【推荐1】When you walk into your workplace in the morning, are you walking in as yourself or as a stranger? While the workplace is a place to wear your professional face, it’s also a place where you should feel comfortable and connected to your co-workers. There is a good reason for this: A new study finds that hiding your true self at work can harm your career and your sense of belonging in the workplace.

For the study, researchers at the University of Exeter focused on commonly stigmatized(受到蔑视）characteristics, like having mental or physical illness. They sought to see how hiding such conditions that make one feel ashamed could affect one’s ability to grow.

“When someone hide their true identity, their social life suffers. This has an influence not just on the individuals, but also on the organization they work for. More specifically, hiding such characteristics from co-workers reduces their self-respect, job satisfaction and job commitment”, says co-author Professor Manuela Barreto. “Our findings suggest openness about one’s identity is often beneficial for individuals, the group and their workplace.”

The findings were based on many studies they analyzed from the Netherlands and the US. In one of the experiments, they had 95 men and women describe a time when they either hid or exposed a characteristic about themselves. In another one, the researchers offered imaginary scenes to 303 people that involved, again, hiding or revealing.

In both experiments, people were then asked how they would feel after hiding the characteristic. The answers resulted in their conclusion stated above: a lower sense of belonging and job satisfaction and commitment.

So we need environments where people don’t need to hide. Encouraging complete openness can turn the office into a more comfortable place that allows employees to enjoy working.

1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 3?

A．Explain the study findings.	B．Suggest enough self-respect.
C．Give the reason for the study.	D．Show advantages of hiding oneself.

2. What might be the result of hiding your true self according to the study?

A．Feeling tired of the job.	B．Being looked down upon.
C．Failing to fit in the society.	D．Losing colleagues’ respect.

3. What can we know about the participants in the two experiments?

A．They all experienced true situations.

B．They were asked to describe the feelings.

C．They were more than 400 people in total.

D．They volunteered to take part in the study.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Don’t hide Your True Self in the Workplace.

B．Why Do We always Keep Away from Others?

C．The Advantages of the Poor Sense of Belonging.

D．How Can We Handle Stigmatized Characteristics properly?

【推荐2】A job is more than just a job, especially to the older generation. “It’s not the money that matters, but the sense of self-worth,” 56-year-old Cheng Wonlan said. So, every day Ms. Cheng carries a bag of parcels, letters and documents of all shapes and sizes and does her rounds in North Point. She’s a courier (快递人员).

Five years ago, Ms. Cheng was a nurse at a private clinic. She had worked there for almost 30 years but was made jobless when the doctor migrated ( 移 居 ). It was extremely difficult for her to find another job as a nurse. “People do not trust my ability when they learn how old I am,” she said. After two years of searching, the mother of two eventually found another nursing job. But then after two years, she quit. Why?

“My colleagues were young and they didn’t understand me because of my age. They often asked me, ‘You are so old, what are you working for?’ I was very unhappy.” She said. So while the rest of her family left for work, she was left to lonely boredom at home. Then, one of Ms. Cheng’s neighbours told her about Employee’s Retraining Board (ERB) offering retraining courses for older people on specific occupations, such as convenience store assistants, junior clerks and so on.

“I was interested in courier work. I didn’t think my age was a barrier because I was fit and healthy,” she said. Upon graduation from the ERB, Ms. Cheng was offered a job by the Speeding Shuttle Courier Service Company Limited. But then Ms. Cheng was caught between honour and employment. It took Ms. Cheng 24 hours to make up her mind and eventually she took heart and went off to work as a courier.

Ms. Cheng’s employer is delighted with her. “Ms. Cheng has been working with us for two months and has shown a good responsible attitude to work.” Anthony Chong, who runs the company, said. Mr. Chong said he hired older people because they were able and reliable. “Age is not an important factor but attitude is. Many old people are more capable than youngsters. They will not run from difficulties but young ones will,” he said. “It is not easy to recruit (招募) young people since they shy away from hardship and challenges.”

1. Why was it difficult for Ms. Cheng to find another nursing job?

A．Nursing clinics were hard to find.

B．She found it difficult to trust others.

C．People thought she was too old to work.

D．People didn’t think she had enough work experience.

2. Ms. Cheng left her second nursing job because .

A．it was too difficult

B．she was too old to do the job

C．she was bored with changeless jobs

D．the other staff made her feel uncomfortable

3. Employee’s Retraining Board is aimed at .

A．finding jobs for older people

B．teaching new skills to older people

C．training older people to be healthier

D．providing older people with chances to earn money

4. According to Anthony Chong, young people .

A．are able and reliable

B．are less experienced than the older ones

C．are fitter and stronger than the older ones

D．are more likely to give up than the older ones

5. From the text, we can learn Ms. Cheng is _____ .

A．determined and responsible

B．intelligent and confident

C．capable but stubborn

D．purposeful but lazy

【推荐3】Digital technology — email and smart phones especially—have vastly improved workers' ability to be productive outside of a traditional office. Even so, most white-collar work still happens in an office. One reason is that, according to findings of a new survey (调查) of office workers conducted by Wakefield Research for the IT company Citrix, most bosses are doubtful about remote working. Half of the workers say their boss doesn't accept it, and only 35 percent say it's tolerated.
Skeptical bosses will likely have their doubts reinforced (加深) by the same survey, which shows that 43 percent of workers say they've watched TV or a movie while “working” remotely, while 35 percent have done housework，and 28 percent have cooked dinner.
It is true, however, that working at home makes people much more efficient (高效的), because it allows workers to take care of annoying housework while still getting their jobs done. It’s much faster, for example, to shop for groceries at a quarter to three than to stand in line during the after-work rush.
The fact that such practices remain officially unaccepted reflects how far we haven't come as a society from the days when we expected every full-time worker to be supported by a full-time homemaker.
More broadly the Wakefield survey suggests that employers may be missing a low-cost way to give workers something of value. Sixty-four percent of those survey participants who haven't worked remotely would rather give up some bonus in order to get even one day a week working from home. Under such circumstances, smart firms need to find ways to let their employees have enough ability to change or be changed easily to suit a different situation to manage their time efficiently.
1. Why do some employers hesitate to allow remote working?

A．They are used to face-to-face communication.

B．They want to stick to their routine practice.

C．They have little trust in modern technology.

D．They fear losing control of their workers.

2. What seems to be most workers' attitude toward remote working?

A．Favorable.

B．Doubtful.

C．Reserved.

D．Disapproving.

3. What does the author suggest smart firms do?

A．Shorten their office hours.

B．Give employees a pay raise.

C．Adopt flexible work patterns.

D．Reduce their staff’s workload.

【推荐1】Many people want to look away from injustice and other troubling issues. Visual artist Siyan Wong has chosen not to look away. Through her art, she helps us see what is right before our eyes.

Wong, who lives in New York City, was born in China. Her art focuses on women, the elderly, people who are experiencing homelessness, and clothing industry workers.

Wong has loved art since she was a child. Her family didn’t have much money, so she and her sister would cut out and draw paper dolls to play with. This early experience provided Wong with a creative outlet for her emotions.

After graduating from Stuyvesant High School, she went on to college and law school. She is now a workers’ rights lawyer, but her belief in the healing (治愈) power of art remains.

“Whenever I’m stressed or sad, I draw,” Wong said. “I express my feelings through art. Art is a comfortable way to bring people together to talk about difficult issues.”

One of Wong’s series is called “Five Cents a Can: Making Visible the Invisible.” It was inspired by the artist’s meetings with an Asian American woman in her neighborhood named Choi Yi. During early morning runs, Wong noticed the woman, who was more than 90 years old, collecting deserted cans and bottles in the trash cans behind her apartment building.

She is currently working on a painting for her “Home and Homeless” series. In the painting, she describes both a person who is homeless and an elderly canner. “The difference between someone who cans and someone who is homeless is hope,” Wong said.

Her goal is to highlight the difference between the two and spark questions for the viewer. Why does the elderly canner have hope, but the homeless person doesn’t? How did these individuals end up here?

1. What does Wong’s art express?

A．Social issues.	B．Charity projects.
C．Her artistic style.	D．Her childhood life.

2. What does Wong think of the creation of arts?

A．It is her childhood dream.	B．It makes her feel good.
C．It is artwork to be seen clearly.	D．It is her hobby in her spare time.

3. Where did Wong get her inspiration for Five Cents a Can?

A．Her early morning runs.	B．Cans and bottles in dustbins.
C．Poverty in her neighborhood.	D．An old female living a hard life.

4. What is Wong’s attitude towards the lady picking up cans?

A．Doubtful.

B．Grateful.

C．Praiseful.

D．Supportive.

【推荐2】It was a hot day in late summer. I was a young dad working in a local lumber mill(伐木场).It was dangerous, back-breaking work that paid very little. In the year I had worked there, only four other people hadn’t been replaced with new faces. Those of us who stayed did so only because there was no other work to find to support our families.

One day, we were working hard. Suddenly, a voice called out, “Hey! A deer!” A lost little deer had wandered through the open doors and was now cowering(畏缩) in between the huge piles of lumber. All of us stopped working and went to look for her as she ran about crazily looking for a way out.

Now most people in the town where I live hunt deer in the fall but also treat them with great kindness the rest of the year. Some will even buy many bags of corn to help feed them during the tough winter months. It was no surprise then all of us were soon quickly working together to free this little deer. By blocking off all the other routes we were able to guide her desperate search back to the open doors. We watched as she ran out of the building and back into the woods. Then we walked back to work. I noticed something, though. On every face there was a joyful smile. It was as if this one single act of kindness had energized us again and reminded us of what life is all about.

Committing acts of kindness shows us the power that we have. They also bring us closer to love. Fill your day and your life with acts of kindness then Let them light up your life Let them lead you to love.

1. Why didn’t the author quit his job in the lumber mill?

A．He was well paid.	B．His work was easy.
C．He had a family to support.	D．He enjoyed working there.

2. What happened to the little deer at last?

A．It was killed.	B．It went crazy.
C．It was fed with some food.	D．It returned to the woods.

3. Which of the following words can best describe the author?

A．Brave and generous.	B．Strong and humorous.
C．Creative and confident.	D．Kind-hearted and hard-working.

4. What does the underlined word “them” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．Acts of kindness.

B．Days.

C．Life.

D．Love.

5. What’s the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?

A．To show his deep love for deer.	B．To encourage people to protect deer.
C．To stress the importance of being kind.	D．To describe his life in the lumber mill.

【推荐3】It was the summer of 1936. The Olympic Games were being held in Berlin. I had trained, sweated and disciplined myself for 6 years on the running broad jump. A year before, as a college student at the Ohio State, I'd set the world's record of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches. Nearly everyone expected me to win.

I was in for a surprise. When the time came for the broad-jump trials (选拔赛), I was shocked to see a tall boy hitting the pit (坑) at almost 26 feet on his practice leaps. He turned out to be a German named Luz Long. He had easily qualified for the finals on his first attempt.

A nervous athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes. I fouled (犯规) twice on my qualifying jumps. Walking a few yards from the pit, I kicked at the dirt disgustedly. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look into the friendly blue eyes of Luz Long. "Hi, I'm Luz Long. I don't think we've met." "Glad to meet you," I said. Then, trying to hide my nervousness, I added, "How are you?" "I'm fine. Something must be eating you. You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed." He said.

He seemed to understand my nervousness, and took pains to reassure me. Finally, seeing that I had calmed down somewhat, he said, "What does it matter if you're not the first in the trials? Tomorrow is what counts." All the tension left my body as the truth of what he said hit me. Confidently I qualified with almost a foot to spare.

Luz broke his own record and pushed me on to a peak performance. The instant I landed from my final jump — the one which set the Olympic record of 26 feet 5 1/16 inches — he was at my side, congratulating me.

1. The author said "I was in for a surprise" because he _____.

A．beat Luz Long	B．met a great competitor
C．qualified for the final	D．joined in the Olympic Games

2. What can we learn about the author from the passage?

A．He remained confident in the Olympic Games.

B．He had qualified for the finals on his first attempt.

C．He broke the world record of the running broad jump.

D．He had prepared for Berlin Olympics in Ohio State.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A memorable experience in the Olympics.

B．A reliable man in the Olympic Games.

C．A surprising result in the Olympic Games.

D．A good suggestion on how to win in the Olympics

【推荐1】When I left home for college, I sought to escape the limited world of farmers, small towns, and country life. I long for the excitement of the city, for the fast pace that rural life lacked, for adventure beyond the horizon. I dreamed of exploring the city, living within a new culture and landscape, and becoming part of the pulse of an urban jungle.
Yet some of my best times were driving home, leaving the city behind and slipping back into the valley. As city life disappeared and traffic thinned, I could see the faces of the other drivers relax. Then, around a bend in the highway, the grassland of the valley would come into being, offering a view of gentle rolling hills. The land seemed permanent. I felt as if I had stepped back in time.
I took comfort in the stability of the valley. Driving through small farm communities, I imagined the founding families still rooted in their grand homes, generations working the same lands, neighbors remaining neighbors for generations. I allowed familiar farmhouse landmarks to guide me.
Close to home, I often turned off the main highway and took a different, getting familiar farms again and testing my memory. Friends lived in those houses. I had eaten meals and spent time there; I had worked on some of these farms, lending a hand during a peak harvest, helping a family friend for a day or two. The houses and lands looked the same, and I could picture the gentle faces and hear familiar voices as if little had been changed. As I eased into our driveway I’d returned to old ways, becoming a son once again, a child on the family farm. My feelings were honest and real. How I longed for a land where life stood still and my memories could be relived. When I left the farm for college, I could only return as visitor to the valley, a traveler looking for home.
Now the farm is once again my true home. I live in that farmhouse and work the permanent lands. My world may seem unchanged to casual observers, but they are wrong. I know this: if there’s a constant on these farms, it’s the constant of change.
The good observer will recognize the differences. A farmer replants an orchard (果园) with a new variety of peaches. Irrigation is added to block of old grapes, so I imagine the vineyard has a new owner. Occasionally the changes are clearly evident, like a FOR SALE sign. But I need to read the small print in order to make sure that a bank has taken possession of the farm. Most of the changes contain two stories. One is the physical change of the farm, the other involves the people on that land, the human story behind the change.
I’ve been back on the farm for a decade and still haven’t heard all the stories behind the changes around me. But once I add my stories to the landscape, I can call this place my home, a home that continues to evolve and changes as I add more and more of my stories.
A poet returns to the valley and says, “Little has changed in the valley, and how closed–minded you all are!” He comments about the lack of interest in sports, social and environmental issues in the poverty and inequality of our life. He was born and raised here, so he might have the right to criticize and lecture us. Yet he speaks for many who think they know the valley. How differently would others think of us if they knew the stories of a grape harvest in a wet year or a peach without a home?
1. The most important reason why the writer wanted to move to the city is that_________.

A．he did not want to work on the farm

B．he wanted to make new friends

C．he was eager for a different life there

D．there were more things to do there

2. What made the writer relax as he drove from the city to the country?

A．He could see for miles and miles.

B．The traffic moved more slowly.

C．The people he passed seemed to be calmer.

D．The land seemed familiar to him.

3. When driving through the valley the writer was guided home by________ .

A．familiar farmhouses which left him a good memory

B．houses that had sheltered generations of the same family

C．land that had been worked by a family for generations

D．large farms which stretched out right before him.

4. When he was in college, why was the writer sad when he returned to his family home?

A．He remembered how hard he used to work.

B．He realized that he was only a visitor.

C．He recognized the old housed and land.

D．He remembered his next door neighbors.

5. Which of the following most likely indicates that there is a sad human story behind a physical change on the farm?

A．A new variety of peach is being planted.

B．Irrigation is being added to a grape operation.

C．A piece of land is being sold by a bank.

D．A farm is being sold to a large corporation.

6. The fact that most upsets the writer with the poet is that________.

A．the poet prefers to live in the urban area

B．the poet thinks that the folk people are backward

C．the poet says that little has changed in the valley

D．the poet’s criticism and comments are not objective