The Need for Holidays

   You’ve no doubt heard people say how much they “need” a holiday，when what they really mean is that they want one．Certainly，people working under pressure feel a very strong desire to escape from work and become less tight during their holidays，and experience a changed environment. For this reason, holidays away from home are now seen by most people as necessary to their quality life. However, work for many people today are office work and mental, rather than physical tasks. These people may seek much more energy taking activities while on holiday, rather than simply lying on a beach.

   Once people become used to going on holiday, taking holidays becomes a habit. Even in a recession(經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條時期), for many people the holiday is one of the last things to be given up, and indeed many workers have chosen to spend some of their last pay when being laid off on a holiday, perhaps to give themselves a "lift” before facing a gloomy(暗淡的)future.

  Perhaps we don't like to admit it, but most of us also enjoy showing off about the places we have been to, and the lovely tans：dark skins we have got. The idea of tanning, however, is becoming less attractive than it was. So many tourists are now able to afford holidays in the sun that tans have become quite common；and although we join a tan together with health(and it is true that a certain amount of sunshine gives us a feeling of being healthy), it has been fully shown that sunshine，especially when received over a short, focused period of time, results in high danger of skin problems, as well as drying out one's skin and leading to more lines on your face later in life.

57．More and more people choose to have holidays because they ________.

    A. hate working indoors all the time                       B. want to get away from work

    C. love enjoying the beauties of nature                      D. become rich and want a better life

58．From this passage we learned that some people can not live without ______．

    A. a tan             B. a job            C. a pay       D. a holiday

59．A holiday may __________ when one has to face some difficulties in life．

    A. cheer someone up                                            B. help someone find a job

    C. be the last thing to be given up                             D. bring good luck to someone

60．At the end of the passage the writer tries to tell the reader ________.

    A. the importance of getting sunshine                        B. the bad effect of being on holiday

C. the result of getting sun tanned                             D. the healthy look of being tanned

The Need for Holidays
You’ve no doubt heard people say how much they “need” a holiday，when what they really mean is that they want one.Certainly，people working under pressure feel a very strong desire to escape from work and become less tight during their holidays，and experience a changed environment. For this reason, holidays away from home are now seen by most people as necessary to their quality life. However, work for many people today are office work and mental, rather than physical tasks. These people may seek much more energy taking activities while on holiday, rather than simply lying on a beach.
Once people become used to going on holiday, taking holidays becomes a habit. Even in a recession(經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條時期), for many people the holiday is one of the last things to be given up, and indeed many workers have chosen to spend some of their last pay when being laid off on a holiday, perhaps to give themselves a "lift” before facing a gloomy(暗淡的)future.
Perhaps we don't like to admit it, but most of us also enjoy showing off about the places we have been to, and the lovely tans：dark skins we have got. The idea of tanning, however, is becoming less attractive than it was. So many tourists are now able to afford holidays in the sun that tans have become quite common；and although we join a tan together with health(and it is true that a certain amount of sunshine gives us a feeling of being healthy), it has been fully shown that sunshine，especially when received over a short, focused period of time, results in high danger of skin problems, as well as drying out one's skin and leading to more lines on your face later in life.

1. 1.

   More and more people choose to have holidays because they ________.
   

   1. A.
      hate working indoors all the time                     
   2. B.
      want to get away from work
   3. C.
      love enjoying the beauties of nature                     
   4. D.
      become rich and want a better life
2. 2.

   From this passage we learned that some people can not live without ______.
   

   1. A.
      a tan           
   2. B.
      a job          
   3. C.
      a pay      
   4. D.
      a holiday
3. 3.

   A holiday may __________ when one has to face some difficulties in life.
   

   1. A.
      cheer someone up                                         
   2. B.
      help someone find a job
   3. C.
      be the last thing to be given up                            
   4. D.
      bring good luck to someone
4. 4.

   At the end of the passage the writer tries to tell the reader ________.
   

   1. A.
      the importance of getting sunshine                       
   2. B.
      the bad effect of being on holiday
   3. C.
      the result of getting sun tanned                            
   4. D.
      the healthy look of being tanned

Arthur Miller was born on October 17th, 1915 and died on February 10th, 2005.Over the course of seven decades(十年) of literature career(文學(xué)生涯), Arthur Miller created some of the most memorable stage plays(舞臺劇) in American Literature. He is the author of DeathofaSalesmanandTheCrucible. Born and raised in Manhattan, Miller went through the best and the worst of American society.

Arthur Miller's childhood：His father was a productive shop­keeper and clothing manufacturer(制造商) until the Great Depression(大蕭條時期) dried up nearly all business opportunities.Yet, despite being faced with poverty, Miller made the best of his childhood. He was a very active young man, in love with such sports as football and baseball. When he wasn't playing outside, he enjoyed reading adventure stories. He was also kept busy by his many boyhood jobs. He often worked alongside his father. During other times in his life, he delivered bakery goods and worked as a clerk in a car parts warehouse.

College life: In 1934, Miller left the east coast to attend the University of Michigan. He was accepted into their school of journalism. His experiences during the Depression made him skeptical (懷疑的) about religion. Politically, he began leaning towards the "Left”.And since the theater was the cutting edge way for socio­economic liberals (自由主義者) to express their views, he decided to enter the Hopwood Drama competition. His first play, NoVillain, received an award from the university.It was an impressive beginning for the young playwright; he had never studied plays or playwriting, and he had written his play in just five days!

Miller's later years: In 1987, his autobiography was published. Many of his later plays dealt with personal experience. In particular, his final play, FinishingthePicture mirrors the last days of his marriage to Marilyn Monroe.In 2005, Arthur Miller passed away at the age of 89.

1.What can we know about Arthur Miller from Paragraph 2?

A．He was born into a poor family.

B．His father wasn't good at business.

C．He couldn't adjust himself to poverty.

D．He had to do lots of jobs to make a living.

2.Arthur Miller began to write plays ________.

A．when he was in college

B．when he was a small boy

C．because his father encouraged him to do so

D．because it was one of his school assignments(作業(yè))

3.We can infer from Paragraph 3 that ________.

A．the University of Michigan is on the east coast of the USA

B．Miller's university education made him doubt religion

C．Miller learned playwriting all by himself

D．socio­economic liberals were probably not politically "left”

4.Which of the following plays tells the story of Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe?

A．Death of a Salesman.

B．The Crucible.

C．No Villain.

D．Finishing the Picture.

5.The passage is intended to________.

A．introduce Arthur Miller's plays

B．tell us about Arthur Miller's childhood

C．explain how Arthur Miller started to write plays

D．give us a brief introduction to Arthur Miller's life

Because of the financial crisis in the US and UK, college students are beginning to struggle to find ways to pay their tuition fees and accommodations.

Recently, two major US student loan lenders — Citibank and JPMorgan Chase — announced they were leaving the student loan industry altogether. Because banks currently have a lack of credit, they are reluctant to offer students low-interest loans that need a several-year wait for any return of interest.
In the US, many undergraduates top up their financial needs with a private loan, although the majority can get government-funded loans. In the 2005­-2006 academic year, $17 billion in private student loans was used to finance higher education. The shortfall in private funding has yet to be covered and will hit many US students hard.
Across the Atlantic, UK students have been less troubled by the crisis. Most undergraduates in the UK cover their university expenses with government-funded loans and grants (助學(xué)金). Their biggest concern is a sudden steep increase in student rent.
Most young professionals now rent houses, since 80 percent of UK mortgage schemes (住房抵押貸款計劃) have disappeared — a direct result of the credit crisis. This has boosted the house rent market.
In large cities, UK students are paying almost 6.5 percent more in rent than the previous year. Figures from the UK organization Accommodation for Student show students in big cities such as London paying an average weekly rent of ￡103. Yet, despite students’ suffering, the number of this year’s university applications is expected to grow. During economic slumps (經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條時期), people regard further education as a way to survive tough job markets.
【小題1】According to the passage, banks are unwilling to offer students loans because ________.