【推荐1】What do you want to be when you grow up? My answer has always been a vet.

We didn’t have pets growing up because my mother was scared of animals. She transferred(转移) some of this fear to me. It’s not common you find someone who’s scared of animals but wants to be a vet. Still, I knew this is what I wanted.

Vet school was nothing like I had imagined. Within the first few weeks, any fears I had about being a vet vanished. In the fourth year, we were introduced to surgery. I loved it. Stitching(缝) wounds was like a satisfying game of Tetris(俄罗斯方块), where all the pieces fit beautifully together to make something broken whole again. It solidified(使坚固) my belief that this was the right fit for me.

These were the most challenging and rewarding two years of my life, and before I knew it, they were over. I was officially a veterinary surgeon(兽医). Surprisingly, I felt empty after I finished. Why wasn’t I excited to move on? I had completely forgotten to think about what comes next. I felt as if I had spent the last decade of my life writing exams and working crazy hours only to come out on the other side, completely clueless.

There were so many options to choose from. I could start a clinic, work at another practice or even pursue further studies. It was my father who suggested I travel to gain some perspective. I hesitantly decided to spend some time in New Zealand with my aunt who also happens to be a vet.

New Zealand was beautiful! I finally had a chance to think about what I wanted. One of the vets there allowed me to observe their practice. Working with vet nurses really stood out for me. We don’t have vet nurses in India! It is a blessing to have such experienced and dedicated individuals as a part of your support system. After a whole year of what felt like aimless wandering, this experience helped me decide I wanted to work overseas.

So, to all the other confused vets out there who haven't figured things out: It’s completely okay to feel confused! Most people feel the same way at some point in their careers. Don’t be afraid to try new things even if you feel difficult or impossible.

1. Why didn’t the author consider raising a pet of her own before?

A．Because she had been wounded by a pet.

B．Because she was not interested in animals.

C．Because her family couldn’t afford to buy her one.

D．Because her mother passed on her fear of animals to her.

2. What does the underlined word “vanished” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Erupted.

B．Disappeared

C．Increased.

D．Realized.

3. How did the author feel after she graduated as a real vet?

A．Lost.

B．Ashamed.

C．Confident.

D．Excited.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Different people have different dream jobs.

B．How the author became a vet with the help of her aunt.

C．By traveling abroad, people can broaden their knowledge circles.

D．People will find what they really want if they are brave enough to try.

【推荐2】GOING TO UNIVERSITY is supposed to be a mind-broadening experience. That statement is probably made in comparison to training for work straight after school, which might not be so encouraging. But is it actually true? Jessika Golle of the University of Tübingen, in Germany, thought she would try to find out. Her result, however, is not quite what might be expected. As she reports in Psychological Science this week, she found that those who have been to university do indeed seem to leave with broader and more inquiring minds than those who have spent their immediate post-school years in vocational (职业的) training for work. However, it was not the case that university broadened minds. Rather, work seemed to narrow them.

Dr. Golle came to this conclusion after she and a team of colleagues studied the early careers of 2,095 German youngsters. The team used two standardized tests to assess their volunteers. One was of personality traits, including openness, conscientiousness（认真）and so on. The other was of attitudes, such as realistic, investigative and enterprising. They administered both tests twice—once towards the end of each volunteer’s time at school, and then again six years later. Of the original group, 382 were on the intermediate track, from which there was a choice between the academic and vocational routes, and it was on these that the researchers focused. University beckoned for 212 of them. The remaining 170 chose vocational training and a job.

When it came to the second round of tests, Dr. Golle found that the personalities of those who had gone to university had not changed significantly. Those who had undergone vocational training and then got jobs were not that much changed in personality, either—except in one crucial respect. They had become more conscientious.

That sounds like a good thing, certainly compared with the common public image of undergraduates as a bunch of lazybones. But changes in attitude that the researchers recorded were rather worrying. In the university group, again, none were detectable. But those who had chosen the vocational route showed marked drops in interest in tasks that are investigative and enterprising in nature. And that might restrict their choice of careers.

Some investigative and enterprising jobs, such as scientific research, are, indeed beyond the degreeless. But many, particularly in Germany, with its tradition of vocational training, are not. The researchers mention, for example, computer programmers and finance-sector workers as careers requiring these traits. If Dr. Golle is correct, and changes in attitude brought about by the very training Germany prides itself on are narrowing people’s choices, that is indeed a matter worthy of serious consideration.

1. Which of the following can best replace “beckoned for” in Paragraph 2?

A．Examined.	B．Attracted.
C．Organized.	D．Recognized.

2. What can we learn from the research?

A．The degreeless have not changed in personalities.

B．Going to university is a mind-broadening experience.

C．Working straight after school narrows people’s minds.

D．College students pride themselves on their education.

3. According to the last two paragraphs,          .

A．college students enjoy a very good public image

B．the undergraduates have changed significantly in attitude

C．the degreeless are much better at dealing with challenging tasks

D．people show less interest in investigative jobs due to vocational training

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the finding?

A．Concerned.	B．Optimistic.
C．Unclear.	D．Sceptical.

【推荐3】People have been curious for centuries about a future without work. Some imagine that the coining work-free world will be defined by inequality: A few people will own all the wealth, and the masses will struggle in a wasteland. A different prediction holds that without jobs to give their lives meaning, people will simply become lazy and depressed. But it doesn’t necessarily follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with dissatisfaction. Such visions (想象) are based on the downsides of being unemployed in a society built on the downsides of employment. In the absence of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could provide strikingly different circumstances for the future of labor and leisure.

These days, spare time is relatively rare for most workers. “When I come home from a hard day’s work, I often feel tired,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different” — perhaps different enough to throw himself into a hobby with the enthusiasm usually reserved for professional matters.

Daniel Everett, an anthropologist (人类学家) at Bentley University, studied a group of hunter-gatherers in the Amazon called the Piraha (拉哈人) for years. According to Everett, while some might consider hunting and gathering work, hunter-gatherers don’t. “They think of it as fun,” he says. “They don’t have a concept of work the way we do.” Everett described a typical day for the Piraha: A man might get up, spend a few hours fishing, have a barbecue, and play until the evening.

Does this relaxing life lead to the depression and purposelessness seen among so many of today’s unemployed? “I’ve never seen anything like depression there, except people who are physically ill,” Everett says. While many may consider work a staple (主要部分) of human life, work as it exists today is a relatively new invention in the course of thousands of years of human culture. “We think it’s bad to just sit around with nothing to do,” says Everett. “For the Piraha, it’s quite a desirable state.”

1. What does the underlined word “downsides” in paragraph two probably mean?

A．Risks.

B．Reasons.

C．Challenges.

D．Disadvantages.

2. What might John Danaher agree with?

A．Work is the most important thing in life.

B．People don’t know how to balance work and life.

C．People may live a charmed life in the work-free future.

D．Higher unemployment makes life tougher for workers.

3. What can we infer from the text?

A．In a work-free world, inequality may no longer exist.

B．Unemployment is the main reason for people’s depression.

C．The Piraha in the Amazon take interest in hunting and gathering.

D．Only professional people can have a chance to lead a work-free life.

4. Why is Daniel Everett’s study mentioned?

A．To prove John Danaher’s opinion.	B．To show a future life without work.
C．To compare different opinions on work.	D．To introduce a special group in the Amazon.

【推荐1】Most funny stories are based on comic situations. In spite of national differences, certain funny situations have a universal attraction. No matter where you live, you would find it difficult not to laugh at, say Charlie Chaplin’s early films. However, a new type of humour, which starts largely from the US, has recently come into fashion. It is called “sick humour”.

Comedians base their jokes on tragic situations like violent deaths or serious accidents. The following “sick humour” will enable you to amuse yourself.

A man who had broken his right leg was taken to hospital a few weeks before Christmas From the moment he arrived there, he kept on bothering his doctor to tell him when he would be able to go home. He was afraid of having to spend Christmas in hospital. Though the doctor did his best, the patient’s recovery was slow. On Christmas Day, the man still had his right leg in plaster(石膏).

He spent a miserable day in bed thinking of all the fun he was missing. The following day, however, the doctor consoled him by telling him that his chances of being able to leave hospital in time for New Year celebrations were good. The man took heart and, sure enough, on New Year’s Eve he was able to hobble(蹒跚) along to a party. To make up for his unpleasant experiences in hospital, the man drank a little more than what was good for him. In the process, he enjoyed himself thoroughly and kept telling everybody how much he hated hospitals. He was still murmuring something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.

1. What can we infer from the passage?

A．No pains,no gains.

B．Extreme joy begets sorrow.

C．Once a thief,always a thief.

D．Good medicine tastes bitter.

2. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．A new kind of humour came into being.

B．How to cure your legs is important.

C．Christmas is more necessary than anything else.

D．Holding a party is interesting for the westerners.

3. Which of the following is RIGHT according to the passage?

A．All the humour stories are funny in spite of different nationalities.

B．One can realise the humour of the stories in his own country.

C．Charlie Chaplin made it difficult to laugh at his action.

D．Almost all the audience can be made to laugh at some famous comedians’ action.

4. What does the underlined word “consoled” mean?

A．Comforted.	B．Overcame.
C．Confused.	D．Disturbed.

【推荐2】The old camera Brownie picked up in a charity shop was a splendid find. But the undeveloped film still inside turned out to be even more of a treasure.

New owner Don Roccoforte had it developed and saw in it an attractive dark haired woman in her thirties with two young boys. He immediately determined to try to find out who they were.

A few weeks later the California-based camera collector received the news that left him stunned. The woman was his wife Jaqueline’s aunt in a picture taken around 50 years ago, and one of the boys, her cousin.

The couple have now unraveled (揭开) the astonishing coincidence, which leads back to Mrs. Roccoforte’s native Lancashire, where many of her family still live. The camera was bought from a shop in Preston, England by Brownie, a friend of Mr. Roccoforte, who knew of his interest in photography and thought it would be an unusual gift.

Back in California, the contents of his new possession inspired Mr. Roccoforte’s curiosity. Recognizing the water in the background of the photo as a lake in Lancashire, he sent a copy to the local paper in Preston to see if any readers could help.

Another relative recognized the group as Winnie Bamber, still living in the area at the age of 81, her son Tony, Mrs. Roccoforte’s cousin, and Tony’s childhood friend, Mick Murphy.

Yesterday Mrs. Bamber was still gasping (惊讶地吸气) at the turn of events which has reunited two strands (分支) of her family.

She said she remembered taking the boys to the lake and losing the camera. The two boys, both now 58, still live near Preston.

Mrs. Roccoforte’s father is Winnie Bamber’s brother, Billy Charnley. He and his wife moved to America in the 1960s. Their daughter met Mr. Roccoforte there and they married and moved to Preston for two years before returning to America.

1. Which of the following is the right order of what happened?
a. Don Roccoforte received a special present from his friend.
b. Another relative recognized Winnie Bamber and the two boys.
c. Winnie Bamber, together with two boys, went to take pictures at a lake.
d. Don Roccoforte sent a copy of the picture to a paper in Preston.
e. The film was developed.
f. The camera was lost.
g. Brownie bought an old camera in a shop.

A．c→f→b→a→d→g→e	B．b→c→a→f→d→e→g
C．c→f→g→a→e→d→b	D．a→c→b→f→e→g→d

2. The underlined word “stunned” is closest in meaning to_________.

A．disappointed

B．shocked

C．worried

D．satisfied

3. Lancashire is most likely to be located in________.

A．America

B．Russia

C．California

D．England

4. The best title for this passage would be________.

A．The Film that Waited 50 Years to Be Developed

B．An Unusual Reunion after about Half a Century

C．A Special Present to a Special Friend

D．An Old Camera and the Beautiful Pictures side

【推荐3】It all started this morning just before noon. Mrs. White was returning from the supermarket with her daughter and a friend, their neighbor. They stopped on the stairway of their building a their fifth-floor apartment. The neighbor opened her door first, and little Lily ran past her. She knew the apartment well, since she had visited it many times. The friend put down her keys and shopping bags, and turned back a moment to Mrs. White.

At that moment, there was a sudden gust of wind and the door to the apartment was closed. Lily was inside, alone.

Then the friend remembered that she had left her kitchen window open. She and Mrs. White rushed to Mrs. White's apartment and telephoned the police. But there was no time to get help in opening the neighboring apartment. They could see that Lily was already leaning out of the kitchen window. She had climbed onto a chair. and soon she was climbing out onto the window sill.

Mrs. White called to Lily to go back inside. But the little girl did not understand the danger and did not want to go back. She only waved to her mother.

Then she lost her balance and her feet slipped off the window sill. She managed to hold on for a while with her hands, but then she became weak and she began to be afraid. Her mother screamed for help, and now Lily was crying loudly.

And then she could hold on go longer Fortunately, several people had run out into the street on hearing all the screaming. They saw the child hanging onto the window sill and got ready to catch her. Down she fell five long stories and landed safe and sound in the arms of three strong men. They were Luis, Augusto, and Alfonso Nunes, father and sons, who live in the next building in her community. When they heard the screams, they rushed out of their home. “I never thought we’d do it” said Alfonso afterwards. “But I kept thinking, if we don’t catch her, she’ll die and I’ll feel sad and guilty all my life.”

1. Who saved Lily eventually?

A．Lily's parents.	B．The nearby policemen.
C．Mrs. White's friends.	D．Neighbors in her community.

2. What can we learn from the story?

A．Lily couldn't hold on the window sill because she was frightened and weak.

B．Lily was left alone in the apartment due to her father's mistake.

C．Lily was rescued before she was falling from the window sill.

D．Lily waved to her mother because her mother smiled at her.

3. From what Alfonso said, we can tell that he was ________.

A．intelligent

B．humorous

C．responsible

D．strong-willed

4. What's the title of the passage?

A．A Naughty Girl	B．An Amazing Rescue
C．A careless Mother	D．An Unexpected Danger