Work-life balance: Ways to restore harmony and reduce stress Finding work-life balance in today's frenetically paced world is no simple task. Spend more time at work than at home, and you miss out on a rewarding personal life. Then again, when you face challenges in your personal life, such as caring for an aging parent or coping with marital problems, concentrating on your job can be difficult. Whether the problem is too much focus on work or too little, when your work life and your personal life feel out of balance, stress -- along with its harmful effects -- is the result. The good news is that you can take control of your work-life balance -- and give yourself the time to do the things that are most important to you. The first step is to recognize how the world of work has changed. Then you can evaluate your relationship to work and apply some specific strategies for striking a healthier balance. How work invades your personal life There was a time when employees showed up for work Monday through Friday and worked eight- to nine-hour days. The boundaries between work and home were fairly clear then. But the world has changed and, unfortunately, the boundaries have blurred for many workers. Here's why: *Global economy. As more skilled workers enter the global labor market and companies outsource or move more jobs to reduce labor costs, people feel pressured to work longer and produce more just to protect their jobs. *International business. Work continues around the world 24 hours a day for some people. If you work in an international organization, you might be on call around the clock for troubleshooting or consulting. *Advanced communication technology. Many people now have the ability to work anywhere -- from their home, from their car and even on vacation. And some managers expect this. *Longer hours. Employers commonly ask employees to work longer hours than they're scheduled. Often, overtime is mandatory. If you hope to move up the career ladder, you may find yourself regularly working more than 40... What does the real balance mean according to the author? A) Being firm that working overtime will strike a work-life balance. B) Examining priorities and deciding what is the most important to you. C) Trying to carrying out everything you want to do whether you can do it or not. D) Being cautious when saying no to somebody in a bid to maintain fine relationships.
B
At Blossom End Railroad Station, 22-year-old Stanley Vine sat, waiting for his new employer. The surrounding green fields were so unlike the muddy landscape of war-torn France. After four horrible years as an army private fighting in Europe, Stanley had returned to England in February 1946. Armed now with some savings and with no prospects for a job in England, he answered a newspaper ad for farm help in Canada. Two months later he was on his way. When the old car rumbled toward the tiny station, Stanley rose to his feet, trying to make the most of his five foot and four inches frame. The farmer, Alphonse Lapine, shook his head and complained, "You're a skinny thing." On the way to his dairy farm, Alphonse explained that he had a wife and seven kids. "Money is tight. You'll get room and board. You'll get up at dawn for milking, and then help me around the farm until evening milking time again. Ten dollars a week. Sundays off." Stanley nodded. He had never been on a farm before, but he took the job. From the beginning Stanley was treated horribly by the whole family. They made fun of the way he dressed and talked. He could do nothing right. The humourless farmer frequently lost his temper, criticizing Stanley for the slightest mistake. The oldest son, 13-year-old Armand, constantly played tricks on him. But the kind-hearted Stanley never responded. Stanley never became part of the Lapine family. After work, they ignored him. He spend his nights alone in a tiny bedroom. However, each evening before retiring, he lovingly cared for the farmer's horses, eagerly awaiting him at the field gate. He called them his gentle giants. On Saturday nights he hitch-hiked into the nearest town and wandered the streets or enjoyed a restaurant meal before returning to the farm. Early one November morning Alphonse Lapine discovered that Stanley had disappeared, after only six months as his farmhand. The railway station master, when questioned later that week, said he had not seen him. In fact no one in the community ever heard... What did Stanley like doing after work each day? A) Hitch-hiking to different towns. B) Caring for the farmer's horses. C) Wandering around the farm alone. D) Preparing meals on the farm.
B
*Question*
Lavigne,who married in July 2006,set foot in film with Fast Food NationandThe Flock,before releaseing her chart-toppong third album The Best Damn Thing.Despite her punk rock pose and her occasionally impolite public behavior,singer Avril Lavigne is sure sensitive about one thing--her reputation . In an open letter on her official web site,Lavigne responds to public views that her hit single"girlfriend,"from her 1atest album The Best Damn Thing,was copied form a 1979 song called"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"by a new wave group called the Rubinoos.The group's songwrieers,Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer,have gone to 1aw against the singer."I had never heard this song in my life and their claim is based on 5 words,"Lavigne blogs."A11 songs share similar song words and emotions.As humans we speak one language."In fact,Lavigne 1ists several songs,which are similar in words."Simply,I have been falsely accused of copying their song.I have done nothing wrong and there is no sense of their claim,"she writes. The Rubinoos'accusation is not the first time that Lavigne's song writing practices have been called into question.In a recent interview with Performing Song-writing Magazine, Canasian singer--songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk discusses cooperating with Lavigne.And she te11s the magazine that she gave Lavignc the song "contagious",which.she claims,appears on The Best Damn Thing.On the album,however.The song is owned only by Lavigne and the song writing partner Evan Tauenfeld. "I was going to be a bigger person and not reply when I read Chantal Kreviazuk's article," Lavigne writes."Our songs have no similarities or opposites meanings,i.e.different wods,different tunes,different styles.There are hundreds of songs out there with the title'Contagious'." Lavigne adds:"I am not going to sit here and defend my writing skil1s.I don't have to prove anything to anyone.I know who I am and what I have done and succeeded in and no one can take that away from me." Which of the fo1lowing is true according to the passage? A) Lavigne entered fi1m industry after her 1atest Album The Best Damn Thing. B) Lavigne was b1amed for the song"Girlfriend"frorm her latest album. C) Lavigne wanted to make peace with the Rubioons out of the court. D) Lavigne didn't collect the song"Contagious"in her 1atest Album.
**Answer**
B