A new enemy is threatening Japanese traditions: leisure. A part of its attempt to increase imports, the government is trying to get people to work less and spend more. The workers are disgusted. The figures support the western prejudice that the Japanese are all working without play. Trying to force workers away from their desks and machines, the government said last April that the country should cut down from its 2,100 hours average work year to 1,899 hours and a five-day by 1992. Beginning in February, banks and offices two Saturdays a month. The government hopes that others will follow that practice. But some persuasion will be needed. Small companies are very angry about it and they fear competitions may not cut hour. The unions are no happier: they have even advertised in newspapers arguing their case against the foreign pressure that is forcing leisure upon them. They say shorter hours are a disguised pay cut. The industrialists, who have no objection to the government's plans, admit that shorter hours will help them cut costs. Younger Japanese who are supposed to be acting against their hard-working parents, show no sign of wanting time off either. But unlike older workers, they do spend money in their spare time. Not content with watching TV, they dance, dress up, sit in cafes, go to pop concerts and generally drive the leisure-industry boom. Now that they know how to consume, maybe the West can teach them to relax and enjoy themselves too. A possible reason for workers' unwillingness to accept more leisure is that _ . A) they are not used to leisure B) they don't want to spend more C) they will earn less money D) they view leisure a challenge to Japanese traditions
C
(Question)
Do you know what a castle is? A castle is a building special to Europe. Castles were built in the Middle Ages by king and other powerful people who live in. Castles were used by people to protect themselves from their enemies. They are big buildings made form stone and wood. Today there are still castles all over Europe. Some are in ruins. But some built later are still in good repair and used even today. One example is Windsor Castle, which is a home to the British queen. It is in the country or Berkshire, not far from London. Castles have walls around them. In the old days, soldiers would stand on the walls to guard the people in the castle. If enemies came they would shoot arrows and throw stones at them. Castles also had moats. A moat is a river around the wall that makes it difficult for enemies to get in. It could be either dry or filled with water. Other people from younger countries love European castles. In the US there are rich people who have brought broken parts of castles to their country and rebuilt them. And some people build "replica" castles---modern copies of Castle. You probably know the Disneyland Castle in California, US. But did you know it is based on a famous castle in Germany built by King Ludwig IIof Bavaria? According to the passage we can know that _ . A) there are castles only in some European countries now[ B) in the US, there used to be castles in the Middle Ages C) in the US, the people rebuilt the old castles or build the modern ones D) the Disneyland castle is built in Germany
(Answer)
C
Ques: Feeling blue about world ? "Cheer up." Says science writer Matt Ridley."The world has never been a better place to live in, and it will keep on getting better both for humans and got nature." Ridley calls himself a tat ional optimist--tactical .because he's carefully weighed the evidence optimistic .because that offence shows human progress to be both unavoidable and good .And this is what he's set out to prone from unique point of view in his most recent book. The Rant anal Opting .He views mankind as grand enterprise that .on the whole .has done little but progress for 100.000 years. He backed his finding with hard gathered though years of research. Here's how he explains his views. Shopping fuels invention It is reported that there are more than ten billion different producers for sale in London alone. Even allowing for the many people who still live in poverty .our own generation has access to more nutritious food .more convenient transport .bigger houses, better ears .and of course, more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us .This will continue as long as we there things to make other things, This more we specialize and exchange, the better off we'll be. 2) Brilliant advances One reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer-lived and freer than ener before is that the four most basie human needs -food, clothing, fuel and shelter- have grown a lot cheaper. Take one example. In 1800 a candle providing one hour's light cost six hours' work. In the 1880s the same light from an oil lamp took 15 minutes' work to pay for. In 1950 it was eight seconds. Today it's half second. 3) Let's not kill ourselves for climate change Mitigating climate change could prove just as damaging to human welface as climate change itself. A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fassil-fuel electrieity is forhidden by well meaming members of green polucal movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that mes in a flood caused by climate change. If... What does the last sentence of the passage imply? A) Cutting carbon is necessary in spite of the huge cost. B) Overreaction to cliamate change may be dangerous. C) People's health is closely related to climate change. D) Careless medical treatment may cause great pain.
Ans: B
Ques: Is pricing a plane ticket based on the passenger's weight fair? If you're taking an international flight on Samoa Air today, your fare will be based on your weight, along with that of your luggage. The cost is 93 cents to $1.06 for each kilogram. The average American woman weighs 75.5 kilograms, far from the ideal weight for her average height. Her ticket on Samoa Air, at the $1 a kilogram rate, would cost $75.50. But let's be honest here. Since the average American woman is overweight, the ticket will cost her more. Samoa Air Chief Executive Chris Langton said, "Planes are run by weight and not by seat. The plane can only carry a certain amount of weight and that weight needs to be paid."He believes other airlines should adopt the policy. It' s not a new idea. I remember a newspaper columnist years ago who put forth the idea that the heavier among us should pay more for their seats on planes, trains and buses. Who hasn' t been squeezed into a middle seat between two plus-sized folks on a flight? It' s happened to me; one time my married seatmates had purposefully chosen their seats to have more space until a sold-out flight put me between them. Not one of my better flying experiences. What if such a policy is adopted by some airlines in the United States? Could such pricing provide a much-needed motivation for Americans to reduce body weight? I hope so. But, as we know, more than one-third of us are obese and another third are overweight. The high probability is that the heavy customers will not suddenly lose weight or stop flying, but will instead choose a different airline, simply moving the supposed problem elsewhere. There's no doubt that the heavier will suffer more discrimination . Discrimination against the overweight in the United States has increased by 66 percent over the last decade --"and is comparable to rates of racial discrimination, especially among women,"wrote Yale University researcher Rebecca M. Puhl. Your weight can affect your salary, your chances for employment, how others view you... If some American airlines adopt the ticket policy _ . A) they will possibly lose a lot of customers B) there will be less overweight people C) people will use other forms of transportation D) the problem of overweight planes will be partly solved
Ans:
A