I was 6 years old when my father told me we were leaving the Big Apple Circus (马戏团). Until that point, I had spent most of my life on the circus lot, playing with the other circus kids. The circus, by its nature, is one that has a loose structure. So the early years after my leaving the circus to sit in a classroom all day felt more like a prison.
But years later, I found areas that interested me. I took the skills I had learned from being onstage and applied them to broadcasting. And so when Boston’s news station WBUR offered me a job out of college, I jumped at the chance. Along the way, I found I really enjoyed the work. I became WBUR’s news reporter. The flexibility and adaptability I’d learned in the circus as a child helped me do my job naturally and easily in a stressful situation — whether it was a destructive tornado outside Boston, or the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.
But then a serious infectious disease appeared. Suddenly, for the first time in my adult life, I went for a year without doing any shows. But it became clear to me that performing was what I truly wanted. For me, the circus symbolizes who I am. And stages have always been where I’ve felt the most free. Some people get nervous before they go onstage, but by assuming (扮演) the character of Jacques ze Whipper and drawing a stupid moustache on my face, all my social anxiety disappears.
Circus performances go beyond age, socioeconomic status (地位), and even language. It’s the type of performance where you can go anywhere in the world to entertain anyone — help anyone forget their troubles for 5, 10, and even 30 minutes. And most importantly, for me, it means coming home.
1. How did the author feel in the early years of school?| A．Curious. | B．Unfree. | C．Loose. | D．Impatient. |
| A．He did it for his father. | B．He did it against his will. |
| C．He risked his neck doing it. | D．He took to it like a duck to water. |
| A．A means of living. | B．A chance to go anywhere. |
| C．A part of his identity. | D．A way to forget his troubles. |
| A．To express his love for circus performances. |
| B．To stress the value of performing. |
| C．To share his personal experiences in a circus. |
| D．To discuss the problem of choosing a job. |
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【推荐1】By day, Robert Titterton is a lawyer. In his spare time though he goes on stage beside pianist Maria Raspopova — not as a musician but as her page turner. “I’m not a trained musician, but I’ve learnt to read music so I can help Maria in her performance.”
Mr Titterton is chairman of the Omega Ensemble but has been the group’s official page turner for the past four years. His job is to sit beside the pianist and turn the pages of the score so the musician doesn’t have to break the flow of sound by doing it themselves. He said he became just as nervous as those playing instruments on stage.
“A lot of skills are needed for the job. You have to make sure you don’t turn two pages at once and make sure you find the repeats in the music when you have to go back to the right spot.” Mr Titterton explained.
Being a page turner requires plenty of practice. Some pieces of music can go for 40 minutes and require up to 50 page turns, including back turns for repeat passages. Silent onstage communication is key, and each pianist has their own style of “nodding” to indicate a page turn which they need to practise with their page turner.
But like all performances, there are moments when things go wrong. “I was turning the page to get ready for the next page, but the draft wind from the turn caused the spare pages to fall off the stand,” Mr Titterton said, “Luckily I was able to catch them and put them back.”
Most page turners are piano students or up-and-coming concert pianists, although Ms Raspopova has once asked her husband to help her out on stage.
“My husband is the worst page turner,” she laughed. “He’s interested in the music, feeling every note, and I have to say: ‘Turn, turn!’ Robert is the best page turner I’ve had in my entire life.”
1. What should Titterton be able to do to be a page turner?| A．Read music. | B．Play the piano. |
| C．Sing songs. | D．Fix the instruments. |
| A．Boring. | B．Well-paid. |
| C．Demanding. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．Counting the pages. | B．Recognizing the “nodding”. |
| C．Catching falling objects. | D．Performing in his own style. |
| A．He has very poor eyesight. | B．He ignores the audience. |
| C．He has no interest in music. | D．He forgets to do his job. |
【推荐2】Movie Extras
“Would you mind lying in a coffin? Would you shave your head? Are you willing to take out your false teeth?”
These are just a few of the questions Anne Marie Stewart and her staff sometimes ask the “talent” who serve as non-speaking “extras” in special films, television series, and made-for-TV movies produced in Toronto.
Of course, the majority of extra calls are for more ordinary people, and Stewart has a list of about 650 registered extras. Crowd scenes, which are common, call for everyday people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and sizes.
Over at Movie People, last-minute requests are not unusual. “We got a request once for an entire brass band of 30 people. They wanted it within the hour,” said manager Yvonne McCartney. Another time, the company got a last-minute request for a newborn baby. “We found a baby that was three weeks premature,” said Jonathan Aiken, an owner of the company.
Then there was the worried call from a casting director whose “Star” got doggone stubborn one day and decided to just lie down and not work. The director needed a replacement dog, fast. “We got them two in one hour.” said Aiken. “It was a matter of good connections and fast phone work.” The eight phone lines needed to make 350 to 400 calls a day are one of Movie People’s major expenses.
Phone lines are the only way to stay in touch with casting directors and extras; but the latter are a group not necessarily interested in a long-term relationship. Most extra jobs pay only $7 an hour (with a six-hour minimum), while most agencies charge an annual $75 registration fee and get 10 to 15 per cent of extras’ earnings. It’s no wonder that the turnover rate is fairly high.
Some people who are between jobs do extra work as a temporary measure, said McCartney. But professionals, such as lawyers, also do the work because it’s interesting. Others with flexible jobs have a desire to do something different. Some homemakers want to get out of the house and onto a movie set. Money’s not the motivating reason.
“One of the first things I say to people who walk in and ask about being an extra is, ‘You have to be available,’” said a person at Karen Clifton Agency. Inc. “The next thing I say is, ‘You can't make a living at this.’”
1. What kind of people are movie extras?| A．TV series makers. |
| B．Casting directors. |
| C．Non-professional movie actors. |
| D．Agents for movie stars. |
| A．have special talents |
| B．have a flexible schedule |
| C．make good connections |
| D．make hundreds of phone calls daily |
| A．They want to make more money. |
| B．They want to start a career in acting. |
| C．They think their regular job is boring. |
| D．They think being on the stage is enjoyable. |
| A．business profit |
| B．the loss of staff |
| C．market demand |
| D．operation expenses |
【推荐3】A person once told me that a quick way to know if you are in the right job is to count the number of good and bad days that you have at your current job. If the good days outweigh the bad days by a long shot, then you are probably in the right place.
While I like that as a quick test, it does not get at the heart of the matter. Is this the right job for me now and in the future? I think it takes time, introspection (内省) and willingness to ask yourself difficult questions to know if you are in the right job.
Here are a few suggested questions that can help you evaluate whether your current job is fit for you. How motivated are you to do the work every day? Are you passionate about the work? Do you feel you can make an impact? Are you learning and growing? Is the work challenging? Do you desire to take on more responsibility or be your manager one day? Do you enjoy working with the people on your team and at your company? Are you in line with the values at the company?
After you go through this exercise of self-reflection, it can be helpful to check in with an advisor or someone that knows you well like a friend or family member. They can offer different perspectives or help remove a blind spot for you.
I have had a few notable experiences where someone has shared feedback that suggested I was not in the right job and should consider other options. It caused an overwhelming sense of loss at first because I was quite comfortable in my role (or at least I thought I was). However, it was several days before I realized it was the best feedback that I had ever gotten because it led me to the next opportunity that was even better than the current one. It turned out that when I was doing my self-reflection and answering the questions above, I was not being honest with myself. Had I only relied on my own thinking, I would have not obtained the opportunities that came next.
1. What question CAN’T help you assess whether you are enjoying the work itself and accomplishing something?| A．Are you passionate about the work? |
| B．Do you feel you can make an impact? |
| C．Are you in line with the values at the company? |
| D．How motivated are you to do the work every day? |
| A．they get to the point of the matter |
| B．they are resourceful with numerous experiences |
| C．they can encourage you to figure out the number of sunny days and rainy days |
| D．they can view things from different angles and remind you of things likely to be neglected |
| A．It’s wise to answer questions right away. |
| B．Prior to the shared feedback, the author received the best suggestion. |
| C．The author was satisfied initially when others suggested considering other choices. |
| D．Having considered others’ shared feedback, the author had a better opportunity. |
| A．Open-minded. | B．Stubborn. |
| C．Loyal. | D．Knowledgeable. |
【推荐1】 “Did you forget your name?” someone asked me at a networking event a few years ago after it took me almost a minute to say it. “No, I stutter (口吃),” I politely replied. This is what I have to face every day. So I wasn’t upset.
I’ve stuttered since I was three years old. In my case, stuttering usually shows itself in terms of repetitions: “My name is S-S-S-S-Samuel.” Instead of being unhappy about the experience at the networking event, I felt proud that I’d brought up my stuttering. But I wasn’t always so forthcoming about it. When I was growing up, I hardly spoke. Whether it was at school or at work, I avoided most social situations out of embarrassment and fear of being laughed at.
But things became different after I attended the National Stuttering Association meeting, the largest gathering of stutterers worldwide. It was the first time I’d met so many other professionals who stutter—lawyers, doctors, actors, etc.—all in one place. To my surprise, everyone spoke without fear or embarrassment. In fact, they were proud. Stuttering was celebrated. That was when I first realized that stuttering isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s just something I happen to do, and that’s okay.
The change didn’t happen overnight, but over the last eight years, I’ve started to bring up my stuttering more. I’ve talked to friends and co-workers. I’ve mentioned it in every organization I’ve worked for. And when I talk about it with others, it encourages them to open up, too. My stuttering has allowed me to connect with others and develop stronger ties with them.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s still frustrating when I know exactly what I want to say but I just can’t seem to get the words out of my mouth. But today I don’t let my stuttering hold me back. Instead, I let it push me forward and help me make progress.
1. By saying “I wasn’t always so forthcoming about it”, the author means ________.| A．he was once an outgoing person |
| B．he regretted talking about his stuttering |
| C．he used to avoid opening up about his stuttering |
| D．he was unwilling to receive comments on his speech |
| A．He began to make friends with stutterers. |
| B．He learned some skills at stopping stuttering there. |
| C．It made him focus his attention on good comments. |
| D．The confident stutterers changed his attitude to stuttering. |
| A．He has improved his work performance. |
| B．He became popular among his co-workers. |
| C．He learned to express himself with simple words. |
| D．He was able to build a close relationship with others. |
| A．The power of accepting my stutter | B．The challenge from normal people |
| C．Special ways to live with stuttering | D．My experience of overcoming stuttering |
【推荐2】In eighteen seventy-seven, the American government decided to move the Nez Perce Indians. A native of Florida, U.S., Hannah Herbst,17, uses water power to deal with energy poverty. Herbst has risen to fame with the development of BEACON, an ocean energy probe that seeks to offer a stable power source to developing countries by using untapped energy from ocean currents.
She tells Teen Vogue, "I was really involved in theater and athletics and I'm still really into those things. When I was in the seventh grade, I was put into a summer camp. The minute I got there I realized that I was the only girl in the program. I wanted to quit at that moment. But my dad told me, ‘Just try it.’ I tried it for that day and it changed my life."
"At the camp, we started building the robots, which is something I had never done before but many of the boys had, and I realized it was a platform for problem-solving. We were solving simple tasks like how to push a robot off a platform. Learning from my partners as well as online articles about how to program and build was really interesting to me," said Herbst.
Later that year, she received a letter from her pen pal, Ruth, who lives in Ethiopia, and learned that she was living in energy poverty with minimal access to electricity and medical supplies. "I knew that I wanted to do something to help, so I created BEACON," she said.
The device is made from 90% recycled materials easily found throughout the world, including 2-liter bottles and recycled spoons. It costs $12 to make and can produce enough electricity to power an LED light. Hannah imagines BEACON being used in developing countries to power pumps for fresh water and she is working on polishing it to get it available to people all over the world.
1. What advice does Herbst most likely give to teens by her camp experience?| A．Giving something a go. | B．Developing various interests. |
| C．Quitting to gain more. | D．Avoiding unfavorable conditions. |
| A．Athletic. | B．Literature. | C．Theater. | D．Engineering. |
| A．Energetic and kind. | B．Careful and adventurous. |
| C．Helpful and creative. | D．Accessible and modest. |
| A．It's made without any cost. | B．Its materials are accessible. |
| C．It has been put on the market. | D．It is a powerful LED light. |
【推荐3】The star here is 70-year-old Chen Jifang, who used to be a saleswoman in a local food company before retirement, with 3 million likes on her Douyin videos.
“The main group that I wanted to encourage was people aged 30 to 50," says Chen, “They will be motivated to work out in the gym after seeing that a granny like me can. The message I want to convey is that it is never too late to pursue good health. In the past, whenever I felt uncomfortable, I would lie at home for an entire day.”
Chen had been in a poor physical condition since she was a child. She even had to give up her job after giving birth to her daughter because her health was severely affected by the pregnancy. Her husband shows his approval by doing most of the household chores.
An overweight Chen started with light jogging, but a fitness coach later advised her to rehabilitate her knee before running. Because of this, Chen entered a gym for the first time on Dec 29,2018.
“Everyone in the gym was young. They were giving me weird looks," recalls Chen, who made it a point to walk 3. 5 kilometers to the gym every day.
Her daily training started at 8 am with 50 pushups, mountain-climbing workouts, running and weightlifting. After a short break at 9 am, Chen continued working put until 3 pm. She hit the gym every day in 2019. For Chen, her passion for exercising was born out of a need instead of desire to become famous.
When her health and fitness improved, Chen embarked on high-intensity training sessions and dealt with the more challenging workouts like kettlebell swings, battle ropes and deadlifts. Three months later, she lost a whopping 28 kilograms. Her body mass index also returned to normal.
1. Which words best describe Chen Jifang?| A．Elegant and resistant | B．Ambitious and tough |
| C．Independent and considerate | D．Passionate and dutiful |
| A．survive | B．restore |
| C．revive | D．protect |
| A．Chen was poor when she was young. |
| B．Chen, as a saleswoman, gained 3 million fans. |
| C．Chen's decision largely comes from her husband. |
| D．Chen managed to sustain her workouts for about 6 hours per day. |
| A．A granny can lift | B．An idle youth, a needy age |
| C．A fall in a pit, a gain in your wit | D．Good health is the best wealth |
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A 、B、 C 和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
While traveling abroad, Mr. Jackson Frank ran short of money. So he wrote to his brother, asking for $500. “Send the money by telegram,” he wrote, “to the Fisher Bank in P...
After a week he began calling at the Fisher Bank. He showed his passport. “Nothing has come for you,” he was told. This went on for two weeks and Mr. Frank got very worried. He sent a telegram to his brother, but there was no reply. In the fourth week Mr. Frank was arrested for failing to pay his hotel bill. His passport was taken from him. He tried to explain the problem, but no one believed him. He was sent to prison for six days.
When he came out, he went immediately to the Fisher bank. The clerk he spoke to was a new man. “Have you received $500 for me?” he ask, “My name is Jackson Frank.” The clerk checked his books. “Yes, Jackson, it’s here. It came by telegram.—let me see—oh, more than two months ago. We wondered where you were.” He showed Mr. Frank the order. The order read:“Pay Mr. Frank Jackson the sum of $500...” “ But my name is Jackson Frank, not Frank Jackson.” “Oh, that’s all right, sir. It was in our books under the letter ‘J’, but it’s your money.” The clerk laughed, “A human mistake, sir! We’re all human beings, so we all make mistakes. A family name like Frank sounds strange to me.” Mr. Frank was silent. He really wanted to hit somebody. At last he said, “A human mistake—I think some humans need kicking.”
1. Jackson didn’t just go to his brother and get some money because ____.| A．he was afraid to see his brother |
| B．he was in prison and was not allowed to go anywhere |
| C．he was traveling in a foreign country and was far from his brother |
| D．he knew that his brother had no money |
| A．his brother hadn’t sent him any money and he couldn’t pay his hotel bill |
| B．he had spent almost all his money and couldn’t pay his hotel bill |
| C．he had lost all his money and couldn’t pay his hotel bill |
| D．his brother hadn’t sent him as much money as he asked for and he couldn’t pay his hotel bill |
| A．The money did not reach the Fisher Bank. | B．The money reached the wrong bank. |
| C．The money reached the bank after he was arrested. | D．The money reached the bank before he was arrested. |
| A．through carelessness | B．because they were human beings |
| C．because he had a strange name | D．by pronouncing his name incorrectly |
【推荐2】A young British sailor was missing at sea yesterday in similar circumstances (情况) to the way his father died five years ago.
The dinghy (救生橡皮船), used to take Richard Smith, 21, to his yacht (快艇), was discovered empty, floating in seas off the Caribbean island. An air and sea search was carried out but he has still not been discovered.
Richard’s mother, Bicknell, said from her home in Hampshire, “It’s so much coincidence. Richard always carried a photograph of his father attached to a poem, which included the date of his disappearance.”
Now, it’s very strange because all they have found is Richard’s dinghy. We need to know this time what has happened one way or another. If you know at least you can go through the grieving process.
In November 1996, Mr Smith’s father, Charlie, was sailing in the Tasmen sea between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmen with his new wife. They lost radio contact with the shore and they, together with their yacht were never seen again, and their disappearance remains a mystery.
Richard is described as a talented and experienced sailor who has crewed for the champion ocean racer. He had sailed to the Caribbean in November to crew ocean racing yachts for entertainment. He ended the evening drinking in the Abracbabra bar but left after local police closed it for being too noisy.
About 2 am the following day Richard headed back for his dinghy. He started its outboard motor before giving an elderly woman a lift to her yacht after her dinghy had gone missing. It was the last time he was seen.
1. Richard Smith was ________ in 2000.| A．ten | B．fifteen |
| C．twenty | D．eighteen |
| A．ship only | B．ship and radio |
| C．ship and plane | D．yacht and car |
| A．Because he was a green hand in sailing. |
| B．Because some unknown animal attacked him. |
| C．Because there was a maze in the area he was sailing. |
| D．It still remained a mystery. |
| A．A story about two heroes. |
| B．A piece of news about a merchant ship. |
| C．A coincidence. |
| D．The dying process of Richard. |
【推荐3】Rain beats against the window, matching my mood. I should have known that my new job at the hospital was too good to be true. Throughout the day, rumors warned that the newest employees from each department would be laid off. I was the newest one in the training department.
My boss appeared. “You probably know we were cutting back on staff,” he said. “Administration wants us to offer outplacement classes to help those employees find other jobs, showing them how to act in an interview, for example.” “Fine,” I answered unwillingly, not knowing what else to say.
I decided to go home early that day. In the hall, I met the lady who brought us cookies very Friday. She was a little woman with gray hair. Only her head and the top of her green apron were visible over the cart (小车) loaded with cleaning supplies. At least she had a job!
At the final meeting, laid-off workers formed a line at the door. A colleague whispered, “I can’t believe our Cookie Lady is being laid off. We’ll miss her as much as we’ll miss her cookies.” When the colleague spoke to her in Spanish, I knew my classes would be useless for her.
I decided to do something for her. I wrote to a newspaper expressing how I felt about the unselfishness of the Cookie Lady who needed a job. A few days later, my article appeared in the newspaper and the Cookie Lady was allowed to stay in her position. On the same day, I received a letter, which seemed so unlikely that I read it twice. “An editor of a local magazine likes your piece and wants you to call her next time you are looking for work...”
1. How did the author feel on that rainy day?| A．Nervous. | B．Calm. | C．Bored. | D．Ambitious. |
| A．Take care of patients. | B．Leave earlier that day. |
| C．Resign from the hospital. | D．Help the laid-off workers. |
| A．She introduced her a high-paid job. | B．She taught her some skills on cookies. |
| C．She advertised her story in a newspaper. | D．She taught her how to pass an interview. |
| A．Love is not to be found in the market. | B．Good deeds have their rewards. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | D．Little people can make a big difference. |
