I was a shy girl. I didn’t even like to answer the telephone for fear that I had to talk to somebody I didn’t know. I enjoyed the world of shyness. However, at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My escape was reading. I spent a lot of time studying and was rewarding with good grades. My only failure was Spanish-I’d get all As on my written work and tests, but Ds and Fs on the spoken part.
Eventually I went to college. During my third year of college, I had enough of being shy and decided to change my outlook and behaviour. One day while at school, I noticed an advertisement for positions on the local classical music radio station. I had grown up listening to classical music, and I could easily pronounce names such as Tchaikovsk and Chopin.
I had absolutely no background in radio, and absolutely no hope of getting the job. The idea of talking to thousands of listeners in “radio land” frightened me. However, I luckily survived the interview. I was given brief descriptions of symphonic(交响乐)and a public service announcement to read, and a list of composers’ names to pronounce. It wasn’t hard for me. I left the recording sessions(录音片段)with a sense of relief and a sense of accomplishment. About two weeks later I actually landed the job. It was a challenging job, but I grew to enjoy it greatly. I began to feel comfortable talking to people.
Although I now spend many hours each week talking with people, I’m still basically a quiet person. Perhaps it is my soft voice and my quiet nature that helps draw people out as they respond to my questions as I interviewed them. My former shyness is a fortune, as I can relate to people who feel uncomfortable when they talk to newspaper reporters. I still enjoy moments of loneliness and the peace found in nature. But I’m also glad I decided to make a change in my life that has opened many door and opportunities that I never dreamt of.
1. What do we learn about the author?| A．She liked reading | B．She was good at Spanish. |
| C．She wasn’t interested in music. | D．She didn’t work hard enough |
| A．Very excited. | B．Pretty confident. |
| C．Highly confused. | D．Extremely anxious. |
| A．It makes others feel less comfortable. |
| B．It is helpful for her challenging job. |
| C．It prevents her being a newspaper reporter. |
| D．It draws a negative response from audiences. |
| A．desire to find her true self |
| B．feeling about being a radio hostess |
| C．story of exploring the meaning of life |
| D．expericnce and feeling of overcoming shyness |
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【推荐1】By the time she turned 18, Khadijah Williams had attended twelve schools. She had lived in shelters, in parks, and in motels, never in a permanent residence for more than a few months. She had tolerated the blames of students who considered her as “different”.
Homeless since early childhood, Khadijah struggled all her life to hide her circumstances from teachers and fellow students. However, academics proved to be a way for her to find confidence in herself again. For instance, at the age of 9, she placed in the 99th percentile on a state exam, and her teacher told her she was “gifted”. From that moment forward, Khadijah decided to do whatever it took to keep herself in that category. “I was so proud of being smart. I never wanted people to say, ‘You got the easy way out because you’re homeless,’” she said. “I never saw it as an excuse.”
By the second year of high school, she realized that she could not succeed in getting the further education she dreamed of without getting help to go beyond what her current school could offer. She talked to teachers and counselors (辅导员) who helped her apply to summer community college classes, scholarships, and enrichment programs. And in 11th grade, when she enrolled at Jefferson High School, she decided to complete the rest of her school career there—a decision that meant taking a bus each morning at 4 a. m. and not getting home until 11 p. m.
Her perseverance and hard work paid off, however. When she poured the story of her life into her Harvard University college application, she was accepted.
Once Khadijah felt ready to tell her story, it won her notice not only from college admissions boards but also from the news media, including Oprah, who introduced Khadijah on her show. Now as a successful student at Harvard, Khadijah continues to use the lessons of her extraordinary life to help and inspire other students.
1. What was Khadijah’s life like before she turned 18?| A．She was badly treated at home. | B．She struggled with academics. |
| C．She had lived in various places. | D．She often misbehaved at school. |
| A．By hiding her circumstance from others. | B．By working hard for academic success. |
| C．By being proud of her homeless background. | D．By getting help from teachers and counselors. |
| A．To use her experience to inspire others. | B．To get financial help from her teachers. |
| C．To realize her dream to go to university. | D．To be admitted to Jefferson High School. |
| A．Khadijah’s success in her academic pursuits. | B．Khadijah’s experience of overcoming adversity. |
| C．Khadijah’s involvement in community service. | D．Khadijah’s achievements at Harvard University. |
【推荐2】Michael Todd wore the same clothes every day for the first three weeks of school. When the other kids began to notice that he was wearing the same black pants and blue, and gray long-sleeve shirt day after day, Todd, a freshman at Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School in Memphis, became the target of laughter. But there was little Todd could do. His mother simply couldn’t afford to buy him new clothes.
Two of the kids piling on were Antwan Garrett and Kristopher Graham, a pair of freshman football players. But over time, they realized that their unfavorable words felt like bullying (欺凌) and seemed to be slowly crushing (击垮) Todd’s spirit. Something finally clicked (被突然领悟) . “I felt like I needed to do something,” Graham told CBS News. So he and Garrett hatched a plan. They went home and hunted through their own drawers and closets.
The next day at school, they met Todd at their third-period class and asked him to come into the hall. Todd was understandably nervous about being called out by the larger boys. “He wasn’t smiling or anything, and I was like,’I think this is going to make you smile,’” Graham says. “I told him, ‘We’re in the same third period, and I apologize for laughing at you, and I want to give something to you to make it up.’” He then handed Todd a bag. Inside were clean shirts and shorts, plus a brand-new pair of New Balance sneakers.
Todd was blown away. “I was very happy,” he told CBS News. “Surprised and upset, completely.” And Todd got much more than a new wardrobe. He no longer sits alone at lunch. Now he eats with his new friends, Garrett and Graham.
“I’ve been bullied my entire life,” Todd told CBS News. Reflecting on the day Garrett and Graham called him into the hall, he called it “the best day of my entire life, basically.”
1. What can we learn about Todd and his family from the passage?| A．Todd worked hard to earn his living. |
| B．Todd’s family lived in extreme poverty. |
| C．Todd’s mother did nothing to change the situation. |
| D．Todd was made fun of from the beginning of school. |
| A．Formed. | B．Proved. | C．Confirmed. | D．Rejected. |
| A．Todd was eager to make more friends with others. |
| B．Todd felt puzzled when being shouted by Graham. |
| C．Todd received no apology from Garrett and Graham. |
| D．Todd was shocked but pleased at the kids’ help to him. |
| A．Helping the weak out is a virtue (美德) . |
| B．Accepting and living with each other’s weaknesses. |
| C．Hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. |
| D．Making friends with those having common interests. |
【推荐3】Ever since he was nine years old, Daniel Arundel has been helping his mother Elizabeth in the kitchen. He learnt to bake cakes and savouries (咸味小吃) at home. On Saturdays, he helped fill the rolls at the sandwich shop his mum ran. Now Daniel, who is only 19, has turned his enjoyment of making food into a successful business.
“I’ve always loved making things for people to eat and I realized I wasn’t too bad at it.” says Daniel, who started selling his cakes while at secondary schoo1. “For two years every Sunday, I would sell cakes I had baked at home with Mum on a market stand.”
His plan to open a bakery in his hometown impressed his teachers and they encouraged him to submit his idea to a national competition for ambitious business people. Although he didn’t win, Daniel was awarded an award of €1,000 to help his project.
Arundel Bakery opened on an industrial site in Oldham surrounded by offices full of staff looking for somewhere for their lunch. So he opened a sandwich shop at the front of the Bakery. He now employs three staff, including his mum, who make food for various customers. And they also help the community later by making fresh hot meals for the elderly.
Last year Daniel was runner-up in another competition to recognize entrepreneurial (创业的) talent. The competition was organized by the Edge Foundation, an education charity, which encourages career routes to young people who can’t be admitted by a university.
Daniel said, “I have been crazy in the past few years. I'm so busy and I don’t have much of a social life at the moment. I want to expand our range of dairy-free cakes for those who have an allergy (过敏反应) to food like me. I’ve put my heart and soul into my baking and getting where I am today. I know I'm still very young and I'm learning all the time. But I love what I'm doing and want to take every opportunity that comes to make my bakery a success.”
1. What did Daniel do on Sundays when he was at secondary school?| A．He made cakes at schoo1. |
| B．He sold food at the market. |
| C．He helped his mum run the shop. |
| D．He 1earnt to cook meals for his family. |
| A．They offered him a job. |
| B．They raised money for his project. |
| C．They encouraged him to study business. |
| D．They advised him to participate in a contest. |
| A．To start his first business. |
| B．To help the local community. |
| C．To satisfy consumers’ needs. |
| D．To learn a new cooking method. |
| A．He’ll research and develop special food. |
| B．He’ll spare more time to make friends. |
| C．He’ll enter for another competition. |
| D．He’ll go to university. |
Every doctor has had to try their best to calm down patients who’ve come into their surgery waving an Internet print-out, convinced that they have some rare incurable disease, say, throat cancer. The truth is usually far more ordinary, though: they don’t have throat cancer, and it’s just that their throats are swollen. Being a graduate of the Internet “school” of medicine does not guarantee accurate self-health-checks.
One day Mrs. Almond came to my hospital after feeling faint at work. While I took her blood sample and tried to find out what was wrong, she said calmly, “I know what’s wrong；I’ve got throat cancer. I know there’s nothing you doctors can do about it and I’ve just got to wait until the day comes.”
As a matter of routine I ordered a chest X-ray. I looked at it and the blood results an hour later. Something wasn’t right. “Did your local doctor do an X-ray?” I asked. “Oh, I haven’t been to the doctor for years,” she replied. “I read about it on a website and the symptoms fitted, so I knew that’s what I had.”
However, some of her symptoms, like the severe cough and weight loss, didn’t fit with it—but she’d just ignored this.
I looked at the X-ray again, and more tests confirmed it wasn’t the cancer but tuberculosis (肺结核)—something that most certainly did need treating, and could be deadly. She was lucky we caught it when we did.
Mrs. Almond went pale when I explained she would have to be on treatment for the next six months to ensure that she was fully recovered. It was certainly a lesson for her. “I'm so embarrassed ,” she said, shaking her head, as I explained that all the people she had come into close contact with would have to be found out and tested. She listed up to about 20, and then I went to my office to type up my notes. Unexpectedly, the computer was not working, so I had to wait until someone from the IT department came to fix it. Typical. Maybe I should have a microwave sausage while I waited?
1. Mrs. Almond talked about her illness calmly because ______.
| A．she thought she knew it well |
| B．she had purchased medicine online |
| C．she graduated from a medical school |
| D．she had been treated by local doctors |
| A．to have contacted many friends |
| B．to have recovered in a short time |
| C．to have her assumption confirmed |
| D．to have her disease identified in time |
| A．she had distrusted her close friends |
| B．she had caused unnecessary trouble |
| C．she had to refuse the doctor’s advice |
| D．she had to tell the truth to the doctor |
| A．it’s a must to take a break at work |
| B．it’s vital to believe in IT professionals |
| C．it’s unwise to simply rely on technology |
| D．it’s a danger to work long hours on computers |
【推荐2】When it came time for me to look at options for postgraduate study, I decided to go abroad, initially looking at options in both Australia and the United States.
I decided on Australia finally after I spoke with friends, who had experience of studying at the University of Melbourne and living in the city. The people I knew described to me as a place where there were lots of people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds, and where everyone was open-minded and there were discussions happening everywhere. I’m happy to say that ended up being my experience as well.
I joined Lion, one of Australasia’s largest food and drink companies, as part of their graduate program, which was a fantastic opportunity, because it gave me the opportunity to work in a variety of roles, and gain experience across a variety of functions. But the thing with Lion was that they were already a very established business; they already had their processes and structures in place.
When the opportunity came for me to join Culture Amp, I realized it was an opportunity to see a business grow and be part of that evolution. It was just what I wanted. That comes with its own challenges, as new problems appear you might be solving them from the very beginning, rather than having a framework to fall back on, but it also means there’s room to learn and experiment. It made me realize where my interests lie. Here in Australia, there’s a really high tolerance for change in your careers. I think it’s really easy for graduates to feel like they have to “jump” into a role, and then that’s it, forever. But the truth is, your career is a marathon. You can expect to change courses along the way, and allow your interests to open new doors.
1. Why did the author choose to study in Australia?| A．Her friends lived there. |
| B．She decided to work there. |
| C．She liked the culture there. |
| D．She wanted to meet new people. |
| A．Facing various opportunities. |
| B．Lacking challenges. |
| C．Demanding new structures. |
| D．Offering limited roles. |
| A．Learning how to do experiments. |
| B．Having a framework to turn to. |
| C．Dealing with problems in wise ways. |
| D．Experiencing a company’s development. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Objective. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Contradictory. |
【推荐3】When I arrived in London I couldn't speak a word of English. Not even "hello". Nothing. I was 18, I'd been working for my dad's restaurant in Milan and I wanted a new experience. My friend from home lived in London and he used to tell me how incredible it was. I was really bored and so I took my luggage and left.
I was so lost when I arrived at Stansted. To me, English sounded like Chinese. I only arrived with a few hundred pounds. I lived with my friend in east London for a while. I couldn't find a job for a month. Finally I found a waiter role in a restaurant. At the time, I had nothing else going on in my life. I used to get up, go to work, and sleep. It was so boring. Then one day on my lunch break, I saw a Gymbox. When I took a look in, there was an amazing Muay Thai. I used to do boxing when I was 15 but I wasn't that serious about it. There and then I joined the gym and signed up to the Thai boxing team.
I fell in love with it. I never missed a session. I started training a lot and the head coach said to me one day, "Do you want to fight？" I knew that's what I wanted to do. He put me in competitions and I won my first nine amateur games. After watching me progress, they offered to help me fight professionally. However, at one point I had a motorcycle crash and was out for 18 months. This year I've fought in Milan and London. I'd say I'm about 12 fights away from becoming a winner.
Sometimes I can't believe how far I've come from that day I arrived in England. I think everything that's happened has been because I'm committed. But anyone could do it. If you put in 100%, you'll get there. I'm just happy because I did a positive thing with my life. It feels good.
1. What had the writer done before he came to London？| A．He had worked in a restaurant. |
| B．He had been a professional coach. |
| C．He had worked in a company. |
| D．He had done nothing but travel around. |
| A．He was good at it. |
| B．He liked it very much. |
| C．He knew nothing about it. |
| D．He just knew a little about it. |
| A．Exciting. |
| B．Scaring. |
| C．Satisfying. |
| D．Boring. |
| A．He made a mistake. |
| B．He was injured in an accident. |
| C．He had to put more time to work. |
| D．There were no fights in the 18 months. |
