It is a familiar scene these days: employees taking newly laidoff coworkers out for a drink for comfort. But which side deserves sympathy more, the jobless or the still employed? On March 6, researchers at a conference at the University of Cambridge heard data suggesting it's the latter. Brendan Burchell, a Cambridge sociologist, presented his analysis based on various surveys conducted across Europe. The data suggest that employed people who feel insecure in their jobs show similar levels of anxiety and depression as those who are unemployed. Although a newly jobless person's mental health may "bottom out" after about six months, and then even begin to improve,the mental state of people who are continuously worried about losing their job "just continues to get worse and worse," Burchell says. Evolutionary psychologists support this theory by arguing that human beings feel more stress during times of insecurity because they sense an immediate but invisible threat. Patients have been known to experience higher levels of anxiety, for example, while waiting for examination results than knowing what they are suffering from -- even if the result is cancer. It's better to get the bad news and start doing something about it rather than wait with anxiety. When the uncertainty continues, people stay in a nonstop "fight or flight" response, which leads to damaging stress. But not every employee in insecure industries has such a discouraging view, Burchell says. In general, women get on better. While reporting higher levels of anxiety than men when directly questioned, women scored lower in stress on the GHQ 12, even when they had a job they felt insecure about losing. As Burchell explains, "For women, most studies show that any job -- it doesn't matter whether it is secure or insecure -- gives psychological improvement over unemployment." Burchell supposes that the difference in men is that they tend to feel pressure not only to be employed, but also to be the primary breadwinner, and that more of a man's selfworth... Why do researchers think the still employed deserve sympathy more? A) They have to do more work since then. B) They have no chance to find better jobs. C) They have to work with inexperienced workers. D) They constantly worry about losing their job.
D
(Question)
You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother's Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it --those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother's Day. But there's more about the story. The earliest Mother's Day celebrations were held during spring in Ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal. In the U.S., Mother's Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words of the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn't really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign to honor her own mother. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The U.S. isn't alone in devoting a day to its mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also celebrate their Mother's Day in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year. Learning more about Mother's Day and celebrating Mother's Day is important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that should certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year. What is the passage mainly about? A) The reason why people celebrate Mother's Day. B) How people honor mothers. C) The history of Mother's Day. D) Mother's Day in different countries.
(Answer)
C
Ques: What would you think if you went back to school on Monday and there were no desks or chairs in your classroom? That's what some fourth-and-fifth-graders at a school in Minnesota discovered earlier this year when they took part in a research project to see if changing their classrooms would make them more active. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic were concerned about reports that as many as half of American kids could be seriously overweight - or obese - by the year 2014. So they set up a different kind of classroom, which you might see in the future. Instead of desks, the Elton Hills Elementary students had adjustable work stations where they could stand, kneel on mats or sit on big exercise balls. Students were given laptops and iPods that allowed them to move and learn at the same time. Sensors were attached to the kids' legs to calculate how many calories students burned in their new set-up. Their typical school day was probably not anything like yours. One group of students downloaded an audio file of their teacher reading a book; they listened to it while walking for exercise. Another group took a spelling test by listening to their iPods. Some students liked the freedom, but others missed the traditional classroom. "I don't like standing up," Mariah Matrious said. "My legs get tired, and I like sitting down. " So, did the experiment work? Researchers still are studying the data, but early results indicate that the kids did move around more in the new classroom. "It showed us that, given the opportunity to move, kids will move," said researcher Lorraine Lanningham-Foster. That's important because studies have shown that even simple movement - climbing stairs instead of taking an elevator , for example, or washing dishes by hand instead of loading the dishwasher - can be as important as formal exercise when it comes to controlling one's weight. The newly designed classrooms are different from the traditional ones EXCEPT that _ . A) there were no desks and chairs B) the students can move and learn at the same time C) students in different groups are given different tasks D) teachers don't necessarily instruct the students
Ans: D
Ques:Amy Pankratz spent a few nights in the hospital with her daughter, Isabella, who caught a bad flu. "Lying in bed beside Isabella, I could hear the cries of children in pain, "says Amy. "It completely broke my heart." When Isabella was getting well and could leave her room, she wore her prized possession--a "superhero cape " Amy had sewn to encourage her--and walked into the hallway. The pink cape was an instant hit with the other young patients, who were doing exercise around the nursing station. "Then, all the kidswere taking turns wearing the cape, giggling, "Amy says. "These were some of the same children I had heard crying the night before, and here they were playing and having fun--kids just being kids!" From that moment on, Amy began making Comfort Capes for little ones battling with serious illnesses. "I felt God presenting an opportunity, "she says. "I hoped Comfort Capes can help these kids feel brave, to lift some of the fear away. " Since then, Amy has made and donated more than 5, 000 capes in the United States. Amy usually pays for materials herself, although she accepts donations. The capes she makes for kids in treatment are different from those her own children have. Before Amy starts to sew she learns what image or character the little boy or girl connects with. "I choose the pattern, color and theme specially for each child," explains Amy. When she is not sewing, Amy is raising awareness of childhood cancers and looking into ways to get Comfort Capes to more kids who need them, "If a cape can help a child, even only for a moment, forget his illness, it's worth the time spent sewing," she says. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage? A) Turning Sick Kids into Superheroes B) How to Treat the Sick Children C) A strong Mom Who Helps Others D) Amy: a Considerate Woman

Ans:
A