Section C: Reading Comprehension

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Americans spend billions of dollars each year trying to change their weight with diets, gym memberships and plastic surgery. Trying to live up to the images of “perfect” models and movie heroes has a dark side: anxiety, depression, as well as unhealthy strategies for weight loss or muscle gain. It also has a financial cost. Having an eating disorder boosts annual health care costs by nearly US $2,000 per person.

Why is there both external and internal pressure to look “perfect”? One reason is that society rewards people who are thin and healthy-looking. Researchers have shown that body mass index is related to wages and income. Especially for women, there is a clear penalty at work for being overweight or obese. Some studies have also found an impact for men, though a less noticeable one.

While the research literature is clear that labor market success is partly based on how employers and customers perceive your body image, no one had explored the other side of the question. Does a person's own perception of body image matter to earnings and other indicators of success in the workplace?

We found no relationship between the average person's self-perception of weight and labor market outcomes, although self-perceived weight can influence self-esteem, mental health and health behaviors. While the continued gender penalty in the labor market is frustrating, our finding that misperceived weight does not harm workers is more heartening.

Since employers' perception of weight is what matters in the labor market, changing discrimination laws to include body type as a category would help. We believe expanding such protections would make the labor market more fair and efficient.

46. What does the author say may have an adverse impact on people?

A) Undergoing plastic surgeries in pursuit of beauty.

B) Imitating the lifestyles of heroes and role models.

C) Striving to achieve perfection regardless of financial cost.

D) Attempting to meet society's expectation of appearance.

47. What have researchers found out about people's earnings?

A) They are closely related to people's social status.

B) They have to do with people's body weight and shape.

C) They seem to matter much less to men than to women.

D) They may not be equal to people's contributions.

48. What does the author's recent study focus on?

A) Competitiveness in the workplace.

B) Traits that matter in success.

C) Whether self-perception of body image impacts one's workplace success.

D) How bosses' perception impacts employees' advancement.

49. What is the finding of the author's recent research?

A) Being overweight does not do much harm to well-being.

B) People are not adversely affected in the workplace by false self-perception.

C) Self-esteem helps to combat gender inequality.

D) Gender inequality continues to frustrate female employees.

50. What does the author think would help improve the situation?

A) Banning discrimination on the basis of employees' body image.

B) Expanding protection of women against gender discrimination.

C) Helping employees change their own perception of beauty.

D) Excluding body shape as a category in the labor contract.

Passage Two

The work-life balance is dead. By this, I'm not advocating that you should give up your pursuit of having a fulfilling career and a thriving personal life. I'm arguing that the concept of balance has never been helpful, because it's too limiting. You see, our language makes a difference, and how we refer to things matters because it affects our thinking and therefore our actions.

At the minimum, most of us work because we want to be able to support ourselves and our families. In the ideal world, we're all doing work that we're proud of. But even if your job doesn't give you shivers of joy each new day, working is a part of what each of us does and the contribution we make to society. When you think of work as part of a full life and a complete experience, it becomes easier to see that success in one aspect often supports another.

Losing your balance and falling isn't pleasant. A goal to balance suggests that things could quickly get off balance, and that causes terrible outcomes. It's more constructive to think of solutions that continue to evolve. These variations are normal, and it's more useful to think of life as something that is ever evolving and changing, rather than a high-risk enterprise where things could go wrong with one misstep.

How we talk to ourselves matters. Let's bury “work-life balance” and think bigger and better about work-life fulfillment to do a little less balancing and a lot more living.

51. What does the author suggest by saying “The work-life balance is dead”?

A) Achieving a thriving life is impossible.

B) Career involves sacrifice.

C) Imbalance doesn't exist anymore.

D) The concept contributes little to a fulfilling life.

52. What does the author say about our use of language?

A) It impacts how we think and behave.

B) It changes with time.

C) It reflects how we communicate.

D) It differs from person to person.

53. What does the author say we do in an ideal world?

A) Work that betters the lives of families.

B) Work that gives us joy.

C) Meaningful work that contributes to society.

D) Demanding work.

54. What does the author say about life?

A) It is cyclical.

B) It is dynamic.

C) It is fulfilling.

D) It is risky.

55. What does the author advise us to do?

A) Make life simple.

B) Talk about balance.

C) Balance in a new way.

D) Strive for a more fulfilling life.

Answers & Explanations

Passage One: Body Image and the Labor Market

46. D。题干问什么可能会对人产生负面影响。首段提到 Trying to live up to the images of “perfect” models... has a dark side（努力达到“完美”模特的形象有阴暗面：焦虑抑郁等），对应 D 选项“试图满足社会对外表的期待”。

47. B。题干问研究人员对人们收入的发现。第二段指出 body mass index is related to wages and income（体质指数与工资收入相关），对应 B 选项“它们与人们的体重和体型有关”。

48. C。题干问作者最近研究的重点。第三段末句提出核心问题：Does a person's own perception of body image matter to earnings... in the workplace?（个人对身体形象的认知是否关系到职场收入？），对应 C 选项“自我感知是否影响职场成功”。

49. B。题干问作者最近研究的发现。第四段总结道：misperceived weight does not harm workers（被误读的体重认知不会伤害员工），对应 B 选项“人们在职场上并没有受到错误自我认知的不利影响”。

50. A。题干问作者认为什么能改善现状。最后一段提出建议：changing discrimination laws to include body type as a category would help（修改歧视法，将体型作为一个保护类别会有所帮助），这实际上就是呼吁禁止基于体型的歧视，对应 A 选项“禁止基于员工身体形象的歧视”。

Passage Two: Rethinking Work-Life Balance

51. D。题干问“工作生活平衡已死”暗指什么。首段作者解释说：the concept of balance has never been helpful, because it's too limiting（平衡的概念从来都没什么帮助，因为它太有局限性了），对应 D 选项“这个概念对实现充实的生活几乎没有贡献”。

52. A。题干问关于语言使用的观点。首段末尾指出：our language makes a difference... because it affects our thinking and therefore our actions（语言很重要，因为它影响我们的思考，从而影响行动），对应 A 选项“它影响我们如何思考和行事”。

53. C。题干问在理想世界中我们做什么工作。第二段指出：In the ideal world, we're all doing work that we're proud of... working is... the contribution we make to society（在理想世界中，我们都在做引以为豪的工作...工作是我们对社会的贡献），结合起来对应 C 选项“为社会做贡献的有意义的工作”。

54. B。题干问作者怎么描述生活。第三段提到：it's more useful to think of life as something that is ever evolving and changing（把生活看作是不断演变和变化的事物更有用），“不断演变变化”即 dynamic（动态的），对应 B 选项。

55. D。题干问作者建议我们做什么。最后一段呼吁：think bigger and better about work-life fulfillment to do a little less balancing and a lot more living（更好地思考工作生活圆满，少一点平衡，多一点生活），这正是呼吁大家去追求更充实的生活，对应 D 选项“为更充实的生活而奋斗”。