英語(yǔ)課外閱讀

英語(yǔ)課外閱讀

LoversTurntoTextMessagetoSayIt'sOver發(fā)個(gè)短信說(shuō)分手.

URdumped一oneinsevensaytheyhavesufferedthesamefate

asBritneySpears'ex-husbandandbeentoldit'sallovervia

textmessageore-mail,asurveysaid.

Whilehidingbehindtechnologymightappearacowardlywayof

splittingup,itcontrastswiththefourpercentwhosimplydrop

allcommunicationwiththeirloverswithoutnotice."Mostof

ussende-mailsandtextseveryday,soitcomesasnosurprise

theyarenowbeingusedtoditchsomeone一howeverdistasteful

thisis,“saidRobBarnes,whocarriedoutthesurvey."The

resultsshowonepercentofthepopulationwou1duseasocial

networkingsitetodumpapartner.Itwouldbeinterestingto

seehowthischangesassitessuchasFacebookandMySpace

becomemoreapparentinoureverydaylives."Oneofthemost

high-profilevictimsofdumpingbytextwasKevinFederline,

whoreportedlyreceivednewsthatpopsingerSpearswasfiling

fordivorcewhilebeingfilmedforatelevisionshow.

Thesurveysaid15percentofthe2,194peoplequestionedhad

beendumpedbytextore-mail,althoughaquarterofthosein

themosttech-savvy18to24-year-oldagegroupwouldchoose

thetraditionalmethod一aletter.

“你被甩了”——每七個(gè)人中就有一個(gè)稱(chēng)他們?cè)獾竭^(guò)與“小甜甜”

布蘭妮的前夫同樣的命運(yùn)——通過(guò)短信或電子郵件的方式被告知關(guān)

系就此結(jié)束，一項(xiàng)調(diào)查如是說(shuō)。

用科技作擋箭牌可算一種怯懦的分手方式，而與此形成對(duì)比的是，有

4%的人說(shuō)也不說(shuō)一聲，就完全斷絕與愛(ài)人的所有聯(lián)系?！拔覀兇蠖鄶?shù)

人每天都發(fā)送電子郵件和短信，現(xiàn)在用它來(lái)與某人分手也就不足為奇

了，不管這有多么令人不快，”主持此項(xiàng)調(diào)查的羅布？巴恩斯說(shuō)，“調(diào)

查結(jié)果表明，有1%的人會(huì)使用社交網(wǎng)站與情人分手。隨著像Facebook

和MySpace這樣的網(wǎng)站在日常生活中越來(lái)越普及，關(guān)注這一現(xiàn)象如何

變化是很有意思的。”被發(fā)短信甩掉的“最大牌的”受害者之一是凱

文？費(fèi)德林，據(jù)爆料他是在錄制電視節(jié)目時(shí)收到流行歌星“小甜甜”

的短信要求離婚的。

該調(diào)查稱(chēng)在受訪的2,194人中，有15%曾被戀人發(fā)短信或電子郵件甩

掉，然而在18到24歲之間這一最具科技頭腦的人群中，仍有1/4的

人會(huì)選擇傳統(tǒng)的分手方法：寫(xiě)信。

Remarks：各位看《英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)》可是為了學(xué)英語(yǔ)的，不是為了學(xué)怎么

跟情人分手的。如有人因本文遭受損失，恕本刊概不負(fù)責(zé)！.

HowOfficePoliticsDominatesOurShut-Eyel英國(guó)人：工作壓力

大，做夢(mèng)也不忘

Tryingtoleaveworkattheofficeisprovingtobeachallenge

formanyBritishworkers,withresearchrevealingthatheavy

workloads,conflictsandbossesallmakeanappearancein

dreams.

Work-relatedissuesarethenumberonetopicfeaturingin

dreams,withcolleaguescreepingintoshut-eyetimemorethan

celebrities.2Morethan20percentpolledadmittedthatthey

regularlydreamabouttheirboss.

Accordingtotheresearchoneinthreedreamaboutworkwhen

theyarestressedintheirjobandaquarterstatedthatthey

dreamaboutacolleagueiftherewasaconflictswiththem

earlierthatday.Ofthe2,000peoplesurveyed,20percent

dreamedmoreiftheywereunderpressureorstressed.

Thepollfoundthattheaveragepersondreamsmostnights,with

only12percentsayingtheyneverdream.However,dreamsoften

leavepeopleconfused,with52percentsayingtheydonotmake

sense4and60percentwishingtheycouldknowwhattheymean.

CommentingonthesurveycarriedoutbyOnePollforPremier

Innhotels,dreamsexpertDavinaMacKailsaid:"Thispoll

showsthatwhetherweareasleeporawakeaproblemwitha

colleagueorstressatworkcanreallyaffectus.”

1.shut-eye:〈口〉睡覺(jué)。

2.issue:問(wèn)題；featurein:為...主要角色；creepinto:悄悄

地進(jìn)入，潛入。

3.conflict:沖突。

4.makesense:有意義，解釋得通。

GraduatesSellAdvertisingSpaceonTheirFaces英國(guó)畢業(yè)生出

租“臉孔”當(dāng)廣告牌

Twoenterprisinggraduatesaresellingadvertisingspaceon

theirfacesto

payoffacombinedstudentdebtofalmost￡50,000.1

Facedwithachallengingjobmarket,formerCambridgestudents

EdMoyseandRossHarperarepaintingdifferentcompanylogos

ontotheirfaces.Anyonecanbuytheadvertisingspace,from

businessestoindividualsorgroups,onaday-to-day2basis.

Thelogos-whichcanbeviewedatwww.buymyface.co.uk-are

thenseenbyeveryonetheypass

astheygoabouttheirdailybusiness.

Thegraduates,whometontheirfirstdayatSelwynCollege,

Cambridge,startedthebusinessonOctober1,2011andsaidthey

made￡3,500inthefirst10days.Theboyssaidtheyare

“armedonlywithmassivestudentdebtandafirmgraspofthe

principlesofviraladvertisingvastheyattempttosurvive

forayearsolelyonincomegeneratedbytransforming

themselvesintowalkingadvertisements.3

Mr.Harper,21,fromGreenwich,southLondon,whostudied

neuroscience,said:"It'sourunconventionalwayofpaying

offourstudentdebt.4Thegraduatejobmarketisincredibly

hostile,andsowethoughtwe'dtryandbypassitaltogether.5

We'veseensomanystudentsunsuccessfullyapplyingforjobs,

onlytoeventuallysettleinacareerthattheyneverreally

wanted.It'sjustsomethingabitdifferentandhastakenoff6

quitenicely.”

1.enterprising:有創(chuàng)業(yè)精神的;payoff:付清，還清;debt:債

務(wù)。

2.day-to-day:按日的，一天一天的。

3.massive:大量的；grasp:理解，掌握；viraladvertising:病

毒式廣告（網(wǎng)絡(luò)公司的一種廣告方式，讓計(jì)算機(jī)用戶通過(guò)電子郵件在

不知不覺(jué)中收發(fā)廣告或圖文）；此處指在臉上打廣告也是一種“病毒

式廣告”；

solely:僅僅。

4.neuroscience:（研究大腦的）神經(jīng)科學(xué)；unconventional:非

傳統(tǒng)的。

5.hostile:惡劣的，不利的；bypass:避開(kāi)。

6.takeoff:突然開(kāi)始成功。

BriberyinIndia:AWebsiteforWhistleblowers印度網(wǎng)站揭露

行賄真相

Imagineifyouhadtopayabribetoseeyournewbornbaby,get

yourwatersupplyconnectedorobtainyourdrivinglicense.

It'saneverydayfactoflifeinIndia一butcampaignersare

nowfightingback,usingpeoplepowerandtheInternet.

“Uncoverthemarketpriceofcorruptionv,proclaimsthe

banneronthehomepageofipaidabribe.com.Itinvitespeople

tosharetheirexperiencesofbribery,whatabribewasfor,

whereittookplaceandhowmuchwasinvolved.Launchedin

August,thesitegivesIndiansachancetoventtheir

frustrationsanonymouslyandshineaspotlightontheimpact

ofcorruptiononeverydaylife.

“Ididthedrivingtestcorrectlybutstilltheofficialsaid

Iwasdrivingtooslow,Irealizedhisintentionsogavehim

200Rupeesandgotthethingdone,“isatypicalexampleof

aposting.ThewebsitewasthebrainwaveofRameshandSwati

Ramanathan.HavinglivedintheUSandtheUKforseveralyears,

theyweredismayedontheirreturntoseehowwidespread

corruptionhadbecomeanddecidedtodosomethingaboutit.

Thewebsitehasevolvedintoaconsumercomparisonsitewhere

peoplecanalsogetinformationandadviceindifferent

languagesonhowtoavoidpayingbribes.Sofar,nearly10,000

bribeexperienceshavebeenreportedacross347citiesand19

governmentdepartments.

SolvingtheproblemofbriberyinIndiaisnotgoingtohappen

overnight.Butipaidabribe.comshowsthatordinarypeoplecan

beturnedfromthevictimsofcorruptionintopartofthe

solution.

bribery:行賄，受賄，下文中的bribe為名詞，意為“賄賂，用來(lái)

買(mǎi)通別人的錢(qián)財(cái)（或物品、好處等）"；whistleblower:（尤指組織

內(nèi)部的）告發(fā)者，告密者。

campaigner:參加（或發(fā)起）運(yùn)動(dòng)的人，文中指反腐敗人士；people

power:人民的（反對(duì)）力量。

corruption:腐??；proclaim:表明，顯示；banner:橫幅；homepage:

（互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的）首頁(yè)，主頁(yè)。

該網(wǎng)站邀請(qǐng)人們分享自己的行賄經(jīng)歷、行賄原因、行賄地點(diǎn)以及行賄

金額。

vent:表達(dá)，發(fā)泄情感（尤指憤怒）；frustration:（frustration:

frustration:）；frustration:；挫折，失望；anonymously:匿名地；

spotlight:公眾注意中心。

Rupee:盧比（印度貨幣單位）；post:發(fā)貼子。

brainwave:靈感，妙計(jì)。

dismay:使失望;widespread:普遍的,廣泛的。

evolveinto:逐漸發(fā)展成...。

AmericanDreamforManyIsBetterLifeforKids美國(guó)夢(mèng)：為孩

子打造美好生活

FormostAmericansgivingtheirchildrenabetterlifeorhaving

asuccessfulbusinessorcareeristheirversionoftheAmerican

Dream,accordingtoanewpoll.1

Theirchildren'swelfarewasthetoppriorityfor53percent

ofAmericansquestionedabouttheAmericanDreamina60

Minutes/VanityFairsurvey.

Itsurpassed2jobprospects,gettingrichovernight,owninga

home,doingbetterthanyourparents,andbecomingfamous,

whichdespiterealitytelevisionwaschosenbyonlythree

percent.

Americanswereevenlysplitonwhetheritisagoodideatohave

aprenuptialagreementsbeforegettingmarried.Not

surprisingly60percentofseparatedordivorcedcouplessaid

theythoughtitwasasmartmove.

Anddespiteasteadystreamofdietbooks,56percentof

Americanssaidtheynevertrytoloseweightand27percentsaid

theytrytoslimdown4onceortwiceayear.

Awhopping70percentofAmericanssaidthattheywouldnotfeel

saferifconcealedweaponswereallowedinclassroomsto

preventshootingssuchastheonethatoccurredatVirginiaTech

inAugust2007.5

1.welfare：健康，幸福；priority:優(yōu)先考慮的事；60

Minutes/VanityFairsurvey:美國(guó)電視節(jié)目"60Minutes”與《名

利場(chǎng)》雜志合辦的調(diào)查。

2.surpass:超過(guò)，優(yōu)先于。

3.prenuptialagreement:婚前協(xié)議。

4.slimdown:瘦身。

5.whopping:龐大的;concealed:隱藏的;VirginiaTech:（美

國(guó)）弗吉尼亞理工大學(xué)。2007年，美國(guó)弗吉尼亞理工大學(xué)發(fā)生惡性

校園槍擊案，槍擊造成33人死亡，兇手本人開(kāi)槍自盡。

SaveMoneybutLoseWeightwithKoreanBanks韓國(guó)銀行：減肥

存款花樣多

HanaBank,thebankingarmofHanaFinancialGroup,sellsan

instalmentsavingsproductcalled"S-Line,“aKoreanword

thatmeansanhourglassfigure一justonereflectionofthe

currentKoreanobsessionwithbeingsiimandinshape.1

Themorecalories2acustomerburns,thehigherinterestrate

thebankgives.Ifacustomerlosesmorethanfivepercentof

theirweightwithinayear,orholdsagym3membership,thebank

grantsspecialrates.

Theworking-out-for-higher-interestsavingsaccounthas

fetchedup400billionwon($221million)fromnearly50,000

customerssince2008.4

Otherbankstakeaslightlydifferenttack5.ToplenderKookmin

Bank,thebankingarmofKBFinancialGroupInc,launcheda

smartphoneproduct,takingadvantageofthecountry's

smartphoneboom.6Customersusethistoclickonaniconof

coffeeorataxiontheirsmartphoneinsteadofdrinkingcoffee

ortakingacab—anddirectlydepositmoney.7

WooriBanksellsabicyclefixeddeposit,allowingclientsto

benefitfromvowingtorideabicycletocommute,as

communicatedwithawrittenstatement,orswipingitscredit

cardforpublictransportation.8Thebankalsoprovidesfree

bicycleinsurance.

ForPark,whowantstosavemoneyforseveralyearsbutfears

burningaholeinhiswalletbyfollowinghisfitnessresolution

sincemanygymmembershipsinSeoulareexpensive,9such

banks'plansgivehimguardedhope."Theyallsoundvery

good,“Parksaid,thoughheaddedthathe'dhavetodouble

checkandmakesuretheplanshelpedhimlosewherehewants

to——andonlythere.

1.bankingarm:銀行業(yè)務(wù)分部；instalmentsavingsproduct:零

存整取理財(cái)產(chǎn)品；hourglassfigure:沙漏形體型；inshape:處于

良好的健康狀況。

2.calorie:卡路里，熱量單位。

3.gym:體育館，健身館。

4.working-out-for-higher-interest:為了高利息，賣(mài)力減肥，

workout意為"筋疲力盡"；fetchup:產(chǎn)生；won:韓元，韓國(guó)貨

幣單位。

5.tack:策略，方法。

6.smartphone:智能手機(jī)；boom:迅速發(fā)展，繁榮。

7.icon:圖標(biāo)；deposit:存（款），也作名詞“存款”。

8.commute:通勤；swipecreditcardforpublictransportation:

乘公共交通時(shí)刷信用卡付費(fèi)。

9.burnaholeinone'swallet:錢(qián)在錢(qián)包里留不住；fitness

resolution:減肥決心。

TheKeyto100MillionMysteries一億個(gè)秘密的鑰匙

TheaverageBritonhasninekeysontheirkeyring-andnoidea

whatatleasttwoofthemarefor,accordingtoastudy.This

suggeststhattherearemorethan100millionumysterykeys”

inthecountry,weighingmorethan1,000tons.

Thepoll,byEsureinsurance,foundthattheaveragewomanowned

10keysbutdidn,tknowwhattwoofthemdid.Menownanaverage

ofeight,butagainthepurposeoftwooftheseisunknown.

Theresearchalsofoundthat,whiletheaveragebunchcomprises

ninekeys,morethanaquarterofthosepolledownedbetween

10and15differentkeys,withafurtherninepercentofpeople

possessing21ormoreseparatekeys.

Thepollalsofoundthatoneinfivehomeshadakeyhidden

within10feetofthefrontdoor,withthemostcommonhiding

placeagardenrock,followedbyplantpotsanddoormats.

Onein10respondentsdidnotbothertochangelocksafter

losingasetofkeys,andtwothirdsleftasetofkeyswith

neighbours,familyorfriends.

Theover-55sarethemosttrusting,andfrequentlyleavekeys

withothers,whileathirdofunder-25ssaidtheyhadneverdone

so.

SecretofMatchSuccess比賽成功的秘訣

Sportscoacheswhowearsuitsonmatchdaysandtracksuitslon

trainingdaysaremorelikelytogetthebestoutoftheirteams,

accordingtonewresearch.

SportsscientistsattheUniversityofPortsmouthstudiedthe

effectacoach'sappearancehadontheplayers,impressions

oftheircompetence?.Dr.RichardThelwellsaid:''Wehave

foundthattheclothingthatcoacheswearcanhaveadirect

effectontheplayers'perceptions3ofthecoach'sability.

Playerslooktotheircoachtoprovidetechnicalskills,to

motivatethemandtoleadthem.Acoachinasuitsuggests

strategicprowess4whichisobviouslyidealforamatch.Inour

study,coacheswearingasuitwereperceivedasbeingmore

strategicallycompetentthanthosewearingsportingattire5.

However,whenwearingsportingattire,theywereperceivedto

bemoretechnicallycompetentthanthoseinasuit.''

Dr.The1we11said:''Firstimpressionscanhaveapowerful

andlong-lastingeffect,nomatterhowquicklythosejudgments

weremade.Fromtheresearch,weknowthatsportsmenandwomen

makesnapdecisionsabouttheiropponentsbasedonfirst

impressions.6Suchimpressionsthenofteninfluencethe

expectationsoftheperformanceoutcomethatultimately

resultsinsuccessorfailure.Incoachingitisvitalastrong

rapport?developsbetweenthecoachandtheathlete.Sportsmen

andwomenhavetobewillingtobepersuadedtopushthe

boundariesphysicallyandmentallybecausethecoachbelieves

theycanpushharderorevenbecausethecoachjusttellsthem

tobut,todate,8verylittleresearchhasbeendoneonwhat

happensinthosefirstfewmoments,andmoreimportantly

whethertheathleteispreparedtogoalongwiththeidealsof

thecoach.''

1.tracksuit:（訓(xùn)練時(shí)穿的）長(zhǎng)袖運(yùn)動(dòng)服，田徑服。

2.competence:能力,技能。

3.perception:認(rèn)識(shí)，看法。

4.prowess:（某活動(dòng)或領(lǐng)域的）杰出才能，高超本領(lǐng)。

5.attire:（尤指華麗或正式的）服裝。

6.snap:迅速的；opponent:對(duì)手。

7.rapport:融洽的關(guān)系，和諧的關(guān)系。

8.pushtheboundaries:努力突破；todate:迄今為止。

RichWomenPreferAttractiveOlderMen多金女青睞魅力熟男

PsychologistsinScotlandhavefoundthataswomenbecomemore

financiallyindependent,theywantanolder,moreattractive

malepartner.

Studieshavepreviouslyfoundthatwomenplacegreateremphasis

onwhetheramancanprovideforthem,whilemenplacemore

importanceongoodlooks.Thenewstudyrevealedthataswomen

earnmoreandbecomemoreindependent,theirtastesactually

change.

Thestudywasconductedonlinewith3,770heterosexual1

participants,aboutequalnumbersofmenandwomen,whowere

askedquestionsabouttheirbackgroundandpersonalsituation,

andtheirleveloffinancialindependence.Participantsranked

aseriesofcriteriasuchasphysicalattraction,financial

prospectsandsenseofhumorinorderofimportance,withthese

resultsmatchedagainsttheirincomeandfinancial

independence.2

Thefindingsuggeststhatgreaterfinancialindependencegives

womengreaterconfidenceinchoosingtheirpartner.

Instinctivepreferencesformaterialstabilityandsecurity

becomelessimportant,physicalattractivenessbecomesmore

important,andtheageofawomanJspartneralsoincreases.

Thepopularstereotypesofpowerfulwomenadoptingmale

patternsofbehaviorisstronglyquestionedbythesenew

results.

1.heterosexual:異性戀的。

2.criteria:criterion的復(fù)數(shù)形式，標(biāo)準(zhǔn),尺度；matchagainst:

與……相比。

3.stereotype:固定的看法。

BritishFoodNoLongeraTurn-off1forTourists英國(guó)食物重獲

游客青睞

ForeignershavefordecadesbrandedBritishfoodasblandand

unhealthy,butanewsurveysuggestedthecountry'sculinary

reputationischanging-althoughtheFrenchremain

unimpressed.2

Asurveyof26,000peoplein36countriesbyVisitBritain,the

nationaltourismbody,foundthat

amajorityofpeoplein27nationsdisagreedwiththestatement

thatuBritishfoodisverybad”.

Russia,Estonia3andEgyptwerethemostenthusiasticabout

Britishfood,whileSpain,Italy,JapanandFrance一thelatter

haslongbeenskepticalabouttheculinarydelightsofits

neighbour-weretheleastimpressed.

Theresearchersalsoaskedwould-betravellerstheirviewson

whatformanyistheclassicBritishdish一abreakfastofeggs,

sausage,baconandblackpudding,withthepossibleaddition

ofmushroomsandgrilledtomatoes.4

Askedhowmuchtheyagreedwiththestatement,'Tvealways

wantedtotryafullEnglishbreakfast,onlytheIrishand

theGermanswereambivalent5,andamongthekeenestwere

visitorsfromRussia,BrazilandIndia.

1.turn-off:令人倒胃口的東西，令人厭煩的事物。

2.brand:加污名于...,譴責(zé)；bland:淡而無(wú)味的;culinary:烹

飪的。

3.Estonia:愛(ài)沙尼亞，波羅的海沿岸三國(guó)之一。

4.would-be:想要成為...的；grill:烤。

5.ambivalent:態(tài)度模糊的，不確定的。

BackgroundNoise"MakesFoodTasteBlandl”飛機(jī)餐難吃怪噪

日

Theblandnessofairlinemealshaslongbeenacomplaintamong

passengers一butresearchsuggeststhatthechefsmaynotbeto

blame.

Astudyhasfoundthathighlevelsofbackgroundnoisecan

diminishthesensitivityofpeople'spalates,makingfood

tastelessappealing.2Expertsbelievethattheroarofan

aircraftJsjetenginescouldexplainwhydinersaresooften

leftunimpressedbythefooddishedupbycabincrew.3The

researchersalsodiscoveredthatpleasantsoundscanincrease

people'senjoymentofmeals.Thefindingscouldhelp

restaurateurschoosetherightmusicandambiencetoenhance

diners,experiences.4

Blindfoldedvolunteersweregivenarangeoffoodsincluding

flapjacksandcheesecrackerstotrywhilebeingplayed

differentlevelsofwhitenoise.5Theirresponsesindicated

thatpeoplehadalessacutesenseofthesweetnessand

saltinessoffoodsthelouderthenoisewasplayed.6However,

participantshadaheightenedsenseofthecrunchinessoffoods

thenoisieritbecame.7

ResearcherDr.AndyWoodssaid:"Ourresearchhasrevealed

thatflavourscantastelessstronginloudbackgroundnoise.

Inaddition,justasenjoyablemusiccanenhancetheeating

experience,ifyoudislikethebackgroundnoiseitcanreduce

yourlikingofthatfood.Basedonthesefindings,asaladbar

chainwantingtoservecrunchysaladsmayfindthattheybenefit

fromloudermusic,whereasarestaurantthatservessaltyfood

couldconsiderturningthebackgroundmusicdowntoreducethe

needforadditionalsodiumintheirfood."8

Hesaiditintendstoundertakemoreresearchtoexplainthe

findings.Itisthoughtthatbackgroundnoisemaydistortthe

brain'sabilitytoaccuratelygaugethesenses.9"Wecould

ultimatelyworkouttheperfectsoundtracklOtoenhanceany

meal,“addedDr.Woods.

1.bland:（食物）淡而無(wú)味的。

2.diminish:減弱；palate:味覺(jué);appealing:吸引人的。

3.roar:咆哮聲，轟鳴聲；jetengine:噴氣發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)；dishup:提

供；cabincrew:機(jī)艙乘務(wù)人員。

4.restaurateur:餐館老板；ambience:環(huán)境，氛圍；enhance:提

高，增進(jìn)。

5.blindfolded:被蒙住眼睛的;flapjack:煎餅，烤餅;cheese

cracker:奶酪薄脆餅干；whitenoise:白噪音，用以掩蓋其他雜音

的聲音。

6.acute:敏銳的；saltiness:咸味。

7.heightened:更強(qiáng)烈的；crunchiness:嘎吱嘎吱聲，下文的

crunchy為形容詞，表示“發(fā)嘎吱嘎吱聲的”。

8.saladbarchain:連鎖沙拉吧,沙拉吧指（餐館或超市中的）沙

拉自助柜或涼拌菜自助長(zhǎng)條桌；sodium:鈉。

9.distort:扭曲，使不正常；gauge:判斷，估計(jì)。

10.soundtrack:（電影）配樂(lè)。

ShortBreaksMakePeopleHappierthanOneLongHoliday休短

假比休長(zhǎng)假更開(kāi)心

Takingfrequentshortbreaksisbetterforyouthanonelong

holiday,researchhasfound.

Psychologistsbelievethatpeoplewhousetheirho1iday

allowanceinburstsratherthanallinonegoarehappier.1

Peoplewhotakeso-calledmini-breaks2havemorehappymemories

thanthosewhoholidayforanextendedperiodoftime,they

claimed.

Psychologistssuggestedthatholidaymakersbreakupextended

timeawaybydoingsomeworkinthemiddleoftheirbreaksaying

thiswou1dmakethemmoreappreciativeoftheirtimeawayfrom

theoffice.3Theexplanationisthatpeople'senjoymentwanes

astheybecomeaccustomedtotheirholidaylifestyle.4

Prof.Ariely,whoteachesatDukeUniversityinNorthCarolina,

said:"Onalongvacation,daysevenislessgoodthandayone

becauseit'snotasexciting.That'swhyingeneral,going

awayfourtimes[ayear]providesmorebenefitthanyouwould

expect,andgoingawayforoneweekprovideslessbenefitthan

youwouldexpect.”

However,otherexpertsdisagree.TimHarford,theauthorof

DearUndercoverEconomist,saidthattakinganincreasednumber

oftripswouldonlyincreasethestressassociatedwith

travellingtoandfromaholidaydestination.Hesaid:"Ifyou

packthreetimesasmanyholidaysintothesameamountofleave,

youcanexpectthreetimesasmuchtrouble.It'snotobvious

tomethatit'sworthit.”

1.holidayallowance:容許的假期；inbursts:一陣一陣地；inone

go:一口氣。

2.mini-break:短暫假期。

3.holidaymaker:度假者；appreciative:感激的，承認(rèn)有價(jià)值的。

4.wane:減弱,變少;becomeaccustomedto:對(duì)...變得習(xí)以為

常。

AttractiveWomenOverlookedforCertainJobs?"男性工作”：

美女也沒(méi)便宜占

Toohottobeanengineerorprisonguard?

Goodlookscankillawoman'schancesofsnaringjobs

considered“masculine,“1accordingtoastudybythe

UniversityofColoradoDenverBusinessSchool.

Attractivewomenfaceddiscrimination2whentheyappliedfor

jobswhereappearancewasnotseenasimportant.These

positionsincludedjobtitleslikemanagerofresearchand

development,directoroffinance,mechanicalengineerand

constructionsupervisor.3

Theywerealsooverlookedforcategorieslikedirectorof

security,hardwaresalesperson,prisonguardandtow-truck

driver.4

“Intheseprofessionsbeingattractivewashighlydetrimental

towomen,“researcherStefanieJohnsonsaidinastatement,

addingthatattractivewomentendedtobesortedintopositions

1ikereceptionistorsecretary.5

“Ineveryotherkindofjob,attractivewomenwerepreferred.

Thiswasn'tthecasewithmenwhichshowsthatthereisstill

adoublestandardwhenitcomestogender6.”

Whiletheresearchersfoundgood-lookingwomenwereruledout7

forcertainjobs,theyfoundthatattractivemendidnotface

similardiscriminationandwerealwaysatanadvantage.

ButJohnsonsaidbeautifulpeoplestillenjoyedasignificant

edge8whenitcametotheworkplace.

Theytendedtogethighersalaries,betterperformance

evaluations,higherlevelsofadmissiontocollege,andmore

favorablejudgmentsintrials.9

“Ineveryotherkindofjob,attractivewomenwere

preferred,“saidJohnson,whochidedthosewholetstereotypes

affecthiringdecisions.10

1.snare:（用陷阱、羅網(wǎng)等）捕捉，此處指找工作；masculine:適

于男性的。

2.discrimination:差別對(duì)待，歧視。

3.directoroffinance:貝才務(wù)總監(jiān)；constructionsupervisor:施

工監(jiān)理。

4.directorofsecurity:保安部主管；tow-truck:吊拖車(chē)，托運(yùn)

車(chē)。

5.detrimental:有害的，不利的；receptionist:（診所、事務(wù)處

等的）接待員。

6.gender:性別。

7.ruleout:把...排除在外。

8.edge:優(yōu)勢(shì)。

9.performanceevaluation:業(yè)績(jī)?cè)u(píng)價(jià)；trial:審判。

10.chide:責(zé)備；stereotype:成見(jiàn)。

BritonsSpendSixMonthsofTheirLivesDiscussingWeather英

國(guó)人一生六個(gè)月談天氣

Famouslyweather-obsessedlBritishpeoplespendonaveragesix

monthsoftheirlivestalkingaboutwhetherit'sgoingtorain

orshine,accordingtoasurveypublishedrecently.

Speculationaboutwhetherit'sgoingtobewet,complaints

aboutthecoldandexclamationsabouttheheatarealsothe

firstpointsofconversationwithstrangersorbusiness

acquaintancesfor58percentofBritons,2itsaid.

Thestudyof2,018adultsbypollstersICMfoundBritonstalk

abouttheweatherforabout49hourseveryyearandthesubject

comesupmoreoftenthanwork,TV,sportorgossip.3Nineteen

percentofover65squestionedalsobelievetheycanpredict

theweatheraswellasaprofessionalweatherman.4

Themostusualexplanationforthefascinationwithweatheris

thatitissochangeablehere-althoughthisdoesnotexplain

whyothermeteorologicallychallengedcountriesarenot

similarlyinterested.5

Whateverthereason,((thesefindingsprovethatwereallyare

anationobsessedbyourclimate,“

saidPaulLlewellynofLloydsTSBInsurance,which

commissioned6thepoll.

1.weather-obsessed:對(duì)天氣著迷的。

2.speculation:猜測(cè)；exclamation:大呼小叫；

acquaintance:熟人。

3.pollster:民意調(diào)查分析機(jī)構(gòu)；gossip:流言蜚語(yǔ)。

4.over65s:65歲以上的老人；weatherman:天氣預(yù)

報(bào)員。

5.fascination:著迷,強(qiáng)烈愛(ài)好；meteorologicallychallenged:

氣象狀況不穩(wěn)定的。

6.commission:委托進(jìn)行。

QueenElizabethIIWantsaPayRise女王要求漲工資

TheQueenisdemandingherfirstpayrisein20yearstoplug

alooming￡6milliondeficitintheroyalhousehold?s

finances.1

PalaceofficialshavewarnedtheTreasurytheyneedadramatic

riseinthe￡7.9millionannualcivillisttomaintain

spendingonstateduties.2Therequestispoliticallyexplosive

atatimewhenthenewcoalitionisimposingdraconian￡6

billionpublicsectorcutst