Something strange is happening to the millennial workers of America. After a year spent with their computers, they are turning over the carefully arranged chessboards of their lives and deciding to risk it all. Some are giving stable jobs up to start a new business, while others giving up the career altogether.
If this movement has a battle cry, it’s “YOLO” — “you only live once”. The term is used when people are making irresponsible bets that sometimes pay off anyway. More broadly, it has come to characterize the attitude that has captured a certain type of bored office worker in recent months.
“It feels like we’ve been so locked into careers for the past decade, and this is our opportunity to switch it up,” said Nate Moseley, 29, a buyer at a major clothing retailer. Mr Moseley recently decided to leave his US$130,000-a-year job. He created an Excel spreadsheet called “Late 20s Crisis”, which he filled with potential options for his next move: Take a coding class, start mining Ethereum, join a 2022 political campaign and open a tourism business. “The idea of going right back to the pre-Covid set-up sounds so unappealing after this past year,” he noted. “If not now, when will I ever do this?”
It’s possible that some of these YOLOers will end up back in stable jobs if they spend through their savings, or their new jobs fail. But an adventurous spirit seems to be infecting even the kinds of risk-averse overachievers who typically hold on to the career ladder.
One executive at a major tech company said she and her husband had both been discussing quitting their jobs. The pandemic, she said, had taught them that they’d been playing it too safe with their life choices, and missing out on valuable family time. The executive then sent me a quote from the Buddha about impermanence, and the value of realizing that nothing lasts forever. Or, to put it in slightly earthier terms: YOLO.
1. What strange things are US millennial workers doing?| A．They prefer doing work online. | B．They are taking more risks. |
| C．They enjoy playing chess more. | D．They are making extra money. |
| A．To encourage people to take brave moves. | B．To stop people making silly decisions. |
| C．To cover up a person’s past failure. | D．To gain trust from other people. |
| A．It didn’t pay well enough. | B．The business was in a crisis. |
| C．He missed the pre-Covid set-up. | D．He was eager for new changes. |
| A．The bad effect of the pandemic. | B．The significant influence of YOLO. |
| C．The potential danger of changing jobs. | D．The future development of different careers. |
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【推荐1】“Don't delete your browser(浏览器）history,”Lin Kai warns his 11-year-old son, who is supposed to be having lectures delivered by his schoolteachers.Mr Lin has reason to be anxious.
To contain the spread of Covid-19, the authorities have closed schools and universities.But＂study must not stop", says the education ministry.Under its orders, the country's biggest exercise in remote learning is under way, watched over by parents.Mr Lin, who lives in the eastern city of Hangzhou, has caught his son being distracted by online games.He wants his son to know that he will inspect the browser for evidence of such naughtiness.
There are other ways to enforce discipline.Liu Weihua, who teaches at Wuhan University of Technology,places more emphasis on how students perform in classroom discussions, which are conducted using video-conferencing platforms such as Dingtalk by Alibaba and Ketang by Tencent.
In poor rural areas, where some households lack internet access, instruction by television fills the gap.Since February 17th China Education Network, a state-run service,has been broadcasting classes every weekday from 8 a.m.to 10 p.m.The first lesson of the day is aimed at pupils in the first year of primary school.Programmes for older children air in the afternoon and evening.All core subjects,such as mathematics and Chinese,are covered.
The interruption is felt most keenly by pupils in the final year of secondary school.That is the year leading up to the gaokao, the university-entrance exam.Many parents feared that online learning is a poor substitute for classroom instruction.Hou Kaixuan, who will sit the gaokao in the northern city of Zhangjiakou this summer, eagerly waits for the re-opening of his school.“I'm simply more productive in a physical classroom,” he says.
When schools and universities eventually re-open, classrooms may be different, says Yue Qiu, a secondary-school teacher in Beijing.The teacher-student relationship will become “less hierarchical(等级分明的）”，he predicts.That is because China's extended experiment' with online learning is reducing the typical reserve(矜持）between instructor and pupil.Teachers who were previously reluctant to give out their contact details on WeChat, a messaging app, now rely on it to respond to students' questions.At Mr Yue's school, students may even call their teachers to ask for feedback.If he is right, such a breaking-down of barriers could be one of the few happy byproducts of Covid-19.
1. What does the underlined word “distract” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?.| A．frightened | B．attracted | C．admitted | D．impressed |
| A．excellent | B．productive | C．informal | D．inefficient |
| A．When schools reopen, teachers and students will probably feel awkward. |
| B．Teachers and students are willing to contact each other on WeChat. |
| C．The relationship between teachers and students may become better. |
| D．Students may ask their teachers for feedback in real classrooms. |
【推荐2】Have you ever escaped taking on a role or opportunity because you didn’t feel confident enough? Perhaps the voice in your head asked: “Why me? I am not yet ready, not capable enough, or don’t have enough experience.”
If you can relate, you’re among the majority of women with whom I’ve worked. I recently asked more than 120 women, from areas including the U.S., UK, Australia, Georgia, Italy, India, Jamaica, and Bermuda: If you’ve ever avoided risks, what factors and reasons contributed to this? More than 70% reported that selfdoubt, or not having enough belief in themselves, their capabilities, or their skills, was a driving factor.
As one wellknown executive told me: “Every day I doubt myself. I doubt that I am good enough to be where I am.”
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. We know selfdoubt is a pervasive and often paralyzing concern, particularly for women. A study by psychologists at Cornell and Washington State highlighted higher levels of selfdoubt in women. Research has also shown that women will apply for a job only if they meet all of the qualifications, while men will apply when they fulfill only 60%. Another recent study identified a considerable gender gap when it comes to selfpromotion, with women providing less favorable assessments of their own past performance and potential future ability. Ultimately, men take more chances on themselves, and that pays dividends in the long run.
While this pattern of selfdoubt emerged again and again in studies, my interactions, and my client work, I also noticed another commonality: These women’s selfdoubts weren’t sabotaging their success. The vast majority of successful women leaders I’ve interviewed and coached have built exciting and satisfying careers even while facing selfdoubt.
What these women also had in common is courage in the absence of confidence—a trait that is often weaponized against women and used to explain why they fail to achieve career goals. My work has found that successful women take decisive action to move forward even while grappling with fears and doubts and questioning their own “readiness”.
“As women, we often feel like we have to be 100% ready in order to move forward. But, if you are 50% or 75% there, jump. Just do it,” said Megan Costello, former executive director of the Boston Mayor’s Office for Women’s Advancement.
1. What is the real factor for women to escape taking on a role?| A．Higher risks. | B．Different beliefs. | C．Inner feelings. | D．Related experiences. |
| A．They tend to be less optimistic. | B．They prefer to be well qualified. |
| C．They try to be favorably assessed. | D．They hope to be clearly identified. |
| A．Promoting. | B．Weakening. | C．Achieving. | D．Balancing. |
| A．They should be courageous and decisive. | B．They should keep themselves unprepared. |
| C．They should stop questioning their careers. | D．They should learn from famous executives. |
【推荐3】While it may be commonplace, snubbing (冷落) one's friends can have serious impacts on relationships, and there are a variety of factors that may drive individuals to ignore their friends in favor of an electronic screen, according to a new University of Georgia study.
The study reveals positive associations between depression and social anxiety and increasing snubbing: depressed people are likely to snub their friends more frequently, and socially anxious people, who prefer online social interactions, might also exhibit more snubbing behavior. These people are really sensitive to their messages. With each buzz or sound, they consciously or unconsciously look at their phones. The device's various applications are key drivers contributing to this dynamic.
The finding also shows that agreeable individuals have a lower instance of snubbing in the presence of their friends. People who have agreeableness as a personality feature tend to show cooperative, polite and friendly behaviors in their interpersonal relationships and social settings. Though agreeable people may prioritize strong friendships, an exploratory study reveals they are also more likely to turn to phones in the presence of three or more people.
That dynamic may influence the spread of snubbing in the context of a work environment. “It's ironic (讽刺意味的) that while so many people believe that snubbing behavior is rude, they still do it,” Sun said. “A majority of people snub others, and in a group, it may seem OK, because it's just me, the speaker doesn't notice I'm using the phone. The number of people in a group can be one reason.”
Alternately, disabling or turning over a phone can indicate a show of respect for a situation and focus on a person. That, too, is a signal—I am listening to what you are saying and I am focusing on you.
1. What can cause snubbing behavior?| A．Social requirements. |
| B．Unhealthy mental condition. |
| C．Frequent social interactions. |
| D．Limited communication devices. |
| A．They are insensitive to phone messages. |
| B．They are more likely to snub their friends. |
| C．They attach importance to firm friendships. |
| D．They get accustomed to groups with more people. |
| A．The majority are using phones. |
| B．They don't like the environment. |
| C．The speaker doesn't care about it. |
| D．They think they will go unnoticed. |
| A．How snubbing behaviors can be avoided |
| B．Why people are addicted to phone messages |
| C．Why people snub their friends with their phones |
| D．How phones influence people's social interactions |
【推荐1】In Africa, Christmas Day begins with groups of carolers (欢唱颂歌的人) walking to and from through the village, along the roadway, by the houses of the missionaries (传教士), singing the lovely carols known to the world around. Often people may be awakened by a group of carolers beginning to gather at the house of worship (敬神活动). They return home to make final preparations as to the clothes one must wear and also as to their offering for the Christmas service.
The most important part of their Christmas worship service is the love offering. This is the gift in honor of Jesus. At about 8 or 9 o'clock everyone goes to the celebration of the birthday of Jesus. Everyone who attends the service goes forward to lay down their gift upon the raised platform near the Communion table. No one will attend the service without giving a gift.
Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. There is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of wild flowers being in their full pride.
In Ghana, most churches show the coming of Christmas by decorating the church and homes beginning with the first week in Advent, four weeks before Christmas. This season happens to be the time of cocoa harvest, so it is a time of wealth. Everyone returns home from wherever they might be such as farms or mines.
In Africa, it is the traditional dinner of turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a proclaimed (正式宣布的) public holiday usually spent in the open air. It falls on December 26 and is a day of real relaxation.
1. The purpose of this text is to ______.| A．persuade us to have a holiday in Africa |
| B．describe some important holidays in Africa |
| C．tell us how people celebrate Christmas in Africa |
| D．introduce to us when Christmas came into being |
| A．the church and homes are being decorated | B．there are flowers all over the country |
| C．everyone returns home to harvest cocoa | D．it is snowing heavily everywhere |
| A．One must sing a carol on the platform. | B．One must appear in fantastic clothes. |
| C．Food is shared among carolers. | D．Everyone carries a gift to the scene. |
【推荐2】A teacher placed three similar models (模型) of a man and a flexible wire (金属线) near them on a table. He then asked his students to examine the models and identify (识别) the one showing the best human nature. The students studied the models for a long time. One of them found that there were holes in the ears and mouth of every model. He introduced the flexible wire into the holes in each ear of the three models. They gave different results.
The wire introduced into either ear of the first model came out through its other ear. The wire that went through either ear of the second model came out through its mouth. The wire introduced into the ears of the third model entered the head but did not come out.
The first model shows an indifferent (漠不关心的) man. He hears much but does not keep anything in his mind. He fails to benefit from the words of others. The second model is of a talkative person who talks without thinking about everything he hears. He does not exercise any limit and so may talk unnecessarily and end in trouble. The third person gathers information from his surroundings but intelligently (聪明地) analyses the data and speaks out only what is essential and true. He will not hurt the feelings of others by his words. He will be acceptable to all.
It is foolish to speak badly of others. If you are sensible, you will keep quiet. Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind of words that builds up and provides what is needed so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．The teacher asked the students to find the differences among the three models. |
| B．The first model is of a person who is talkative and keeps everything in his mind. |
| C．The second model is of a person who is sensible and exercises every limit. |
| D．The third model is of a person who is intelligent and won’t hurt others. |
| A．we can look down upon others | B．we can use some harmful words |
| C．we should use helpful words | D．we should always keep quiet |
| A．It’s none of my business. | B．I’m sure black is my favorite. |
| C．You are saying something stupid. | D．I’m afraid you can do it in another way. |
【推荐3】Time talks. It speaks more plainly than words. Time communicates in many ways.
Consider the different parts of the day, for example. The time of the day when something is done can give a special meaning to the event. It is not customary to telephone someone every early in the morning. If you telephone him early in the day, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he assumes it is a matter of life or death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.
In social life, time plays a very important part. In the United States, guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But this is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten.
The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings often arise between people from cultures that treat time differently. Promptness(准时) is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not prompt, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the U.S., no one would think of keeping a business partner waiting for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is five minutes late is expected to make a short apology.
This way of treating time is quite different from that of several other cultures. This helps to explain the unfortunate experience of a certain agriculturist from the United States, assigned to duty in another country. After a long delay, the agriculturist was finally agreed an appointment with the Minister of Agriculture. Arriving a little before the appointed hour, the agriculturist waited. The hour came and passed. At this point he suggested to the secretary that perhaps the minister did not know he was waiting in the outer office. This gave him the feeling of having done something to solve the problem, but he had not. Twenty minutes passed, then thirty, then forty-five. To an American, that is the beginning of the “insult period”. No matter what is said in apology, there is little that can remove the damage done by an hour’s wait in an outer office. Yet in the country where this story took place, a forty-five-minute waiting period was not unusual.
In the West, particularly in the United States, people tend to think of time as something fixed in nature. As a rule, Americans think of time as a road stretching into the future, along which one progresses. The road has many sections, which are to be kept separate— “one thing at a time”. People who cannot plan events are not highly regarded. Thus, an American may feel angry when he has made an appointment with someone and then finds a lot of other things happening at the same time.
Since time has such different meanings in different cultures, communication is often difficult. We will understand each other a little better if we can keep this fact in mind.
1. According to the passage, an announcement broadcast during class must be very important because ________．| A．it is a customary time to make. | B．it makes everyone surprised. |
| C．it requires immediate attention. | D．it speaks more plainly than words. |
| A．the value of promptness for Americans. |
| B．the cultural differences in treating time. |
| C．the bad manners of the Minister of Agriculture. |
| D．the importance of time in different parts of the day. |
| A．boring. | B．patient. |
| C．shameful. | D．hopeless. |
| A．they are concerned with the value of time. |
| B．they know how to communicate with each other. |
| C．they escape dealing with many things at one appointed time. |
| D．they keep in mind that different cultures treat time differently. |
