One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We nat

One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We nat

题型:不详难度:来源:
One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We naturally expect that a doctor’s salary will be higher than a bus conductor’s wages. But the question becomes much more difficult to answer when we compare a miner with an engineer, or an unskilled man working on an oil-rig(钻探平台)with a teacher in a secondary school. What the doctor, the engineer and the teacher have in common is that they have devoted several years to studying in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. We feel instinctively that these skills and these years should be rewarded. At the same time we recognize that the work of the miner and the oil-rig laborer is both hard and dangerous, and that they must be highly paid for the risks they take.
  Another aspect we must take into consideration is how socially useful a man’s work is. Most people would agree that looking after the sick or teaching children is more important than, say, selling second-hand cars. Yet it is almost certain that the used-car salesman earns more than the nurse and the schoolteacher.
  Indeed, this whole question of just rewards can be turned on its head. You can argue that a man who does a job which brings him personal satisfaction is already receiving part of his reward in the form of a so-called “psychic(精神的)wage”, and that it is the man with the boring, repetitive job who needs more money to make up for the soul-destroying repetitiveness of his work. It is significant that the jobs like nursing and teaching continue to be poorly paid, while others, such as those in the world of sport or entertainment, carry financial rewards out of all proportion to their social worth.
Although the amount of money that people earn is largely determined by market forces, this should not prevent us from seeking some way to decide what is the right pay for the job. A starting point would be to try to decide the ratio(比率)which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicated by two factors: firstly by the welfare benefits which every citizen receives, and secondly by the taxation system which is often used as an instrument of social justice by taxing high incomes at a very high rate indeed. Most countries now regard a ratio of 7:1 as socially acceptable. If it is less, the highly-qualified people carrying heavy responsibilities will become disappointed, and might even end up by leaving for another country. If it is more, the difference between rich and poor will be so great that it will lead to social unrest.
小题1:Why do people naturally expect that doctors should be well-paid?
A.Their work requires greater intelligence.
B.They are under constant pressure at work.
C.They work harder than most other people.
D.They have studied for years to get qualified.
小题2:In Paragraph 2 and 3, the author indicates that __________.
A.the talented should do more important work
B.unskilled jobs have less social responsibility
C.those with more socially useful jobs earn less
D.people want to pay more to important services
小题3:Which of the following statements would the author agree?
A.It’s difficult to define the social value of a job.
B.The market will decide what the right pay is for a job.
C.People should find a proper ratio between high and low pay.
D.Those receiving high salary should carry heavy responsibilities.

答案

小题1:D
小题2:C
小题3:C
解析

试题分析:文章讨论的是社会上工资分配问题,到底什么样的工作应该得到高工资?作者认为最低工资和最高工资应该有个适当的比率。
小题1:细节题:从第一段的句子:What the doctor, the engineer and the teacher have in common is that they have devoted several years to studying in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. 可知医生经过多年的学习才有医师资格,所以人们认为他们应该拿高工资。选D
小题2:细节题:从第二段的句子:Yet it is almost certain that the used-car salesman earns more than the nurse and the schoolteacher. 可知对社会有用的工作反而得到的工资很少。选C
小题3:细节题:从第四段的句子:A starting point would be to try to decide the ratio(比率)which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. 可知作者认为人们应该在最低工资和最高工资有个适当的比率。选C
点评:首段主题由most difficult question引出,可见其后的内容都是围绕工资展开。第二段的主题句也很明显,显然就是对影响工资的另一个因素的讨论。而第三段indeed后面引出的才是作者真正的观点,即人的工资的有一部分是“精神工资”,只有算上这部分工资,才能衡量一个人真正应得的报酬。结构是很清楚的,题目设置都是细节题。可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息或是其变体。搜查信息在阅读中非常重要它包括理解作者在叙述某事时使用的具体事实、数据、图表等细节信息。
举一反三
Crowd controls could soon become an important skill for climbers on Mount Everest, as important as physical strength or watching the weather. In a single day last week, nearly 40 people reached the top of the world --- a record. Reports from base camp spoke of queues at dangerous ridges and crowds as people passed each other in the final dash for the 8, 848 meters top.
More traditional mountaineers tease about the circus atmosphere surrounding Everest in re­cent years, and there are warnings that the crowds are making the mountain more dangerous. In 1996, 14 died on the mountain when the members of several groups were trapped at high altitudes by sudden snowstorms. Bad weather in early May led to this year’s jam on the summit ridge, but the loss, luckily, was light. Just four climbers died, in­cluding a Nepali Sherpa who had made 11 previous successful climbing.
Traditionalists are also worried about the growing tendency of climbers to set records and achieve “firsts”, rather than simply climb the mountain. This year’s crop of mountaineers included the oldest man, 64-year-old Sherman Bull from Connecticut, and the youngest, 16-year-old Temba Tsheri Sherpa of Nepal. An American with only one arm was on the mountain this year; an Indian with no legs also tried but failed. Erik Weihennieyer, an Ameri­can, became the first blind person to reach the top of the world. His fellow climbers stayed in front of him on the way up, describing the type of land and ringing bells.
Nepal(尼泊尔)views Mount Everest as something of a cash cow. The government charges journeys a minimum of $ 70,000. That is probably why officials in Katmandu are ignoring concerns about overcrowding and talking about even more climbers coming next year. But a celebration of the 48th anniversary of the first conquest of Everest, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was cancelled after violent strikes. Tumultuous(动乱的)Nepali politics, it seems, could be just the crowd-control mea­sure that Everest needs.
小题1:What is the problem that the climbers have to face in recent years?
A.Bad Weather.B.Technology.C.Overcrowding.D.Physical strength.
小题2:What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.The risks of mountain climbing.
B.The consequence of overcrowding.
C.The challenge that climbers have to face.
D.The damage that snowstorms have caused.
小题3:Several climbers are mentioned in Paragraph 3 to show ______.
A.their great courageB.their common motivation
C.their different identityD.their outstanding achievements
小题4:What is the attitude of the Nepali government towards overcrowding?
A.Unconcerned.B.Doubtful.C.Disapproving.D.Worried.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
How far would you be willing to go to satisfy your need to know? Far enough to find out your possibility of dying from a terrible disease? These days that’s more than an academic question, as Tracy Smith reports in our Cover Story.
There are now more than a thousand genetic tests, for everything from baldness to breast cancer, and the list is growing. Question is, do you really want to know what might eventually kill you? For instance, Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, one of the first people to map their entire genetic makeup, is said to have asked not to be told if he were at a higher risk for Alzheimer’(老年痴呆症).
“If I tell you that you have an increased risk of getting a terrible disease, that could weigh on your mind and make you anxious, through which you see the rest of your life as you wait for that disease to hit you. It could really mess you up.” Said Dr. Robert Green, a Harvard geneticist.
“Every ache and pain,” Smith suggested, “could be understood as the beginning of the end.” “That ’s right. If you ever worried you were at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, then every time you can’t find your car in the parking lot, you think the disease has started.”
Dr. Green has been thinking about this issue for years. He led a study of people who wanted to know if they were at a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s. It was thought that people who got bad news would, for lack of a better medical term, freak out. But Green and his team found that there was “no significant difference” between how people handled good news and possibly the worst news of their lives. In fact, most people think they can handle it. People who ask for the information usually can handle the information, good or bad, said Green.
小题1:Which of the following is true about James Watson?
A.He doesn’t want to know his chance of getting a disease.
B.He is strongly in favor of the present genetic tests.
C.He believes genetic mapping can help cure any disease.
D.He is more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
小题2:The first paragraph is meant to__________.
A.ask some questionsB.satisfy readers’ curiosity
C.introduce the topicD.describe an academic fact
小题3:According to Paragraphs 3 and 4, if a person is at a higher genetic risk, it is__________.
A.necessary to remove his anxietyB.impossible to hide his disease
C.better to inform him immediatelyD.advisable not to let him know
小题4:The underlined part “freak out” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to“_________”.
A.leave offB.break downC.drop outD.turn away
小题5:The study led by Dr. Green indicates that people__________.
A.can accept some bad newsB.tend to find out the truth
C.prefer to hear good newsD.have the right to be informed

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
“Dining out”, or “eating out”, is a phrase people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or a pub. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than ever before.
However, eating out can be expensive. Restaurants are normally more expensive than pubs, though many pubs serve very good, simple food. As British people don’t dine out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going for the first date, or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant. People often eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theatre.
As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette (礼节)surrounding food and eating, and nowhere is this more pronounced than when eating in a smart restaurant. People are almost always expected to eat with a knife and fork and these should be held in the correct hand and used in the correct way. It is also impolite to have your elbows on the dining table when you are eating.
There’re many such “unspoken” rules — they are normally only important when eating in a very elegant and expensive restaurant, and vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant and place to place. A recent nationwide survey showed that there was a divide in manners between the north and south of Britain — the “worst” manners were in Scotland and the northeast, and the “best” in Wales and the southeast! However, this survey was almost certainly conducted by someone in the southeast, so it may not be entirely fair.
Naturally, restaurants vary greatly in quality and price. However, almost all British cities have a vast range of food and cooking styles to choose from as well as traditional British food,. from the very cheap to the very expensive — French, Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese and many more. In fact, when asked what their favorite food is, many British people say an Indian curry (咖喱菜)rather than any other dish!
As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “takeaway”. This means they order from a takeaway or takeout restaurant by phone, then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many takeout restaurants also deliver to your house. While you can normally find a takeout restaurant for almost any cuisine, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese — and all you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat!
小题1:What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
A.The British spend more eating out than cooking at home.
B.The British pay great attention to eating in a restaurant.
C.The British often dine out when celebrating festivals.
D.People tend to eat in a restaurant after watching a movie.
小题2:The underlined word pronounced” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_____”.
A.politeB.expensiveC.strangeD.obvious
小题3:According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.There exist great differences of rules in different restaurants.
B.People from Wales and southeast Britain are the most polite.
C.Your order in a takeout restaurant can be sent to your home.
D.Traditional British food is seldom served in British restaurants.
小题4:What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Restaurant culture in Britain.B.Table manners in Britain.
C.Different restaurants in Britain.D.Traditional and foreign foods in Britain.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed
Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
小题1:It can be learned from the passage that stars today___.
A.are often misunderstood by the public
B.can no longer have their privacy protected
C.spend too much on their public appearance
D.care little about how they have come into fame
小题2:What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A.Great heroes of the past were generally admired.
B.The problem faced by celebrities has a long history.
C.Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids.
D.Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers.
小题3: What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
A.Availability of modern media. B.Inadequate social recognition.
C.Lack of favorable chances.D.Huge population of fans.
小题4:What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?
A.Sincere.B.Sceptical.C.Disapproving.D.Sympathetic.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
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

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
最新试题
热门考点

超级试练试题库

© 2017-2019 超级试练试题库,All Rights Reserved.