes standards change, and it is unclear which principle should apply. Think of the recorded message you hear, played over and over, as you wait on hold when calling your bank: “Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received.” This is essential for the morals of the queue. It’s as if the company is trying to ease our impatience with fairness.
But don’t take the recorded message too seriously. Today, some people’s calls are answered faster than others. Call center technology enables companies to “score” incoming calls and to give faster service to those that come from rich places. You might call this telephonic queue jumping.
Of course, markets and queues are not the only ways of allocating things. Some goods we distribute by merit, others by need, still others by chance. However, the tendency of markets to replace queues, and other non-market ways of allocating goods is so common in modern life that we scarcely notice it anymore. It is striking that most of the paid queue-jumping schemes we’ve considered—at airports and amusement parks, in call centers, doctors’ offices, and national parks—are recent developments, scarcely imaginable three decades ago. The disappearance of the queues in these places may seem an unusual concern, but these are not the only places that markets have entered.
小题1:According to the author, which of the following seems governed by the principle “First come, first served”?
A.Taking buses. B.Buying houses.
C.Flying with an airline.D.Visiting amusement parks.
小题2:The example of the recorded message in Paragraphs 4 and 5 illustrates ______.
A.the necessity of patience in queuing
B.the advantage of modern technology
C.the uncertainty of allocation principle
D.the fairness of telephonic services
小题3:The passage is meant to ______.
A.justify paying for faster services
B.discuss the morals of allocating things
C.analyze the reason for standing in line
D.criticize the behavior of queue jumping

答案

小题1:A
小题2:C
小题3:B
解析

【文章大意】本文是议论文,是作者对“the morals of allocating things” (分配事情的道德标准) 的见解。作者提到以下几点内容:1. 额外付款得到更快服务和排队等候是分配事情所采取的两种不同方式,他们适用于不同的场合;2.排队等候原则在运动场上和车站似乎是对的,但也不是说所有场合都适用,有时候标准是会变的;3. 对待各种场合的录音信息不要太认真,有时候公司会利用呼叫中心给某些人优先权;4. 额外付款得到更快服务和排队等候并不是分配事情所采取的固定方式,可是现在额外付款得到更快服务的方式有取代排队等候和其它的分配方式的趋势,这排队原则的逐渐消失令人担忧。
小题1:从第二段第二句话和第三段第一句可知排队等车时遵循先来先上的原则。
小题2:4、5两段主要是说排队等候原则不是说所有场合都适用,有时候标准是会变的,对待各种场合的录音信息不要太认真,有时候公司会利用呼叫中心给某些人优先权,所以说这种分配事情的原则不是一成不变的。
小题3:本文主要讨论了排队等候原则和额外付款得到更快服务的情况,所以B项是文章主要内容。
举一反三
We’ve reached a strange—some would say unusual—point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.
Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What’s going on?
We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.
In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.
Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body-conscious country.
We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.
Others blame good food. They say: it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.
Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape, or rather slim.
It’s a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.
小题1:What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence?
A.The good life is a greater risk than the bad life.
B.Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world.
C.WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety.
D.Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts.
小题2:Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?
A.A lot of effective diet pills are available.
B.Body image has nothing to do with good food.
C.They have been made fully aware of its dangers.
D.There are too many overweight people in the world.
小题3:The example of Finland is used to illustrate ______.
A.the cause of heart disease
B.the fashion of body shaping
C.the effectiveness of a campaign
D.the history of a body-conscious country
小题4:Which would be the best title for the passage?
A.Actions or Excuses?B.Overweight or Underweight?
C.WHO in a DilemmaD.No Longer Dying of Hunger

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
A German study suggests that people who were too optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than those pessimists who expected their future to be worse.
The paper, published this March in Psychology and Aging, examined health and welfare surveys from roughly 40,000 Germans between ages 18 and 96. The surveys were conducted every year from 1993 to 2003.
Survey respondents (受访者) were asked to estimate their present and future life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10, among other questions.
The researchers found that young adults (age 18 to 39) routinely overestimated their future life satisfaction, while middle-aged adults (age 40 to 64) more accurately predicted how they would feel in the future. Adults of 65 and older, however, were far more likely to underestimate their future life satisfaction. Not only did they feel more satisfied than they thought they would, the older pessimists seemed to suffer a lower ratio (比率) of disability and death for the study period.
“We observed that being too optimistic in predicting a better future than actually observed was associated with a greater risk of disability and a greater risk of death within the following decade,” wrote Frieder R. Lang, a professor at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
Lang and his colleagues believed that people who were pessimistic about their future may be more careful about their actions than people who expected a rosy future.
“Seeing a dark future may encourage positive evaluations of the actual self and may contribute to taking improved precautions (预防措施),” the authors wrote.
Surprisingly, compared with those in poor health or who had low incomes, respondents who enjoyed good health or income were associated with expecting a greater decline. Also, the researchers said that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability.
The authors of the study noted that there were limitations to their conclusions. Illness, medical treatment and personal loss could also have driven health outcomes.
However, the researchers said a pattern was clear. “We found that from early to late adulthood, individuals adapt their expectations of future life satisfaction from optimistic, to accurate, to pessimistic,” the authors concluded.
小题1:According to the study, who made the most accurate prediction of their future life satisfaction?
A.Optimistic adults.B.Middle-aged adults.
C.Adults in poor health.D.Adults of lower income.
小题2:Pessimism may be positive in some way because it causes people ______.
A.to fully enjoy their present life
B.to estimate their contribution accurately
C.to take measures against potential risks
D.to value health more highly than wealth
小题3:How do people of higher income see their future?
A.They will earn less money.
B.They will become pessimistic.
C.They will suffer mental illness.
D.They will have less time to enjoy life.
小题4: What is the clear conclusion of the study?
A.Pessimism guarantees chances of survival.
B.Good financial condition leads to good health.
C.Medical treatment determines health outcomes.
D.Expectations of future life satisfaction decline with age.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
A MENTORING (导师制) program is giving life changing opportunities to Banbury youth.
Young Inspirations was founded two years ago to provide mentoring sessions for students and unemployed young adults aged 11 to 21.
Alex Goldberg, the program"s founder, said; "We set up Young Inspirations because we wanted to give young people experiences which will potentially be life changing and broaden their outlook.
"We try to create work experience opportunities that will really make a difference to our youth. For example, we"ve secured internships (实习) with world-famous firms such as Honda.
"At a time of funding cutbacks where schools are finding it more and more difficult to offer this kind of mentoring, it is extremely important that these opportunities are available both to help youth with their school work and grades and to give them opportunities which may help shape their futures. " Kieran Hepburn, 14, is one of a group of Banbury youth who has benefited from the program so far. In October the Banbury School pupil was accompanied by Young Inspirations staff to Paris where he was an observer at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization"s (UNESCO) International Youth Forum (论坛).
The event was held for young people from around the world, to seek their views on how the future of youth and education should look. Kieran joined several hundred observers mostly in their 20s and was the only UK school pupil to attend the event. Kieran thinks the trip was a life changing experience. " Before we left I didn"t quite know what to make of it but when we got there we didn"t stop, it was amazing," he said, " We went to three or four hours of debates each day and then did something cultural each afternoon. "
The main theme of the forum was how youth can drive change in political and public life. It dealt with issues (问题) such as drug abuse, violence and unemployment.
Kieran said: " It has really helped me to improve my confidence and social skills as well as my school grades and I was voted most improved pupil at school in August. "
The Young Inspirations mentoring sessions take place each Friday in Banbury. For details visit www.younginspirations.com.
小题1:The Young Inspirations mentoring program aims to _____.
A.train staff for world-famous firmsB.offer job opportunities to young adults
C.provide youth with unique experiencesD.equip the unemployed with different skills
小题2:According to Alex Goldberg, it is difficult for schools to offer the mentoring due to _____.
A.the lack of support from firmsB.the cultural differences
C.the effect of unemploymentD.the shortage of money
小题3:According to the passage, the forum focused on how youth can ____.
A.build up their confidence at schoolB.find work experience opportunities
C.improve their social skills for the futureD.play an active role in the change of society
小题4:We can learn from the passage that _____.
A. the visit to the United Kingdom was amazing
B. Kieran has made great progress in many aspects
C. the youth have found a way to solve their problems
D. the mentoring sessions are held every day except Friday
小题5:What would be the best tide for the passage?
A. Alex Goldberg, Founder of Young Inspirations
B. Young People Find a World of Opportunity
C. Kieran, Banbury School Pupil to Paris
D. Debates Help Youth with Their Grades

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
After lunch,I walked back home. I was just to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but,as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.
The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on pavement is an attention-getter.It Can be nothing more than a penny.Whatever the coin is,no one ignores the sound of it.It got me thinking about sounds again.We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention.
People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine,a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.When I’m in New York,I’m a New Yorker.I don’t turn either.Like the natives,I hardly hear a siren(警报)there.
However,at home in my little town in Connecticut,it’s different.The distant sound of a police car, all emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m seated and brings me to the window if I’m in bed.It’s the quietest sounds that have most effect on us.not the loudest.In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away thigh three closed doors.I’ve been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imaginnation turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house.How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?
I’m quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are,I’ve turned against whistling,for instance:I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I’ve been associating the whistler with a nervous person making unconscious noises.The tapping,tapping,tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me.I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it.
小题1:The sound of a coin dropping makes people________
A.think of moneyB.look at each other
C.pay attention to itD.stop crossing the street
小题2:The author dislikes whistling because__________
A.he has got tired of itB.it reminds him of tense people
C.he used to be happierD.he doesn’t like workers
小题3:What kind of sound does the author find pleasant?
A.Tapping sound of his typewriter.B.Clinking sound of keys
C.Tinkling sound of a coin dropping.D.Creaking sound of footsteps
小题4:How does the author feel about sounds in general?
A.They make him feel al home.B.He thinks they should be ignored
C.He prefers silence to loud noises.D.He believes they are part of our life

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
It often happens that a number of applicants with almost the same qualifications and experience all apply for the same position. In their educational background, special skills and work experience, there is little, if anything, to choose between half a dozen candidates. How then does the employer make a choice? Usually on the basis of an interview.
There are many arguments for and against the interview as a way of selection. The main argument against it is that it results in a wholly subjective decision. As often as not, employers do not choose the best candidate. They choose the candidate who makes a good first impression on them. Some employers, of course, reply to this argument by saying that they have become so experienced in interviewing staff that they are able to make a good assessment of each candidate’s likely performance. The main argument in favor of the interview is that an employer is concerned not only with a candidate’s ability, but with his or her suitable personality for the particular work situation. Many employers, for example, will overlook occasional mistakes from their secretary if she has a pleasant personality.
It is perhaps true to say, therefore, that the real purpose of an interview is not to assess the assessable aspects of each candidate but to make a guess at the things that are hard to measure, such as personality, character and social ability. Unfortunately, both for the employers and applicants for jobs, there are many people of great ability who simply do not interview well. There are also, of course, people who interview extremely well, but are later found to be very unsatisfactory employees. Candidates who interview well tend to be quietly confident, but never boastful(自夸的), direct and straightforward in their questions and answers; cheerful and friendly, but never over-familiar; and sincerely enthusiastic and optimistic. Candidates who interview badly tend to be either very shy or over-confident. They either talk too little or never stop talking. They are either over polite or a bit rude.
小题1:People argue over the interview mainly because they have   .
A.different purposes in the interview
B.different experiences in interviews
C.different standards of selection
D.different ways of selection
小题2:The underlined word “subjective” means “based on one’s     rather than facts” .
A.personalityB.characterC.opinionD.ability
小题3:The purpose of the last paragraph is to indicate     
A.a link between success in interview and personality
B.connections between work abilities and personality
C.differences in interview experience
D.differences in personal behavior
小题4:What is the author’s attitude towards the interview?
A.He thinks it is a good way of selection
B.He doesn’t quite agree with it
C.He is neither for nor against it
D.It is not clear

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
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