1、BOOK 4 UNIT 1 PASSAGE 1Have you ever felt you dont have enough hours in the day? Or that youd give anything for a whole day to catch up with yourself? Well, here are some ideas that work for me.First of all, make a to-do list every day and set clear priorities. The trick here isnt making the list; t
2、hats the easy part. The trick is making the priorities. I look at my list and put a star next to anything that is really urgent. Then I put the number “2” next to anything that will just take a couple of minutes. I actually do these quick tasks before I get on with the urgent ones; its a bit like cl
3、earing off the top of your desk before sitting down to write that important letter.Second, know when is the most productive time of day for you and do your work or study then. One of the shocking discoveries I made about myself is that if I get up at 5 a.m., I can do a days work and even fit breakfa
4、st in before half past nine. Of course, if you are an early bird, it can be difficult to accomplish tasks that involve phoning “night owls”, but thats what emails for!Finally, do not let your inbox run your life. I just realized recently how frequently I interrupted my real work to check my inbox an
5、d respond to the most trivial of emails. So, now I only open it when absolutely necessary and this saves me hours. If your work depends on you being constantly accessible by email, then you cant do this; but be honest and ask yourself, “Am I an email addict?”With these simple, practical techniques,
6、you will become more efficient, less stressed and be able to win some “me-time” for yourself.BOOK 4 UNIT 2 PASSAGE 1If you think that you have to live up a remote mountain in order to live a long and healthy life, a religious community in Loma Linda, California, may prove you wrong. Its members are
7、a group of Christians known as the Seventh-day Adventists. The Adventists enjoy a much higher life expectancy than average Californians. Adventist men can expect to live about seven years longer than other Californian men. Adventist women are likely to live around four years longer than other Califo
8、rnian women. The Adventists also act much younger than they are and see doctors much less than ordinary people.So whats the secret of the Adventists longevity? It is not all in their genes. Nor is their good health a mere accident. The Adventists live longer partly because they have a vegetable-base
9、d diet. Around 35 percent of them are vegetarian, and around one half eat meat only rarely. Tobacco and alcohol consumptions are discouraged. So are rich or spicy foods, meat, and drinks containing caffeine. The Adventist diet is high in fruit and vegetables. It also includes plenty of whole grains,
10、 nuts, seeds and beans, and water is the drink of choice.The longevity of the Adventists is also related to their lifestyle and natural environment. They believe in having regular exercise, helping others, and maintaining strong social and familial ties. They live in a mild climate with warm summers
11、 and cool winters. Interestingly, the air quality of Loma Linda, however, is not as good as in other longevity hot spots. This should gibe us all hope, as it suggests that we dont have to have every single factor in place in order to achieve excellent health. Despite this, the Adventists good health
12、 certainly provides strong evidence that diet and lifestyle choices have a great impact on health and longevity.BOOK 4 UNIT 3 PASSAGE 1A new museum entirely dedicated to laziness has opened in the capital city of Colombia. But you have to hurry if you want to see the exhibits and find out about bein
13、g lazy because the exhibition lasts only for one week. The unusual show displays a whole range of things such as sofas, beds and anything that makes you feel like taking a rest. There are also plenty of televisions for those visiting couch potatoes to watch as they move around relaxingly in the muse
14、um.It is no coincidence but rather an intentional decision for the museum to have opened right after the holiday season. The idea is for people to think about laziness, and perhaps change their behavior and lifestyle throughout the rest of the year. It offers a practical experience to make us think
15、about laziness in our high-speed, fast-paced societies.The museums founder Marcela Arrieta said she wanted people to rethink about laziness and decide whether it really is a bad thing. She told the media that people today always think about laziness as an enemy of work. For example, they may feel gu
16、ilty if they sleep late, or they may feel they are wasting time after taking a nap or having a holiday.Ms. Arrieta may not be proposing that we should have a shorter working week, but she could have a point in the we do need more leisure time than our jobs allow us, and change our lifestyle to a typ
17、e that is more relaxing. Besides, according to scientists, avoiding the pressure and stress of work can make us healthier and live longer. So, why not try out Ms. Arrietas advice for yourself, slow down, and think about being lazy?BOOK 4 UNIT 4 PASSAGE 1More than half of working Americans are dissat
18、isfied with their jobs, according to a survey. Thats bad news for employers because workers discontent can hurt productivity and hinder innovation. Lynn Franco, co-author of the report, says Americans job satisfaction is at its lowest level in more than two decades: Only 5.3 percent of workers say t
19、hey are satisfied with their jobs compared with 61 percent in 1987.The report was produced by the Conference Board, a non-profit organization that helps businesses strengthen their performance. It is based on a survey of 5,000 US households. It shows a drop in satisfaction in many aspects of an empl
20、oyees work life, including interest in the job, dealing with co-workers and bosses, commuting and job security. As a group, neither young people who are just entering the workforce nor employees who are about to retire, Franco says, are happy with what they do. Only about 36 percent of workers under
21、 the age 25 say they are currently satisfied with their jobs. And its not much better among baby boomers. Twenty years ago, more 50 percent of baby boomers were satisfied. Today, thats down to 46 percent. The most satisfied group of workers in the survey was those aged 25 to 34. Franco suggests that
22、 they may see some opportunities for upward mobility as baby boomers retire.The Conference Board survey also asked about the reasons behind job dissatisfaction. There are economic reasons such as wages, promotion policy and bonus policy that are sort of adding to this level of dissatisfaction. In addition, workers are also dissatisfied with the benefits: vacation policy, family-related leave time, work schedule flexibility, and a variety of other factors as well.
