Whore is the best way to sell and popularize a range of toilet paper? A company from Japan has a good idea-they’ve printed a short story on the paper!
The story is called Drop, and if s set in a public toilet “The story is on about one meter of toilet paper and can be read in a few minutes.” said company executive Niko Shimatani of Hayashi Paper, a Japanese paper company.
The author behind the story is Koji Suzuki. Many people refer to him as the Japanese Stephen King. He has written books about fatherhood and has even translated children’s books. Before Drop, he wrote a novel called Ring in 199 L The novel was made into a feature film of the same name and was very popular in Japan and in Hollywood.
So, what’s the short story on the toilet rolls about? It’s a horror story based on a Japanese superstition. In many old Japanese houses, the toilets were often at the back of the house, m a dark corner. There was a myth that a ghost lived in the toilet bowl. Very often, parents told their children that a big hand would pull them into the dark toilet bowl if they were naughty. As a result, many children grew up frightened of “the ghosts in the toilets”.
One day, Drop may be made into a film. But will we have to watch it in the toilet?
【小题1】Why did the company print a story on the toilet paper?

A．To attract buyers.	B．To frighten children.
C．To spread superstition.	D．To amuse people.

【小题2】According to Paragraph Three, what is right about Koji Suzuki?

A．He has written many children’s books.

B．He is highly thought of in Japan.

C．His novel Ring was made into a film in 1991.

D．His story Drop was written before Ring.

【小题3】The passage is mainly about       .

A．a well-known Japanese writer.

B．excellent works of a Japanese writer.

C．a Japanese horror story about toilets.

D．a clever way to advertise for toilet paper.

I considered an active social life as basic human necessity. Yet when it dawned on me just how much time I was spending socialising, I realised I may be taking it to an extreme. I calculated that, on average, I was spending 22 hours or more each week on social activities. So, to see what would happen to my work output, health and wellbeing, I decided to try and cut out my social life entirely.
I knew, at times, I filled my schedule simply out of fear of missing out (FOMO), but also as a way to shift focus away from my work. For one month, I declined all in-person activities with friends: going out for drinks; dinners; parties and non-work related events, to see if it would make me more productive, improve my focus and career prospects.
On day one of the month-long experiment, I had to fight some anxiety over missing out. But as the days passed, I started to relax. I only had one option to consider for Saturday night—to stay home—and this limitation left me more satisfied in my decision. I felt more content working, reading or watching TV.
While I found more time to work, I also noticed a change in my overall health. I found myself cooking more at home, doing daily exercise, getting to bed earlier each night, reading, and enjoying moments of rest and boredom throughout the day.
Having no social life left me more free time than I’d imagine. Such idle moments are vital for creativity, and mind wandering has been linked to creative problem solving. During the experiment I found myself regularly brainstorming new ideas and reimagining existing projects.
Of course socialising is an important way to build work contacts. While one month of no social life did not impact my relationship with existing clients, if I had continued, it may harm my ability to build new ones.
【小题1】What did the author realize about his socializing?

A．It was difficult for him to contact people.

B．It’s a necessary part of his life and work.

C．He had spent too much time in socializing.

D．He should have spent more time socializing.

【小题2】How did the author feel on the first day of his experiment?

A．He felt anxious that he might be left out.

B．He felt more energetic to get clown to work.

C．He felt relaxed not having to contact people.

D．He felt doubtful whether he could hold on.

【小题3】What benefit did the author find to let his mind wander lazily?

A．He could have more time with his family.

B．He could solve problems in a creative way.

C．He could be more concentrated on his work.

D．He could free himself from the work contacts.

【小题4】What would the author do after the experiment?

A．Live a quiet life with his family away from the outside.

B．Make a new social life with any possible customers.

C．Spare some time regularly for creative thinking alone.

D．Continue his work contacts with his customers.

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They combine funny words, pictures, and social opinions.
Dr. Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called AndtoThinkISawItonMulberryStreet. A number of publishers refused to publish it. They said it was too different. A friend finally published it. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years he wrote more than forty children’s books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects.
By the middle 1940s, Dr. Seuss had become one of the best loved and most successful writers of children’s books. He had a strong desire to help children. In 1954, the Life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children’s books were not interesting. Dr. Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read.
In 1957, Dr. Seuss wrote TheCatintheHat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six­year­old should be able to read. The story is about a cat who tries to entertain two children on a rainy day while their mother is away from home. The cat is not like normal cats. It talks. The book was an immediate success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults say it is still one of the stories they like best.
【小题1】What’s the best title for this passage?

A．Some of Dr. Seuss’ books for children

B．What are Dr. Seuss’ books mainly about

C．Dr. Seuss — a famous writer of children’s books

D．Why are Dr. Seuss’ books different

【小题2】What do we know about Dr. Seuss’ first book for children?

A．It was Dr. Seuss’ worst book.

B．It dealt with a very serious subject.

C．Neither children nor adults like it.

D．Many publishers didn’t take it seriously at first.

【小题3】How did Dr. Seuss help children according to Paragraph 3?

A．By asking others to help them in magazines.

B．By writing interesting and simple books.

C．By changing his old books into simpler ones.

D．By giving them books for free.

【小题4】We can most probably hear this passage on a radio program called ＂____________＂.

A．Travel in America	B．This is America
C．People in America	D．American Stories