1 . In an increasingly globalized business world, companies demand Human Resources (HR) leaders who can overcome cultural barriers to achieve key goals. This year, students in the Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations (MHRIR) Program will get hands-on experience leading multicultural teams as they work together with peers (同辈) from all corners of the globe.
“Our students get firsthand experience on global teams, which helps them understand the challenges and the opportunities they will face in the business world,” said MHRIR Program Director Stacy Hove.
Elishka Correa joined the program to explore how HR leaders can help businesses grow quickly in the global marketplace. “Companies appreciate diversity — not only in terms of products and markets, but the people they hire — so that they can expand their business and reach customers in different parts of the world,” she said. “When I go into an organization, I’m not only going to work with Indians or Americans, it’s going to be a mix of people. That trend is beginning to grow, so I think it’s very important to appreciate people from different backgrounds.”
As they progress through the program, the students are discovering unexpected challenges as they work on projects in diverse teams. Each contributor brings a different approach to solving problems, communicating, and challenging one another’s opinions.
Devin Roll, a student from North Dakota, appreciating the unique views his classmates share, said, “The benefits of having cross-cultural experiences go far beyond the classroom. Diverse teams and companies outperform their competitors, and HR leaders act as a vital partner in acquiring and maintaining diversity in the workforce.”
Many of the international students in the program said they would return to their home countries after graduation and bring along connections to their classmates, who would build careers (职业) in countries around the world. They hope to stay in touch, and share their expert knowledge.
1. What is the aim of the program?| A．To help students to set clear goals. |
| B．To provide jobs for foreign students. |
| C．To teach students to run their own business. |
| D．To train students to build multicultural teams. |
| A．It prevents social advance. | B．It makes it easy to hire people. |
| C．It can help business growth. | D．It can put an end to the conflict. |
| A．It is predictable. | B．It is short-lived. | C．It is unidentifiable. | D．It is far-reaching. |
| A．Work for the university. | B．Keep closely connected. |
| C．Stay in their home countries. | D．Reform teaching methods. |
2 . It’s not great when a person breathes in all the oxygen out of a room. When a battery does it to a tumor (肿瘤), though, it could be a good thing.
Scientists have developed a new type of battery that can be implanted (植入) directly into tumors to deliver a steady stream of electricity. The battery is made from salt water and can be recharged by the body’s own heat. It works by splitting (使分离) salt water into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The hydrogen gas is then used to generate electricity, which can be used to kill cancer cells. The oxygen gas is released harmlessly into the body.
The new battery has several advantages over traditional cancer treatment. First, it is more targeted, meaning that it can deliver the electricity directly to the tumor cells, while sparing healthy cells. This can reduce the side effects of treatment. Second, the battery is self-charging, which means that it does not require surgery to remove or replace. This can make treatment more convenient and less expensive for patients. Third, the battery is small and lightweight, and it can be implanted directly into tumors. This means that patients will not have to need surgery to remove the battery, which can reduce the risk of complications.
The battery has been tested in animal studies, and it has been shown to be effective in killing cancer cells. The scientists who developed the battery are now planning to begin clinical trials in humans. They are thinking about how the battery might have to be made more flexible and more powerful to work on human-sized tumors. If the trials are successful, the battery could become a new standard of cancer treatment. It is a more targeted, convenient, and affordable way to deliver electricity to tumors. This could lead to more effective ways to treat cancer in humans.
1. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the new battery?| A．Its benefits. | B．Its side effects. | C．Its weight. | D．Its working process. |
| A．Test the treatment in humans. | B．Reduce the cost of surgery. |
| C．Implant the battery into animals. | D．Make the battery affordable. |
| A．Negative. | B．Uncaring. | C．Optimistic. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Business. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Sports. |
3 . Lena Mars and her parents had taken a trip to Costa Rica. While enjoying one of the country’s many beautiful beaches, the girl’s parents gave her a snack. But it turned out that she wasn’t the only one who was hungry: A wild iguana (鬣蜥) appeared unexpectedly as the girl at e her cake by the water. The iguana ran up to the girl and bit her on the back of her left middle finger, causing her to drop the cake. The animal then ran off with the snack, but it did leave something else behind.
The Mars immediately took the girl to a local clinic, where a doctor disinfected the wound with alcohol and gave her some antibiotics (抗生素). The wound appeared to have cleared up in about two weeks. It was five months later, when Lena’s parents noticed a coin-sized bump (肿块) on her hand in the same spot causing mild pain, that they thought they should take her to another doctor.
The doctor removed the 2-centimeter mass and took a closer look at the growth in the lab and discovered that the child had a rare infection that more commonly causes a tuberculosis-like illness in fish. It’s ubiquitous in fresh and salt water but rarely infects humans. Typically, when humans are infected, it’s after a wound has been exposed to the bacteria in water.
Most antibiotics alone don’t work on these kinds of infections, so the doctor gave the girl a different medical treatment often used for skin infections. She responded well to the treatment.
“Generally, iguanas will go about their day. But like any wildlife, if they start associating people with food, they’re going to risk coming closer.” said Anna Meyer, operations manager at a zoo in Florida. “The lesson here is that no one should feed wildlife, because they will most likely give you a bite.”
1. What can we learn about Lena Mars?| A．She tried to feed an animal. | B．She was bitten by an iguana. |
| C．She left the cake on the beach. | D．She found a rare wild animal. |
| A．The antibiotics were harmful. | B．They distrusted the first doctor. |
| C．Her wound became infected. | D．She took the medicine wrongly. |
| A．Common. | B．Dangerous. | C．Lively. | D．Useful. |
| A．It is good for wildlife. | B．It puts animals in danger. |
| C．It is a risky behavior. | D．It gets us close to nature. |
4 . Every Saturday night, all through that lazy spring, I used to take a rose to Miss Caroline Wellford. Every Saturday night, rain or shine, at exactly eight o’clock.
Miss Caroline was abandoned by her future husband Jeffrey Pinniman, who married Christine Marlowe, a younger and prettier girl. It almost became a scandal (丑闻) in our town. Miss Caroline could hear unkind things about her everywhere she went. For six months she had shut herself up in her house and seemed determined to turn herself into an odd old maid. She looked like a ghost that night when I delivered the first rose. “Hello, Jimmy,” she said listlessly (无精打采地). When I handed her the box, she looked shocked — “For me?”
Again the next Saturday, at exactly the same time, I found myself delivering another rose to Miss Caroline. The third time she opened the door so quickly that I knew she must have been waiting. There was a little color in her cheeks and her hair no longer looked so straggly (散乱地).
The morning after my fourth trip to her house, Miss Caroline played the organ again in church. She held her head high with the rose pinned to her blouse. Week after week I delivered the rose, and gradually Miss Caroline returned her normal life.
When I made my final trip to Miss Caroline’s house, I said, as I handed her the box, “This is the last time I’ll bring this, Miss Caroline.” She hesitated and invited me to come in and handed me a model of a sailing ship, exquisitely (精巧地) carved. She said. “I’d like you to have it. You’ve brought me great happiness, Jimmy — you and your roses.”
Fleeing back to the shop, I looked in the file where Mr. Olsen kept his untidy records, and I found what I was looking for. “Pinniman,” it said.
The years went by, and one day I came again to Olsen’s flower shop. My old boss and I talked a while. Out of curiosity, I asked, “D’you suppose that Mrs. Pinniman ever knew her husband was sending flowers to his old flame?” “Jeffrey Pinniman never even knew about it.” Mr. Olsen smiled, “It is a lady who said she wasn’t going to sit around watching Miss Caroline make a martyr (长期受折磨者) of herself at her expense.”
1. Who is the person that sent the rose?| A．Miss Caroline. | B．Mrs. Pinniman. | C．Mr. Olsen. | D．Jeffery Pinniman. |
| A．Deserted by her husband, Caroline lived in a mess. |
| B．People in the town all show great sympathy for Miss Caroline. |
| C．Jimmy had thought Jeffery Pinniman sent roses to Miss Caroline. |
| D．Christine put an end to the marriage of Miss Caroline and Jeffery Pinniman. |
| A．Kind and considerate. | B．Awful and selfish. |
| C．Active and helpful. | D．Thoughtful and patient. |
| A．A poor woman. | B．A special Saturday night. |
| C．A rose from a stranger. | D．A rose for Miss Caroline. |
5 . Underwater travel is difficult and dangerous, but many people have to stay deep under the ocean. Thus, humans have come up with a few designs of vehicles to move around under the ocean. But what if there was a better way to travel?
Hilary Bart-Smith, an engineer at the University of Virginia, thinks a vehicle that travels like a manta ray (魔鬼鱼) would be able to operate for long periods at sea. Manta rays which can grow up to 29 feet long are among the most efficient swimmers in the ocean. Different from animals and people pushing against water, manta rays swim by moving through the water with wing-like movements of their fins (鳍). Efficiency means using less energy to move farther.
Bart-Smith and other engineers at the University of Virginia had to find out what manta rays looked like on the inside to better understand how they move. They took X-rays to find out how a manta ray’s fins are built. They found that a web of cartilage (软骨) stretches across each fin.
Once the engineers knew how a manta ray’s fin was constructed, they could build one of their own. They made a long row of metal struts with many hinges to imitate the manta ray’s web of cartilage. The engineers put their design inside a flexible cover, shaped like a manta ray’s fin. Then they tested it in the university swimming pool. They were happy to see that it swam just like a manta ray in the ocean.
Engineers and scientists are still learning and experimenting with how to imitate these amazing animals. For now, engineers study their movements and learn from the most efficient swimmers in the ocean. Perhaps someday engineers will be able to build manta ray robots that are big enough to transport people.
1. How do man ta rays swim?| A．By moving like birds. | B．By swimming like humans. |
| C．By swimming like other fishes. | D．By pushing against water like animals. |
| A．Manta rays look like travel vehicles. |
| B．Manta rays are the fastest swimmers. |
| C．Manta rays can grow at least 29 feet long. |
| D．Manta rays’ fins consist of a web of cartilage. |
| A．To learn about their habits. | B．To control manta ray robots. |
| C．To protect marine creatures. | D．To design undersea vehicles. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
6 . Making a difference in someone’s life is a rewarding experience. During my time in college, I landed my first real
After a year of working every weekend, I decided to leave and
The sincere
| A．job | B．dream | C．goal | D．chance |
| A．managers | B．employees | C．passengers | D．customers |
| A．judged | B．ordered | C．admired | D．promoted |
| A．end up | B．strike up | C．turn up | D．make up |
| A．presented | B．rejected | C．received | D．ignored |
| A．satisfying | B．surprising | C．challenging | D．encouraging |
| A．hiding | B．making | C．breaking | D．accepting |
| A．amused | B．shocked | C．disappointed | D．guilty |
| A．delighted | B．bitter | C．calm | D．sad |
| A．importance | B．hope | C．future | D．mistake |
| A．Meanwhile | B．However | C．Moreover | D．Therefore |
| A．talent | B．kindness | C．courage | D．creativity |
| A．confusion | B．trouble | C．pleasure | D．fortune |
| A．appreciation | B．devotion | C．education | D．inspiration |
| A．admit | B．bear | C．expect | D．witness |
7 . ChatGPT is an amazing artificial intelligence tool that has recently been released, along with other mind-blowing generative AI tools like Midjourney and DALL-E. These tools have the potential to revolutionize the way we create digital content, making it faster and cheaper.
However, there is a downside to these AI tools that cannot be ignored. What happens when they start replacing copywriters, journalists, customer service agents, and digital marketers? For years, experts have been warning that AI could threaten white-collar jobs, which were once considered safe from automation. Some even predict that up to 47 percent of jobs in the US could be at risk.
While no one can say for sure whether generative AI will cause mass job loss among highly educated workers, it is clear that it has the potential to disrupt the employment landscape. Tasks that were once considered impossible to automate are now becoming automatable. Whether or not jobs are removed, the essence of these jobs is likely to change.
Companies will always choose machines over humans when they can, and AI has the ability to perform tasks currently done by copywriters, digital content producers, and other professionals. This means that these jobs may soon undergo significant changes. However, it is important to note that AI cannot replace certain aspects of these jobs. It cannot conduct interviews, find historical documents, or assess the quality of studies. It lacks authority, understanding, and the ability to correct itself or generate genuinely new ideas.
This implies that while AI may create a vast amount of simpler content, it could also make original journalism more valuable and investigative journalists more productive. AI may be able to generate listicles and summaries of public meetings, but it is humans who will write in-depth stories. Experts believe that AI will ultimately help people use their expertise more effectively, and allow them to focus on areas where human intelligence is crucial.
While there is a risk that AI technologies could lead to sudden changes in the labor market, it is important to recognize the benefits of having such technology.
1. What’s the potential impact of generative AI tools on the employment market?| A．They may offer jobs faster and cheaper. |
| B．They may make the nature of certain jobs different. |
| C．They may cause mass job loss for white collars. |
| D．They may revolutionize the way digital content is created. |
| A．By making positions more valuable. |
| B．By making their jobs more irreplaceable. |
| C．By removing the need for human expertise. |
| D．By enabling them to specialize in some key fields. |
| A．AI has few benefits for employment. |
| B．AI is bound to take the place of mankind in the future. |
| C．AI can’t be completely independent of human wisdom. |
| D．AI can’t create genuinely new ideas or simpler content. |
| A．They should be further perfected. |
| B．They should be accepted despite their risks. |
| C．They should be avoided to protect white-collar jobs. |
| D．They should be controlled to prevent mass job loss. |
8 . Joey Hudicka began his business journey by creating a strategy game called Puckz when he was just 10 years old, by combining two of his favorite interests — strategy games like checkers, and sports like ice hockey. Seeing the amazing experiences unfold for her big brother, Heidi Hudicka set out to create her own first business, a fashion clothing line for her 18 dolls.
But one day, Joey and Heidi met after school and experienced a real breakthrough. “I was telling Joey I was asking friends if they would like me to outsource (外包) the sewing of my designs to them, since it is not really my favorite part of that business, but none of my friends understood what I meant by outsourcing,” recalls Heidi.
“When Heidi told me what happened after school that day I was like, ‘Yeah! I have the same problem.’ Most kids just don’t understand when we talk about our business, or even why it is important to understand how businesses work,” says Joey. “And that’s when we decided to do something about it, to create a fun and engaging way to teach more kids about the power of their creativity through innovation and business.”
Joey and Heidi, along with their parents, founded Fizzee Labs, and began creating engaging learning resources such as Outta This World, a board game that activates your imagination by applying it to invent amazing new products or experiences, in a fast-paced, competitive format.
“Outta This World is a journey through the depths of outer space. You have brought very limited supplies with you on your mission, and you must creatively repurpose these supplies, transforming them into brand-new products or experiences that can be sold to the different civilizations you will meet along your journey, raising the funds you need to reach your destination!” describes Joey.
1. What motivated Heidi to start her first business?| A．Her brother’s previous success. | B．Her eagerness for fortune. |
| C．Her passion for strategy games. | D．Her parents’ suggestion and support. |
| A．To understand how businesses work. |
| B．To create a board game about outer space. |
| C．To outsource the sewing of their clothing line. |
| D．To teach kids about the power of creativity and business. |
| A．Addressing the business problems. |
| B．Raising funds for a space mission. |
| C．Developing interesting learning resources. |
| D．Encouraging imagination and inventiveness. |
| A．Two Great Teenagers Making History |
| B．A Strategy Board Game Popular with Teenagers |
| C．A Breakthrough in Teaching Kids about Business |
| D．An Innovative Way of Being Successful in Business |
9 . Joey Hudicka began his business journey by creating a strategy game called Puckz when he was just 10 years old, by combining two of his favorite interests — strategy games like checkers, and sports like ice hockey. Seeing the amazing experiences unfold for her big brother, Heidi Hudicka set out to create her own first business, a fashion clothing line for her 18 dolls.
But one day, Joey and Heidi met after school and experienced a real breakthrough. “I was telling Joey I was asking friends if they would like me to outsource (外包) the sewing of my designs to them, since it is not really my favorite part of that business, but none of my friends understood what I meant by outsourcing,” recalls Heidi.
“When Heidi told me what happened after school that day I was like, ‘Yeah! I have the same problem.’ Most kids just don’t understand when we talk about our business, or even why it is important to understand how businesses work,” says Joey. “And that’s when we decided to do something about it, to create a fun and engaging way to teach more kids about the power of their creativity through innovation and business.”
Joey and Heidi, along with their parents, founded Fizzee Labs, and began creating engaging learning resources such as Outta This World, a board game that activates your imagination by applying it to invent amazing new products or experiences, in a fast-paced, competitive format.
“Outta This World is a journey through the depths of outer space. You have brought very limited supplies with you on your mission, and you must creatively repurpose these supplies, transforming them into brand-new products or experiences that can be sold to the different civilizations you will meet along your journey, raising the funds you need to reach your destination!” describes Joey.
1. What motivated Heidi to start her first business?| A．Her brother’s previous success. | B．Her eagerness for fortune. |
| C．Her passion for strategy games. | D．Her parents’ suggestion and support. |
| A．To understand how businesses work. |
| B．To create a board game about outer space. |
| C．To outsource the sewing of their clothing line. |
| D．To teach kids about the power of creativity and business. |
| A．Addressing the business problems. |
| B．Raising funds for a space mission. |
| C．Developing interesting learning resources. |
| D．Encouraging imagination and inventiveness. |
| A．Two Great Teenagers Making History |
| B．A Strategy Board Game Popular with Teenagers |
| C．A Breakthrough in Teaching Kids about Business |
| D．An Innovative Way of Being Successful in Business |
10 . Stories have long been employed to instill (灌输) moral and cultural values in young children, but there is little research exploring the effectiveness of such stories.
“As parents, we want to know how effective the stories actually are in promoting honesty.” say lead author Kang Lee of the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study at the University of Toronto and co-author Victoria Talwar of McGill University. “Is it ‘in one ear, out the other,’ or do children listen and take the messages to heart?”
To find out, Lee and Talwar conducted an experiment with 268 children aged 3 to 7. Each child played a game that required guessing the identity of a toy based on the sound it made. In the middle of the game, the experimenter left the room for a minute, instructing the child not to glance at a toy left on the table. For most children, this temptation (诱惑) was too hard to resist. When the experimenter returned, she read the child a story, either The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Pinocchio, or George Washington and the Cherry Tree. Afterward, the experimenter asked the child to tell the truth about whether he or she glanced at the toy.
Contrary to the experimenters’ expectations, Pinocchio and The Boy Who Cried Wolf , which associate lying with negative consequences, were no more effective at promoting honest behavior than a fable unrelated to honesty, in this case The Tortoise and the Hare. Only the made-up tale about young George Washington seemed to inspire the kids to admit glancing: Children who heard the tale in which the future first president was complimented because of admitting his mistake and rewarded a candy were three times more likely to tell the truth than their fellows who heard other stories.
“Our study shows that to promote moral behavior such as honesty, emphasizing the positive outcomes of honesty rather than the negative consequences of dishonesty is the key,” note they. “This may apply to other moral behaviors as well.”
They also warn that more research is necessary to determine whether moral stories influence kids’ behavior in the long term. Still, they have been quick to take advantage of the findings. Talwar reports a shift in her own parenting practices: “It really seems to work. I use this now with my child.”
1. What is the aim of the experiment mentioned in the text?| A．To find out which story is instructive at school. |
| B．To make sure if the children can resist the temptation. |
| C．To see the effectiveness of stories in promoting honesty. |
| D．To ensure the precision in guessing the identity of the toy. |
| A．Criticized. | B．Praised. | C．Ignored. | D．Respected. |
| A．She will apply the finding to her child. |
| B．Her child shows a strong interest in the story. |
| C．Her parents have changed their way of education. |
| D．She perceives the positive influence on her child. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Contradictory. | C．Sympathetic. | D．Objective. |
