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Danielle Steel, the 71-year-old romance novelist is notoriously productive, having published 179 books at a rate of up to seven a year. But a passing reference in a recent profile by Glamour magazine to her 20-hour workdays prompted an outpouring of admiration.
Steel has given that 20-hour figure when describing her “exhausting” process in the past: "I start the book and don't leave my desk until the first draft is finished." She goes from bed, to desk, to bath, to bed, avoiding all contact aside from phone calls with her nine children. "I don't comb my hair for weeks," she says. Meals are brought to her desk, where she types until her fingers swell and her nails bleed.
The business news website Quartz held Steel up as an inspiration, writing that if only we all followed her "actually extremely liberating" example of industrious sleeplessness, we would be quick to see results.
Well, indeed. With research results showing the cumulative effects of sleep loss and its impact on productivity, doubt has been voiced about the accuracy of Steel's self-assessment. Her output may be undeniable, but sceptics have suggested that she is guilty of erasing the role of ghost writers(代笔人) at worst, gross exaggeration at best.
Steel says working 20 hours a day is "pretty brutal physically." But is it even possible? "No," says Maryanne Taylor of the Sleep Works. While you could work that long, the impact on productivity would make it hardly worthwhile. If Steel was routinely sleeping for four hours a night, she would be drastically underestimating the negative impact, says Alison Gardiner, founder of the sleep improvement programme Sleepstation. “It's akin to being drunk."
It's possible that Steel is exaggerating the demands of her schedule. Self-imposed sleeplessness has“become a bit of a status symbol”, says Taylor, a misguided measure to prove how powerful and productive you are. Margaret Thatcher was also said to get by on four hours a night, while the 130-hourwork weeks endured by tech heads has been held up as key to their success.
That is starting to change with increased awareness of the importance of sleep for mental health. “People are starting to realise that sleep should not be something that you fit in between everything else," says Taylor.
But it is possible一if statistically extremely unlikely—that Steel could be born a "short sleeper" with an unusual body clock, says sleep expert Dr. Sophie Bostock. "It's probably present in fewer than1% of the population."
1
What do we leam from the passage about Glamour magazine readers?
A.
They are intrigued by the exotic romance in Danielle Steel's novels.
B.
They are amazed by the number of books written by Danielle Steel.
C.
They are deeply impressed by Danielle Steel's daily work schedule.
D.
They are highly motivated by Danielle Steel's unusual productivity.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
C
系统解析：
②句指出《魅力》杂志的一篇简介提到斯蒂尔每天工作20个小时，这激起了一片赞赏之声﹐即读者折服于这一工作时长惊人的日程安排。C是对②句语义的准确概括，为正确项。
2
What did the business news website Quartz say about Danielle Steel?
A.
She could serve as an example of industriousness.
B.
She proved we could liberate ourselves from sleep.
C.
She could be an inspiration to novelists all over the world.
D.
She showed we could get all our work done without sleep.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
A
系统解析：
该段后半句指出，如果我们都能效仿斯蒂尔勤奋的不眠行为(follow her. . . example ofindustrious sleeplessness)，我们很快就能看到成果。可见石英财经网认为，斯蒂尔的超短睡眠是勤奋刻苦的表现，而且是可以为人们效仿的，A是对原文的正确理解。
3
What do sceptics think of Danielle Steel's work schedule claims?
A.
They are questionable.
B.
They are irresistible.
C.
They are alterable.
D.
They are verifiable.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
A
系统解析：
第四段③句指出，持怀疑态度的人认为，斯蒂尔可能严重夸大了事实，或者可能干脆抹去了代笔人的角色。可见持怀疑态度的人认为斯蒂尔隐瞒了真实情况，她的说法是值得怀疑的，A是对原句的准确概括，为正确项。
4
What does Maryanne Taylor think of self-imposed sleeplessness?
A.
It may turn out to be key to a successful career.
B.
It may be practiced only by certain tech heads.
C.
It may symbolise one's importance and success.
D.
It may well serve as a measure of self-discipline.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
C
系统解析：
第六段②句指出“自我强加的不眠行为已经有点变成一种地位的象征(status symbol)”，C项importance and success 同义改写status，为正确项。
5
How does Dr. Sophie Bostock look at the 20-hour daily work schedule?
A.
One should not adopt it without consulting a sleep expert.
B.
The general public should not be encouraged to follow it.
C.
One must be duly self-disciplined to adhere to it.
D.
The majority must adjust their body clock for it.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
B
系统解析：
末段指出“对大部分并非短睡眠者的人说每天工作20个小时不过是自律问题，这是非常不负责任的”，换言之，不应该向人们传达“只要自律就能每天工作20个小时”的思想， simply a question ofdiscipline是鼓励人们效仿这种做法的说辞，The general public同义改写the rest of us(与 that tiny minority相对)，B是对末段的正确解读。
Organic agriculture is a relatively untapped resource for feeding the Earth's population, especially inthe face of climate change and other global challenges. That's the conclusion I reached in reviewing 40 years of science comparing the long-term prospects of organic and conventional farming.
The review study, "Organic Agriculture in the 21st Century," is featured as the cover story for the Pebrary issue of the joumal Nature Plants. It is the first to compare organic and conventional agriculture across the main goals of sustainability identified by the National Academy of Sciences: productivity, economics, and environment.
Critics have long argued that organic agriculture is inefficient, requiring more land to yield the same amount of food. It's true that organic farming produces lower yields, averaging 10 to 20 percent less than conventional. Advocates contend that the environmental advantages of organic agriculture far outweigh the lower yields, and that increasing research and breeding resources for organic systems would reduce the yield gap. Sometimes excluded from these arguments is the fact that we already produce enough food to more than feed the worlds 7.4 billion people but do not provide adequate access to all individuals.
In some cases, organic yields can be higher than conventional. For example, in severe drought conditions, which are expected to increase with climate change in many areas, organic farms can produce as good, if not better, yields because of the higher water-holding capacity of organically farmed soils.
What science does tell us is that mainstream conventional farming systems have provided growing supplies of food and other products but often at the expense of other sustainability goals.
Conventional agriculture may produce more food, but it often comes at a cost to the environment. Biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and severe impacts on ecosystem services have not only accompanied conventional farmming systems but have often extended well beyond their field boundaries. With organic agriculture, environmental costs tend to be lower and the benefits greater.
Overall, organic farms tend to store more soil carbon, have better soil quality, and reduce soil erosion compared to their conventional counterparts. Organic agriculture also creates less soil and water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And its more energy-efficient because it doesn't rely on synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Organic agriculture is also associated with greater biodiversity of plants, animals, insects and microorganisms as well as genetic diversity. Biodiversity increases the services that nature provides and improves the ability of farming systems to adapt to changing conditions.
Despite lower yields, organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers because consumers are willing to pay more. Higher prices, called price premiums, can be justified as a way to compensate farmers for providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or external costs.
6
What do we learn from the conclusion of the author's review study?
A.
More resources should be tapped for feeding the world's population.
B.
Organic farming may be exploited to solve the global food problem.
C.
The long-term prospects of organic farming are yet to be explored.
D.
Organic farming is at least as promising as conventional farming.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
B
系统解析：
文首句直陈指出：就养活地球人口而言，有机农业这种农耕方式还有待开发利用，尤其是在面临气候变化及其他全球挑战之际。言外之意即为，可以考虑利用有机农业这种耕种方式来解决当前全球人口粮食问题。故B正确。
7
What is the critics' argument against organic farming?
A.
It cannot meet the need for food.
B.
It carnot increase farm yields.
C.
It is not really practical.
D.
It is not that productive.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
D
系统解析：
第三段①句介绍批评者的观点：有机农业效率低下，需要更多的土地才能产出同等数量的粮食。可见，批评者认为有机农业“不够高产”，D项not. . . productive是对此缺陷的恰当概括。
8
What does the author think should be taken into account in arguing about organic farming?
A.
Growth in world population.
B.
C.Inequality in food distribution.
C.
Deterioration in soil fertility
D.
Inequality in food distribution.
E.
B.Deterioration in soil fertility.
F.
Advance n farning technology.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
C
系统解析：
第三段末句指出作者的看法：关于有机农业的争论有时会忽略这样一个事实，那就是，如今生产的粮食已足够养活全世界人口，而(之所以有饥饿现象是因为)没有提供足够的机会让每个人都能获取到这些粮食。“总量足够但并非每个人都有”这一矛盾体现出“粮食的分配不均”，此为作者认为应当考虑的因素。Inequality是对do not provide adequate access to all individuals的合理概括。
9
What does science tell us about conventional farming?
A.
It will not be able to meet global food demand.
B.
It is not conducive to sustainable development.
C.
It will eventually give way to organic farming.
D.
It is going mainstream throughout the world.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
B
系统解析：
第五段指出，科学告诉我们，传统耕种方式尽管高产，但却往往以其他可持续目标为代价，故B正确，其中not conducive to(对……不利)同义转述at the expense of(以……为代价，给……带来伤害)。
10
Why does the author think higher prices of organic farm produce are justifiable?
A.
They give farmers going organic a big competitive edge.
B.
They motivate farmers to upgrade farining technology.
C.
Organic farnming costs more than conventional farming.
D.
Organic farming does long-term good to the ecosystem.
本题答案：
A
B
C
D
参考答案：
D
系统解析：
末段末句指出，有机农产品价高合乎情理，其溢价部分其实是对采用有机耕种的农民的一种补偿，他们为我们的生态系统提供了服务，而且规避了环境污染、外部成本等问题。言外之意为，实行有机耕种的农民对环境作出了许多无法量化的长远贡献，那么其农产品的溢价就算是对此环境效益的合理补偿。does long-term good to the ecosystem是对providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or external costs的合理概括。
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