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W: Welcome to our program, Nick. M: Thank you.
W: It's found that the number of people who are suffering from stress in the UK is increasing.
M: Yes, that is true. It seems that the economic problems we are all facing are mainly to blame.
W: What do you mean by that? I guess it's the high prices of things like food and petrol that's worrying people?
M: Well not just that. It's stress in the workplace that is the biggest issue. Some reports said that the stress becomes the number one cause of long-term workplace absence. Half of the UK's public sector companies have reported a rise in employee absence caused by stress.
W: That's interesting because jobs in the public sector are traditionally seen as more stable and secure than those in the private sector.
M: Yes it's surprising. Public sector jobs, such as civil servants and teachers, were seen as jobs-for-life but perhaps that's not the case anymore. It's a worrying time.
W: So how exactly is the poor economic situation affecting the workplace? M: Things like cutting the number of staff, which lead to increased workloads for others, and the security of the job, cause the increase in mental health problems.
W: So what can be done to reduce this stressful situation?
M: Well some companies are offering counseling services. And they suggest the employees exercise regularly in a gym, listen to some classic music, and learn to say \W: I see. Thank you, Nick. M: Thank you.
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9. [听力文本资源] What is the main reason of people suffering from stress in the UK? [听力文本资源] A) People dislike their workplaces.
B) People are facing a poor economic situation. √ C) People are getting many blames from their employers. D) People are worrying too much about the prices of food and petrol. 答案：B 解析：从音频中可知，男士认为大多数英国人压力过大的原因是目前大家所面临的经济问题(economic problems)。而女士则觉得是过高的物价，如食品和汽油等，才是人们压力过大的根本原因。男士解释道，那些也并不是全部。所以选B。 10. [听力文本资源] Why does Nick say the public sector companies reported a rise in employee absence? [听力文本资源] A) Because the companies don’t have a systematic regulation system.
B) Because they have jobs-for-life and are not afraid of being fired.
C) Because many of them have health problems as the result of changeable weather.
D) Because too much workloads caused by cutting staff affect their mental health. √
答案：D 解析：此题考察公务员因压力过大请假的原因。其根本原因是裁员所带来的更多的工作量(cutting the number of staff, which leads to increased workloads for others), 并且会影响他们的心理健康(cause the increase in mental health problems)。所以选D。 11. [听力文本资源] Which one of the following is the way to reduce stress according to Nick? [听力文本资源] A) B) C) D)
Go to counseling services of the company. Have a short break.
Refuse extra work requests. √ Listen to some pop music.
答案：C
解析：音频结尾男士提到公司咨询服务建议的一些解压方式，唯有C是其中之一。选项A是公司提供的一种服务；B文中没有谈及；D应该是听一些古典音乐而非流行音乐。所以选C。
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W: Hi, Will. Do you want to join us seeing the stars in my apartment tomorrow night?
M: What kind of a view of the stars do you get from your house? W: Well, it's actually not too bad on a clear night.
M: I don't often see the stars where I live, but perhaps this is because I live closer to the centre of London than you. So there's probably less light pollution where you live.
W: Well it is true that the best places to see stars are the darkest places on the planet, like deserts and mountain tops and that's where you see those pictures of powerful telescopes.
M: Yes, in certain locations around the world you can get a really clear view of thousands of twinkling stars, some planets and sometimes the odd satellite moving across the sky.
W: It seems that you are an expert in Astronomy.
M: If you really want to view stars in a better place, I suggest we go to the Dark Sky Reserve.
W: Dark Sky Reserve?
M: Yes, it is one of the UK's darkest spots. There will be strict controls on things like street lights to reduce light pollution and keep the night truly dark. When it's dark we can see as many as 2,500 stars whereas in a city we might be lucky to see 200.
W: That sounds wonderful. I will inform my friends about this, and can we meet at the gate of our school at 8 so that you can take us there? M: No problem.
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12. [听力文本资源] What kind of a view of the stars can the woman see from her apartment? [听力文本资源]
A) She could see some stars if the weather is good that night. √
B) She can see stars clearly from her apartment as she lives near London.
C) She could not see too many stars as there are some