Employees are being flooded with too much information that has little to do with their work, according to a new survey. On average, white-collar workers spend 51 percent of their work time receiving and processing information. Only one third of it was relevant to their work, the survey found. Information overload for white collar workers has become a global issue. The huge amount of information has already affected their efficiency in management as well as their performance at work. Buried with e-mails Every morning, a secretary at the human resources department of an auto parts company opens her e-mail box, only to find it crammed with at least 50 unread mails. For her, even scanning through these e-mails every day takes at least half an hour. Some of her colleagues are not so lucky -- they have to read at least 100. Bothered with calls Telephone calls are also causing a problem. More than 40 percent white-collar workers chose mobile phones as the preferred way to communicate important and urgent business matters. Talking saves time and energy over the clicking, reading and replying to e-mails, but phone calls are also more distracting . While answering a call, a clerk is likely to put away a much more important task at hand and start the business being talked about on the phone. Solution? Not yet. Many companies start with providing staff with better computers, better Internet access and more advanced gadgets . For example, staff members above a certain level in one company will be provided with a blackberry phone for easier access to their e-mails. The company has also organized many lectures on efficient ways of e-mail management. Yet most white-collar workers think their companies can do more. How do some companies try to solve the problem of information overload? A) They start to give staff a pay rise. B) They plan to employ more people. C) They provide employees with more advanced equipment. D) They organize lectures on how to reduce stress.
C
So the evening turned to night, and the night turned to morning. And before I knew it , the SAT was before me. I wasn't sure if I was ready, but I knew one thing: I wanted to get it over with. SAT for the students is like tooth pulling. For those smart Asian kiddos, it's like walking through the park: easy and carefree. _ As I arrived outside of the dining hall, already a mob of students were sitting, talking, or standing silently waiting to get in. Jones students are lucky not only to have such a testing center at school, but also the feeling of their home school where it feels comfortable and familiar. "ID, please," my former math teacher asked at the door. "Okay." She looked over my ID, checked off my name on her list, and pointed towards the dining hall tables inside. With hesitation, I picked up my feet and was directed to a large round table in the middle of the dinning hall. At least fourteen people could sit at this table but only four were allowed to take their test here. "I'm glad it's multiple choices." I heard one student say. All the questions on the test have five choices except for one math section where they have only four. If you get an answer wrong, you don't get any point, plus you get a penalty of a 1/4 point. If you don't answer a question, you don't get any point, nor penalties. When everyone had a seat and the actual SAT I booklet in front of them, the proctor of the test called for our attentions. "In front of you, you should have a SAT I test and a scantron . Please do not open the test booklet until I say so." He then went on to talk about the procedures, the amount of time, signature of honesty, etc. After thirty minutes of instruction reading, he gave us all a solemn expression before saying, "You may begin now. Good luck." I could hear a hundred booklets being opened and pencils scratching the surface. I looked to my right, I looked to my left, I did a quick prayer for whoever was in charge up in the heavens, and started my test. At least I wouldn't know my score until summer time. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? A) Fourteen students sat around a large round table, taking the test. B) There were four math problems on the test. C) You will lose more points if you get the answer wrong than if you give up the question. D) The proctor announced the instructions as soon as the test began.
C
Q: The home of the future won't be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today.But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams.No two homes will be the same.People will be able to buy "house kits" containing a basic house structure, with movable walls, doors and windows.They will put together the different parts to create the home they want. Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still exist but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won't disappear because machines can't replace them. Teachers will still exist because students need human contact. But they will be using modern technology in class more and students will be working more from home. The medical technology revolution and space travel will create new jobs which we can only imagine today. Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won't be for everyone because they won't be cheap. Short space trips will develop first, then space hotels will orbit the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will be holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities for families. Paper won't exist in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to save natural resources. E-newspapers and e-magazines will replace traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our reuseable paper. The laws of physics tell us that the earth is going to disappear some time in the future.This isn't going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun explodes .We will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another planet. There won't be any other choice. Homes of the future will _ . A) be completely different from those of today B) be very similar to our homes C) all be different from one another D) be movable as you want
A: C
A Bite of China, made by CCTV's Documentary Channel, sparked discussion not only on Chinese food, but also on locally made documentary programs. When you think of documentaries, you may think of them as long, boring programs. But documentaries can be wonderful and bring stories from the real world into our homes. With fascinating footage and stories, documentaries encourage us to think about interesting issues we wouldn't necessarily know about. So, what makes a good documentary, and what should we pay attention to when we watch one? Here, we offer a few easy strategies to help you get the most out of watching documentaries. Pay attention to the themes While watching a documentary, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the themes people talk about and what ideas they focus on. Is it meant to be informative or raise a certain emotional response? Think critically Listen to what the people in the documentary are saying and ask yourself the following questions: If you were debating with someone or introducing a new concept, would you say the things the people in the documentary are saying? Do the arguments make sense? Check the sources If you're sitting at the computer and can't think of anything to do, why not look up the points the documentary made and see if they are accurate? You could even read more about what is presented in the documentary. Who are the creators? The creators or financial backers of a film will usually be involved with how the subject matter is presented. For instance, as the documentary 2016: Obama's America was directed in large part by a conservative writer, it's not surprising that it's critical of President Obama from the beginning. The passage is mainly written to _ . A) inform us of factors of good documentaries. B) help us enjoy documentaries better. C) introduce ways of making documentaries. D) help us figure out themes of documentaries.
B