1. What does the speaker do?
| A．A journalist. | B．A student. | C．A TV host. |
| A．A university. | B．A top college. | C．A news agency. |
| A．The one without change. |
| B．The one that keeps him busy. |
| C．The one that needs to be done secretly. |
| A．Find a job. | B．Continue his study. | C．Travel around the country. |
2 . It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War 3. She’ll talk about my lack of bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major (主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her coworker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I am the type of the person who loved to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of a fame or salary.
I understand why my mother is anxious about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6 pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
1. Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?| A．the writer’s future job |
| B．wars around the world |
| C．dinner plans |
| D．the writer’s studies |
| A．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor |
| B．doesn’t want the writer to major in English |
| C．gets along very well with the writer |
| D．doesn’t think working in the scientific field is a good idea |
| A．disagrees | B．cries |
| C．smiles | D．complains |
| A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son. |
| B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future. |
| C．He wants to do something he really likes in the future. |
| D．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect. |
3 . Three years into my postdoctoral (博士后) position, I decided I needed a new career plan. After applying for more than two dozen teaching jobs, I hadn’t landed a single interview. I was disappointed but not surprised. I was applying in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis, when many universities carried out hiring freezes, and my publication record didn’t stand out.
One day after my failed job search, my office mate was amazed by what a journal’s scientific illustrator had done to the sketches (草图) in her review article with artistic techniques. I thought to myself, “That would be such a fun job.” A long dormant (蛰伏的) dream of becoming an artist began to stir.
My family was bursting with mathematicians and engineers who pursued music and literature in their spare time, so it felt natural to have my daily life revolve around science, with art as my dreamy lunar companion. I had once considered going to art school but had put that idea aside when I decided to pursue chemistry as an undergraduate. In the years that followed, I kept up my interest in art by taking drawing and painting classes at night.
I decided to test out a new career direction by creating similar illustrations for my institute’s newsletters. I spent nights and weekends reading scientific papers and thinking about how to illustrate the results. It was a fun task-something that engaged my artistic, creative side and made use of my scientific training. I felt I was on the right path.
It was exciting to find a career that drew on my diverse skill set. I did feel a sense of loss for not becoming an academic educator, and I worried I’d be letting down the people and institutions who’d invested time and resources in me. But it helped to remind me that my new career path wasn’t removed from science. I now work as a visual designer at a biomedical research institute, not far from my husband’s company, and my business is flying.
1. Why did the author fail to land a job at first?| A．She lacked interview skills. | B．It was a very difficult period. |
| C．Her publications were of little value. | D．Universities adopted rigid hiring requirements. |
| A．Her family culture. | B．Her childhood dream. |
| C．Her talent for science. | D．Her colleague’s encouragement. |
| A．Romantic and curious. | B．Creative and generous. |
| C．Humorous and hard-working. | D．Science-pursuing and considerate. |
| A．Power from Science | B．Challenge of Job Hunting |
| C．Shift from Traditional Belief | D．Take-off with Artistic Wings |
1. What is the man’s cousin?
| A．A sailor. | B．A teacher. | C．A journalist. |
| A．Exciting. | B．Boring. | C．Challenging. |
5 . Before she could even talk, Ellie Heath spent hours drawing pictures. When she grew older, the 15-year-old discovered the joy of sewing (缝纫). She says she finds it calming. She started out making small things, like jewelry and soft toys. Over time, she began making clothing. Her love of the creative work led her to open a business. Three Blue Bunnies is the name of her company, which makes what she calls “wearable art.”
“My definition of wearable art is something that makes you feel unique. It’s one of a kind, often handmade,” she explains. She sells her creations in farmers markets and at sales for local churches.
All the pieces Ellie creates are made of used or donated fabrics. She works a lot with jean jackets, renewing them with artistic additions. The process starts with finding cloth material that looks good with the jackets. “Then, I find out the design that works on it through trial and error (反复尝试) or the design comes to me,” she explains.
Elliesharpenedher creative skills at school. Cheryl Crow was one of her teachers early on. Crow calls Ellie “a dream student.” She says Ellie worked hard and made progress. “She was always very creative, but also very kind, helpful to the other students.”
Ellie has many dreams. She wants to be a teacher and to spread the joy of creativity among children. She also dreams her business will grow and become a model for other young people who have a dream they want to come true.
1. What does “wearable art” mean according to Ellie Heath?| A．Something that can be worn. |
| B．Something that is valuable. |
| C．Something that makes you different from others. |
| D．Something that cannot be found anywhere else. |
| A．Creative and determined. | B．Generous and outgoing. |
| C．Warm-hearted and clever. | D．Hard-working and unique. |
| A．All of the cloth comes from donation. |
| B．Ellie got a lot of pleasure from her design. |
| C．It is a piece of cake for Ellie to create a wearable art. |
| D．The process of artistic design is usually not easy. |
| A．Performed. | B．Challenged. |
| C．Improved. | D．Applied. |
