1 . Things changed for Ben Southall when the Australian state of Queensland advertised a job for someone to look after Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef. They knew it sounded like the best job in the world, but they were surprised when over 35, 000 people applied for the job. Then they had to make a difficult decision—which person to choose from so many candidates? After a lot of testing and interviewing, they announced 34-year-old Ben Southall from England as the winner. Ben now works for the Queensland Tourist Board and his job is to look after the island and to promote tourism there. Because of the unique nature of the job, the Tourist Board wanted a unique person, with a range of skills and qualities. It was a long interview process, involving a variety of tasks to find out about each candidate.

Fitness was very important; swimming ability was particularly essential. Ben can swim very well and he also likes running, climbing, diving and mountain biking. It is clear that, physically, he can do almost anything. The ability to communicate was as important as fitness. For the last part of interview process, the final sixteen candidates did various tests and tasks, including talking to TV and radio reporters. The competition was tough and the candidates needed to show what they could do. The interviewers were interested in how the candidates performed in the tasks, how they handled the press attention and their ability to write about their adventures in a daily log. The candidates did their best to impress the interviewers and they knew they couldn't make any mistakes at this final stage.

Before he went, Ben was confident about his abilities to handle the challenge. He couldn’t do everything they asked him in the interview, as he can’t speak any other language but he felt that his other skills and his personality were impressive. He made a huge effort during the interview process and he was able to convince the interviewers that he was the best person for the job. Even so, he says he was amazed when he got the job; he couldn’t believe it! He hopes to do a good job and promote the island successfully: he has to get to know every part of the island and tell the world about it in numerous media interviews. When you read Ben's blogs from his interview tasks, it is easy to see why they chose him. He is funny and easy-going and he will certainly get the attention of any potential tourist to this beautiful place.

1. According to the passage, Ben’s job includes the following EXCEPT ________.

A．drawing travellers' attention to the island.	B．going to Hamilton Island once a day.
C．being interviewed in different media.	D．knowing Hamilton Island very well.

2. During the interview process, the candidates were asked to ________.

A．go through a fitness training.	B．take part in various TV shows.
C．write about their own interviewers.	D．communicate with the press.

3. Why was Ben chosen for the job?

A．He used to be a swimming champion.	B．He kept his personal blog very well.
C．He is easy to get along with.	D．He can speak several foreign languages.

4. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Hamilton Island gets well protected.	B．The funniest job in the world.
C．Ben gets dream job.	D．Tourism in Australia.

2 . When I was a kid, my sister and I would fight all the time over nearly everything. But as we grew older, our bond strengthened by sharing secrets, offering advice and trading clothes. Having a sister by my side while growing up taught me many lessons about the unique bond.

And now, thanks to an 8-year long study that’s making the rounds on the Internet again, science is confirming what I know is true. In the study, researchers discovered that having an older or younger sister can help ease the anxiety for kids between the ages of 10 and 14 years. They also found that people with sisters can “learn how to make up and to have control over their emotions again, which are skills that undoubtedly serve children well.

The revival of this study actually comes on the heels of another newer study, which shows that it’s not just the older kids and parents who influence and shape children as they grow. It turns out that younger siblings(兄弟姐妹) do too, and what’s more, they may also give their older siblings a greater chance of developing empathy (同情).

The Canadian study followed 452 pairs of siblings, all between a year-and-a-half and 4 years old. The researchers found that having a younger sibling increased the older sibling's level of empathy.

This research confirms that sisters are pretty amazing in making the world a much lovely place. As the mom of two boys, I often wonder what kinds of lessons they will learn from their younger sister. Perhaps they will be the same lessons I learned from mine that cooler heads always win. This study gives me hope that all those endless arguments between my kids may actually be laying the groundwork for conflict-settlement skills.

1. What can we learn from the study?

A．Children under four develop empathy fastest.

B．It is normal for siblings to quarrel.

C．Having siblings is not always a headache.

D．Having sisters is helpful to mental health.

2. What does the underlined word "revival"in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Result	B．Beginning.
C．Reappearance.	D．Significance.

3. What can we learn about the author’s children?

A．They love their mom very much.

B．They have a higher level of empathy.

C．They often quarrel with one another.

D．They have learned the same lessons as the the author.

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

A．Siblings have a unique bond.

B．Siblings have something in common.

C．Having siblings is good to children.

D．Children having siblings are considerate.