Old Computers Make for Unhappy Workers — Survey

LONDON (Reuters) — Dealing with the dissatisfaction of ageing and unreliable office computers leads to workers’ unhappiness and more sick-leave, a survey (调查) showed on Wednesday.

A survey carried out by care4free.net of over 2,700 European office workers from the UK, France and Germany found that workplace dissatisfaction increased greatly with the age of computer equipment.

“We do know that job satisfaction is falling in Britain and in most advanced nations,”said Stephen White, a researcher from the Work Foundation. “The actual reasons for this are the subject of very heated discussion. It’s certainly one interesting theory that technology may be the cause of this in some way,” White added.

A quarter of those using outdated computers in Britain said they were “quite” or “very dissatisfied” with their everyday job compared to 16 percent of those who had enjoyed an advantage from up-to-date technology.

The survey also said that among workers dealing with outdated equipment, there was a 35 percent greater probability they would take six or mort days of sick-leave per year compared with the average worker. In France, where more workers use older computers, the probability jumped to 55 percent.

Results also showed that women in the three countries were more likely to be using outdated equipment. In the UK, where more workers have up-to-date computers than in the other counties surveyed, the number of women using old equipment doubled that of men.

White pointed out that there were two sides to this problem, saying that continually having to deal with new technology and new equipment can also be a source of worry. “Old and faulty equipment is a major cause of office dissatisfaction, there’s no question about it, but you also have to say that the frequent change of equipment is also, or could be, a main cause of dissatisfaction.”

1.The underlined word “this” (paragraph 3) refers to      .

A．workplace dissatisfaction           B．computer use in most jobs

C．the ageing of office computers       D．the survey by care4free.net

2.How many office workers using old computers in Britain expressed their dissatisfaction?

A．16%                           B．25%

C．35%                           D．55%

3.According to White, why were the women surveyed more likely to use old computers?

A． Most office workers use old computers.      

B． They do some of their work with computers.

C． Dealing with new equipment can cause anxiety

D．They are easier to be satisfied with new technology.

4.What is the subject of this news story?

A． Poor working conditions in offices.

B． Research work of the Work Foundation

C． Influence of technology in the workplace.

D． Different attitudes to old computers.

1.Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?

A． One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries.

B． One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases.

C． One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English.

D． One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program.

2.Where will Jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?

A． In some local offices in the U.S.

B． In an ESL organization in China.

C． In a preparation program in Denmark.

D． In an exchange student center in Africa.

3.If Mrs. Black in the U.S. hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact       .

A．takeaction@betterworld.com                    B．ram3462@hotmail.com

C．club3864@hotmail.com                        D．staff@youth.org

4.What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?

A．To interview people online.                   B．To do some housework.

C．To offer advice on Child Aid.                 D．To provide language exercises.

It’s 2035. You have a job, family and you’re about 40 years old! Welcome to your future life.

Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror. “Turn red,” you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny preprogrammed electronics (智能电子元件) are rearranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe you’re 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live lo be 150 years old. You’re not even middle-aged!

As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear, “To lose weight, you shouldn’t eat that,” from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code (电子源码) on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. “Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?” A list of possible foods appears on the counter as the kitchen checks its food supplies.

“Ready for your trip to space?” you ask your son and daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space — and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacations. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, “The doctor said you need these for space travel.” Thanks to medical advances, vaccination shots (防疫针) are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head the front door.

It’s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. “My office, Autopilot,” you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video film rather than read it.

1.What changes the color of your shirt?

A．The mirror.              B．The shirt itself.

C．The counter.             D．The medicine.

2.How do the shoes know that you shouldn’t eat the breakfast cereal?

A． By pouring the breakfast into a bow.       

B． By listening to the doctor’s advice.

C． By testing the food supplies in the kitchen.

D． By checking the nutrition details of the food.

3.The strawberries the children eat serve as       .

A．breakfast                     B．lunch

C．vaccines                     D．nutrition

4.How is the text organized?

A．In order of time              B．In order of frequency

C．In order of preference         D．In order of importance

Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket — anything with a round ball, I was useless,”he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At fist he went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then be began to ride the bike along with a runner friend, Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength. At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland where he learned about Ridgeway’s cold-water exploits. Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures then decided that this would be his future.

In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition (探险) towards the North Pole. It took unbelievable energy. He suffered frostbite (冻疮)，ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply-loaded sled (雪橇) up and over rocky ice.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man. His old playmates would not believe the change.

Next October, Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900-kilornetre journey that has never been completed on skis.

1.What changes happened to Saunders after he was 15 years old?

A．He became good at most sports.        B．He began to build up his body.

C．He joined a sports team.              D．He made friends with a runner.

2.The underlined word “exploits” (paragraph3) is closest in meaning to       .

A. journeys                      B. researches

C. adventures                    D. operations

3.Which of the following is the correct order of the events that happened to Saunders?

A. He ran his first marathon.         B. He skied alone in the North Pole.

C. He rode his bike in a forest.       D. He planned an adventure to the South Pole.

A．acdb          B．cdab       C．adbd         D．cabd

4.What does the story mainly tell us about Saunders?

A．He is success in sports.            B．He is the best British skier. 

C．He is Ridgway’s favorite student.    D．He is a good instructor at school.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和Ｄ）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。

One man was to meet his wife downtown and spend some time shopping with her. He waited

1for 15 minutes. Then he waited impatiently for 15 minutes more. After that, he became  2. When he saw a photograph booth (照相亭) nearby, he had  3. He wore the most unhappy expression he could manage, which was not  4in the situation. In a few moments he was holding four small prints that   5even him.

He wrote his wife’s name on the back of the photos and handed them to a   6behind the desk in the booth. “   7you see a small, dark lady with brown eyes and an apologetic expression, obviously   8someone, would you please give her this?” he said. He then   9his office in Morrison Building,    10that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the four photos must be a good    11! He sat down with a smile.

His wife   12those pictures. She carries them in her purse now and shows them to anyone who asks if she is married…

How are you with   13? One person calls it “wait training.” It seems that there is always something we are  14. We wait on traffic and we wait in lines. We wait to hear about a new job. We wait to complete school. We wait for someone to charge his or her mind.

Patience is an important   15of a happy and rewarding life.  16, some things are worth waiting for.   17presents many opportunities for wait training.

We can hate waiting,   18it or even get good at it! But one thing is  19— we cannot avoid it. How is your   20coming along?

1.A. proudly          B. respectfully        C .patiently        D. curiously

2.Ａ. angry           B. hungry            C. frightened       D. thirsty

3.A．a question       B. a reason           C. an opinion       D. an idea

4.Ａ. serious          B. difficult           C. regular          D. convenient

5.Ａ. hurt            B. encouraged         C. attracted         D. shocked

6.Ａ. clerk           B. secretary           C. passer-by        D. friend

7.Ａ. Since           B. Before             C. As             D. If

8.Ａ. looking for      B. working for         C. sending for      D. paying for

9.Ａ. called up         B. returned to          C. visited         D. left

10.Ａ. worried         B. disappointed         C. satisfied        D. surprised

11.Ａ. description       B. preparation          C. excuse         D. lecture

12.Ａ. tore             B. saved              C. developed       D. destroyed

13.Ａ. your wife        B. your family          C. patience         D. determination

14.Ａ. hoping for       B. waiting for           C. ready for       D. fit for

15.Ａ. lesson          B. experience            C. purpose        D. quality

16.A. For example     B. After all              C. Right now      D. So far

17.Ａ. Every age        B. Every shop          C. Every day       D. Every office

18.Ａ. accept          B. control              C. change          D. improve

19.Ａ. certain          B. interesting            C. precious        D. easy

20.Ａ. photo taking    B. job hunting          C. decision making    D. wait training

 —What should I do first?

—The instructions       that you should mix flour with water carefully first.

A．go                    B．tell

C．write                   D．say

 —Could I have a word with you, mum?

—Oh dear, if you      .

A．can                  B．must

C．may                 D．should

 It remains       whether Jim’ll be fit enough to play in the finals.

A．seen                 B．to be seen

C．seeing                D．to see

 —If you like I can do some shopping for you.

—That’s a very kind      .

A．offer                B．service

C．point               D．suggestion

 My friend, who       on the International Olympic Committee all his life, is retiring next month.

A．served                 B．is serving

C．had served              D．has served