7．You can't always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella．But designer Mikhail Belyaev doesn't think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet．TThat's why he created Lampbrella，a lamp post with its own rain-sensing umbrella． The designer says he came up with the idea after watching peopleget wet on streets in Russia．"Once，I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain．I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy（伞篷）built into a street lamp，"he said．The Lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy．It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand．Sensors then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining．In addition to the rain sensor，there's also a 360°motion sensor on the fiberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone is using the Lampbrella．After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed． According to the designer，the Lampbrella would move at a relatively lowspeed，so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians．Besides，it would be grounded to protect from possible lightning strike．Each Lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people．Being installed at 2meters off the ground，it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians．While there are no plans to take the Lampbrella into production，Belyaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow Department，and insists his creation could be installed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter．
25．For what purpose did Belyaev create the Lampbrella？C A．To predict a heavy rain． B．To check the weather forecast． C．To protect people from the rain． D．To remind people to take an umbrella． 26．What do we know from Belyaev's words in Paragraph 2？A A．His creation was inspired by an experience． B．It rains a lot in the city of Saint Petersburg． C．Street lamps are protected by canopies． D．He enjoyed taking walks in the rain． 27．What does Paragraph 5mainly tell us about the Lampbrella？D A．Its moving speed． B．Its appearance． C．Its installation． D．Its safety． 28．What can be inferred from the last paragraph？C A．The designer will open a company to promote his product． B．The Lampbrella could be put into immediate production． C．The designer is confident that his creation is practical． D．The Lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow．
8．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 becauseD． A．women's leisure time was taken up by heavy housework B．women become more skilled at household equipment C．men's ability to support a family has been improved D．men's involvement in housework has increased 56．From the second paragraph，we learn thatA． A．more work hours bring in more money B．The rise of incomes makes time less valuable C．labor hours were recorded with a clock D．people haven't realized the value of time 57．The underlined phrase grow stingy with can probably be replaced by"B"． A．try to accumulate B．hesitate to spend C．refuses to delay D．intend to kill 58．According to Gary Becker，what causes people feel anxious about time？A A．The increasing value of work time． B．More and more leisure time． C．The wrong way of time being spent． D．People's willingness to work hard．
