1 . Emma Rosen had one of the best and most sought-after jobs in the civil service in the UK. 20,000 candidates (候选人) applied, but fewer than 1,000 were offered jobs. But it turned out that she didn’t like sitting at a desk all day, and she struggled to see how what she was doing would make much difference to anything.

Instead of going to work every day and complaining about her job until she reached retirement age, Emma decided to find out what made her happy, what her skills were, and what sort of career would need them. She wrote a list of the jobs she had wanted to do since childhood and set about getting two-week placements (安排) in all of them over a year.

She was 24 years old, and she wanted o have tried out at least 25 different jobs before her 25th birthday. She spent the months before she quit her job saving up her year off, and. spent all her free time setting up the different jobs.

A year later, Emma said her favorites were the jobs that were more creative, relevant to travel or were outdoors. “Things like travel writing, archaeology, farming, working with the police, being a blogger, an explorer and an author,” she said.

“Considering that I am now working as a writer and speaker, communication skills in both verbal (口头的) and written form have been the most important. There were also plenty of more technical skills that I learned, like website design, social media management, building a commercial brand and conducting interviews.”

Emma added she also saw her softer people-focused skills improve. “I could be very adaptable, quickly build relationships and accept change—I could walk into a new team or situation and get on well with everyone. Finally, there were things like showing that I was active, an independent and creative thinker as well as an innovative problem solver—I could certainly show that I could think outside the box!”

1. What does the underlined word “sought-after” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Complicated.

B．Desirable.

C．Ordinary.

D．Traditional.

2. Why did Emma quit her job in the civil service?

A．The job made no difference to anything.

B．The job made her complain all day long.

C．She was struggling to do the current job.

D．She was eager to realize her self-worth.

3. Which of the following best describes Emma’s favorite jobs?

A．They are care-free and popular ones in civil service.

B．They are only the ones needing communication skills.

C．They are where creativity and skills were badly needed.

D．They have nothing to do with travel or outdoors.

4. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．Emma benefited much from experiencing a variety of jobs.

B．Emma acquired technical skills to build a commercial brand.

C．Emma was flexible enough to change situations to her favor.

D．Emma thought independently to be a creative problem solver.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Varatha Shanmuganathan is an 87-year-old woman in India. She has become the     1     (old) person to get a Master’s degree at Canada’s York University. When she isn’t dancing or singing with her grandchildren, she’s busy     2     (realize) her many dreams.

This is not Shanmuganathan’s first Master’s degree. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, she returned to Sri Lanka     3     (teach) Indian history and English.

In 1990, she moved to London to teach English as a second language and received her first Master’s degree from the University of London.

When she found out the university offered free tuition     4     senior citizens, Shanmuganathan said she     5     (immediate) knew it was her last chance to make her dream of studying political science come true. She began her studies in 2019 and     6     (continue) throughout the pandemic (流行病).

“She will act as a powerful role model for     7     (woman) of all ages,” York University President Rhonda Lenton said.

Despite her achievements, Shanmuganathan said she is not quite finished yet in     8     (educate). Her next plan is to write     9     book about post-war Sri Lanka.

“Find out what you really want to achieve and pursue it until the end. Think of something     10     not only interests you, but is also beneficial to others. Go on after it, get it, do it, achieve it,” Shanmuganathan said.

3 . In China, people in different areas have their own ways to celebrate the Spring Festival. Especially between Northern China and Southern China, there are many differences.    1    

One is about the food on the night before the Spring Festival. In Northern China, people usually eat dumplings during this time. For luck, people may put sugar in dumplings.    2    People in the south usually eat Niangao or Tangyuan on New Year’s Eve. Both foods are also considered to bring a better life. There are many causes. For example, Northern China grows lots of wheat (小麦) while Southern China grows lots of rice.    3    People in Northern China usually love food made by wheat.

    4    In Northern China, people often put up paper cuttings on windows to wish for happiness of the coming year. In many parts of the south, people no longer put up paper cuttings for the Spring Festival. Instead, they decorate their house with a kumquat (金橘) tree bearing fruit.

It’s true that Northern China and Southern China have differences in celebrating the Spring Festival.    5    After all, many Chinese are moving from one place to another. When reaching a new place, they also bring their customs there. So now many people in Northern China also eat Tangyuan.

A．Here are some examples.

B．Many foods are made of rice.

C．The differences bring many bad results.

D．But the differences are gradually disappearing.

E．As a result, people in Southern China often prefer rice.

F．That way, they believe life in the next year will be “sweet”.

G．China’s north and south also have a difference in New Year decorating.