Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
According to anthropologists, people in preindustrial societies spent 3 to 4 hours per day or about 20 hours per week doing the work necessary for life. Modern comparisons of the amount of work performed per week, however, begin with the Industrial Revolution (1760–1840) when 10– to 12–hour workdays with six workdays per week were the norm. Even with extensive time devoted to work, however, both incomes and standards of living were low. As incomes rose near the end of the Industrial Revolution, it became increasingly common to treat Saturday afternoons as a half–day holiday. The half holiday had become standard practice in Britain by the 1870's, but did not become common in the United States until the 1920's.
In the United States, the first third of the twentieth century saw the workweek move from 60 hours per week to just under 50 hours by the start of the 1930' s. In 1914, Henry Ford reduced daily work hours at his automobile plants from 9 to 8. In 1926 he announced that henceforth his factories would close for the entire day on Saturday. At the time, Ford received criticism from other firms such as United States Steel and Westinghouse, but the idea was popular with workers.
The Depression years of the 1930's brought with them the notion of job sharing to spread available work around; the workweek dropped to a modem low for the United States of 35 hours. In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act mandated a weekly maximum of 40 hours to begin in 1940, and since that time the 8–hour day, 5–day workweek has been the standard in the United States. Adjustments in various places, however, show that this standard is not immutable. In 1987, for example, German metalworkers struck for and received a 37.5–hour workweek; and in 1990 many workers in Britain won a 37–hour week. Since 1989, the Japanese government has moved from a 6– to a 5–day workweek and has set a national target of 1,800 work hours per year for the average worker. The average amount of work per year in Japan in 1989 was 2,088 hours per worker, compared to 1,957 for the United States and 1,646 for France.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as evidence that the length of the workweek has been declining since the nineteenth century?
A. Henry Ford.
B. German metalworkers
C. The half–day holiday.
D. United States Steel and Westinghouse.
D
Kiến thức: Đọc hiểu
Giải thích:
Điều nào sau đây KHÔNG được đề cập là bằng chứng cho thấy độ dài của tuần làm việc đã giảm từ thế kỷ XIX?
A. Henry Ford.
B. Công nhân kim loại ở Đức.
C. Ngày nghỉ nửa ngày.
D. US Steel and Westinghouse.
Thông tin: In 1926 he announced that henceforth his factories would close for the entire day on Saturday. At the time, Ford received criticism from other firms such as United States Steel and Westinghouse, but the idea was popular with workers.
Đáp án:D
Dịch bài đọc:
Theo các nhà nhân chủng học, mọi người trong xã hội tiền công nghiệp đã dành 3-4 giờ mỗi ngày hoặc khoảng 20 giờ mỗi tuần để thực hiện công việc cần thiết cho cuộc sống. Tuy nhiên, so sánh hiện đại về số lượng công việc được thực hiện mỗi tuần, bắt đầu với Cuộc Cách mạng Công nghiệp (1760-1840) khi ngày làm việc từ 10 đến 12 giờ với sáu ngày làm việc mỗi tuần là tiêu chuẩn. Tuy nhiên, ngay cả với thời gian trải dài dành cho công việc, cả thu nhập và mức sống đều thấp. Khi thu nhập tăng gần cuối cuộc cách mạng công nghiệp, nó trở nên ngày càng phổ biến khi dành buổi chiều thứ bảy như một nửa ngày nghỉ. Một nửa ngày nghỉ đã trở thành tiêu chuẩn ở Anh vào những năm 1870, nhưng đã không trở nên phổ biến ở Hoa Kỳ cho đến những năm 1920.
Tại Hoa Kỳ, trong một phần ba đầu tiên của thế kỷ hai mươi đã cho thấy tuần làm việc di động từ 60 giờ một tuần đến dưới 50 giờ vào đầu những năm 1930. Năm 1914, Henry Ford giảm số giờ làm việc hàng ngày tại các nhà máy ô tô của mình từ 9 xuống còn 8. Năm 1926, ông thông báo rằng từ nay các nhà máy của ông sẽ đóng cửa cả ngày vào thứ Bảy. Vào thời điểm đó, Ford đã nhận được những lời chỉ trích từ các công ty khác như US Steel và Westinghouse, nhưng ý tưởng này rất phổ biến với công nhân.
Những năm suy thoái của những năm 1930 mang lại cho họ khái niệm về chia sẻ công việc để truyền bá công việc có sẵn xung quanh; tuần làm việc giảm xuống còn 35 giờ ở Hoa Kỳ. Năm 1938 Đạo luật Tiêu chuẩn Lao động Công bằng bắt buộc một tuần làm việc tối đa 40 giờ bắt đầu vào năm 1940, và kể từ đó, ngày làm việc 8 giờ, tuần làm việc 5 ngày là tiêu chuẩn ở Hoa Kỳ. Tuy nhiên, các điều chỉnh ở những nơi khác nhau cho thấy tiêu chuẩn này không phải là bất biến. Ví dụ, năm 1987, các công nhân làm kim loại của Đức đã đình công và nhận được một tuần làm việc 37,5 giờ; và vào năm 1990, nhiều công nhân ở Anh đã giành được một tuần làm 37 giờ. Kể từ năm 1989, chính phủ Nhật đã chuyển từ 6 xuống còn 5 ngày làm việc trong tuần và đã đặt mục tiêu quốc gia là 1.800 giờ làm việc mỗi năm cho nhân viên trung bình. Số lượng công việc trung bình mỗi năm ở Nhật Bản năm 1989 là 2.088 giờ cho mỗi công nhân, so với 1.957 ở Hoa Kỳ và 1.646 ở Pháp.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best option for each of the blanks
Women are much healthier when they (6) ______ it easy, reveals a new survey. Those who work long hours are more likely than men to (7) ______ in unhealthy behavior such as eating snacks, smoking and drinking caffeine. (Long hours have no such impact on men). One positive benefit of long hours for both sexes, however, is that alcohol (8) ______ is reduced.
The study (9) ______ by the Economic and Social Research Council is part of a wider study by psychologists from the University of Leeds into the effects of stress on eating. “Stress causes people to (10) ______ for unhealthy high fat and high–sugar snacks in preference to healthier food choice” says researcher Dr. Daryl of the University of Leeds.
Điền vào ô 10
______ is over your head is just an exaggeration because you have well prepared for it over the years.
Mary and her friend, Ensoleill, are in a coffee shop. Mary: “Would you like Matcha ice–cream or Caramen with jam?” Ensoleill: “______________”.
______ irritating they are, you shouldn’t lose temper with small children.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best option for each of the blanks
Women are much healthier when they (6) ______ it easy, reveals a new survey. Those who work long hours are more likely than men to (7) ______ in unhealthy behavior such as eating snacks, smoking and drinking caffeine. (Long hours have no such impact on men). One positive benefit of long hours for both sexes, however, is that alcohol (8) ______ is reduced.
The study (9) ______ by the Economic and Social Research Council is part of a wider study by psychologists from the University of Leeds into the effects of stress on eating. “Stress causes people to (10) ______ for unhealthy high fat and high–sugar snacks in preference to healthier food choice” says researcher Dr. Daryl of the University of Leeds.
Điền vào ô 7
There are ______ that not only governments but also individuals should join hand to tackle.
If I weren’t afraid of travelling by air, I ______ to go to American by ship, which took me much longer time.
Ha Long Bay, the global heritage recognized twice by the UNESCO, remains one of the country’s top attractions.
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions.
That the genetic differences make one race superior to another is nothing but a tall story.
Many students prefer ______ assessment as an alternative to exams
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions.
When two people get married, it is with the assumption that their feelings for each other are immutable and will never alter.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
The end of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century were marked by the development of an international Art Nouveau style, characterized by sinuous lines, floral and vegetable motifs, and soft evanescent coloration. The Art Nouveau style was an eclectic one, bringing together elements of Japanese art, motifs of ancient cultures, and natural forms. The glass objects of this style were elegant in outline, although often deliberately distorted, with pale or iridescent surfaces. A favored device of the style was to imitate the iridescent surface seen on ancient glass that had been buried. Much of the Art Nouveau glass produced during the years of its greatest popularity had been generically termed “art glass.” Art glass was intended for decorative purposes and relied for its effect on carefully chosen color combinations and innovative techniques.
France produced a number of outstanding exponents of the Art Nouveau style; among the most celebrated was Emile Galle (1846–1904). In the United States, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1843–1933) was the most noted exponent of this style, producing a great variety of glass forms and surfaces, which were widely copied in their time and are highly prized today. Tiffany was a brilliant designer, successfully combining ancient Egyptian, Japanese, and Persian motifs.
The Art Nouveau style was a major force in the decorative arts from 1895 until 1915, although its influence continued throughout the mid–1920’s.It was eventually to be overtaken by a new school of thought known as Functionalism that had been present since the turn of the century. At first restricted to a small avant–garde group of architects and designers, Functionalism emerged as the dominant influence upon designers after the First World War. The basic tenet of the movement–that function should determine form–was not a new concept. Soon a distinct aesthetic code evolved: from should be simple, surfaces plain, and any ornament should be based on geometric relationships. This new design concept, coupled with the sharp postwar reactions to the styles and conventions of the preceding decades, created an entirely new public taste which caused Art Nouveau types of glass to fall out of favor. The new taste demanded dramatic effects of contrast, stark outline and complex textural surfaces.
According to the passage, an object made in the Art Nouveau style would most likely include ______.
He built up a successful business but it was all done ______ of his health.
Your sister has lost an awful lot of weight. She must have been on a diet, ______?