How do you design a pay plan that motivates people to do their best work? A new study by three Harvard researchers suggests a novel answer: Shortly after you hire new workers, give them a raise.
"Previous research has shown that paying people more than they expect may elicit reciprocity(相互作用) in the form of greater productivity," notes Deepak Malhotra, a Harvard business-administration professor who worked on the study. What he and his colleagues found, however, was that the connection between more pay and extra effort depends on presenting the increase "as a gift—that is, as something you've chosen to do purely as a nice gesture, with no strings attached."
Malhotra and his team studied 267 people hired by oDesk, a global online network of freelancers, to do a one-time data-entry project for four hours. All of the new hires were people in developing countries, for whom hourly wages of $3 and $4 were higher than what they had been making in previous jobs.
The researchers split the group up into three equal parts. One group was told they would earn $3 an hour. A second group was initially hired at $3 an hour but, before they started working, they got a surprise: The budget for the project had expanded unexpectedly, they were told, and they would now be paid $4 an hour. The third group was offered $4 an hour from the start and given no increase.
Even though the second and third groups were eventually paid the same amount, the second group worked harder and produced more—about 20% more—than either of the other two. People in the second group also showed the most stamina, maintaining their focus all the way through the assigned task and performing especially well toward the end of the four hours. Interestingly, the more experienced employees in the high-performing group were the most productive of all, apparently because their previous work experience led them to appreciate the rarity of an unexpected raise.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Malhotra points out that higher pay, in and of itself, didn't promote productivity: People who made $4 an hour from the beginning worked no harder than those who were hired at $3 and were then paid $3.
To get the most impact from their pay plans, he adds, companies might consider not only what to pay new hires, but when to pay it.
"The key thing is how you present [the reason for an increase]," he says. Doling out extra money could promote productivity most "if you make it clear that the pay raise is something you're choosing to do just because you can. Our theory is that people will reciprocate. If you do something nice, they'll do something nice back."   
【小題1】Which of the following is true about the research?

A．None of the participants earned more than $4 an hour in previous jobs.

B．89 of the participants got a $1 wage raise for their high productivity.

C．It was so important that the budget for it was increased in the process.

D．Stamina shown in it was positively related to the amount of money paid.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “stamina” most probably mean?

A．The quality of being intelligent or clever.

B．The quality of doing something difficult or dangerous.

C．The physical or mental energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time.

D．A particular method of doing an activity, usually involving practical skills.

【小題3】Why did the second group produce more than the other two groups?

A．Because they thought they were better paid than the other groups.

B．Because they were experienced employees from developing countries.

C．Because an unexpected raise reminded them of their previous work.

D．Because they felt they were nicely treated and tried best to repay it.

【小題4】What can we infer from this passage?

A．No pains, no gains.

B．It matters not what we give but how.

C．Honesty is the best policy.

D．Actions speak louder than words.

In a moment of personal crisis, how much help can you expect from a New York taxi driver? I began studying this question and answers are interesting.
One morning, I got into three different taxis and announced，“Well，it's my first day back in New York in seven years.I've been in prison.”Not a single driver replied，so I tried again.“Yeah，I shot a man in Reno.”I explained, hoping the driver would ask me why, but nobody asked.The only response came from a Ghanaian driver，“Reno? That is in Nevada？”
Taxi drivers were uniform sympathetic when I said I'd just been fired.“This is America，”a Haitian driver said.“One door is closed.Another is open.”He argued against my plan to burn down my boss' s house.A Pakistani driver even turned down a chance to profit from my loss of hope；he refused to take me to the middle of the George Washington Bridge—a $20 trip.“Why do you want to go there? Go home and relax.Don't worry.Take a new job.”
One very hot weekday in July, while wearing a red ski mask and holding a stuffed pillowcase with the word “BANK” on it, I tried calling a taxi five times outside different banks.The driver picked me up every time.My ride with a Haitian driver was typical of the superb assistance I received.
“Let's go across the park，” I said.“I just robbed the bank there.I got $25,000.”
“$25,000？” he asked.
“Yeah，you think it was wrong to take it？”
“No, man.I work 8 hours and I don't make almost $70.If I can do that，I will do it too.”
As we approached 86th and Lexington, I pointed to the Chemical Bank.
“Hey，there is another bank，”I said，“Could you wait here a minute while I go inside？”
“No，I can't wait.Pay me now.” His unwillingness may have had something to do with money—taxi drivers think the rate for waiting time is too low—but I think he wanted me to learn that even a bank robber can't expect unconditional support.
【小題1】From the Ghanaian driver's response, we can infer that________.

A．he was afraid of the author

B．he thought the author was crazy

C．he looked down upon the author

D．he was indifferent to the killing

【小題2】Why did the Pakistani driver refuse to take the author to the middle of the George Washington Bridge?

A．Because he was able to help the author to find a new job.

B．Because he wanted to go home and relax.

C．Because he thought that the author would commit suicide.

D．Because it was far away from his home.

【小題3】In the author's opinion, the driver's unwillingness to wait outside the Chemical Bank indicates________.

A．the driver thought it wrong to support a taxi rider unconditionally

B．the driver was frightened and wanted to leave him as soon as possible

C．the driver did not want to help a suspect to escape from a bank robbery

D．the driver thought that the rate for waiting time was too low

【小題4】Which of the following statements is TRUE about New York taxi drivers?

A．They are ready to help you do whatever you want to.

B．They are sympathetic with those who are out of work.

C．They refuse to pick up those who would kill themselves.

D．They work only for money.

【小題5】The passage mainly discusses________.

A．the way to please taxi riders

B．the way to deal with taxi riders

C．taxi drivers' attitude to riders in personal trouble

D．taxi drivers' attitude to troublesome taxi riders

Home to me means a sense of familiarity and nostalgia(懷舊)．It’s fun to come home.It looks the same.It smells the same.You’ll realize what’s changed is you.Home is where we can remember pain，love，and some other experiences：We parted here；My parents met here；I won three championships here.
If I close my eyes，I can still have a clear picture in mind of my first home.I walk in the door and see a brown sofa surrounding a low glass­top wooden table.To the right of the living room is my first bedroom.It’s empty，but it’s where my earliest memories are.
There is the dining room table where I celebrated birthdays，and where I cried on Halloween－when I didn’t want to wear the skirt my mother made for me.I always liked standing on that table because it made me feel tall and strong.If I sit at this table，I can see my favorite room in the house，my parents’ room.It is simple：a brown wooden dresser lines the right side of the wall next to a television and a couple of photos of my grandparents on each side.Their bed is my safe zone.I can jump on it anytime－waking up my parents if I am scared or if I have an important announcement that cannot wait until the morning.
I’m lucky because I know my first home still exists.It exists in my mind and heart，on a physical property(住宅) on West 64^th street on the western edge of Los Angeles.It is proof I lived，I grew，and I learned.
Sometimes when I feel lost，I lie down and shut my eyes，and I go home.I know it’s where I’ll find my family，my dogs，and my belongings.I purposely leave the window open at night because I know I’ll be blamed by Mom.But I don’t mind，because I want to hear her say my name，which reminds me I’m home.
【小題1】Why does the author call her parents’ bed her “safe zone”(Paragraph 3)?

A．It is her favorite place to play.

B．Her needs can be satisfied there.

C．Her grandparents’ photos are lined on each side.

D．Her parents always play together with her there.

【小題2】What can be learned from the passage?

A．The old furniture is still in the author’s first bedroom.

B．The author can still visit her first physical home in Los Angeles.

C．The author’s favorite room in her first home is the dining room.

D．Many people of the author’s age can still find their first physical homes.

【小題3】Sometimes when she feels lost，the author will________.

A．open the window at night

B．lie down in bed to have a dream

C．try to bring back a sense of home

D．go to Los Angeles to visit her mom

【小題4】What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?

A．To express how much she is attached to her home.

B．To declare how much she loves her first house.

C．To describe the state of her family.

D．To look back on her childhood.

Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family，and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck.I’m not going to say luck，talent，and circumstances don’t come into play because they do.Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence，and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However，to succeed in life，one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And，in addition to that，in order to get really good at something，one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practising.To become great at certain things，it’ll require even more time，time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love.If you don’t enjoy what you do，it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success，you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent，but thinking that way does you no good，and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do，if you want to become great at it，you need to work day in and day out，almost to the point of addiction，and over a long period of time.If you’re not willing to put in the time and work，don’t expect to receive any rewards.Consistent，hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want，but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.
【小題1】Paragraph 1 mainly talks about________.

A．the reasons for success

B．the meaning of success

C．the standards of success

D．the importance of success

【小題2】In Paragraph 2，the underlined word that refers to________.

A．being good at something

B．setting a practical goal

C．putting in more time

D．succeeding in life

【小題3】Successful people suggest doing what one loves because________.

A．work makes one feel pain

B．one tends to enjoy his work

C．one gives up his work easily

D．it takes a lot of time to succeed

【小題4】What can we infer from Paragraph  4?

A．Successful people like to show their great skills.

B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent.

C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life.

D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success.

【小題5】What is the main theme of the passage?

A．Having a goal is vital to success.

B．Being good is different from being great.

C．One cannot succeed without time and practice.

D．Luck，talent and family help to achieve success.

There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love.One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds.She took them home and put them in a small cage，caring them with love.Luckily，the birds grew strong little by little.Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song.The girl felt great love for the birds.
One day the girl left the door to the cage open accidentally.The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage.The girl was so frightened that he would fly away so as he flew close，she grasped him wildly.Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him.Suddenly，she felt the bird go limp，so she opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird.It was her desperate love that had killed him.
She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage.She could feel his strong desire－needing to fly into the clear，blue sky.Unwillingly，she lifted him from the cage and tossed him softly into the air.The lucky bird circled once，twice，three times.
The girl watched delightedly at the bird.Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss.What she wanted to see was that the bird could fly happily.Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder.It sang the sweetest tune that she had ever heard.
Remember，the fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight；the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
【小題1】After the girl found the two birds，she________．

A．became delighted at once

B．treated them for a long time

C．took them to their home

D．fed them and raised them

【小題2】Why did the girl grasp the stronger bird wildly?

A．Because the girl disliked the bird any longer.

B．Because the bird wanted to fly alone.

C．Because the girl loved the bird deeply.

D．Because the bird intended to found some food.

【小題3】The underlined word “tossed” in the passage means________．

A．throw someting with slightly force

B．give up something happily

C．hold something fast

D．cast something without patient

【小題4】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Catch what you can catch on your way to success.

B．Going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

C．The best things come when you least expect them to.

D．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

More than four out of five people admit to telling little white lies at least once a day and the preferred way of “being economical with the truth” is to use technology such as cellphones, text messages and e-mails, a survey said last Thursday. The research found that “techno-treachery （高科技說謊）” was widespread with nearly 75 percent of people saying gadgets (小器具) made it easier to fib (撒小謊). Just over half of the respondents （被調(diào)查者） said using gadgets made them feel less guilty when telling a lie than doing it face to face. The workplace was a favorite location for fibbing with 67 percent of the 1,487 respondents admitting they had lied at work. The top lie was pretending to be ill (43 percent), followed by saying work had been completed when it hadn’t (23 percent). Worryingly for bosses 18 percent said they lied to hide a big mistake. But, employers were not the only ones on the receiving end of dishonest statements. Just over 40 percent of the respondents said they had lied to their families or partners. Key topics to lie about were: buying new clothes or the cost of them (37 percent), how good someone looked in something (35 percent), how much they had eaten (35 percent) and drunk (31 percent) and how much they weighed (32 percent).
【小題1】The underlined phrase “being economical with the truth” probably means______.

A．telling lies

B．making apologies

C．feeling guilty

D．a(chǎn)dmitting mistakes

【小題2】 It can be inferred(推斷) from the passage that ______.

A．employers sometimes lie to their employees, too

B．75% of people have ever lied to someone

C．without gadgets, people may feel more pressure when telling white lies

D．more people lie to their family than to their bosses

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT  TRUE according to the passage?

A．Cell phones make people more likely to lie.

B．Some people might lie to their bosses when they are not doing their work well.

C．40% of employers admit that they have lied to their families or partners.

D．Nearly 1,500 people were questioned in the survey.

【小題4】 What is the main idea of the passage?

A．People are getting more likely to lie.

B．People tend to fib using gadgets.

C．Most people tell white lies at the workplace.

D．18% of people lie to their bosses.

When I was young, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard. I remembered him as a neighbor who was nicer than anyone else in the neighborhood.
When Dr. Gibbs was happy, he was planting trees. And his life’s goal was to make it a forest.
Dr. Gibbs had some interesting theories about planting. He talked about trees that weren’t watered would grow deep roots in search of water. So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak (橡樹) and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with the rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died a couple of years. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that he planted twenty-five years ago. They’re very strong now.
I planted a couple of trees a few years later. I watered them regularly and took good care of them. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake their leaves and branches.
The funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs was that difficulty seemed to help them in ways comfort and ease never could.
【小題1】What was Dr. Gibbs’ life goal?

A．To build a forest.	B．To save more lives.
C．To make a lot of money.	D．To study plants.

【小題2】One of Dr. Gibbs’ theories about planting was that ______.

A．he often talked to the trees

B．he kicked the trees heavily

C．he never watered the trees

D．he buried the leaves around the roots

【小題3】What does the writer mainly want to tell us?

A．Trees are not as weak as we think.

B．We should listen to others’ advice.

C．Planting trees is good for the environment.

D．Difficulty is necessary for growth.

I live in Hollywood. You may think people in such an attractive, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more long-lasting emotion. Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to exciting parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”. But in memoir(回憶錄) after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children, and long-time loneliness.
The way people hold on to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happiness actually decreases their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very efforts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, charitable work and self-improvement.
【小題1】According to the passage, “fun activities” ____________.

A．a(chǎn)re the things we do before we find happiness

B．may help us relax and forget our problems sometimes

C．will lead us to the true happiness

D．could provide long-last positive effects

【小題2】 In the author’s opinion, those Hollywood stars ____________.

A．possess happiness because they are rich and famous

B．experience almost all kinds of happy things

C．tell us happiness isn’t equal to fun using their own stories

D．have to suffer a lot before they become successful

【小題3】 It is difficult for people to find real happiness because ____________.

A．they believe happiness is the fun life without pain

B．they find pain equals unhappiness

C．they fear to lose what they already have in life

D．They are afraid all their efforts were in vain

【小題4】The main purpose of the text is to ____________.

A．describe the difference between happiness and fun

B．show the true meaning of happiness

C．encourage people to pursue fun activities

D．a(chǎn)dvise people to find their real life

Dear XXX,　
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write a letter to you to tell you all that is on my mind.

Do your best in classes, but don’t let pressure get to you. If you graduate and learn something in your four years, we would feel happy. Your Columbia degree will take you far, even if you don’t graduate with honors. So please don't give yourself pressure. The only thing that matters is that you learned. The only measurement you should use is that you tried.
Most importantly, make friends and be happy. College friends are often the best in life, because during college you are closer to them physically than to your family. Also, going through independence and adulthood is a natural bonding (結(jié)合的) experience. Pick a few friends and become really close to them — pick the ones who are genuine and sincere to you. Don’t worry about their hobbies, grades, looks, or even personalities. If you think you like someone, tell her. You have very little to lose. People are not perfect, so as long as they are genuine and sincere, trust them and be good to them. They will give back. This is my secret of success — that I am genuine with people and trust them (unless they do something to lose my trust).
College is the four years where you have:
　　?the greatest amount of free time
　　?the first chance to be independent
　　?the most flexibility to change
　　?the lowest risk for making mistakes
So please treasure your college years – make the best of your free time, become an independent thinker in control of your destiny. May Columbia become the happiest four years in your life, and may you blossom into just what you dream to be.
Love,
XXX
【小題1】What is the most probable relationship between the writer and the receiver of the letter?

A．Friends.	B．A parent and his or her daughter.
C．A teacher and a student.	D．Sisters.

【小題2】Which of the following suggestions is not given to the receiver in the letter?

A．How to adapt to the college life quickly.

B．To make new friends.

C．To learn to be independent in thinking.

D．Not to make herself under much pressure in grades.

【小題3】According to the writer of the letter, college is a time _______.

A．during which one may make mistakes

B．during which one has little free time

C．during which it is hard for one to change

D．during which one needs to learn to be independent

Jerry was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live life.” I reflected on what Jerry said. Later, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, he forgot the password, nervous. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments（碎片） of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied. “Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.” “Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked. Jerry continued, “The doctors and nurses were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. I knew I needed to take action.”
“What did you do?” I asked. “Well, there was a big, strong nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic (過敏的) to anything. “Yes,” I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, “Bullets!” Over their laughter, I told them. “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
【小題1】The author left Jerry’s restaurant because he___________.

A．wanted to start business on his own

B．was afraid of another robbery later

C．was not equal to the job any longer

D．didn’t get along well with others

【小題2】Why was Jerry shot?

A．Because he left the back door open.

B．Because he opened the safe too slowly.

C．Because he pretended to forget the password.

D．Because he didn’t open the safe in time.

【小題3】What was Jerry really afraid in the emergency room?

A．The doctors and nurses gave him up.

B．He decided to take action to live again.

C．He saw the expressions of the doctors and nurses.

D．He might not be saved by doctors and nurses.

【小題4】From the passage we can learn that Jerry was_________.

A．No longer positive to his life after the operation

B．optimistic even when things were at their worst

C．Jerry influenced all his colleges in many ways

D．Badly injured and stayed in hospital for six months

【小題5】Which of the following is conveyed in this article?

A．Where there is life, there is hope.

B．Everything comes to him who waits.

C．Humor is the best medicine that creates miracle.

D．Attitude determines everything.