A different sort of generation gap is developing in the workplace. Someone --- specifically the father-daughter team of Larry and Meagan Johnson --- has figured out that on some American job sites, five generations are working side by side.

In their new book about generations in the workplace the pair argue that while such an age difference adds a lot of texture and a variety of life experiences, it can also bring tensions and conflicts.

The Johnsons are human-resource trainers and public speakers. Dad Larry is a former health-care executive; daughter Meagan is a onetime high-level sales manager.

Here are the oldest and youngest of the five generations they identify:

They call the oldest group Traditionals, born before 1945. They were heavily influenced by the lessons of the Great Depression and World War Two. They respect authority, set a high standard of workmanship, and communicate easily and confidently. But they’re also stubbornly independent. They want their opinions heard.

At the other extreme are what the Johnsons call Linksters, born after 1995 into today’s more complicated, multi-media world. They live and breathe technology and are often social activists.

You won’t find many 15-year olds in the offices of large companies, except as volunteers, of course, but quite old and quite young workers do come together in sales environments like bike shops and ice-cream stores.

The Johnsons, Larry and Meagan, represent a generation gap themselves in their work with jobsite issues. The Johnsons’ point is that as the average lifespan continues to rise and retirement dates get delayed because of the tight economy, people of different generations are working side by side, more often bringing with them very different ideas about company loyalty and work values.

The five generations are heavily influenced by quite different events, social trends, and the cultural phenomena of their times. Their experiences shape their behavior and make it difficult, sometimes, for managers to achieve a strong and efficient workplace.

Larry and Meagan Johnson discuss all this in greater detail in a new book, “Generations, Inc.: From Boomers to Linksters --- Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work,” published by Amacom Press, which is available in all good bookstore from this Friday.

1.The type of generation gap in paragraph 1 refers to the difference in beliefs ________.

A. between managers and workers      B. among family members

C. among employees                   D. between older and newer companies

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true about Traditionals?

A. They’ve learned much from war and economic disaster.

B. They’re difficult to work with as they are stubborn.

C. They respect their boss and hope to be respected.

D. They’re independent workers with great confidence.

3.According to the passage, the Linksters are usually ________.

A. found working in the offices of large companies

B. influenced by media and technology

C. enthusiastic multi-media activists

D. ice-cream sellers

4.According to the passage, modern workforces are more diverse because ________.

A. people want to increase their average lifespan

B. many young people are entering the workforce

C. employees with different values can benefit their companies

D. retirement dates are being delayed for economic reasons

5.What’s the main purpose of the passage?

A. To promote a new book by Larry and Meagan Johnson.

B. To describe the five different workplace generations.

C. To introduce the Johnsons’ research about diverse workforces.

D. To identify a major problem in modern workforces.

BEIJING—Apple Inc is one step closer to beginning sales of iPad3 tablet computers with cellular (手机) network compatibility (兼容) for the first time in the Chinese mainland, where the consumer-electronics giant is in the midst of an aggressive expansion.
According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China. The device, listed under model number “A1396”, is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple’s local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.
China Unicom declined (谢绝) to comment.
Apple already offers the 3G iPad3 in Hong Kong through its partners, but currently only offers Wi-Fi versions of the device in the Chinese mainland. Still, consumers in China, which according to research firm IDC surpassed (超过) the US as the world’s largest PC market in the second quarter, have been purchasing 3G tablets through unofficial channels.
Separately, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said Sept 6 that the company’s first Hong Kong store, set to open this quarter, will be located in the city’s central shopping and business district in the International Finance Center’s upscale (高档的) IFC mall, a commercial center and sightseeing spot along the city’s waterfront. Wu also said that Apple is planning a new store in Shanghai later this quarter, which will be its biggest store in China. She declined to give more details or to comment on the 3G iPad3.
Apple currently has four full-service Apple stores in the mainland, which receive the most traffic of any Apple stores in the world. The company otherwise relies on resellers to get its products into the market.
The new stores reflect Apple’s confidence in rising demand for its products such as smart phones and tablet computers. Sales in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan helped boost (增长) the company’s third-quarter results, newly appointed Chief Executive Tim Cook said in July. China revenue (收益) surged (激增) six-fold to about $3.8 billion during the three months ended June 25.
“This has been a substantial (重大) opportunity for Apple and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now,” Cook said at the time, referring to strong sales in China. “I see an incredible opportunity for Apple there.”
From China Daily 2012
【小题1】According to the news, which of the following statements is true?

A．one-sixth

B．six times

C．60 percent

D．2times

As the economic crisis goes worse, some reader are turning to bookstores for advice on how to manage their own finances. Below are the top-ten selling books in both categories for the week ended Oct.18 at Barnes & Noble Inc., the country’s largest book retailer (零售商). Here readers are buying books whose titles feature such words as “failed”, “crisis” and “danger”.

1. The total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. A primer on how to cut debt, save money and create a financial strategy.

2. Debt Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About by Kevin Trudeau. A look into the dangers of credit card spending and how to reduce your expenses.

3. Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny by Suze Orman, Ms. Orman writes about how women can gain better control of their finances by better understanding their relationship with money.

4. The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman. A book on what the young need to know now about money management.

5. The Smart Cookies’ Gude to Making More Dough by the Smart Cookies with Jennifer Barrett. The book’s advice: Take charge and get out of debt.

6. The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes. A look at what happened during that other crisis.

7. The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachs by Charles D. Ellis. An inside look at the famed investment-banking firm.

8. “Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism by Kevin Phillips. Mr. Phillips documents the unreaveling of the U.S. economy.

9. The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means by George Soros. An analysis of the issue behind the crisis and their implications.

10. The World is Cured: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy by David M. Smick. An inside look at what went wrong with the banking system here and abroad.

1.What is the best title for the passage?

A.A Personal Financial List

B.The Country’s Largest Book Seller

C.Serious Economic Crisis

D.Ten Books to Read in the Financial Crisis

2.The reason why readers are buying books including “failed, crisis, danger” is that______.

A.they are discouraged with the serious financial crisis

B.they are to find advice to get through the financial crisis

C.they are concerned about failures in the world

D.they have no choice but to read such books

3.If you desire to get out of debt, you’d better read the book written by      .

A.David M. Smick B.Suze Orman       C.Kevin Phillips     D.the Smart Cookies

4.From the text we know that ______.

A.Charles D. Ellis is famous as an investment-banking manager

B.George Soros has given the detailed root of present economic crisis

C.Amity Shlaes is only interested in the past economic crisis

D.Dave Ramsey is the current Minister of the USA.

Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and tired of battles, came upon a small village. The villagers,  36  a poor harvest and many years of war, quickly  37  what little they had to eat and met the three at the village square, wringing（绞）their clothes and complaining of the  38  shortages.
The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves and the first soldier then  39  the village elders. “Your tired fields have left you  40  to share, so we will share what little we have: the  41  of how to make soup from stones.”
42  the villagers were interested and soon a fire was put to the town’s greatest pot as the soldiers dropped three smooth  43  into the pot full of water. “Now this will be a fine soup,” said the second soldier, “but a little salt and some parsley（欧芹）would make it  44  !” Up jumped a villager, crying “I’ve just remembered  45  some have been left!” She ran away, 46  with the parsley and salt. 47  the water boiled, corn, carrots, beef and cream  48  their way into the pot when all sat  49  to have a large meal.
The villagers ate and sang and danced well into the  50  , full of energy again by the meal and their new-found friends. In the next morning the three soldiers  51  up to find the whole village standing before them. At their feet  52  a bag of the village’s best bread and cheese. An elder said that the soldiers had given them the  53  gift: the secret of how to make soup from stones and they would never forget. The third soldier turned to the  54  and said, “There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by  55  that we may enjoy a large meal.”

What's the furthest you have ever cycled? Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at most a short cycling trip with friends? How would you feel about spending months on the road travelling on your own from the UK to China, by bike?
For the British cyclist Pete Jones, camping in the wild and cycling long distances through inhospitable terrain are his second nature. An experienced explorer through places such as the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau, Mr. Jones is currently taking a great journey across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.
Having lived on and off(断断续续地) in Xinjiang for three years, and having visited the country many times since 1992, Pete Jones is no stranger to China. But he says many people there are puzzled by his strong love for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car. Indeed, while there are about 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred means of transport, rapid economic growth has caused an rapid development in car ownership.
Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back, said one of his goals was to "tell people cycling is a safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly means of getting about."
In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels over four, with some estimates(估计) saying the number of people cycling to work has almost doubled in the last five years.
Politicians also see cycling as a way to prove that they are concerned about the environment, with people such as London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work by himself. But we may have to wait some time before we see him emulating(效仿) Pete Jones in attempting to cycle all the way to China.
68. From this passage we can know the following EXCEPT that _____.
A. Pete Jones has travelled through the Tianshan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau
B. in the past few years more UK people have changed their means of transport to work
C. most Chinese people can understand why Pete Jones is so crazy about cycling
D. Edward Genochio is a cyclist from Britain who has been to China by riding a bike
69. We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. Pete Jones’s desire for cycling led to his staying in China for three years
B. now the number of Chinese people owning cars is larger than those owning bikes
C. London mayor Boris Johnson will emulate Pete Jones to cycle to China in the future
D. Both British common people and politicians see riding bikes as a good means of transport
70. The underlined phrase “inhospitable terrain” in the second paragraph most probably means
______.
A. places where you can find modern cities     B. places that are unsuitable for people to live in
C. places where there are many people            D. places that are far away from modern cities
71. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Pete Jones has come to China many times by riding the bicycle.
B. More Chinese people own private cars as a result of economic growth.
C. More British people prefer bicycles as they can’t afford to drive now.
D. Before long, more people will ride bicycles to China following Pete and Edward.