Leia was fresh out of college when she began working as a member of a business-development team at a mid- size tech company. Though her skills had earned her the job, she was the youngest person in the team. “Everybody else was pretty much twice my age,” she says. “I heard about comments being made behind my back. There were a couple of times when my superiors referred to my age right in front of me, saying I was too young, ‘What does a 23- year-old know about these things?’”
Leia tried to change things by altering her appearance at work. “I changed the way I dressed. I tried to dress older, more ‘ladylike’. I changed my mannerisms and tried to act older,” she says. “It worked, to an extent.” The comments about her age and perceived ( 认 定 的 ) inexperience lessened, but Leia says she still felt like her growth potential was limited. She left the company soon after.
What Leia experienced was ageism traditionally seen as something only older people face. For instance, older workers might be judged based on assumptions that they won’t fit into a progressive office dynamics or learn technology as quickly. A US study showed that nearly two-thirds of workers aged 45 and older had seen or experienced age discrimination. But younger workers face age discrimination, too. In fact, new research shows it may actually be the youngest team members who are bearing the impact of workplace ageism right now.
Leia says removing ageism entirely will ultimately require a fundamental change to corporate culture, which has long tied seniority ( 资 历 ) to skill. “We prize years of experience a little too much, and I don’t think years of experience and skill are necessarily related,” she says. “Steve Jobs was 21 when he founded Apple. We don’t know how much younger people actually have to contribute. Hopefully, more employers are realizing it.”
1. What was the main topic of Leia’s superiors about her?| A．Her job skills. | B．Her young age. |
| C．Her cute appearance. | D．Her family background. |
| A．She failed to dress more lady-like. |
| B．She received more negative comments. |
| C．She felt pressure from her work to an extent. |
| D．She wanted more space for her growth potential. |
| A．Only older people face age discrimination at work. |
| B．Young workers can’t fit into a progressive office. |
| C．Older workers are very slow technology learners. |
| D．Young workers are seriously affected by ageism. |
| A．To offer information about the Apple Company. |
| B．To tell about Steve Jobs’ unknown contribution. |
| C．To say that skill does not always come with age. |
| D．To show that skill alone matters to young people. |
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【推荐1】For the past decade, Noutsady has been working with the Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA) and grown into an experienced and reliable staff member of its Laos' branch company.
Noutsady, born in 1986 in central Laos' hilly Hin Heup District, went to the capital Vientiane alone at the age of 21 to look for a job and go on with her study. In 2009, with sound knowledge of accounting and favorable English communication skills, she stood out from many applicants and became an employee of POWERCHINA's Lao Cement Industry Co., Lid. Noutsady showed her talent and ability soon in the accounting position, completing nearly 200 payments for more than 50 downstream carriers every month, timely and accurately.
Working and spending time together has brought Noutsady and her Chinese colleagues closer. "I feel great with POWERCHINA, and I will try to achieve the same like POWERCHINA to 'keep promises and make promises valuable' and start a new life here," Noutsady told reporters.
When talking about the cement products of the company, Noutsady is full of pride. "We are one of the earliest cement producers in Laos," she said. "From the many hydropower plants around the country to the broad 450th Anniversary Avenue in the capital and the splendid Lao National Convention Center, even many house buildings in my hometown, our cement is used."
In the last decade, the Lao lady has not only seen the development of the cement company, but also set up her own small family. Now, Noutsady lives with her daughter in a comfortable apartment provided by the company. At the end of 2019, she was honored as an outstanding foreign employee of POWERCHINA. "Another new decade has begun and I will value it even more, loving my daughter, loving my life and loving my POWERCHINA," said Noutsady.
1. What does Noutsady do in the company?| A．An interpreter. | B．An accountant. | C．A salesperson. | D．A reporter, |
| A．Worthwhile. | B．Competitive. | C．Challenging. | D．Unique. |
| A．Many power plants have been built in Laos. | B．Laos has changed a lot in the past ten years. |
| C．Noutsady is satisfied with her achievements. | D．Cement of POWERCHINA is popular in Laos. |
| A．A Successful Lao Woman Living in China |
| B．POWERCHINA's Significant Influence on Laos |
| C．Valuable Memories of a Lao Lady Working in China |
| D．Noutsady's 10-year Experience in a Chinese Company |
【推荐2】Some people believe that a career change at 50 is impossible because no one wants to invest in someone so old.
What is the secret?
Two months later, my wife spotted an occupation online. So, I applied.
It’s proved that companies do invest in people over 50. I’ve realized career changes are more common than I first thought.
| A．It is the right attitude that works. |
| B．I was happy, and I got well prepared. |
| C．However, I’ve got a career change easily. |
| D．I was shocked, and I began to feel anxious. |
| E．However, I’ve achieved a career change unexpectedly. |
| F．Lacking experience in that particular role, I was pessimistic. |
| G．I hope that anyone attempting a career change can try something bravely! |
【推荐3】How to Get Others to Help You at Work
Unavoidably, at work you will need the help of others. Getting this help may have less to do with your formal position and authority and more to do with your strategy and approach.
Define what needs to be done.
Ask an individual for help. When you make a general request for volunteers during a meeting, colleagues often understand it as “whoever doesn’t have much of anything to do can work on this.”
Thank others for their assistance. Always thank and acknowledge others for their help.
| A．Share the honor |
| B．Unclear goals lead to unclear results |
| C．Leave a good impression on your bosses |
| D．So you should take trouble to ask who are free |
| E．The person will feel that his or her time and energy were worthwhile |
| F．Your opportunities of getting someone to volunteer thus tend to be slim |
| G．They can range from a simple favor to convincing others to accept yours as their own |
【推荐1】This is a true story. Tristin Saghin enjoyed the movie “Black Hawk Down” very much, which is about the conflict in Somalia. The battle scenes and the exciting rescues of people who are dying interested him greatly.
There was just one problem: Tristin was only 9 years old, and it was thought that movie was not for children. When his parents caught him watching it on TV, they made him turn it off, though he had finished his homework and it was not late. Then one day, Tristin and his family were visiting his grandmother in Mesa, Arizona. Tristin’s 2-year-old sister got out of the house and fell in the backyard pool. Realizing the little girl was missing, the family ran outside, only to find the girl had fallen into the water.
Pulled from the pool and placed on the ground, the child wasn’t breathing. The family called the ambulance, but no one knew how to do first aid. No one, that is, except for Tristin. A scene in “Black Hawk Down” describes a doctor giving first aid. Tristin remembered it. Then the 9-year-old gave first aid to his sister at once and saved her life.
His parents don’t stop him seeing the movies he likes any more.Tristin taught himself how to do first aid but he had never thought he could use it to save his little sister’s life. Any skill can be used in time, so you should always learn.
1. According to the text, Tristin Saghin ________.| A．lived in Mesa, Arizona | B．disliked studying very much |
| C．was always ready to help others | D．was nine years old |
| A．They wanted him to help look after his sister. | B．He often spent too much time watching films. |
| C．They thought the film was not good for children. | D．He was asked to finish his homework first. |
| A．Tristin gave first aid to her. | B．The ambulance arrived in time. |
| C．A doctor passing by gave a hand. | D．Her parents sent her to hospital at once. |
| A．see more movies | B．learn more skills |
| C．save others bravely | D．do what they like |
【推荐2】We see a woman swimming at night in a dark sea. Suddenly, she is pulled underwater. She surfaces, cries in fear, then disappears forever. This is the opening scene from the 1975 film Jaws, showing a shark attack. It tells the story of a great white shark that attacks and kills swimmers. Jaws was a great success, attracting huge audiences and winning many awards. It strengthened people's long - held idea of the great white shark as a dangerous animal.
People have always been scared of sharks, bur Jaws made things worse. It made people frightened of sharks, especially of the great white shark. Many people who saw the film started to believe that sharks were bad animals that ate humans. Some people stopped swimming in the sea, afraid of the horrible creature from the film. Other people started fishing for sharks, killing as many as they could. At that time, nobody cared if sharks were killed, or how many were killed. People just wanted them killed.
After 1975, the number of large sharks around America fell quickly, and soon fell around the world. This was not only due to fear of sharks, but also finning. Finning is a type of fishing where sharks are caught and their fins cut off. The sharks are thrown back into the sea where they die slowly and painfully. The fins are used in shark fin soup. Finning kills millions of sharks a year.
Finning would have an unexpected effect upon Peter Benchley, the man who wrote the book the film Jaws was based on. In 1980, Benchley was diving when he came across an awful sight. It was an area where fishermen were finning, and the sea floor was covered with dead sharks. Benchley saw sharks being killed and this caused a deep change in him. He came to see people as a danger to sharks, rather than the other way round. From that day on, he fought to protect sharks. He admitted that his book was wrong about sharks' behavior. “Sharks don't target humans,” he said. Experts have proved that sharks do not see people as food, and they attack us by mistake. Only around six people are killed by sharks every year.
Fortunately, not everyone who watched the film Jaws became afraid of sharks — some became interested in understanding them. Today, as we learn more about sharks, more people than ever want to protect them from extinction.
1. Which of the following is true of the 1975 film Jaws?| A．A woman swam gracefully along with a shark in the opening scene. |
| B．The film challenged people's long-held belief of the great white shark. |
| C．Many awards were given to the film due to the frightening killing scenes. |
| D．The shark was described as a cruel and dangerous animal to swimmers. |
| A．Some became more fascinated in swimming in the sea. |
| B．Some were eager to fish sharks for their delicious meat. |
| C．Some killed as many sharks as possible for no reason. |
| D．Some called on others to protect the endangered sharks. |
| A．It will be served onto the table as soups. |
| B．It will suffer a lot and die slowly in the sea. |
| C．Its fins will grow again after some time. |
| D．Its fins will be thrown away into the ocean. |
| A．Seeing the finning scene and many dead sharks. |
| B．Joining the fishermen who were killing and finning. |
| C．Writing the book the film Jaws was based on. |
| D．Knowing that sharks do not target and eat humans. |
| A．To inform people about sharks and recommend the film and the book to them. |
| B．To describe the cruel finning scene and prove that sharks are dangerous animals. |
| C．To explain people's misunderstanding of sharks and raise awareness of shark protection. |
| D．To criticize Peter Benchley's misleading description of sharks in his book and advocate the protection of sharks. |
【推荐3】I had always hated math. Now I suddenly found myself teaching trigonometry (三角学). I was an English teacher in Chicago Public Schools, and when my school was facing a shortage of math teachers, I was pulled in mid-year to co-teach a junior-level trigonometry class with the math teacher.
My students struggled with the calculations (计算), thinking they just weren’t good at math. Like me, they hated it. What was the meaning of working and reworking these calculations?
Yet trigonometry slowly became my favorite class of the day. After spending years teaching English and reading, I was being challenged to move beyond what I had always been doing. When you're new to something, you have a fresh opinion. You're willing to take risks.
I worked with my co-teacher creating a series of interesting lessons to let students experience personal meaning and creativity in their math. The interesting thing in math class is that it already includes stories and real-life connections, in the form of story problems. They might include calculating area so that someone can buy a new carpet for their home. Or a story problem might be about planting a young tree, and needing to calculate the length of wire required to support the tree.
I used story problems to connect math to students' lives by creating math-based stories. First, students would work in small groups to go through the chapter in their math textbook and collect the story problems. Then students would develop stories based on math story problems.
When they used creative writing skills to develop math story problems about things they were interested in, students became more active. They wanted to work on the math in them because they had a real investment (投资) in the outcome. The stories helped students find motivation (动机) because they created an answer to the question “Why do we need to learn this?”
1. What was the writer's opinion about math in the beginning?| A．It's a fun thing to solve math problems. |
| B．It's no use just practicing calculations. |
| C．It's a challenging and inspiring subject. |
| D．It is connected with students' actual lives. |
| A．Try some thing new. |
| B．Adapt to the students. |
| C．Follow the co-teacher's method. |
| D．Learn math in a creative way. |
| A．They got rewards from the investment. |
| B．They improved reading and writing skills. |
| C．They could solve the math problems easily. |
| D．They showed great interest in learning math. |
【推荐1】Feeling pressure from the Internet is nothing new for Lizzie Velasquez, an anti-bullying advocate, who found that browsing social media had a negative impact on her self-esteem.
In 2006, when she was just 17, a video calling her “The World’s Ugliest Woman” went viral on YouTube. It was a difficult period for her, who had been dealing with a lifetime of bullying due to a rare health condition. “I was diagnosed with neonatal progeroid syndrome (新生儿早衰症), which doesn’t allow me to gain weight and severely affects my eyes, my bones and my heart.”
Growing up, Velasquez says that she lived in two different worlds. At home, her family treated her just like everyone else. Her parents raised her to be optimistic and confident. Yet, things got hard when she started school. “I didn’t become aware of it until I entered this other world where I had to face the reality of, ‘I do not look like everybody else,’” says Velasquez.
As Velasquez transitioned into high school, she gained more understanding about her condition. This new level of self-acceptance inspired Velasquez to make new friends, join the cheerleading squad, and write for the school newspaper. She had started to feel gratitude for what she had accomplished, but then came the YouTube video, which threatened her already-shaky foundation. “To just see a video that says ‘the world’s ugliest woman,’ it felt like, within two seconds, everything that I had worked for up to that point was just sort of knocked over and done.” says Velasquez.
According to DoSomething. org, about 37 percent of teenagers have been bullied online. Among them, only one in 10 teen victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse. But Velasqez did speak up. That moment of bullying inspired Velasquez to use her newfound platform for good. In 2013, she gave a TEDxAustin Women talk about her experiences, reaching millions with her uplifting messages about beauty and happiness.
“My mission is just to remind people that no matter how different you are, you are meant to be in this world. Your purpose in life is out there waiting for you,” says the motivational speaker.
1. What can we learn about Lizzie Velasquez?| A．She hasn’t received any support from her families. |
| B．She has been aware of her difference since she was born. |
| C．She has suffered from cyberbullying due to a rare disease. |
| D．She feels horrible every time she browses social media. |
| A．Velasquez’s efforts to establish confidence was destroyed by the video. |
| B．Velasquez’s status at school has been threatened because of the video. |
| C．Velasquez’s health-has been negatively affected after watching the video. |
| D．Velasquez’s achievement in high school became worthless due to the video. |
| A．To share her experience as a victim of online bullying. |
| B．To show people the importance of beauty and happiness. |
| C．To encourage people to enjoy life whatever their differences. |
| D．To gain fame through the newly established online platform. |
| A．The world’s ugliest woman |
| B．A woman with a rare disease |
| C．The impact of cyberbullying |
| D．A fighter against cyberbullying |
【推荐2】Ever since I graduated from high school I’ve worked in the factories surrounding my hometown every summer. However, making the transformation between school and full-time blue-collar work during the break never gets any easier. For a student like me who considers any class before noon to be unacceptable, getting to a factory by 6 o’clock each morning is suffering. My friends never seem to understand why I’m so relieved to be back at school or that my summer vacation has been anything but a vacation.
There are few people as self-confident as a college student who has never been out in the real world. People of my age always seem to overestimate the value of their time and knowledge. In fact, all the classes did not prepare me for my battles with the machine I ran in the plant, which would jam whenever I absent-mindedly put in a part backward or upside down.
The most stressful thing about blue-collar life is knowing your job could disappear overnight. Issues like being laid off and overseas relocation had always seemed distant to me until my co-workers told me that the unit I was working in would shut down within six months and move to Mexico, where people would work for 60 cents an hour.
After working 12-hour shifts in a factory, the other options have become only too clear. “This job pays well, but it’s hell on the body,” said one co-worker. “Study hard and keep reading.” she added. When I’m back at the university, skipping classes and turning in lazy re-writes seems too irresponsible after seeing what I would be doing without school. All the advice and public-service announcements about the value of an education that used to sound stale now ring true.
My experiences in the factories have inspired me to make the most of my college years before I enter the real world for good.
1. What does the author think of his summer holiday?| A．It was a relief from his hard work at school. |
| B．It brought him nothing but suffering. |
| C．It was no holiday for him at all. |
| D．It offered him a chance to make more friends. |
| A．They are confident when they work. |
| B．They think too highly of themselves. |
| C．They do better in the real world. |
| D．They are expert at handling machines. |
| A．The lack of security | B．Less break | C．An unstable location | D．A low income |
| A．Approving | B．Doubtful | C．Appreciative | D．indifferent |
【推荐3】Do you think cookies can tell stories? Jasmine Cho, 35, does.
A baker, artist, entrepreneur and activist, Cho tries to spread knowledge about social justice issues and diversity through the delicious medium of cookies.
It was in high school that she discovered her love of baking. At a sleepover a friend taught her how to make a dessert, “sort of demystifying baking and that whole process”.
Later, Cho realized her second passion: learning more about her Asian, American culture. An elective in college that taught Asian-American immigrant experiences brought an emotional moment for her. “So many emotions came up that I just couldn’t articulate. It was like this mix of anger, of relief, empowerment, sadness...” Cho said.
Cho realized she could combine these two passions to educate others about influential Asian American people and showcase matters that were important to her. With her online bakery, she designed cookie portraits about people she admired and posted the images on Instagram. “I don’t think I ever really knew how to communicate these stories until I found cookies,” Cho said. “Cookies are just so disarming. Who doesn’t like cookies?”
One cookie that Cho has identified with deeply is one she made of George Helm, a Hawaiian activist in the 1970s.
“It’s insane the amount of injustice that the native Hawaiian population has faced as well through the whole annexation (吞并) of the kingdom. There were so many horrific stories that I heard about nuclear testing and the fallout ( 核爆炸后的沉降物) impacting native Hawaiian populations in all of this,” Cho said, “George Helm was one of those activists who really represented the spirituality of the native Hawaiians and the connection to their land, to nature.”
Among her amazing cookie art are other political figures such as Larry Itliong, a Filipino-American labor organizer, and pop culture figures such as Keanu Reeves, a Canadian actor.
Cho hopes her cookie art continues to inspire people to be creative and think positively.
“Instead of trying to think of something new and original, just look inward and see, maybe there’s already a passion or a love that you have,” Cho said. “Use that for something that will serve the world in a better way.”
1. What inspired Cho to take an interest in Asian-American culture?| A．One of her sleepover experiences. |
| B．One elective course she took at college. |
| C．The process of learning baking from her friend. |
| D．A book she read about Asian-American immigrant experiences. |
| A．get rid of | B．put up with |
| C．express in words | D．stay focused |
| A．Cookies don’t cost much. | B．Cookies are easier to make. |
| C．Cookies have different images. | D．Cookies are liked by many people. |
| A．To inform the reader of Helm’s contributions to Hawaii. |
| B．To show what knowledge Cho focuses on with her cookies. |
| C．To introduce the spirituality of native Hawaiians. |
| D．To explain why Cho is interested in political activists. |
| A．Think outside the box to break new ground. |
| B．Spread something original to one’s heart content. |
| C．Hold your horses for a better self. |
| D．Throw yourself into your inner world for a better one. |
