Old Computers Make for Unhappy Workers --- Survey
LONDON  (Reuters) ----- Dealing with the dissatisfaction of aging and unreliable office computers leads to workers' unhappiness and more sick leave, a survey showed on Wednesday.
A survey carried out by caro4free.net of over 2,700 European office workers from the UK, France and Germany found that workplace dissatisfaction increased greatly with the age of the computer equipment.
"We do know that job satisfaction is falling in Britain and most advanced nations," said Stephen White, a researcher from the Work Foundation. "The actual reasons for this are the subject of very heated discussion. It's certainly one interesting theory that technology may be the cause of this in some way," White added.
A quarter of these using outdated computers in Britain said they were "quite" or "very dissatisfied" with their everyday job compared to the percent of those who had enjoyed an advantage from up-to-date technology.
The survey also said that among workers dealing with outdated equipment, there was a 35 percent greater probability they would take six or more days of sick leave per year compared with the average worker. In France, where more workers use old computers, the probability jumped to 55 percent.
Results also showed that women in the three countries were more likely to be using outdated equipment. In the UK, where more workers have up-to-date computers than in the other countries surveyed, the number of women using old equipment doubled that of men.
White pointed out that there were two sides to this problem, saying that continuously having to deal with new technology and equipment can also be a source of worry. "Old and faulty equipment is a major cause of office dissatisfaction. There is no question about it; but you also have to say that the frequent change of equipment is also, or could be, a main cause of dissatisfaction."
【小题1】The underlined word "this" (paragraph 3) refers to ______.

A．workplace dissatisfaction	B．computer use in most jobs
C．the aging off office computers	D．the survey by care4@ free. net

【小题2】How many office workers use old computers in Britain expressed their dissatisfaction?

A．16%

B．25%

C． 35%

D．55%

【小题3】According to White, why were the women surveyed more likely to use old computers?

A．Most office workers use old computers.

B．They do some of their work with computers.

C．Dealing with new equipment can cause anxiety.

D．They are easier to be satisfied with new technology.

【小题4】What is the subject of the news story?

A．Poor working conditions in offices

B．Research work of the Work Foundation

C．Influence of technology in the workplace.

D．Different attitudes to old computers.

A recent survey made by BUPA, an international healthcare provider, shows that 54 percent of Chinese people aged between 45 and 54 consider themselves old, while 28 percent say that the thought of getting old upsets them. 25 percent are afraid of getting old, and a third worry about life in old age.
BUPA made the survey among 12,262 people from 12 countries over 2 months, starting in June 2010. The survey shows that 72 percent of international participants(参加者) aged over 65 don’t feel old and that 67 percent still feel healthy. On the other hand, 65 percent of Chinese feel old even before reaching 60. About one third of those surveyed in China said they have enough savings(存款), and 46 percent are insured(参加保险). Around 60 percent of the Chinese participants hope they will be taken care of by family members.
According to the survey, the French hold the most positive attitude towards getting old, with 32 percent of them considering age 80 and up old. 17 percent of Brazilians look forward to old age, compared with 3 percent globally. Indians are not bothered by old age, as 70 percent said that they don’t feel that they will be affected by old age and 71 percent say they have already made preparations for this stage of life. The illnesses that most people around the world are worried about are cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
【小题1】According to the survey, many Chinese people surveyed feel old before they are ______.

A．50 year old	B．60 years old
C．70 years old	D．80 years old

【小题2】Most of Chinese people surveyed expect help from _________.

A．the government	B．family members
C．insurance companies	D．healthcare providers

【小题3】Who are the youngest at heart according to the survey?

A．The Indians.	B．The Brazilians
C．The French	D．The Chinese

【小题4】Why are the Indians not afraid of getting old?

A．Because they have got ready for old age.

B．Because old people are respected in India.

C．Because getting old means enjoying life.

D．Because they will get more help from society.

Eat, drink and be merry. That’s what Spring Festival is all about. But there are millions of people, too, who love to let happiness go up in smoke.

Offering cigarettes to guests is a traditional Chinese way of showing respect to them. A cup of tea and cigarettes are perhaps the most common way of welcoming a guest in China, especially during festive occasions.

No wonder, 40 percent of the people surveyed(调查) recently said they would smoke at least twice the usual number of cigarettes during the Spring Festival because of all those gatherings and parties. Only 20 percent of the respondents said they would refuse a cigarette when offered one. Why can’t the others do the same? Because they could be seen as being rude, said more than half in the respondents. 15 percent feared they could be taken as “someone who cannot get along well with others”.

The Think-tank Research Centre for Health Development and sohu. com survey shows 61 percent Chinese think offering a cigarette is useful for socialising, and 52 percent have offered cigarettes to others. The study surveyed 3,800 people, and 64 percent of them were men.

One-third of those surveyed were smokers, out of which 57 percent said they couldn’t give up smoking because of the offering-and-accepting culture. “People have accepted offering cigarettes as an effective way of making friends,” research centre director Wu Yiqun says.

China has more than 350 million smokers, catering to the tobacco market that is worth 500 billion yuan. “The survey shows we still have a lot of work to do,” Wu says. “It is time to let people know that offering a cigarette is a bad habit and it should be given up immediately.”

1.The passage is written with the purpose of ________.

A. telling us a custom about the Chinese Spring Festival

B. introducing a way to make friends with Chinese

C. stopping smoking during the Chinese Spring Festival

D. telling us that offering cigarettes is a bad habit

2.The third paragraph mainly tells us ________.

A. the fact that smokers are greatly increasing during the festival

B. the reason why refusing cigarettes is acceptable

C. the fact that many people have to smoke more cigarettes during the festival

D. it is rude to attend parties without smoking cigarettes

3. Which of the following may NOT be the reason that makes many people fail to refuse the offered cigarettes?

A. It’s impolite to refuse.                   B. Smoking is harmful for non-smokers.

C. They want to be friendly                 D. It’s a kind of social habit.

4.The writer mentions the 500 billion yuan tobacco market because ________.

A. the tobacco market is not developing smoothly

B. the writer thinks that smoking wastes a lot of money

C. smoking is helpful to the tobacco market

D. the tobacco market attracts too many smokers

 

Cellphone feels like a part of your body? A global survey has found that most people can’t live without their mobiles, never leave home without them and, if given a choice, would rather lose their wallet.[来源:学_科_网]

 Calling mobile phones the “remote control” for life, market research firm Synovate’s poll said cell phones are so ubiquitous that by last year more humans owned one than did not.

Three-quarters of the more than 8,000 respondents polled online in 11 countries said they take their phone with them everywhere, which Russians and Singaporeans the most attached.

More than a third also said they couldn’t live without their phone, topped by Taiwanese and again Singaporeans, while one in four would find it harder to replace the mobile than their purse.

Some two thirds of respondents go to bed with their phones nearby and can’t switch them off, even though they want to, because they’re afraid they’ll miss something.

Mobiles have changed the nature of relationships, with the survey finding a fifth of all respondents set up first dates via text and almost the same number use the same method to end a love affair.

Apart from the obvious calling and SMS-ing, the top three features people use regularly on their mobile phones globally are the alarm clock, the camera and the games.

As for email and Internet access, 17 percent of respondents said they checked their inboxes or surfed the Web on their phones, led by those in the United States and Britain.

One in 10 respondents log onto(注册) social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace regularly via mobile, again led by Britain and the United States.[来源:Zxxk.Com]

Not everyone is tech savvy(科技通), however,37 percent of respondents said they don’t know how to use all the functions on their phone.

1.How many people of all respondents end a love affair via text?

A. About 4,800.      B. About 3,600    C. About 2,400.         D. About 1,600.

2.According to the survey,       like surfing the Internet with a cellphone most.

A. Singaporeans     B. Russians        C. Americans          D. Chinese

3.Which of the following functions of cellphones is the least used?

A. Calling.         B. Playing games.    C. Taking photos.       D. Surfing the Internet.

4.Which would be the best title of the passage?

A. People can live better without the cellphone.

B. People would rather lose their wallet than their cellphone.

C. Different uses of the cellphone.         D. New functions of the cellphone.

 

More American people take their troubles with them on holiday, according to a new survey.    31         40 percent said that the main reason for going away is to escape   32          (press) from work, almost all said they worry more      33          they do at home. Only four in every one hundred said that they are happy and free of care.

The most common worry is burglary（入室盗窃）, with four out of ten worrying about their homes   34        (break) into while they are abroad. More than a quarter feel they will feel crazy   35     some other noisy and rough holiday-makers and twenty-two percent worry they may be attacked  36           their possessions will be  37            (miss).

The survey also showed   38         the stay-at-home Americans are no more. Three out of every five want to have a holiday abroad, which was          39    increase from the figures only three years ago. The hotel holiday is still a winner, with about one third of all Americans   40          (prefer) to go on a self-catering（自助） holiday.