【推荐1】Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of hem. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a week long trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York, So I had to get back. But that didn’t mean my husband and my son couldn’t stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.

The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait at the airport, to “earn” more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?

Now some people may think I’m a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar, And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.

I’ve made a living looking for the best deals and exposing (揭露) the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC’s Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.

I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth, I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn’t hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it’s the first thing people notice, And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.

1. Why did Delta give the author’s family credits?

A．They took a later flight.	B．They had early bookings.
C．Their flight had been delayed.	D．Their flight had been cancelled

2. What does the author do?

A．She’s a teacher.	B．She’s a housewife.
C．She’s a media person.	D．She’s a businesswoman.

3. What can we learn about the author?

A．She rarely misses a good deal.	B．She seldom makes a compromise.
C．She is very strict with her children.	D．She is interested in cheap products.

4. What does the author want to tell us?

A．How to expose bad tricks.	B．How to reserve airline seats.
C．How to spend money wisely.	D．How to make a business deal.

【推荐2】To be more grateful (感恩的) in life means that you are also allowing yourself to be happier and more satisfied with everything that has been going on around you. But with all the stress, all the disappointments and all the anxiety around you. I bet you ask yourself this question all the time: “How exactly can I be more grateful with my life?”     1    .

1. Learn to live in the moment.

Life is a wonderful adventure full of enriching experiences and endless possibilities. Don’t just go through the motions of (走过场) repetitive(重复乏味的) activities and boring tasks. No! Being a mindless zombie (行尸走肉) can make you more likely to take things for granted (对……不予重视).     2    , make an effort to enjoy the experience.

You’re supposed to attend a conference? Absorb it. Babysit your niece? Enjoy the moment. Eat a 15-minute lunch? Taste each bite.

2.    3    

Being aware of your goal to be more grateful can help you look for things to be really more grateful for. Gratitude is a conscious decision. You have to practice it consistently (持续的，始终如一地).

3.Control your thoughts.

Of course you have the power to control what you’re thinking of! Consider this exercise, for example: if you find yourself thinking more and more self-entitled (自我为中心), stop.    4    . You are given consciousness (意识). Make use of it wisely.

4. Always resist the temptation (诱惑) of comparing yourself with other people.

As humans, we have the natural tendency (倾向、偏好）to compare ourselves with others with the hope of attaining satisfaction. Actually, this kind of activity does not help you feel to be more grateful in life.    5    ! You will always be meeting someone richer, which makes you fed inferior (下等的) to others!

Don’t do it, please.

Every little thing counts. You have the ability to make yourself feel to be more grateful in your life.

A．Appreciate what you had in the past

B．And if you find yourself repeating negative (消极的) junk, stop

C．It does the opposite

D．Egress gratitude all the time

E．Well, the following are some tips to help you with this particular concern (忧虑)

F．Instead of doing something just for the sake of (为了) doing it

G．Words that stress you and make you feel worthless should definitely be removed

【推荐3】阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。
Interviewing someone for a job is not as easy as it looks. First, as the interviewer, you’re tasked with finding the person who will not only do the job well but also fit in well with the other employees.
You have to make an evaluation of abstract qualities that can’t be found on a résumé. Because you have to repeat the process for every potential employee, you end up asking question after question, applicant after applicant.
Still, interviewers need to be told something: “What is your biggest weakness?” is not a good question. It just isn’t.
Now, job seekers have to understand that interviewers want to find some way to know what makes an applicant different from others. Asking questions that are seemingly impossible to answer is one way to see who can think creatively. Then what may be a proper way to respond to such a question?
Honesty, with a twist（新手法）
“‘What are your three strengths and three weaknesses?’ is a classic, but not too many people know how to answer this,” says Kenneth C. Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax, an online marketing company.
“As an interviewer, we want to hear strengths that describe initiative（主动性）, motivation and dedication. The best way to respond is to include these qualities into specific ‘personal statements.’”
“Similarly, weaknesses should be positioned as a strength that can benefit the employer.”
“I like to hear applicants state an exaggerated strength, and put an interesting twist on it. An example of this is, ‘My initiative is so strong, that sometimes I take on too many projects at a time.’”
This answer leads with a strength that employers want — initiative — and still acknowledges that you’re not perfect.
Although you might consider this acknowledgement too honest, it works because it proves you’re being honest.
Honesty, with progress
When you consider what your weaknesses are, think about how you have attempted to overcome them. No one is perfect, so pretending that you are a perfectionist will come across as insincere.
Debra Davenport, author of “Career Shuffle,” believes citing(引用) examples are the best approach.
“My preferred response for this question is to tell the truth without damaging the applicant’s image.” Davenport explains.
“A better response might be, ‘I’ve had some challenges with work-life balance in the past and I realize that a life out of balance isn’t good for me, my family or my employer. I’ve taken the time to learn better time and project management, and I’m also committed to my overall wellness.’”
The answer adds some dimension to the question, and proves you’ve thought beyond the answer. You’ve actually changed your behavior to address the situation, even if you haven’t completely overcome the weakness.
Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes
However you decide to answer, Debra Yergen, author of “Creating Job Security Resource Guide,” recommends job seekers imagine themselves sitting on the other side of the desk.
“If you were doing the hiring, what would you be looking for? What would be your motivation for asking certain questions? Who would you be trying to weed out? If you can empathize (共鸣) with the interviewer, you can better understand what they want and need, and then frame your qualifications to meet their needs for the position you seek.”
Once you consider what the goal of the question is and figure out what your honest answer is, you’ll be able to give the best possible answer to a tricky question.

Job Interviews	Details
Tasks for a job interviewer	☆ Find the person both doing the job well and    1    along well with other employees. ☆    2    abstract qualities of applicants by asking one question after another.
3    to interviewees for replying to a tricky question	☆ Understand that the interviewers want to    4    between applicants and that asking a question seemingly impossible to answer is one way to see an applicant’s    5    . ☆ Be    6    and inventive when asked about your weaknesses, and respond properly. ☆ Never    7    you are perfect, which may be believed to be insincere. ☆Try to show that you’ve changed a lot    8    you haven’t completely get rid of your weaknesses. ☆ Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes and have a better    9    of their needs for the job.
Conclusion	☆ With the goal of the question    10    into account and the honest answer in your mind, you will be able to give the best possible answer.

【推荐2】With so many investments required of us to succeed - time, resources, talents, responsibilities, even finances for our retirement - it’s easy to lose sight of the most difficult investment of all to commit to : ourselves.

Getting to the point where you’re ready to start upgrading to you 2.0 isn’t easy. But it doesn’t mean dropping the ball everywhere else. It’s not about omissions, but admissions. Come clean with yourself to kick-start your personal growth.

Unstuck starts with “u”

No one purposely chooses to stop learning and growing again, it just kind of happens in a lot of daily responsibilities and life. And if it were easy to just kick it into gear（ 档 位 ）again, you would have already done it. But the truth is inescapable. If you want to get off that place to higher ground, it’s up to you and only you. No one will just hand you a steady stream of opportunities for growth.

You’ve been working in your life, not on it

Activity is often confused with acceleration（忙碌）. I was guilty of this for years in working place - staying always busy but not admitting I was bored. I was lost in activity and not steeping back to take time to question what I wanted my life to be. Once I began working on my life - quitting corporate, becoming an entrepreneur, restructuring to my life - I started growing once again. And I’ve never been happier.

Things aren’t happening to you, they’re happening for you

A victim mentality（心态）is the enemy of personal growth. Lamenting over everything that has gone wrong in your life only wastes energy from working to make more things go right. If you want to kick-start growth, you must view setbacks as having a purpose, and then put them in their place. The past shouldn’t run or define you - only fuel you.

The perfect time to start doesn’t exist

I had so many things that had to be just right before I could make my long-planned leap from corporate. I’d tell myself, “I’d love to go for it right now, but practically speaking.” Well, guess what? Practicality is poison. It’s the convenient excuse stopping you from what you’re meant to become.

It’s time to unplug others’ opinions

Grow where you want to grow. Learn what you want to learn. Wherever you are on the scale of hat you want to learn next - be it beginner or near - expert own it, be proud of it. Pretenses are for pretenders. You’re just trying to become a better version of your genuine self.

1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．If you want to succeed, you have to invest yourself first.

B．Upgrading yourself is hard, but you still need to continue.

C．Giving up upgrading yourself is just like dropping the ball.

D．It’s a kind of responsibility to go on learning though it’s hard.

2. The word lament in the last but 4 paragraphs most probably means ______.

A．to express sadness and feeling sorry about something

B．to repeat what happens to you in the past of your life

C．to show some regretful feeling or thought for our past

D．to recognize something that has gone wrong in the past

3. According to the passage, we can infer that _____.

A．the busier you are, the happier and better you will be

B．what happened shouldn’t prevent you, but protect you

C．whoever you are, just grow where you want to grow

D．how well you grow is actually decided by yourself

4. How many aspects does the writer illustrate his idea on personal growth?

A．3

B．7

C．5

D．6

【推荐3】Many managers believe that overworking is an evidence of devotion from their employees’ side. Still few others regard this custom as a threat to the workers’ work-life balance, which may negatively influence the level of productivity and efficiency.

Employees at Amsterdam design studio Heldergroen won’t be putting in much overtime. Not in the office, at any rate. That’s because every day at 6:00 pm, their desks, tables and other work surfaces, with their computers attached, are lifted to the ceiling by steel cables （绳索）normally used to move heavy props（道具）in theatrical productions. If you leave a half-eaten sandwich on your desk, you’re out of luck.

“Once the chairs and other workplace paraphernalia are cleared away, the space is free for evening and weekend use as a dance floor, yoga studio ... or anything else you can think of – the floor is actually yours, ” doctor Sander Veenendaal said.

In a way, the office space itself is working overtime for Heldergroen, bringing about lots of publicity and carrying an enlightened（有启发的）message of career-life balance far and wide.”We think that doing activities like this makes it easier for people to work here,” says Veenendaal. “You know when it is time to relax or do something else that inspires you.”

That sounds awesome. There’s just one catch. In the morning, the desks reappear and everybody has to go back to work.

1. What can we learn about the employees at Heldergroen?

A．They are unwilling to work late

B．They are discouraged from working overtime

C．They are persuaded to leave the office earlier

D．They are to put away their computers after work

2. What does the underlined word “paraphernalia” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Props.	B．Food.
C．Equipment.	D．Cables.

3. What does the author think of the Heldergroen’s office design?

A．Creative.	B．Inconvenient
C．Ordinary	D．Strange