The host: Now it's time for our You Must Read This program. Today we'll hear from Lauren Groff. She came across a book when she was going to have her first child and was worried about the future. Lauren Groff: Staring into darkness, I wanted to read about happiness.1n fact, books full of joy are hard to find because happiness is nearly impossible to write about. So, when I found Elizabeth and Her German Garden, by Elizabeth Von Arnim, I felt as if someone suddenly opened a curtain and revealed a window where I had thought there was a wall. Elizabeth and Her German Garden feels as if it rose out of Von Arnim's deep unhappiness in the way she was supposed to fit into her world Still, what a cool drink this novel is. It has a few characters: the narrator, a countess named Elizabeth, her husband, her three tiny daughters, various servants and some visitors. There is also Elizabeth's garden. whick we see in all its seasonal richness. That is only the book's surface, however. There are great things hidden in the book. Eliza- beth is always comparing herself and the women around her and finding their fixed social roles disappointing. Her happiness, when it comes, arrives as an act of will. She has fought hard to achieve delight and I think it is more valuable for her struggle. I appreciate Elizabeth for showing me a way through my darkest time, by revealing that an act of focused attention can lift a person out of a long, dark period in their lives. Anyone can get a little happiness from living, even by reading a few pages of a book. The host : That's Lauren Groff. Her latest novel is Arcadia. The book she recommended is Elizabeth and Her German Garden. Lauren Groff likes Elizabeth and Her German Garden because it _ . A) is full of joy and laughter B) shows a way to happiness C) is a perfect way to kill time D) describes a beautiful garden
B
(Question)
A recent survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found that about a third of nurses inprefix = st1 /UKplanned to give up their jobs in the next two years because of the amount of worries and unhappiness with their pay. Among those under 40, the percentage of nurses planning to leave their employers increased from 32% in 2005 to 36% in 2007. The survey also found that 71% of nurses believed they could be paid more for less effort if they left nursing, compared to 60% in 1997. The research was published as the RCN hosted a meeting for nurse leaders to deal with the growing concerns of the nurses. Josie Irwin, an RCN expert, said, " Many nurses say that changes in junior doctors' hours have resulted in an increase in their workload. Nurses are under more and more pressure." Ms Irwin added, "Only 22% of all nurses disagree that they are under too much pressure." She also said that 27% of nurses had a second job, with the main reason that they needed some extra income. "Nurses have made it clear that while they enjoy their work, they have more to do than ever and are not being paid enough to do it." She added. " For this reason, the RCN is calling for a pay increase for nurses to bring their pay into line with others." The survey of 4,795 nurses found that some important changes to the profession had taken place in recent years. The average age of the nurses questioned was 42 ---compared to an average of 33 in 1987. The RCN said that the age increase was because people were now becoming nurses later. In the 1960s, the average age of a nurse on the completion of training was 21, but over the last 5 years it has been an average of 29. From the passage we know _ . A) 27% of the nurses have another job for extra income. B) Only 27% of all nurses agree that they are under too much pressure. C) people are envious of the nurses' job D) Few changes to the profession of the nurses have taken place in recent years.
(Answer)
A
Ques: The time of year a baby is born can shape what profession they will embark on in later life, a new study has suggested. Being born in a certain month appears to indicate the statistical likelihood of what job a person will end up with, the study by the Office for National Statistics found. Researchers have uncovered that the month in which babies are born could also affect everything from intelligence to length of life. A child born December is more likely to become a dentist while someone whose birthday falls in January will tend to a debt collector, they found. A February birth appears to increase the chances of being an artist while March babies appear to go on to become pilots. Meanwhile, April and May are said to have a fairly even spread of professions, births in the summer months mean a much lower chance of becoming a high-earning football player, doctor or dentist. The study was derived by researchers who analyzed the birth months of people in 19 separate occupations using information from the last census, the Daily Mail reported. Although these trends may be difficult to explain, correlations between birth months and specific health problems have a scientific basis. Spring babies are at greater risks of illnesses including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, asthma and autism. They may also be less clever than classmates born in other parts of the year. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? A) A child born in December is more likely to become an artist while someone born in January will tend to be a dentist. B) A February birth appears to have the possibilities of being an artist while March babies appear to become pilots. C) Children born in April and May are said to have equally balanced chances in their future professions. D) Births in the summer months mean they have few chances to earn a lot of money as a football player, doctor or dentist.
Ans: A
English is fast becoming the language of science around the world, but what is its future among everyday speakers? One expert points out that the percentage of native English speakers is declining while the languages of other rapidly growing regions are being spoken by increasing numbers of people. But English will continue to remain widespread and important. However,British language scholar David Graddol says English will probably drop in dominance by the middle of this century to rank,after Chinese,about equally with Arabic,Hindi,and Urdu. "The number of people speaking English as a first language continues to rise,but it isn't rising nearly as fast as the numbers of many other languages around the world,simply because the main population group has been largely in the less developed countries where languages other than English have been spoken," he says. In a recent article in the journal Science,Mr. Graddol noted that three languages that are not near the top of the list of the most widely spoken now might be there soon. These are Bengali,Tamil,and Malay,spoken in south and southeast Asia. David Crystal,the author of The Cambridge Encycloredia of the English Laeguage, says about 1. 5 billion of the world's six billion people speak it as a second tongue compared to the 400 million native speakers. But another expert on the English language says Mr. Graddol underestimates the future of its dominance. _ but nobody quite knows what's going to happen because no language has been in this position before. " he said. In David Graddol' s opinion,English will _ . A) remain widespread and important B) be more important than any other language C) lose its dominant position D) die away in the near future
C