5．Why do people feel so rushed？Part of this is a perception （认知） problem．Generally，people in rich countries have more free time than they used to．This is particularly true in Europe，but even in America free time has been inching up．Women's paid work has risen a lot over this period，but their time in unpaid work，like cooking and cleaning，has fallen even more significantly，thanks in part to dishwashers，washing machines and microwaves，and also to the fact that men shift themselves a little more around the house than they used to．
The problem，then，is less how much time people have than how they see it．Ever since a clock was first used at a workplace to record labor hours in the 18th century，time has been understood in relation to money．Once hours are financially quantified （量化），people worry more about wasting，but tend to save or use them more profitably．When economies grow and incomes rise，everyone's time becomes more valuable．And the more valuable something becomes，the rarer it seems．
Once seeing their time in terms of money，people often grow stingy with the former to maximize the latter．Workers who are paid by the hour volunteer less of their time and tend to feel more upset when they are not working．
The relationship between time，money and anxiety is something Gary Becker noticed in America's post-war boom years．"If anything，time is used more carefully today than a century ago，"he noted in 1965．He found that when people are paid more to work，they tend to work longer hours，because working becomes a more profitable use of time．So the rising value of work time puts pressure on all time．Leisure time starts to seem more stressful，as people are forced to use it wisely or not at all．
55．Women's time in unpaid work has fallen partly becauseC．
A．women become more skilled at household equipment
B．men's ability to support a family has been improved
C．men's involvement in housework has increased
D．women's leisure time was taken up by heavy housework
56．From the second paragraph，we learn thatD．
A．The rise of incomes makes time less valuable
B．labor hours were recorded with a clock
C．people haven't realized the value of time
D．more work hours bring in more money
57．The underlined phrase grow stingy with can probably be replaced by"A"．
A．hesitate to spend
B．refuses to delay
C．intend to kill
D．try to accumulate
58．According to Gary Becker，what causes people feel anxious about time？D
A．More and more leisure time．
B．The wrong way of time being spent．
C．People's willingness to work hard．
D．The increasing value of work time．
分析 本文是一篇社会现象类文章，讲述了人们生活节奏越来越快的原因，主要是因为时间被赋予的价值越来越高，人们工作的时间越长，得到的报酬越多，因此活得非常忙碌．
解答 55．C．细节分析题．根据文章第一段Women's paid work has risen a lot over this period，but their time in unpaid work，like cooking and cleaning，has fallen even more significantly，thanks in part to dishwashers，washing machines and microwaves，and also to the fact that men shift themselves a little more around the house than they used to可知女性在家务中花费的时间变少主要是因为与以前相比，男性更多的承担了家务，故选C．
56．D．细节分析题．根据第二段When economies grow and incomes rise，everyone's time becomes more valuable．And the more valuable something becomes，the rarer it seems可知人们的工作时间越长，报酬越高，选D．
57．A．推理判断题．根据文章第三段Once seeing their time in terms of money，people often grow stingy with the former to maximize the latter并结合上下文可知，因为时间与金钱挂钩，人们开始变得比之前吝啬花费时间，故选A．
58．D．推理判断题．文章末段提到So the rising value of work time puts pressure on all time．Leisure time starts to seem more stressful，as people are forced to use it wisely or not at all由此判断gary认为工作时间的价值变高使得人们变得焦虑，故选D．
点评 考察学生的细节理解和推理判断能力，做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句，和题干进行比较，再做出正确的选择．在做推理判断题不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
