研究所、轉學考(插大)、學士後-英文_SAMPLE

Section C：閱讀測驗（每題3分，共15分）

Living on Tokyo Time

 

    It's to say that Japanese people are unbelievably busy. Working 10 hours a day, and often coming in on days off they rarely take a vacation of more than three or four days. A straight week is a hedonistic luxury.

 

    Watching people live like this, with almost no time for themselves, makes an American like me wonder why more of them don't .throw themselves under subway trains. But I seem to have &r more anxiety about free time than my Japanese friends do—even though, compared to them, I have much more of it. Why doesn't this cradle-to-grave, manic scheduling bother them?

 

     A lot of Westerners make the glib assumption that Japanese people are simply submissive, unoriginal, or masochistic enough to put up with such a punishing system. I don't think that's it. In Japan, time is measured in the same hours and minutes and days as anywhere else, but it is experienced as a fundamentally diffident phenomenon. In the West, we save time, spend time, invest time, even kill time—all of which implies that it belongs to us in the first place. We might find ourselves obliged to trade huge chunks of time for a steady salary, but most of us resent this as something stolen from us, and we take it for granted that our spare hours are none of our teachers 9 or bosses' business.

 

     The Japanese grow up with a sense of time as a communal resource, like the company motor pool. If you get permission, you can borrow a little for your own use, but the main

 priority is to serve the institution—in this case, society as a whole. Club activities, overtime, drinks with the boss, and invitations to the boring weddings of people you hardly know are not seen as intruding on your free time~they are the duties that you can do nothing about but that turn the wheel of society. ‘Tree'' time is something that only comes into existence when those obligations have all been fulfilled. This is nicely borne out by an expression my boss uses whenever he leaves work a little early: “I'm going to receive a little free time.”

 

     Though I can't pretend I like living on a Japanese schedule, I try hard not to make judgments. Things are more complicated than they appear. The Japanese sacrifice their private time to society, but in return they get national health insurance, a wonderful train system, sushi, the two thousand temples of Kyoto, and traditional culture so rich that every backwater village seems to have its own unique festivals, seasonal dishes, legends, and even dialect. All of which are invaluable social goods that I would not trade for a lifetime of free hours.

 

 Adapted from Lynnika Butler's article of the same title

 Susan Boyle has grasped worldwide attention since her triumph at the TV show, Britain’s Got Talent, through which her angelic voice __25__ millions of people. One reason why she has sparked conversations everywhere is the contrast __26__ her image and voice. When this chubby, unattractive, middle-aged lady first showed up on the stage, no judges expected that she could sing so well. The audience equally was ready to feel sorry __27__ her. However, when Susan started to sing, the audience was __28__ , and the judges were nearly speechless with amazement. People celebrate Susan’s achievement not only because she has talent, but also because she has the courage __29__ her dreams in the face of __30__ might often appear to be insurmountable obstacles.

Passage 1

        Since the early twentieth century, the grocery shop has played an important role in Chinese settlers’ immigration into the Caribbean region. Family-based grocery shops served as an ideal place for the Chinese settlers to sustain their connectedness and self-sufficiency. Families usually lived behind the shops； wives and children worked as helpers； and family members shared food to decrease living costs. Most shops contained bars and restaurants, providing a space for gossip and social exchanges, enabling the immigrants to mingle with the local people.

        The Chinese could shelter their clannish, distinct traits within the domain of grocery shops as they received protection and enrichment from the home and shop. Indeed, most of these earliest migrants came from the same provinces in southern China, identified as “Hakka” or “the Guest People,” who were known to be industrious and thrifty and whose renowned adaptability was regarded as ideal for contract labor in a similar climate such as the Caribbean.

        Insomnia is the inability to get high-quality sleep, which may cause fatigue during the day or even concentration problems. By trying one of the many strategies below, you’ll be taking the first step toward getting some much-needed rest. 

       Learning to be physically and mentally relaxed before going to bed will help you fall asleep more quickly. Some people find that taking a bath slows them down from the activity of the day. Other people benefit most from muscle relaxation techniques. Meditating with a focus on breathing, handling stress in a positive way, and exercising regularly may also induce a good night sleep. 

       Some foods can also help you sleep well. Foods such as chicken, milk, cheese, and beans contain tryptophan, a chemical that is converted in the brain to serotonin, which promotes relaxation and sleepiness. If you include foods high in tryptophan in your daily diet and incorporate some of the sleep-inducing activities into your life, the chances are good that you will achieve a pattern of restful, soothing sleep.