Text 3
There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system, the administered system, and the traditional system.
In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transaction may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shoes and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money.
An alternative for the market system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue edicts (orders) or commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole economy.
In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition; every person’s place within the economic system is fixed by parentage(origin), religion, and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste(social class) may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. A stagnant (unchanging) society may result.
11. The main purpose of the text is to
［A］ interpret the essence of general economics.
［B］ compare barter and cash-exchange markets.
［C］ outline contrasting types of economic systems.
［D］ argue for the superiority of a certain economy.
12. The word “real” in “real goods”(Par.2) could best be replaced by
［A］ genuine.［B］ concrete.［C］ durable.［D］ practical.
13. According to the text, a barter economy may lead to
［A］ unfair transaction.［B］ direct conflicts.
［C］ gradual deflation.［D］ trading troubles.
14. In an administered system, business activities are under the direction of
［A］ major economic organizations.［B］ general public advisory body.
［C］ large commercial companies.［D］ certain official departments.
15. All of the following are mentioned as factors determining one’s place in a traditional society EXCEPT
［A］ family background.［B］ age and education.
［C］ religious beliefs.［D］ established experience.
Text 4
It’s possible that while you are at work, you may dream about a month of Sundays, but your boss wishes for a week of Tuesday. That’s because she/he probably knows that productivity is one of the main factors bolstering (supporting) a company’s growth. And a recent poll shows that workers are most productive on Tuesdays!
Accountemps, an employment agency, conducted a national survey of office managers, which shows that by the middle of the week, they see a dramatic productivity decrease. While Monday is considered second in “productivity value,” only nine percent of office managers think Wednesday is the peak productivity day. Five percent believe it is Thursday. And Friday, well, you can just imagine! However, forty-eight percent of the managers polled said that Tuesday is, by far, the most productive day of the week.
A close analysis of workweek rhythms would turn up some obvious reasons for those survey results. First of all, Monday is overloaded with meetings, designed to “get things moving,” and everybody knows meetings aren’t very productive. Wednesday is “hump day”(駝峰日) — get over it as painlessly as possible, a worker thinks, and the week is more than halfway over. On Thursday, people are running out of steam; and Friday, everybody’s thinking about the weekend. There are reasons why the other days aren’t productive, but what makes Tuesday special?
Tuesdays, employees hit peak performance because they are very focused on day-to-day activities. Also, it’s usually the first day of the week when they’re focused on their own task. They’re not in meetings that take them away from their primary responsibilities. Actually, Tuesdays can be quite hectic (full of excitement and without rest). Workers are arriving at work fairly frantic (wildly excited). And so, in 10 hours, they’re doing 20-hour work. That’s productive, but it’s also tough.
This does not mean that nothing happens on the last three days of the workweek. Things do not get so lax that people are sitting with their feet on desks, sipping coffee and talking on the phone all day, but there’s a definite lack of focus. The pace softens and the rhythm slows down. And this is not healthy: it produces fatigue and lowers productivity. To prevent this midweek slowdown, some management consultants suggest that employers avoid jamming so many meetings into Mondays. Work deadlines can be rescheduled to stretch out the workflow. Variations in productivity are only natural, but both workers and bosses win when the peaks and valleys are less dramatic than they are now.
16. According to the poll, which of the following days is most productive?
［A］ Thursday.［B］ Friday.［C］ Monday.［D］ Wednesday.
17. The peak productivity day of the week is marked by
［A］ violent excitement and activity.
［B］ due enthusiasm and creativity.
［C］ hurried and disordered movement.
［D］ full concentration and efficiency.
18. The word “l(fā)ax” in the last paragraph means
［A］ usually negligible.［B］ lacking in control.
［C］ totally distractive.［D］ worthy of relaxing.
19. With respect to the changes in productivity, the text suggests that
［A］ work deadlines can be readjusted.
［B］ they are reasonable and expectable.
［C］ Monday meetings may be called off.
［D］ their differences are to be minimized.
20. The author has explained all of the following EXCEPT
［A］ the steps taken to alter workweek rhythms.
［B］ the productivity on the 6th day of the week.
［C］ the reason why midweek slowdown takes place.
［D］ the concern bosses have about low productivity.
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