As is the fate of anyone running a hotel in Kerala these days, Bijoy George is a man with too much to do. Before pandemic-caused lockdowns began in 2020, he managed 40 employees at the Eighth Bastion Hotel in the charming historic quarter of Kochi, a bustling coastal city. Now that business is back to pre-covid levels he needs the same number of staff again. But he has only 20 workers. His plight is shared with every other hotel, café and bar. It is a result of the state’s hospitality (招待) employees moving all together in large numbers to Qatar, not to watch football but to take up employment tied to the World Cup.
As the start of the competition approaches on November 20th, workers are quitting at a rate Mr. George says he has never seen in his 22 years in the business. Qatar, a country with a population of under 3m, will have welcomed more than 1.5m visitors before the matches conclude on December 18th. That means finding staff to run all the new hotels that have been built along with other venues that have been pressed into service to profit from the sports fans.
Kerala has long been a significant source of hospitality workers for Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. Its state government provides good schools with English-language instruction but few jobs. More than 2m people, 17% of its working population, already work overseas, largely in the Gulf.
The appeal of Qatar is straightforward. Starting salaries approach $1,000 a month, more than six times the level for similar jobs in Kerala. To replace those who have left, Kerala’s employers have been casting their nets wider. Recruiters have been extending their searches to many other Indian cities. But that means the most common word on name-tags pinned to the breast pockets of workers is “trainee”.
Among the many skills that need to be taught, says Mr. George, is smiling at customers — the failure to do so a result of shyness among those new to the workforce. The danger is that after a week or so when confidence grows, even these employees may slip away to the Gulf.
Most contracts run for three months, concluding at the end of December, not long after the World Cup final. Returning workers will be welcomed back with open arms. Filling the gaps is even more important as Indian tourism and weddings have restarted. The reunions, though, may be short-lived. The game these workers will have learned from the World Cup is how to be paid better. That means leaving India.
1. The underlined sentence in paragraph one implies that __________.| A．other hotels, cafes and bars will share Bijoy’s 20 employees |
| B．other hotels, cafes and bars will have to lay off some workers |
| C．other hotels, cafes and bars also send the workers to Qatar |
| D．other hotels, cafes and bars also find it hard to employ enough workers |
| A．Millions of tourists have to be served during the World Cup. |
| B．Hospitality workers are in high demand with new hotels and venues open for business in Qatar. |
| C．Qatar provides good education and English training for potential workers in Kerala. |
| D．The salaries of similar jobs in Kerala are much lower than those in Qatar. |
| A．Kerala’s employers have to take on new employees in Asian cities. |
| B．Many of the new employees will pin their name tags to their breast pockets. |
| C．The new employees will not greet the customers as a result of shyness. |
| D．The new employees may soon follow the trend of going to the Gulf. |
| A．Jobs outside India can provide Indian workers with a more decent life. |
| B．It will soon be the off season for Indian tourism and weddings. |
| C．Another grand occasion will soon begin in the Gulf. |
| D．The workers only sign short-term contracts with the employers in India. |
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【推荐1】Of all the buildings situated within Vatican City, few hold as much significance as the Sistine Chapel (西斯廷教堂). It is the pope’s private chapel and the site of papal ceremonies. It also acts as the election headquarters whenever a new pope is being selected. An architect by the name of Giovanni dei Dolci worked for eight years from 1473 to 1481 to have the building for Pope Sixtus Ⅳ erected. The structure contains an incredible amount of Renaissance (文艺复兴) artwork, including frescoes (湿壁画) by Michelangelo. Given the significance of such a place, the key to the Sistine Chapel is closely guarded. One man alone bears this immense responsibility, the clavigero or “key-keeper.”
Gianni Crea is the chief key-keeper of the Vatican Museums and carries the weight of 2,797 keys on his shoulders—well, mostly on his wrist. Before dawn—at 5:00 a.m. to be precise—Gianni begins his day by going into the “bunker” where the keys are kept overnight in wall safes. As he walks the seven kilometers of his route through the museums, the mass of metal keys hangs and makes noises from the giant key rings he carries on his wrist. He unlocks the doors, one by one, turning on all the lights along the way. The last door he opens on his journey is a tiny wooden one leading to the Sistine Chapel’s inner sanctum (内殿).
The silvery-brass key to the Sistine Chapel is not kept on the key ring with the others but in a white envelope. It also comes with rigorous (严格的) protocol. After the chapel is opened for the day, the key is put in a fresh white envelope, sealed, stamped, and placed back in its corresponding wall safe. A thick book is used to maintain careful records of all of its movements. Gianni discharges his duty with pride and has done so for the last 23 years.
1. What is mentioned as being significant about the Sistine Chapel?| A．New popes are chosen within its walls. |
| B．It took eight years of construction to complete. |
| C．It was built specially for Pope Sixtus V. |
| D．Renaissance artist Michelangelo visited once. |
| A．He begins his workday every day at sunset. |
| B．He personally unlocks the door for the Pope. |
| C．He has been the clavigero for over two decades. |
| D．He carries the Sistine Chapel key on his wrist. |
| A．To detail what Gianni Crea thinks of his job as a keyholder. |
| B．To describe what a key-keeper at the Vatican Museums does. |
| C．To state why a key-keeper is needed in the Vatican Museums. |
| D．To provide information about how to apply to become a keyholder. |
(a) Every workday, I start out by entering a bunker that holds 2,767 keys.
(b) Then I take out lots of keys from the wall safes.
(c) After closing the door to the Sistine Chapel.
(d) I admire stunning artwork from the prehistoric 12 ages.
| A．a. | B．b. | C．c. | D．d. |
【推荐2】Have you ever heard of Big Data or are you familiar with Data Scientists and Data Engineers? They are probably new job titles, but the core job roles have been around for a while. Traditionally, anyone who analyzed data would be called a “data analyst” and anyone who created backend platforms to support data analysis would be a “Business intelligence (BI) Developer”.
Here’s an overview of the roles of the Data Analyst, BI Developer, Data Scientist and Data Engineer.
Data Analysts are experienced data professionals in their organization who can question and process data, provide reports, summarize and visualize data. They have a strong understanding of how to influence existing tools and methods to solve a problem.
Skills: Data Analysts need to have a baseline understanding of some core skills: statistics, data munging, data visualization, exploratory data analysis, Tools: Microsoft Excel, SPSS, SPSS Modeler, SAS, SAS Miner, SQL, Microsoft Access, Tableau, SSAS.
Additionally, they work with databases, both relational and multidimensional, and should have great SQL development skills to integrate data from different resources. They use all of these skills to meet the enterprise-wide self-service needs. BI Developers are typically not expected to perform data analyses.
Data Engineers are the data professionals who prepare the “big data” infrastructure to be analyzed by Data Scientists.
They might also run some ETL (Extract, Transform and Load) on top of big datasets and create big data warehouses that can be used for reporting or analysis by data scientists.
| A．In this case, the curious Data Scientist is expected to explore the data, come up with the right questions, and provide interesting findings! |
| B．Business intelligence Developers are data experts that interact more closely with internal stakeholders to understand the reporting needs. |
| C．With the emergence of big data, new roles began popping up in corporations and research centers -- namely, Data Scientists and Data Engineers. |
| D．This is why it is essential to know computer science fundamentals and programming, including experience with languages and database (big/small) technologies. |
| E．And they also help people from across the company understand specific questions with ad-hocreports and charts. |
| F．They are software engineers who design, build, integrate data from various resources, and manage big data. |
【推荐3】Finding summer jobs for teenagers has not always been easy, but now you no longer have to worry about what your kids can do to earn their own money. Recently I found some different sites online that offer information about what kids can do. Below is some of that information, along with questions to think about to help you come up with your own ideas. Ideas for summer work：
●Parks and Recreation Programs.
●Babysitting（当临时保姆）during the day of school.
●Working part-time at a day care centre for the summer.
●Car washing.
●Working at local vegetable stands.
The easiest way for you to find ways for your kids to make money is to think about others' inconveniences（不便之处）. Think of things you need to do, or would like to have done, and how much you would consider paying to get them done. Once you have some ideas, you can sit down with your kids and talk to them about what they would be interested in doing. Then once you have an idea of what they want to do you can help them come up with fair prices.
Maybe you would want to only have your kids working with people you know and trust, or at least you could have your kids pick a partner. With each of them carrying cell phones, even those that without service can call 911, they will be much safer.
You can find out more information and many more ideas for kids to use to make money during their summer holidays by visiting http://www. kidswantmoney. com.
1. This passage is mainly written for ________.| A．teenagers | B．teachers |
| C．parents | D．website designers |
| A．Who they'd better work with. |
| B．How much the pay is. |
| C．Whether the jobs are safe. |
| D．Where the workplace is. |
| A．share his recent discoveries |
| B．introduce jobs for teenagers |
| C．advertise a website for teenagers |
| D．talk about his summer work experience |
【推荐1】A vast majority of people usually argue that cycling can make a significant contribution to our world. In reality, there is a gap between desired and actual numbers. In Germany, for instance, only 20% of the everyday short-distance trips are covered by bicycle. When enquiring about the causes, researchers found one point repeatedly tops the list: the perceived or potential risk on the bike routes used. Increasing the share of cycling trips thus depends crucially on well-developed bike paths.
However, designing efficient bike path networks is a complex task that involves balancing a variety of limitations while meeting overall demand. In addition, many districts are confronted with a shortage of funds available for improving the infrastructure. Researchers propose a new approach to generating efficient bike path networks. This considers demand distribution and the route option of cyclists based on preferences for secure outings. Typically, minimizing the travel distance is far from the solely goal. Aspects such as attractiveness of a route are also taken into account.
Under real conditions, a bike path network is created by constantly adding bike paths to more streets. This time, researchers start with an ideal, complex network, in which all streets in a city are equipped with a bike path. In a virtual process, they gradually remove less used bike path sections from this network. The route selection of cyclists is continuously updated. Thus, a series of bike path networks is created and is always adapted to the current usage. Each stage of it corresponds to a variant that could be carried out with less financial support.
“We illustrate the applicability of this demand-driven planning for crowded urban areas of Dresden and Hamburg,” explains researcher Christoph Steinacker. “We are approaching a real-life issue here using the theoretic toolbox of network dynamics and compare efficient bike path networks under different conditions.”
1. Why do people rarely cycle?| A．They think of cycling as inefficient. | B．They usually take long-distance trips. |
| C．They’re concerned about the security. | D．They’re unable to find special bike roads. |
| A．Tight budgets. | B．Complex routes. |
| C．Maximized travel distance. | D．Decreasing cycling demand. |
| A．It will be updated once in a while. | B．It is contrary to the real-life design. |
| C．It ensures every street has a bike path. | D．It serves as a model for other districts. |
| A．Good Planning Gets the Bike Rolling | B．A good Network Benefits More People |
| C．Cycling Paths Change Crowded Urban Areas | D．A New Concept Contributes to a Better World |
【推荐2】George Prochnik would like the world to put a sock in it. He makes his case in a new book, listenning for Meaning in a World of Noise, Here he explains himself (using his indoor voice):
“We’ve become so accustomed to noise, there’s about almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence might be beneficial. If you tell someone to be quiet, you sound like an old man. But it’s never been more important to find continuing quiet. Silence focuses us, improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace and satisfaction.”
“We need to excite people about the sounds you start to hear if you merely quiet things down a little. During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds becomes a kind of art—the spoons making a light ringing sound on a bowl, the edges of a kimono（和服）brushing against the floor.”
“Dear people are very attetice（专注的）in almose every aspect of life. If two deaf people are walking together, using sign language, they constantly watch out for each other and protecet each other by paying steady attention to the other. They are connected yet also fully aware of their surroundings. Even deaf teenagers! We in the hearing world can learn from them. If we remove the powerful blasts（一阵阵）of noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us—of little soft sounds and the sound of footsteps, of bird songs and ice cracking（开裂声）. It’s astonishing how beautiful things sound when you can really listen. ”
1. What does the phrase “to put a sock in it” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．to be quiet | B．to be colorful |
| C．to be full of love | D．to be attentive to someone |
| A．We are used to quietnesss |
| B．We have to put up with noise |
| C．We do not think silence to be beneficial |
| D．We do not believe lasting peace to be available |
| A．We need more sounds in our lives |
| B．There is nothing to be learned from the deaf |
| C．We are not aware how rich the world around us is |
| D．There is too much noise at a Japanese tea ceremony |
| A．we can benefit a lot from old people |
| B．it is a good idea to use sign language |
| C．there is no escape from the world of sound |
| D．it is possible to find how beautiful things sound |
【推荐3】Going to sleep at a certain time is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease, according to researchers. A team led by the U.K. -based University of Exeter found that going to sleep between 10 and 11 p.m. was beneficial compared to earlier or later bedtimes.
The research included 88,000 participants in the U.K. Biobank who were recruited between 2006 and 2010. The average age of the group — ranging from 43 to 79 years old — was 61 and 58 percent were women. Participants filled out demographic (人口统计的), lifestyle, health and physical questionnaires, according to a European Society of Cardiology news release. The study looked at the association between objectively measured sleep onset timing and cardiovascular disease using wrist-worn accelerometers, collecting a week’s worth of data.
Using Cox proportional hazards models, an age- and sex-controlled base analysis found that sleep on set time of 10 to 10:59 p.m. was associated with the lowest incidence of cardiovascular (心血管的) disease. Another model that controlled for sleep duration, sleep irregularity and established cardiovascular risk factors like smoking status and body mass index did not reduce the impact of the association.
There was a 25 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease with sleep onset at midnight or later, a 12 percent greater risk for 11 to 11:59 p.m. and a 24 percent raised risk for falling asleep before 10 p.m. compared to sleep onset from 10 to 10:59 p.m. More than 3,170 cases, or 3.6 percent, were reported during an average follow-up period of nearly six years. Sensitivity analyses revealed the association with increased risk of cardiovascular disease was stronger in women, with only sleep onset earlier than 10 p.m. significant for men.
“The body has a 24-hour internal clock, called circadian rhythm (昼夜节律), that helps regulate physical and mental functioning,” study author David Plans of the University of Exeter said in a statement. “While we cannot conclude causation from our study, the results suggest that early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health.”
1. How many participants are male in the study?| A．34,320. | B．51,040. | C．53,680. | D．36,960. |
| A．Sleeping regularly. | B．Sleeping at a proper time. |
| C．Adjusting the body clock. | D．Increasing sleep time. |
| A．9:00 p.m.. | B．10:30 p.m.. | C．11:00 p.m.. | D．12:00 p.m.. |
| A．By listing data. | B．By giving example. |
| C．By analyzing causes. | D．Ry describing a process. |
