Is loyalty in the workplace dead? Just recently, Lynda Gratton, a workplace expert, proclaimed that it was. In The Financial Times, she said that it had been “killed off through shortening contracts, outsourcing, automation and multiple careers. “ It’s sad if this sterling virtue is now out of place in the business world. But the situation may be more complicated. Depending on how you define it, loyalty may not be dead, but is just playing out differently. Fifty years ago, an employee could stay at the same company for decades, said Tammy Erickson, an author and work-force consultant. Many were guaranteed longtime employment along with health care and a pension. Now many companies cannot or will not hold up their end of the bargain, so why should the employees hold up theirs? Given the opportunity, they’ll take their skills and their portable retirement accounts elsewhere. These days, Ms. Gratton writes, trust is more important than loyalty: “Loyalty is about the future—trust is about the present. “ Serial career monogamy is now the order of the day, she says. Ms. Erickson says that the quid pro quo of modern employment is more likely to be: As long as I work for you, I promise to have the relevant skills and engage fully in my work; in return you’ll pay me fairly, but I don’t expect you to care for me when I’m 110. For some baby boomers, this shift has been hard to accept. Many started their careers assuming that they would be rewarded based on long tenure. A longtime employee who is also productive and motivated is of enormous value, said Cathy Benko, chief talent officer at Deloitte. On the other hand, she said, “You can be with a company a long time and not be highly engaged. “ Ms. Benko has seen her company shift its focus to employees’ level of engagement—or “the level at which people are motivated to deliver their best work“ —rather than length of tenure. Then there are the effects of the recent recession. Many people—if they haven’t been laid off— have stayed in jobs because they feel they have no choice. Employers may need to prepare for disruptions and turnover when the job market improves. If the pendulum shifts, how will businesses persuade their best employees to stay? Money may do the trick, but not always. Especially with younger people, “you’re not going to buy extra loyalty with extra money,“ Ms. Erickson said. Rather, employers need to make jobs more challenging and give workers more creative leeway, she said. Loyalty may not be what it once was, but most companies will still be better off with at least a core of people who stay with them across decades. If loyalty is seen as a commitment to keep workers of all ages fulfilled, productive and involved, it can continue to be cultivated in the workplace—to the benefit of both employer and employee.

Good afternoon! The topic for today’s lecture is “The ’Click and Go’ Generation“ which, of course, refers to today’s teenagers. As you can 【C1】______, we used to have just one telephone and one TV in the living room, and there was no such thing as 【C2】______. Nowadays, all those items can be found in most teenagers’ bedrooms. Teens can have 【C3】______ behind closed doors, and they can turn the TV on to【C4】______. If they are curious, they will use the Internet to explore places they never imagined existed, get 【C5】______, and talk to people far away. Having this equipment in their own rooms means【C6】______ for the kids. As a result, many parents complain that teenagers are becoming too individualistic and 【C7】______ from the family. On the other hand, teenagers think that parents should【C8】______ their privacy. Psychologists say that if the teens 【C9】______, parents should just keep on knocking. Parents have 【C10】______ who their sons and daughters are with and what they are doing. But parents must be 【C11】______, too. Some parents are very strict and try to 【C12】______ their kids. But in the end, that doesn’t work, because it makes teens 【C13】______. The more unhappy teenagers are, the more they want to be【C14】______. Some may even turn to the Internet and give up all【C15】______ with family members and live in cyberspace. Today’s teenagers may be “ 【C16】______ ,“ but they are also the most educated, and the most globally aware, generation. They realize the importance of studying and 【C17】______. If you ask teenagers today about the future, most of them will tell you that they are【C18】______. But teenagers will be teenagers. I once asked a teenager why he 【C19】______ his parents said and why he was behaving 【C20】______, His answer was, “It’s my job. I’m a teenager. “Good afternoon! The topic for today’s lecture is “The ’Click and Go’ Generation“ which, of course, refers to today’s teenagers. As you can recall, we used to have just one telephone and one TV in the living room, and there was no such thing as a home computer. Nowadays, all those items can be found in most teenagers’ bedrooms. Teens can have private conversations behind closed doors, and they can turn the TV on to any channel they like. If they are curious, they will use the Internet to explore places they never imagined existed, get a lot of information, and talk to people far away. Having this equipment in their own rooms means an increase in privacy for the kids. As a result, many parents complain that teenagers are becoming too individualistic and too isolated from the family. On the other hand, teenagers think that parents should respect their privacy. Psychologists say that if the teens lock their bedroom door, parents should just keep on knocking. Parents have the right to know who their sons and daughters are with and what they are doing. But parents must be flexible, too. Some parents are very strict and try to keep control of their kids. But in the end, that doesn’t work, because it makes teens rebellious and unhappy. The more unhappy teenagers are, the more they want to be left alone. Some may even turn to the Internet and give up all social encounters with family members and live in cyberspace. Today’s teenagers may be “click and go,“ but they are also the most educated, and the most globally aware, generation. They realize the importance of studying and getting a job. If you ask teenagers today about the future, most of them will tell you that they are optimistic. But teenagers will be teenagers. I once asked a teenager why he questioned everything his parents said and why he was behaving like such an idiot. His answer was, “It’s my job. I’m a teenager. “

Question No. 1 Michael has put all his spare time into his foreign language training. Though he has only studied English for two years, he speaks it very well. Michael has been abroad for two years, so he speaks English very well. Michael has not studied English and he cannot speak it. In spite of his having studied English for years, Michael cannot speak it well. Michael has studied English for two years and he speaks it very well.

Question No. 6 Over fifty years ago books were among the cheapest things you could buy and the expenditure of a dollar or two at Christmas solved all your gift problems. For years books were cheaper during Christmas. Books were too cheap to buy as Christmas presents. People used to buy books as Christmas gifts. People preferred to read books at Christmas.

I work for a beer distributing company. A secondary business we own is a carpet company. One Friday, I was trying to buy a carpet for my own personal use in a rental property. Julie is the salesperson I had to deal with to get this carpets. I met her on Friday at 4 : 00 P. M. in her office. We spent an hour talking about what party she was going to, what she was going to do this weekend, and so on. We only briefly talked about the purpose of my visit, which was to purchase a carpet. At first, this drove me a little crazy because I wanted to get the carpet and get out of there. An hour later, we went down to the showroom to look at some carpet. I agreed to one of the first carpets I looked at, and then we proceeded to talk about everything but purchasing the carpet. She was really nice. It was like we had known each other all our lives. We finally agreed on a very low price, and it was a done deal. Well almost. After we agreed on the price, she said, “Oh, by the way. You only need sixty square yards, but you have to buy the whole roll to get it at that price. “ There was about seventy-two square yards in the roll. I agreed to everything she said. When I got home and started thinking about it, I realized I had bought more than I really needed and I had actually paid more. Question No. 15 For what purpose did the speaker meet Julie in her office? Question No. 16 How long had the speaker stayed in Julie’s office? Question No. 17 What was Julie’s occupation? Question No. 18 Which of the following is TRUE about the speaker? To sell some beer. To purchase a carpet. To arrange a party. To plan a weekend visit.

Now I know you’re all curious about this place and you want to enjoy yourselves. That’s OK. I don’t want to spoil your fun, and it’s my duty to tell how to avoid putting yourselves and your property at risk. For all the girls here, if you’re in the bar or disco then make very sure that your handbag or purse is where you can keep an eye on it. Not on the floor or on another chair. If you want to dance, ask a friend to take care of it or take it with you. Um, for the gentlemen; don’t walk around with your wallet stuck in the back pocket of your trousers. It’s easy meat for a pick-pocket, believe me. As you are all foreigners here, don’t carry a lot of cash with you and the same goes for passports, identity cards and other important documents. For your own personal security, it’s always better to go home by bus or taxi if it’s late. If you have to walk home late at night go with some friends. If you’re alone, stick to well-lit areas. Should you see a group of people looking for trouble, cross over the road and, if you really think someone is going to bother you, bang on the door of the nearest house and ask for help. Oh, another word of warning: Don’t hitch lifts. It’s asking for trouble. If a car stops to ask for information, just keep well clear of the door so you can see what the people want. This isn’t a dangerous town if you’re sensible. To close, I just want to say that in this country it is illegal to carry a knife, spray or anything that can be used as a weapon, even if it’s for self-defense. Question No. 23 What is this talk mainly about? Question No. 24 According to the man, what would happen to a wallet stuck in the back of one’s trousers? Question No. 25 What kind of people is the man talking to? Question No. 26 When you go home late at night, which of the following things are you advised NOT to do? Describing types of crimes. Giving warnings against crimes. Telling people that it is a dangerous town. Showing the authorities’ determination to fight against crimes.

Sentence No. 1 Australia has millions of sheep. They say there are three sheep for each inhabitant of the country. Thousands of tons of wool are produced each year in Australia.

W: Hi, Brown. I’d like to get your opinion about the news. M: OK. Well, I get most of my news on the Internet, but I read papers, too. W: And what do you think about the news in the newspaper? M: What I notice about the papers is that the news is really depressing, especially the main stories— you have bombings, and accidents, and people killing people. I find more and more that the news in the United States is getting focused on negative things. It’s always a disaster of some sort. W: So you think it’s very negative. M: Yeah, and there’s something else. I like to read about international news, but it seems that people here aren’t really that interested in it. I read somewhere, I can’t remember—that it’s a prestige thing, to cover the international news. W: And you don’t think people in the United States like international news? M: No. I don’t. But because I’ve lived in so many countries around the world, I am interested in international news. The news in Korea is from everywhere—the United States, Europe, Japan, China. Anyway, what I like about newspapers are the arts and culture sections. And the human interest stories, which can be really uplifting. I like to read about people. For example, there was a story about some crime in the park, but now they’re examining that case again, and it turns out that the five young people who they thought did it might be innocent, actually. It was shocking that the judicial system had failed in the beginning, but I’m glad they finally found out that those young people were innocent. W: So you liked that story. M: Yeah, I mean, that kind of news, people could actually read it and feel positive, like you could really improve the system, or whatever—compared to news that’s depressing and you feel helpless—you can’t do anything about it. Question No. 27 What’s Brown’s opinion about the news in the newspaper? Question No. 28 Why is Brown interested in international news? Question No. 29 Brown likes several sections in newspapers. Which of the following is NOT one of these sections? Question No. 30 Which of the following statements is TRUE about Brown? The news is not very interesting. The news is uplifting. The news is largely positive. The news is really depressing.

In the first half of the 20th century, the fastest urban growth was in Western cities. New York, London and other First World capitals were magnets for immigration and job opportunity. In 1950, New York, London, Tokyo and Paris boasted of having the world’s largest metropolitan populations. (Also in the top 10 were Moscow, Chicago, and the German city of Essen. ) By then, New York had alreadly become the first “mega-city,“ with more than 10 million people. It would not hold on to such exclusivity for long. In the postwar period, many large American cities lost population as manufacturing fled overseas and returning soldiers taking advantage of the GI Bill fueled the process of suburbanization. Crime was also a factor. As an example, riot-torn Detroit lost 800,000 people between 1950 and 1996, and its population declined 33. 9 percent between 1970 and 1996. Midwestern cities were particularly hard-hit. St. Louis, for instance, lost more than half its population in the same period, as did Pittsburgh. Cleveland precipitously declined, as did Buffalo, Cincinnati, Minneapolis and many other large cities, emerging as regional players rather than world leaders. Meanwhile, while many American cities shrank, population around the world was growing dramatically. In the 20th century, world population increased from 1. 65 billion to six billion. The highest rate of growth was in the late 1960s, when 80 million people were added every year. According to the “World population Data Sheet,“ global population will rise 46 percent between now and 2050 to about nine billion. While developed countries are losing population because of falling birth rates and carefully controlled immigration rates (only the United States reverses this trend, with 45 percent growth to 422 million predicted by 2050), population is exploding in the developing world. India’s population will likely grow 52 percent to 1. 6 billion by 2050, when it will surpass China as the world’s most populous country. The population in neighboring Pakistan will grow to 349 million, up 134 percent in 2050. Triple-digit growth rates are forecast for Iraq, Afghanistan and Nepal. Africa could double in population to 1. 9 billion by 2050. These growth rates hold despite the world’s highest rates of AIDS infection, and despite civil wars, famines and other factors. Despite strife in the Congo, it could triple to 181 million by 2050, while Nigeria doubles to 307 million.

Climate change threatens sustainable development and all eight Millennium Development Goals. The international community agreed at the beginning of the new millennium to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty by 2015. Yet, today, climate change is already responsible for forcing some fifty million additional people to go hungry and driving over ten million additional people into extreme poverty. Between one-fifth and one-third of Official Development Assistance is in climate-sensitive sectors and thereby highly exposed to climate risks. To avert the worst outcomes of climate change, adaptation efforts need to be scaled up by a factor of more than 100 in developing countries. The only way to reduce the present human impact is through adaptation. But funding for adaptation in developing countries is not even one percent of what is needed. The multilateral funds that have been pledged for climate change adaptation funding currently amount to under half a billion US dollars. Despite the lack of funding, some cases of successful adaptation do provide a glimmer of hope. Bangladesh is one such example. Cyclone Sidr, which struck Bangladesh in 2007, demonstrates how well adaptation and prevention efforts can pay off. Disaster preparation measures, such as early warning systems and storm-proof houses, minimized damage and destruction. Cyclone Sidr’s still considerable death toll of 3,400, and economic damages of $ 1. 6 billion, nevertheless compare favourably to the similar scale cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar in 2008, resulting in close to 150, 000 deaths and economic losses of around $ 4 billion. Solutions do also exist for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, some even with multiple benefits. For instance, black carbon from soot, released by staple energy sources in poor communities, is likely causing as much as 18 percent of warming. The provision of affordable alternative cooking stoves to the poor can, therefore, have both positive health results, since smoke is eliminated, and an immediate impact on reducing emissions, since soot only remains in the atmosphere for a few weeks. Integrating strategies between adaptation, mitigation, development and disaster risk reduction can and must be mutually reinforcing. Climate change adaptation, mitigation, humanitarian assistance and development aid underpin each other, but are supported by different sets of institutions, knowledge centres, policy frameworks and funding mechanisms. These policies are essential to combat the human impact of climate change, but their links to one another have received inadequate attention.

Is loyalty in the workplace dead? Just recently, Lynda Gratton, a workplace expert, proclaimed that it was. In The Financial Times, she said that it had been “killed off through shortening contracts, outsourcing, automation and multiple careers. “ It’s sad if this sterling virtue is now out of place in the business world. But the situation may be more complicated. Depending on how you define it, loyalty may not be dead, but is just playing out differently. Fifty years ago, an employee could stay at the same company for decades, said Tammy Erickson, an author and work-force consultant. Many were guaranteed longtime employment along with health care and a pension. Now many companies cannot or will not hold up their end of the bargain, so why should the employees hold up theirs? Given the opportunity, they’ll take their skills and their portable retirement accounts elsewhere. These days, Ms. Gratton writes, trust is more important than loyalty: “Loyalty is about the future—trust is about the present. “ Serial career monogamy is now the order of the day, she says. Ms. Erickson says that the quid pro quo of modern employment is more likely to be: As long as I work for you, I promise to have the relevant skills and engage fully in my work; in return you’ll pay me fairly, but I don’t expect you to care for me when I’m 110. For some baby boomers, this shift has been hard to accept. Many started their careers assuming that they would be rewarded based on long tenure. A longtime employee who is also productive and motivated is of enormous value, said Cathy Benko, chief talent officer at Deloitte. On the other hand, she said, “You can be with a company a long time and not be highly engaged. “ Ms. Benko has seen her company shift its focus to employees’ level of engagement—or “the level at which people are motivated to deliver their best work“ —rather than length of tenure. Then there are the effects of the recent recession. Many people—if they haven’t been laid off— have stayed in jobs because they feel they have no choice. Employers may need to prepare for disruptions and turnover when the job market improves. If the pendulum shifts, how will businesses persuade their best employees to stay? Money may do the trick, but not always. Especially with younger people, “you’re not going to buy extra loyalty with extra money,“ Ms. Erickson said. Rather, employers need to make jobs more challenging and give workers more creative leeway, she said. Loyalty may not be what it once was, but most companies will still be better off with at least a core of people who stay with them across decades. If loyalty is seen as a commitment to keep workers of all ages fulfilled, productive and involved, it can continue to be cultivated in the workplace—to the benefit of both employer and employee.

One aspect of business life which many managers are unhappy with is the need to attend meetings. Research indicates that managers will spend between a third and a half of their working lives in meetings. Although most managers would agree that it is hard to think of an alternative to meetings, as a means of considering information and making collective decisions, their length and frequency can cause problems with the workload of even the best-organised executives. Meetings work best if they take place only when necessary and not as a matter of routine. One example of this is the discussion of personal or career matters between members of staff and their line and personnel managers. Another is during the early stages of a project when the team managing it need to learn to understand and trust one another.. Once it has been decided that a meeting is necessary, decisions need to be taken about who will attend and about the location and length of the meeting. People should only be invited to attend if they are directly involved in the matters under discussion and the agenda should be distributed well in advance. An agenda is vital because it acts as a road map to keep discussion focused and within the time limit allocated. This is also the responsibility of the person chairing the meeting, who should encourage those who say little to speak and stop those who have a great deal to say from talking too much. At the end of a well organised meeting, people will feel that the meeting has been a success and be pleased they were invited. They will know not only what decisions were made but also the reasons for these decisions. Unfortunately, at the end of a badly organised meeting those present will leave feeling that they have wasted their time and that nothing worthwhile has been achieved. Much together has been given over the years to ways of keeping a meeting short. One man who has no intention of spending half his working life in meetings is Roland Winterson, chief executive of a large manufacturing company. He believes that meetings should be short, sharp and infrequent. “I try to hold no more than two or three meetings a week, attended by a maximum of three people for no longer than half an hour,“ he says. “They are clearly aimed at achieving a specific objective, such as making a decision or planning a strategy, and are based on careful preparation. I draw up the agenda for every meeting and circulate it in advance; those attending are expected to study it carefully and should be prepared to both ask and answer questions. Managers are best employed carrying out tasks directly connected with their jobs not attending endless meetings. In business, time is money and spending it in needless meetings that don’t achieve anything can be very costly. Executives should follow the example of lawyers and put a cost on each hour of their time and then decide whether attending a long meeting really is the best way to spend their time. “

一天王安经过一棵大树时，突然有一只小麻雀掉到地上。他决定把它带回去喂养。走到家门口，突然想起妈妈不允许他在家里饲养小动物。他悄悄地把小麻雀放在门后，急忙走进屋去，在他的哀求下妈妈破例答应了儿子。王安兴冲冲跑到门后，不料小麻雀不见了，一只黑猫在用爪子擦拭着嘴巴。王安为此伤心了很久。从此，他记取了一个很大的教训：只要自己认定的事情，决不可优柔寡断。犹豫不决固然可以减少犯错的可能性，但也会因此而失去成功的机遇。

Jane: Hello. Jane speaking. Steve: Hi, Jane, it’s Steve here. Would you do me a favor? Jane: Well, it all depends, Steve. What do you want me to do? Steve: Could you lend me your car? Jane: You want to borrow my car? Steve: You see, Jane, I’m taking this girl to the country club on Saturday night. It’s our first date, and I want to impress her. Jane: Erm I don’t think it’s polite to drive someone else’s car to impress a girl. Besides, you are not covered by the insurance of my car. Steve: I know. The thing is that my car is in the garage. I had a mild bump yesterday, but that wasn’t my fault. The other driver didn’t stop at the traffic light. Jane: What a pity. I’ve got a better idea, Steve. How about getting a car from the Car Rental? I’ve got their phone number, if you want. Steve: OK. One more thing. Would you care to lend me some money for gas? Jane: No way. You can always use your credit card. Question No. 11 Why does Steve need a car? Question No. 12 What happened to the man’s own car? Question No. 13 What is the woman’s suggestion? Question No. 14 Which of the following is TRUE about the woman? To pick up something in the garage. To impress a girl on a date. To take the woman for a ride. To spend the weekend in the countryside.

W: So, what do you think is going to happen with this South African contract then? M: You mean the investment project? You know, something tells me we’re not going to get it. W: Oh, really? What makes you think that? It’s not like you to be so pessimistic. M: Well, for one thing, I mean the last bidding; we’ve gone in way too higher. My guess is that they’ll accept a lower tender. W: Mm. By the way, have some more lobster—there’s plenty of it in this dinner party, and it’s so delicious. M: Thanks. I think it’s one of the best dinner parties I’ve attended for years. I enjoy, in particular, those wonderful seafood. W: Me too. Going back to the contract, I don’t reckon price is really the issue. M: No? W: No. I mean, we’re talking long-term here. This is a seven-year project, maybe longer. So, reliability is what they’ll be looking for, if you ask me. They’ll pay more for that. M: You’ve got to be joking. This is one of the most price-sensitive markets in the world. The way I see it, we’ll be doing well just to get part of the contract. They’ll probably get a local firm in to do the main work. W: Hm, well, that’s bad news. Question No. 19 Where is this conversation most probably taxing place? Question No. 20 What are the man and the woman talking about? Question No. 21 What does the man think about the investment project? Question No. 22 According to the woman, what is the most important factor in the investment? In a seafood store. In a local factory. At a conference meeting. At a dinner party.

Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise. It can improve heart action. It also helps blood circulate. Swimming will develop strong muscles. It will even strengthen the lungs. People who are disabled and cannot enjoy other sports can keep their bodies in better condition by swimming. It is a good idea for parents to make sure that their children learn to swim at an early age. This will be an activity that the children can enjoy for the rest of their lives.

Transportation is the movement or conveying of persons and goods from one location to another. As human beings, from ancient times to the 21st century, sought to make their transport facilities more efficient, they have always endeavored to move people and property with the least expenditure of time, effort and cost. Primitive human beings supplemented their own carrying of goods and possessions by starting to domesticate animals—training them to bear small loads and pull crude sleds. The invention of the wheel, probably in western Asia, was a great step forward in transport. As the wheel was perfected, crude carts and wagons began to appear in the Tigris-Euphrates valley about 3,500 B. C. , and later in Crete, Egypt, and China. Wheeled vehicles could not use the narrow paths and trails used by pack animals, and early roads were soon being built by the Assyrians and the Persians. The greatest improvements in transportation have appeared in the last two centuries, a period during which the Industrial Revolution has vastly changed the economic life of the entire world. Crude railways—horse-drawn wagons with wooden wheels and rails—had been used in English and European mines during the 17 th century. Although it first appeared in England, the railroad had its most dramatic growth in the; United States. By 1840 more than 4,800 km of railroad were already operating in the eastern states, a figure 40 percent greater than the total railroad mileage of Europe. Since World War I, however, the U. S. railroads have been in a decline, due partly to the rapid development of private automobiles, trucks, buses, pipelines, and airlines. The first new mode of transportation to challenge the railroad was the motor vehicle, which was made possible by the invention, in the 1860s and ’70s, of the internal combustion engine. The automobile found its greatest popularity in the United States, where the first “horseless carriages“ appeared in the 1890s. Two hundred million motor vehicles had been produced in the nation within 70 years of their first appearance. The automobile thus became in many ways as important to the 20th century as the railroads had been to the 19th. During the same period intercity buses took over a large portion of commercial passenger travel, and trucks began carrying a great deal of the nation’s freight. Although the emphasis on fuel conservation waned in the 1980s, few doubt that the issue will emerge again when oil scarcities loom, as they did in the 1970s. Future possibilities include automobiles with far greater fuel efficiency and improved mass-transit systems. Both will occur not only in response to oil-supply disruption, but also as an answer to increasing demands for cleaner air. Improvements in mass transit offer the most promise for the future. Amtrak’s 1993 introduction of the Swedish high-speed “tilting train“ should cut travel time between some East Coast cities by almost half, once tracks are entirely electrified.

Extract 1 We, the undersigned, write with reference to the Hightown Local Plan, Consultative Draft, March 2005, published by the Hightown district Council. While we understand the need for a Relief Road to ease the problems of increasing traffic in the area as a whole, we would like to express our concern at the proposed route. As shown in the Consultative Draft, the Relief Road will cross Fernwood Road, Golfcourse Way and High Lane, effectively cutting in half a prime residential area. As residents of this particular area, we feel obliged to protest at the proposal on the following grounds: There will be a substantial increase in traffic in the area, not only with the through-traffic, but also from traffic joining the Relief Road at the junction planned close to Fernwood Road. At present, the area in question is a quiet residential area. With the Relief Road and the volume of traffic envisaged, there is no doubt that. . . Extract 2 It is foreseen that the Relief Road will be a dual, two-lane carriageway and that there will be junctions at Fernwood Road and at the south end of High Lane. It is felt that such a road is required to allow for the growth of traffic envisaged over the next twenty years and that this route will be essential for through-traffic joining the Hightown Bypass. Thus the Relief Road and the Hightown Bypass together will provide substantial relief to the traffic problems experienced in recent years in the center of Fernwood following the construction of the new Container Port at Highport in 2000. It is intended that construction of the Relief Road be begun in 2009. This, however, will be subject to approval by regional and central government. The Planning Committee feel that the road is vital to a proper development of the area as a whole and that therefore delays should be avoided. Thus arrangements will be made, through public meetings, for direct representations to be made to the Coucil regarding the proposals. Extract 3 Both John and I hope that you are all settling down OK, You must write and tell us what the new house is like. By the way, your move was probably a good thing for you. We’ve just heard about the new Local Plan for Hightown and have been busy drumming up support to fight a proposal to bring a Relief Road right through here. In fact, as far as we can see, it would have run right along the back of your garden in Golfcourse Way. I can just imagine what Mike would have had to say about the prospect of massive lorries trundling past his back garden night and day! Fortunately, as far as the plans are concerned, we’re not directly affected—I mean, the road won’t go past our house—but it will cut through two or three roads here, which will mean that we’d obviously get a lot more traffic through this. . .

As manufacturers continue to roll out new smartphones, luring customers to ditch their old phones, data security experts warn that improperly disposed phones can be mined for personal data by hackers in the U. S. and abroad. The Environmental Protection Agency reports more than 416,000 cellphones are disposed of every day and almost 40% of cellphone users fail to take any security measures, such as erasing their data before disposing of them. According to the EPA, the average American is expected to buy a new cellphone every 24 months. After new cellphones are purchased, old phones are either recycled or trashed. More than 80% of e-waste is exported to Asia where workers break down electronic devices for metals, particularly gold and silver. Without federal regulations on proper handling procedures, there is no way to assure consumers a best practice for e-cycling. Currently the EPA does not have any data on the amount of e-waste being exported—only data on how much is being recycled, which for cellphones is less than 10%.

What does the passage mainly discuss?

Traditionally, employees valued loyalty to the workplace as it was accompanied by______.

According to the passage, many companies now______.

What do we learn from Cathy Benko about longtime employees?

It can be concluded from the last paragraph that______.