It is often said that politeness costs nothing．In fact，it seems that a little more courtesy could save businesses￡5 billion every year．

Frequently hearing the phrase “thank you” or “well done” means the same to staff as a modest pay rise，researchers say．

Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs，saving on the cost of finding replacements．

A third of 1,000 workers surveyed by consulting firm White Water Strategies said they did not get thanked at all when they did well—and a further third said they were not thanked enough．

In both cases，staff said they felt undervalued，meaning they were less likely to exert themselves and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere．

The net result is around ￡5.2 billion in lost productivity from employees who would raise their game if they felt more appreciated，White Water claimed According to the company，praising staff has the same motivational kick as a 1 per cent pay rise—and works out much cheaper for bosses．

Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement by their boss was important to them，but only a quarter said they were actually given as much praise as they felt they needed．

The survey found that those in blue-collar and manual jobs were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well．

In regional terms，Scottish staff felt most undervalued．Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise．However，workers in the North-East are less impressed by being buttered up by the boss，as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told “well done” regularly．

Older employees and women need the most reassurance，according to psychologist Averil Leimon，a director of White Water Strategies．She said that words of praise did more than create a pleasant place to work—they could even boost profits．

51．The second paragraph means that_____________.

       A．employees ask for high pay instead of hearing “thank you” or “well done”

       B．bosses always think highly of their employees’ work

       C．bosses’ praise and encouragement are important to workers

       D．bosses should praise their workers from time to time

52．Why praise and encouragement are needed according to the passage?

       A．Most bosses feel it necessary

       B．Most workers didn’t work hard enough.

       C．Most bosses can make money from praise and encouragement

       D．Most workers will work harder and stay in their jobs from praise and encouragement.

53．According to tiffs passage，the majority of staff felt______________．

    A．there were thanked enough         B．they were undervalued

    C．they got satisfactory pay          D．they didn’t need encouragement

54．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A．Blue-collar and manual workers need more regular acknowledgement by their bosses．

B．A third of the workers surveyed by White Water Strategies never got thanked at all when

they did well．

    C．Old employees and women do not need to be appreciated as much as the young．

    D．Fewer than 20％ of Scotiish felt that they never got thanked．

55．The main idea of the passage is that___________

    A．praise and encouragement may help employees work better

    B．workers are always demanding more praise and encouragement

    C．bosses in Scotland usually praise and encourage their staff enough

    D．if undervalued employees will certainly look for employment elsewhere

Scientists have confirmed that the majority of overweight people who try to lose weight either by cutting calories or exercising will return to their former size．Fewer than 10 percent of the l2 million British people who go on a diet each year succeed in losing significant amounts of weight and most of those who do put it all back on again within a year．

    The study of 25，000 people provides further evidence of the popularity of‘yo-yo dieting’where slimmers get into a cycle of losing weight and regaining it．The scientists，from the Medical Research Council’s National Survey of Health and Development，have concluded it is better to avoid getting fat in the first place．They followed 5，362 men and women from their birth in l946 and 20，000 from birth in l958，measuring their weight and blood pressure and assessing their lifestyles．The researchers found both groups began gaining weight in the 1980s and have steadily increased in size ever since．

    Dr Rebecca Hardy，the council’s programme leader on body size，said：“0nce people become, overweight，they continue extremely upwards．They hardly ever go back down．A(印刷不清两个单词)  weight but very few get back to normal。The best policy is to prevent people becoming overweight．For men weight goes up steadily through life。For women it starts slowly and accelerates in the mid-thirties．”

   But the study's findings do not mean dieting is pointless，as eating less and taking more exercise can increase fitness and lower blood pressure．In 2009，a quarter of adults and l4 percent of children were obese(过度肥胖的)，according to the Department of Health’s latest Health Survey for England．Although previous research has shown one in four Britons is trying to lose weight at any one time，it has been predicted that 60 percent of us will be obese by 2050，leading to even more cases of diabetes(糖尿病)，heart disease and cancer．Experts said we are programmed to put on weight rather than lose it．Dieting can make this tendency worse as decreasing calorie intake causes the body to go into starvation mode and reduce the amount of energy it naturally expends，making it even harder to lose weight．Commenting on the study，Professor Nick Finer from London Hospital，said：“It is unlikely that man would have progressed with mechanisms to fight against obesity which has only become a problem in the last 30～40 years．For most of human history，storing fat would have been an advantage．”

 47．According to Dr Rebecca Hardy，which of the following is TRUE?

    A．It is easier for men to lose weight than women．

    B．Once people lose weight，they never put on weight again．

    C．Never to become fat is the best way of keeping a good shape．

    D．The fact that fat people keep their weight upwards is unusual．

  48．The author says “the study’s findings do not mean dieting is pointless” because    ．

    A．the study lacks believable facts

    B．obese people are confident in losing weight

    C．dieting can really make a few people lose weight

    D．dieting and sports help to keep people free from some diseases

  49．From the last paragraph，we can learn that    ．

    A．decreasing calorie intake makes it even harder to lose weight

    B．the idea that people lose weight with mechanisms is practical

    C．being overweight is a lasting problem through the human history

    D．by 2050 more and more people will have got unfit because of losing weight

  50．Which of the following can serve as the best title of the passage?

    A．Which is better：cutting calories or exercisin97

    B．Fat people can’t really keep the weight off

    C．A new study on people’s health

D．How to go on a healthy diet

Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.

Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than three thousand such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.

But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”

Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.

But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “enrichment”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”.

31. According to the first paragraph the summer learning gap          .

       A. helps children to gain weight                  B. leads children to work harder

       C. improves children’s memories                D. affects children’s regular studies

32. Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones           .

       A. perform better and have more learning gains

       B. have much less time for relaxation every year

       C. have generally the same number of class days

       D. hold more classes with more free weeks off

33. Which of the following statements is true?

       A. Students from poor families often fall behind after the vacation.

       B. Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap.

       C. There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar.

       D. Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation.

34. Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?

       A. They cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much.

       B. They are worried about the quality of the “summer school”.

       C. They want their children to be forced to make up the gap.

       D. They can’t afford to the further study during vacation.

35. What would be the best title of this passage?

       A. Opening Summer Camps

       B. Forbidding Summer Schools

       C. Spreading Year-Round Education

       D. Minding the Summer Learning Gap 

Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.

Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than three thousand such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.

But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, "Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year."

Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.

But calling them "summer school" could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like "summer camp," "enrichment," "extra time" and "hands-on learning."

1.According to the first paragraph the summer learning gap         .

A．helps children to gain weight

B．leads children to work harder

C．improves children’s memories

D．affects children’s regular studies

2.Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones          .

A．perform better and have more learning gains

B．have much less time for relaxation every year

C．have generally the same number of class days

D．hold more classes with more free weeks off

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vacation.

B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap.

C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar.

D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation.

4.Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?

A．They cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much.

B．They are worried about the quality of the “summer school”.

C．They want their children to be forced to make up the gap.

D．They can’t afford to the further study during vacation.

5.What would be the best title of this passage?

A．Opening Summer Camps

B．Forbidding Summer Schools

C．Spreading Year-Round Education

D．Minding the Summer Learning Cap

 

Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.

Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than three thousand such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.

But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, "Year-round schools don't really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year."

Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.

But calling them "summer school" could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like "summer camp," "enrichment," "extra time" and "hands-on learning."

1.According to the first paragraph the summer learning gap         .

A．helps children to gain weight

B．leads children to work harder

C．improves children’s memories

D．affects children’s regular studies

2.Compared to traditional schools, students in the year-round ones          .

A．perform better and have more learning gains

B．have much less time for relaxation every year

C．have generally the same number of class days

D．hold more classes with more free weeks off

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vacation.

B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap.

C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar.

D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation.

4.Why did almost all parents dislike the term “summer school”?

A．They cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much.

B．They are worried about the quality of the “summer school”.

C．They want their children to be forced to make up the gap.

D．They can’t afford to the further study during vacation.

5.What would be the best title of this passage?

A．Opening Summer Camps

B．Forbidding Summer Schools

C．Spreading Year-Round Education

D．Minding the Summer Learning Cap