It's believed that a bad job is worse than no job at all. I'm not convinced, but here's the argument anyway. Researchers at the Australian National University in Canberra compared the mental health of more than 7,000 working age Australians. They found that those with jobs had an average score of 75 in a test of mental well-being. Jobless people averaged 68.5. If you remained unemployed a long term it lowered your mental health score by 1.1 points. But getting a poor quality job lowered your score ever further - by 5.6 points. The results suggest that having a bad job may be worse for your mental health than having no job at all. So what is a bad job? According to the study it's one where you have little control over decision-making; the job makes heavy demands on you; there's no job security; and you feel underpaid. My advice would be that if a reasonable offer of employment comes along, seize it. If you discover that you don't like the work, that's OK. You've given it your best shot and discovered that this type of work isn't for you. In my own case my first job was as a trainee social worker. I very quickly learned that I was too young, too inexperienced and innocent to become a social worker. I cut my losses and tried something else. I worked as an economic researcher - and was miserable. These experiences taught me that I was a person. But from my short time as a trainee social worker I had discovered an ability for interviewing people and writing reports. That led finally to journalism. So take up that first job offer and find out about the world of work. If you realize the job isn't what you expected, that's OK. Look around for something else. So I disagree that a bad job is worse than no work at all. Remember, it's always easier to find a job if you are already in work. Which of the following is TRUE when you get a bad job? A) There is little possibility to decide for your own. B) You can work securely if you are much devoted. C) You get paid more than expected but you feel tired. D) Having a bad job contributes to the mental health.
A
A man called Greedy Black loved nothing but old things. He was so crazy about everything that was old and out of fashion because he was convinced that the older, the better. Always worried about losing his treasures, he kept all he had collected in an old room. It had no windows, so it was very dark, and of course, it was full of old things. One day Greedy Black went into this room to get a ladder, as he had often practiced, but slipped on something and fell against a big garden fork. The fork hit him on the head and knocked him down. Then it fell on top of him and hit him hard on the left leg. The ends of the fork then went into his long beard. He fought with the fork fiercely, and at last threw it off him, jumped up and ran out of the room. He was very angry. He had an old sword under his bed, and he now ran and got this. Then he ran back to the room, opened the door suddenly and shouted in a terrible voice, "All right, come out and fight, you and all the other forks in the world! I'm not afraid of you!" But there was no response for his challenge. So in great _ , he turned on the electric light, only to find that there was no other fork but the one that had repeatedly troubled him. After reading this story, what reflections have you got for yourself? Do you still think that keeping old things in a private place sounds sound? Or don't you believe that you have to be far away from forks because forks are the most powerful? Or what else.....? Why did the man keep old things in his room? A) He could hardly put them in any other places. B) He laid great values on old things. C) He was afraid someone would steal them. D) He wanted to let them have life.
B
Q: To the Editor, I have been reading your newspaper,the Hometown Gazette, for the past two years, ever since I moved to Smithville. We moved here from New York City, so I am accustomed to reading excellent newspapers such asThe New York Times . In fact, we still havethe Timesdelivered on Sundays. The entire family enjoys reading the recipes in the magazine, as well as the Styles section. The Times is great, butthe Gazetteis another story. I've never read an article that doesn't contain at least three or four spelling or grammatical errors. For instance, in last week's issue you misspelled the word "secretary", used a singular verb with a plural noun, and used "it's" as a possessive . And that was just in the lead story! In case you never went to elementary school, "it's" means "it is ".It's also a possessive adjective! It's a pity that this tiny little hick town has only one newspaper, because I'd like to have an alternative to the rag you publish. I find it hard to believe your news stories. If you can't spell correctly. How can you get your facts right? I've been meaning to get this off my chest for some time. Please cancel my subscription . And buy yourself a dictionary. Sincerely, Jane Z, Jones Which phrase from the passage shows the writer's prejudice ? A) get this off my chest B) three or four spelling or grammatical errors C) tiny little hick town D) reading the recipes in the magazine
A: C
Are there any foreigners in your city? How do you address them in English when you want to talk to these foreigners? The following may be some simple rules the beginners should follow. 1. When talking to strangers there is often no special form of address in English. In most cases, if you want to catch the attention of a stranger it is necessary to use such phrases as "Excuse me". 2. In British English "Sir" and "Madam" are considered to be too formal for most situations. They are used mostly to customers in shops or restaurants .While in American English "Sir" and "Madam" are not so formal and are commonly used between strangers, especially with older people whose names you don't know. 3. When you talk to some people you know, you can use their names directly. If you are friends, use their first names; if your relationship is more formal, use "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Ms.", etc, before their family names. 4. There are many other forms of address which can be used between friends and strangers. However, many of these are limited in use. For example, "pal" and "mate" can be used between strangers, but are usually only used by men talking to other men. If you meet foreigners, do remember not to address them in wrong ways. If John Smith is your best friend, according to the passage you should often call him _ . A) John B) Smith C) Mr. John D) Mr. Smith
A