hardly a lonesome complaint, according to the families and work institutes, national study of the
changing work force, (26 ) 55% of the employees say they don’t have enough time for
themselves, 63% don’t have enough time for their spouses or partners, and 67% don’t have
enough time for their children. (27)It’s also not a new complaint. I bet our ancestors returned
home from hunting wild animals and gathering nuts,(27)and complained about how little time
they had to paint battle scenes on their cave walls. The difference is that the boss of the animal
hunting and the head of nut gathering probably told them to “Shut up!” or “No survival for you!”
Today’s workers are still demanding control over their time, the difference is: today’s bosses are
listening. I’ve been reading a report issued today called When Work Works, produced jointly by 3
organizations. (28)They set out to find and award the employers who employ the most creative
and most effective ways to give their workers flexibility. I found this report worth reading and
suggest every boss should read it for ideas.
26. What is the speaker complaining about?
A)
27. What does the speaker say about our ancestors?
A)
28. Why does the speaker suggest all bosses read the report by the 3 organizations?
D)
Passage Two
Loving a child is a circular business. The more you give, the more you get. The more you want to
give, Penalapy Leach once said. What she said proves to be true of my blended family. I was born
in 1931. As the youngest of six children, I learn to share my parents’ love. Raising 6 children
during the difficult times of the (29)Great Depression took its toll on my parents’ relationship
and resulted in their divorce when I was 18 years old. Daddy never had very close relationships
with his children and drifted even farther away from us after the divorce. Several years later, a
wonderful woman came into his life, and they were married. She had two sons. One of them is
still at home. Under her influence we became a blended family and a good relationship developed
between the two families. (30) She always treated us as if we were her own children. It was
because of our other mother, daddy’s second wife, that he became closer to his own children. They
shared over 25 years together before our father passed away. At the time of his death, the question
came up of my mother, daddy’s first wife, attending his funeral. I will never forget the
unconditional love shown by my stepmother, when I asked her if she would object to mother
attending daddy’s funeral. Without giving it a second thought, she immediately replied, “Of course
not, honey, she is the mother of my children.”
29. According to the speaker, what contributed to her parents’ divorce?
B)
30. What brought the father closer to his children?
D)
31. What message does the speaker want to convey in this talk?
B)
Passage Three