There are four types of persons who go to work part-time. These include retirees who want a bit more income or socialization, parents who want to spend more time with their children, college and high school students and temporary agency workers who want more experience. Many people enjoy the advantages of working part-time, but benefits are rarely offered to part-time employees.
Most people are hoping for health insurance and retirement benefits when taking a job. Traditionally, companies only offer benefits to employees who work 30 hours or more a week. This is only a 25% reduction in hours, so it doesn’t free up a lot of time for the employee who needs part-time hours. Even when a part-timer is offered health benefits, he is rarely offered paid time off and retirement benefits. Dental benefits are almost never offered to part-time employees.
Many businesses hire part-time employees for the simple reason of saving money. If they work less than a certain number of hours, the employers don’t need to pay for benefits. There are companies, however, that are beginning to offer benefits to part-time employees. This includes benefits for health, paid time off and retirement plans. Some companies have begun to offer this in order to take in high quality, trained professionals who just want part-time hours. If a company wants a qualified employee, it will have to compete with other companies. People who may only want to work part-time may be forced to take a full-time job to get the benefits. Companies who offer benefits to part-timers have an advantage by offering more choices to their employees in terms of hours.
Conducting an Internet search is probably the quickest way to find companies that provide benefits for part-time employees. Many large corporations like Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods offer benefits to part-time employees among other things. Look for companies that offer a team approach to their employees. Employees are given choices and part of decision-making in the business. Businesses that allow employee input are more likely to offer benefits to part-timers.
小題1:People prefer to work part-time mainly because they __________.
A．don’t want to spend more time on work
B．have so many household and social affairs
C．hope to have more money, time and experience
D．only expect to make more friends
小題2:From the second paragraph we can learn that part-timers _______.
A．can enjoy as many benefits as full-timers
B．prefer retirement benefits to health insurance
C．often retire without enjoying any benefit
D．often enjoy fewer benefits than full-timers
小題3:What’s the advantage of hiring part-time employees?
A．They don’t need the insurance.
B．They can save employers some money.
C．They have no choice but to work hard.
D．They can be also changed into full-timers.
小題4:We can infer from the last paragraph that _________.
A．it’s easy to find companies providing benefits
B．companies not allowing employee input don’t offer any benefit to part-timers
C．Starbucks in England doesn’t provide benefits to full-timers
D．employees are often forced to choose their jobs

小題1:C
小題2:D
小題3:B
小題4:A
文章介紹了兼職工作以及做兼職工作的工人經(jīng)常得不到應(yīng)有的福利。
小題1:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第一段的want a bit more income or socialization，want to spend more time ，和want more experience。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第二段最后兩行he is rarely offered paid time off and retirement benefits. Dental benefits are almost never offered to part-time employees.
小題3:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第三段第一行Many businesses hire part-time employees for the simple reason of saving money.
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)最后一段第一行Conducting an Internet search is probably the quickest way to find companies that provide benefits for part-time employees.
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Social networking isn’t only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.
“The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life for Americans 50 plus,” said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which released the report.
Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. “They are using the Internet to keep up with the world and the people who are important to them,” said Jean Koppen, the author of the report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family, but with their friends and those in the same age group. Almost 50 percent of older adults were introduced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. “Just under one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet,” according to the report.
The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook and Twitter older adults are aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.
Despite the popularity of the Internet among the over 50s, they still mostly go to print newspapers and magazines for news. Only one percent said they followed blogs.
小題1:What is the main idea of the text?
A. Social networking is becoming popular among older Americans.
B. Social networking isn’t for the under 40s in the U.S.A.
C. American old people’s way of life is quite fashionable.
D. Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are the most popular websites in the US.
小題2:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A．85% of Americans 50 plus choose the Internet over print media.
B．About 20% of adults aged 50 plus have access to the Internet.
C．About 460 people in the telephone survey often use Facebook.
D．Three quarters of the people surveyed got to know the Internet through their family.
小題3:From the text, it can be concluded that______.
A．Kevin Donnellan approves of this change among older Americans
B．many older Americans are open-minded about new developments
C．Young people should introduce their elders to new technology
D．In a high tech age it is difficult to avoid social networking
小題4:Where does the text probably come from?
A．A novel. B．A student’s research paper
C．A technology guide. D．A newspaper.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

MY Chinese friend is going to the US and he is nervous about what to talk about. “Talk about the weather,” is my advice.
“How are you?” is often followed by comments about the weather. “Nice day today.” “Cold/hot enough for you?” “Will it ever stop raining?” “Some winter we’re having.” “Can’t remember a winter/summer so cold/hot.” “Whew, it’s hot out there.”
These introductory statements are often followed by a long conversation entirely about weather conditions. Past, present and – with global warming – speculation (推測) about the future.
Our fascination with weather might seem silly, but the real purpose behind those endless discussions is small talk. Weather’s a safe topic of conversation. As a group, we Americans seem to enjoy chatting with those around us. Whenever we stand in line at the grocery store, we tend to engage in this sort of conversation with other people standing in line with us. If I were seated next to another American on any form of public transport, I’d expect both of us to make some harmless comment about the weather as a way of acknowledging (承認(rèn)) each other’s presence (存在). At parties, the weather is a common topic, especially with those you are meeting for the first time.
In contrast we are taught to avoid certain topics like religion and politics. Weather is neutral (中性的); you don’t have to have an opinion about it, just make a statement of a fact. What is truly interesting is the fact that we can go on and on about it.
My Chinese friend has a hard time understanding why we put so much effort into this topic – and why I warn him about bringing up much more “interesting” subjects like salaries or how much something costs.
Sometimes it is tricky (復(fù)雜的) to wend (行走) one’s way through winding cultural roads, especially those that are never taught in books.
小題1:What does the writer suggest her Chinese friend should talk about with people in the US? (No more than two words)
小題2:Why do Americans enjoy talking to people around them about the weather, in writer’s opinion? (No more than ten words)
小題3:List four topics that people should avoid talking about in the US. ( No more than 5 words)

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you’ve been away, has this country changed for the better—or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative (保守的). The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant (移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening—in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed—and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got. 
小題1:After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _______.
A．notice small changes
B．expect small changes
C．welcome small changes
D．exaggerate small changes
小題2: How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
A．Cautiously.
B．Positively.
C．Sceptically.
D．Critically.
小題3:When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by _______.
A．the relaxed policemen
B．the messy arrivals hall
C．the tight security
D．the bank robbers
小題4:Which might be the best title for the passage?
A．Life in Britain.
B．Back in Britain.
C．Britain in Future.
D．Britain in Memory.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

You are busy filling out the application form for a position you really need; let’s assume you once actually completed a couple of years of college work or even that you completed your degree. Isn’t it tempting to lie just a little, to claim on the form that your diploma(畢業(yè)文憑) represents a Harvard degree? Or that you finished an extra couple of years back at State University?
More and more people are turning to an utter deception(欺騙)  like this to land their first job or to move head in their careers. For personnel officers, like most Americans, value degrees from famous schools. A job applicant may have a good education anyway, but he or she assumes that chances of being hired are better with a diploma from a well-known university. Registrars(注冊主任)at most well-known colleges say that they deal with dishonest claims like these at the rate of about one per week.
Personnel officers do check up on degrees listed on application forms. If it turns out that an applicant is lying, most colleges are unwilling to accuse the applicant directly. One lvy League school refers to them as “special cases”, One well-known West Coast school, in perhaps the most delicate phrase of all, says these claims are made by “no such people”.
To avoid complete lies, some job seekers claim that they “attended” or “were associated with” a college or university. After careful checking, a personnel officer may discover that “attending” means being dismissed after one semester. It may be that “being as sociated with” a college means that the job-seeker visited his younger brother for a football weekend. One school that keeps records of false claims says that the practice dates back at least to the turn of  the century—that’s when they began keeping records, anyhow.
If you don’t want to lie or even stretch the truth, there are companies that will sell you a fake diploma. One company, with offices in New York and on the West Coast, will put your name on a diploma from any number of non-existent colleges. The price begins at around twenty dollars for a diploma from “Smoot State University”. The prices increase rapidly for a degree from the “University of Purdue”. As there is no Smoot State and the real school in Indiana is properly called Purdue University, the prices seem rather high for one sheet of paper.
小題1:The writer mainly wants to tell us that _______.
A．college degrees can now be purchased easily
B．it is very hard for people to find jobs
C．lying about college degrees is becoming a widespread problem
D．employers are no longer interested in applicants’ actual performances
小題2:The underlined word “utter” in the second paragraph means “______”.
A．thoroughB．carefulC．incompleteD．spoken
小題3:Once finding applicants with false diplomas, most colleges would _________.
A．keep the records of themB．drive them out of college
C．a(chǎn)void direct conflicts with themD．a(chǎn)ccuse them of such behavior
小題4:We can learn from the passage that ________.
A．US employers value their job applicants with a degree from top universities
B．University of Purdue and Purdue University are the same school
C．people with fake diplomas can get their first jobs in the US easily
D．people pay the same price for a fake diploma from different universities

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


A Letter from Steve Jobs
August 24, 2011
To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community,
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
So I resign（辭職）as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board feels fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly suggest that we name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
More Information:
Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955—October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, designer and inventor. He is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc. Unluckily, in 2003, Jobs was diagnosed（確診）with a pancreas neuroendocrine tumor（胰腺癌）. Although the cancer was treated in the first place, he appeared thinner as his health fell. On medical leave for most of 2011, Jobs finally made a decision to resign as Apple CEO in August that year. Shortly after that, on October 5, he died. He continues to receive honors and public attention for his influence in the technology and music industries.
小題1:Why did Jobs resign as CEO of Apple according to the letter?
A．He was found seriously ill in 2003.
B．He felt he could no longer meet the responsibilities as a CEO.
C．He would like to be Chairman of the Board rather than CEO.
D．He was on medical leave for most of 2011.
小題2:Which of the following statement is NOT true?
A．After receiving the medical treatment, Jobs was in good health again.
B．Tim Cook was a friend and co-worker of Jobs.
C．People will remember and honor Jobs for his influence in the technology and music industries.
D．Jobs believed that Apple would have a bright future.
小題3:What is Jobs’ mood when writing this letter?
A．Optimistic for the company
B．Sorry for himself
C．Grateful to his friends and co-workers
D．All the above

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


How often do you sit still and do absolutely nothing．The usual answer these days is“never”．or“hardly ever”．As the pace of life continues to increase，we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through life，being on the go from morning till night，it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．
Stress is fl natural part of everyday life．There is no way to avoid it, since it takes many and varied forms-driving in traffic，problems with personal relationships are all different forms of stress．Stress，in fact，is not the“baddy”it is often reputed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress，and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities．Others lose heart at the first sight of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress，in whatever form，we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make a choice between “fight” or “fright” and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life and death．The crisis we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme，but however little the stress，it involves the same response．All the energy is shifted to cope with the stress．It is when such a reaction lasts long，through continued exposure to stress，that health becomes endangered．Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress．
Stress in some people produces stomach disorders，while others experience tension headaches．Since we cannot remove stress from our 1ires，We need to find ways to cope with it．
小題1:People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because      .
A．they are working harder than they used to
B．they are often too busy to find the time
C．they are not clear of how to relax by themselves
D．they are suffering from the effects of stress
小題2:What is implied but not stated in the passage?
A．The art of relaxation can greatly help people bear stress．
B．People in primitive days know certain ways to deal with stress．
C．If one gets into the habit of relaxing every day he can overcome stress easily．
D．Stress can lead to serious health problem if one is exposed to it for too long．
小題3:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 suggests that      ．
A．stress is not always a bad thing for people
B．stress has a bad reputation of causing ill health
C．stress is not so terrible as people often believe it to be
D．stress is always harmful to people all the time
小題4:According to this passage，which of the following statements is true?
A．Relaxation in life only benefits us mentally．
B．Different people can stand different amounts of stress.
C．All the stress can lead to poor performance．
D．Large amounts of stress is important to people's lire．
小題5:What is the writer's attitude to stress according to the passage?
A．Stress as well as relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．
B．Stress should not be rid completely from the life．
C．Stress produces both positive and negative effects on people．
D．People usually work better under stress if they are healthy．

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Recently, an Internet game has become a new fashion among young office workers and students. People can “farm” on a piece of “l(fā)and” and “grow”, “sell” or even “steal” “vegetables”, “flowers” and “fruits” on the Net. They earn some e-money and buy more “seeds”, “pets” and even “houses”.
Joyce interviewed some young people. Here are their opinions.
Harold: I don’t quite understand why they are so mad about the childish game. Maybe they are just not confident enough to face the real world.
Allan: I enjoy putting some “bugs” (小蟲子) in my friends’’ gardens and we’ve become closer because of the game. Having fun together is the most exciting thing about it.
Laura: You know, people in the city are longing for the life in the countryside. It reduces my work pressure in the office; besides, it gives me the exciting feeling of being a “thief”.
Ivy: Well, it’s just a waste of time. Teenagers playing the game spend so many hours on it that they cannot pay more attention to their study.
小題1:By playing the game, people can ______.
A．make a lot of moneyB．make many friends
C．have great funD．better their life
小題2: The people “steal” someone else’s “vegetables” to ______.
A．live a more comfortable life
B．show their confidence in the reality
C．earn e-money to develop their own "farm"
D．enjoy the feelings of being children
小題3: Among the people interviewed, ______ doesn’t like the game at all.
A．LauraB．HaroldC．JoyceD．Allan
小題4: What can you learn about Laura from the passage?
A．She is a college student.B．She lives in a village.
C．She is an office worker.D．She wants to be a thief.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

An idea that started in Seattle’s public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (發(fā)起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hongkong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市長）appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York , where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy
And passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
小題1:What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?
A．To invite authors to guide readers.
B．To encourage people to read and share.
C．To involve people in community service.
D．To promote the friendship between cities.
小題2:Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?
A．They had little interest in reading.
B．They were too busy to read a book.
C．They came from many different backgrounds
D．T hey lacked support from the local government
小題3:According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?
A．In large communities with little sense of unity
B．In large cities where libraries are far from home
C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population
D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached
小題4: The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean     
A．exchanged ideas with each other
B．discussed the meaning of a word
C．gained life experience
D．used the same language
小題5: According to Nancy, the degree of students of the project is judged by________
A．the careful selection of a proper book
B．the growing popularity of the writers
C．the number of people who benefit from reading.
D．the number of books that each person reads.

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