期末口语朗读考试

Passage OneAs a child, I saw my father smoke, drink and act in a manner generally bad for his health. One might think that his bad behavior undermined whatever lessons that he tried to teach me. But this was not the case. Actually, I learned to be a good person from him.My father would tell me not to smoke. However, he wouldn’t listen to his own advice, and would himself smoke three packets of Camel cigarettes every day. ―Don’t be like me,‖ he’d say. And I wouldn’t. I saw the damage it was doing to him. Just like the alcohol and everything else, cigarettes were killing him. He always looked sick, was always in trouble, and was always hurting other people.There was always a contradiction between what my father said and what he did, but his negative behavior taught me to do the right thing. He died early, alone and sad. Of course, I don’t want the same thing for myself.And though he taught me important lessons, I don’t think that I’m going to teach my newly born son like he did me. Sometimes, it’s better to hear about this kind of thing than to actually see or experience it.Passage TwoStress out at work? You are not alone. According to a survey by Northwestern National Life, 40 percent of American workers say their job is ―very or extremely stressful‖. Among the leading causes of increased workplace stress are:1.Longer hours. The average number of hours that people say they work has actuallyrisen from 41 a week in the early 1970s to 50 in 2004, according to Harris Interactive.Meanwhile, leisure time has dropped from 26 to 19 hours a week over the sameperiod.2.Overtime all the time. Many people feel liberated by innovations like mobile phonesand wireless Internet access. People now have the ability to work anywhere – but theuse of these devices increasingly blurs the line between work and personal time.3.Career concerns. Job insecurity is also a major source of workplace stress. The rise inoutsourcing together with the trend toward temporary employment contributes to thatfeeling of insecurity.A growing body of research indicates strong links between stress and disease. Stress hasbeen linked to colds and flu attacks, muscular problems, psychological disorders, workplace injuries, suicide and cancer. According to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, health care expenditures is 50 percent greater for workers who report high levels of stress.While it is no secret that stress can harm our health, a 2004 University of California (San Francisco) study shed light on how that process might work on a cellular level. The study found that stress actually causes immune cells to age prematurely. In a study of mothers of chronically ill children, researchers discovered that the cells of the most stressed-out women showed signs of about ten years’ accelerated aging.Fortunately, researchers have made strides in the field of health, especially concerning jobstress. But in a new twist on an old issue, they’re not suggesting behavioral changes for alleviating on-the-job stress. Instead, they recommend that the employees alter their work conditions—by reducing workload, increasing control over their work environment and seeking more social support.Passage ThreeAmericans believe that individuals must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing their freedom. This means they achieve both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by the age of 18. it means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves, solve their own problems, and stand on their own two feet. The strong belief of self-reliance continues today as a basic American value. This is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the American personality to understand, but it is important. Americans believe that they must be self-reliant in order to keep their freedom. If they rely too much on their families or the government or any organizations they may not be free to do what they want. By being dependent, they will not only risk losing freedom, but also risk losing the respect of others. Even if they are not really self-reliant, most Americans believe they must appear to be so. Although receiving financial support from family or government is allowed, it is never admired. Many people regard it as setting a bad example.。