第三部分：閱讀理解（共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分）

　　　請認(rèn)真閱讀下列短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

A

　　While on vacation in distant locales, people often find that time moves quite differently than in the places they’re used to. Robert Levine and his colleagues have studied the speed of life in cities around the world and across the U.S. In a series of experiments they measured how fast a single pedestrian in a downtown center covered a distance of 60 feet, timed how long it took to complete a simple commercial transaction, and recorded the accuracy of randomly selected clocks in the downtown business area. They found that places with a faster pace of life also had stronger economies, and that people in larger cities tended to move faster than those in less populated areas.

    So as you might expect, fast-moving people are associated with fast-moving economies. But does that faster life translate into greater happiness? In faster places, people were more likely to smoke, less likely to take the time to help strangers in need, and more likely to die from heart diseases. Yet Levine and his colleagues found that people in faster places tended to report feeling somewhat happier with their lives than those who lived in slower places. A city’s pace of life was indeed "significantly related" to the physical, social, and psychological well-being of its inhabitants.

    However, the relationship between income and reported happiness is far from obvious. According to the "Easterlin paradox（悖論，反論）" (named after economist Richard Easterlin), once people have enough money to meet their basic needs, having more money is not necessarily correlated with higher self-reported happiness. Easterlin’s claims are controversial and not universally accepted; even if his theory is correct, wealthier nations might be happier overall if they address the basic needs to more of their people. In any case, the ongoing debate indicates that we need to be careful when making connections between happiness and overall economic factors.

    Among individuals in a society, busyness -- or the feeling of busyness -- seems to be an important factor in well-being. That feeling of busyness -- of having a lot to do and too little time in which to do it is often associated with stress and anxiety. However in many contexts being "busy" is badge of honor: Busy parents are seen as devoted to their children’s well-being and the busy lawyer can charge a premium hourly rate. In US studies, the happiest people reported that they were busy, in the sense that they had little excess time, yet did not feel rushed.

    Levine’s work raises the possibility that an individual’s feelings about their use of time contribute as much or more to their happiness as does economics. Now the big challenge is to find out which way the causal chain works: Does the feeling of being active, yet not rushed, contribute to happiness? Or does happiness allow people to perceive（覺察） their use of time in positive ways?

56. What can we learn about Levine’s study?

　　A. It calculated a person’s walking distance during a certain period.

   B. It was carried out for some commercial purposes.

   C. It researched life rhythm in various economies and areas.

   D. It was mainly conducted in the western world.

57. Which of the following does Easterlin paradox support?

   A. People in faster places may suffer from poorer health.

   B. Happiness is possible only when one’s basic needs are met.

   C. People in underdeveloped countries are less happier.

   D. High income does not necessarily ensure life satisfaction.

58. The underlined word inhabitants in paragraph two probably means ________.

   A. people who have some unusual habits

   B. people who live in a particular place

   C. people who have stable and good jobs

   D. people who are healthy and happy

59. We can infer from paragraph 4 that ________.

   A. busy people definitely have a higher degree of happiness

   B. people will feel relaxed if they have nothing to do

   C. being actively engaged contributes to life satisfaction

   D. busy people are supposed to make more money

B

　　Trying to recover from a devastating economic crisis, Spain is considering moving the country's clock back by one hour.

　　Many people regard long afternoon naps and late dinners as perfect aspects of the Spanish way of life. Until the 1940s, Spain was on the same time as Britain and Portugal. In World War II, Spain and Portugal moved the clocks forward to align them with Nazi Germany. The same happened in Portugal. After the defeat of Hitler, Portugal returned to Greenwich Mean Time, but Spain did not.

　　“The fact that for more than 71 years Spain has not been in its proper time zone means we sleep almost an hour less than the World Health Organization recommends,” lawmakers in the Spanish Parliament wrote in a proposal．“This has a negative effect on productivity, absenteeism, stress, accidents and school drop-out rates.”

　　Last September, a parliamentary commission recommended that the government turn back the clocks by one hour and introduce a regular eight-hour workday. For the time being, the Spanish government is treating the campaign seriously but it hasn't taken any action yet.

　　Spain’s time zone issue explains why everything in Spain happens later, from meal times to broadcast entertainment (primetime doesn’t start until 10 pm). Many urban Spaniards complain of a never-ending workday that begins in the morning but is interrupted by a traditional late-morning break and then again by the midday siesta—a two-hour long lunch and nap that usually start at 2 pm. If workers return to their desks at 4 pm, they end up working late into the evening.

　　Under the proposed new schedule, the lunchtime break would be cut to an hour or less. The interruption-filled Spanish workday would be replaced by something closer to a 9-to-5 schedule. Ignacio Buqueras, president of the Association for the Rationalization of Spanish Working Hours, told The New York Times that changing the Spanish schedule would be good news for working mothers. It would also allow families more free time together and boost Spain's economic recovery.

　　Maria Angles Duran, a sociologist with the Spanish National Research Council, is skeptical that changing the time zone will reverse low productivity, which she attributes more to the structure of the service-oriented economy. But she agreed that a more normal work schedule would help women, who often complain that their husbands deliberately schedule meetings in the early evening.

　　“For men, this is perfect,” Duran said, “They arrive home and the children have already had their baths! Timetables can be used as a sort of weapon.”

60. Spain is thinking about changing the current time system because ________.

  A. Spain is eager to improve its economic competitiveness

  B. it is urgent to increase sleeping hours for Spaniards

  C. Spanish schools suffer form high drop-out rates

  D. 71 years has passed since Spain was ruled by Nazi

61. We can learn from the passage that ________.

  A. an eight-hour workday is soon to be put into practice in Spain

  B. people are used to working late into the evening in Spain

  C. heavy workloads require a two-hour nap for working people

  D. the current workday pattern does not win much favor among city workers 

62. According to the passage, Duran may agree with the following except that ________.

  A. the new schedule will allow families more free time

  B. women will probably benefit from the new schedule

  C. economic structure influences economic performance

  D. men can escape housework in the existing schedule

63. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

  A. Lifestyle changes in Spain B. Time for Spain to turn back

  C. Spain’s time zone issues D. Spain’s work hour regulation
英語學(xué)習(xí)  http://m.ukshopfit.com/english/