阅读下列短文, 从所给的四个选项中, 选出最佳答案。

　　     Japan has a problem many other countries would envy—its workforce　　 works too hard.

　　

　　     Curing Japanese workers of the disease "workaholism" is proving　　 a difficult job, partly because many of them like work better than　　 anything else, experts say.

　　

　　     Last month, the Japanese Government passed a law for a 40-hour　　 working week, down from 48 hours, to let people spend more time away　　 from the office or factory. But it could be many years before average　　 work hours fall to the new level.

　　

　　     In 1985, Japanese workers worked an average of 2,168 hours a year.　　 By comparison (比较), people in Britain worked 1,952 hours, the United　　 States 1,924, Germany 1,659 and France 1,643.

　　

　　     Many Japanese workers work longer hours not only because of　　 devotion (忠诚) and the pleasure of the job, but also because of fear　　 and inefficiency (低效率).

　　

　　     Many people feel that if they take a week off, they will lose　　 touch with the business and fall behind other people. So they would　　 rather stay at their desks. It is also considered bad form in many　　 offices to leave before the boss. So workers will sit at their desks　　 pretending to be busy until their boss finally puts on his jacket and　　 heads out the door.

(1)  According to the passage, Japan is facing a problem because　　 many workers __________. 

[    ]

A. take days off because of disease　　 　　   

B. work inefficiently 　　   

C. fear their bosses 　　   

D. do not want to leave work 　　

(2) "Its" in paragraph 1 refers to _________.

[    ]

A. the problem's 　　   

B. the work-force's 　　   

C. Japan's 　　   

D. other countries' 　　

(3) "Workaholism" is likely to occur when one _______.

[    ]

A. has to do a very difficult job　　 　　   

B. loves one's work too much　　 　　   

C. works long hours in a place　　 　　   

D. suffers a lot at work 　　

(4) The passage tells that in Japan __________.

[    ]

A. the boss is usually the last to leave the office　　 　　   

B. the boss is usually the first to leave the office　　 　　   

C. workers are usually busier than the boss　　 　　   

D. workers are busiest just before going home　　 　　

(5) The Japanese government is trying to get workers to _________.

[    ]

A. work more efficiently 　　   

B. work even harder 　　   

C. work fewer hours 　　   

D. stay away from the office

　　

　　In Melbourne, Australia, not long ago specialists gave advice on a patient's problem． There's nothing unusual in that -- except that the patient was in the far west of New South Wales at the time． That's hundreds of miles from Melbourne． The heart disease experts were able to make their diagnosis after listening to the patient's heartbeat over the telephone．

　　They were testing a new device that can change readings of a patient's heartbeat into tone signals that can be sent by telephone． The device was designed in Australia． It is meant for use in areas far from large cities． Doctors in remote areas can take the heartbeat readings right in the patient’s home． Then they can play them over a telephone line to specialists in larger centers． The doctor in the remote area is thus able to obtain an expert's opinion on the heart condition of his patient． Experiments with the device show that the whole process takes only a few minutes．

1．This article is mainly about a device for______．

A． preventing heart disease B． sending medical information

C．moving heart patients D．recording doctors' conversations

2．The author says the device was designed in______．

A． Melbourne B． New South Wales C． Australia D．None of the above

3．Doctors in remote areas sometimes need advice because they don't have_____．

A．any training in medicine　　

B． connections with telephone or telegraph offices

C．enough nurses and technicians to help them

D．the special knowledge needed to treat every condition

4．Doctors take the heartbeat readings with______．

A．stethoscopes B． cardiographs C． telephone receivers D． The article does not say．

5．The readings are changed to tone signals in the______．

A．specialist's office B． patient's home C． city hospital　　 D． radio station

6．Which happens last?

A．The specialist makes his diagnosis．

B．The doctor goes to the patient's home．

C． The specialist gives the doctor his opinion．

D．The specialist hears the patient's heart-beat．

7．From the article we can conclude that Australia has a number of_____．

A．remote areas B．good highways C． mountainous regions D． strange animals

8．The new method allows medical people to communicate______．

A． quickly　　B．effectively C． over great distances D． All of the above