1 . The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was invented by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. It is a self-report questionnaire indicating differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. The MBTI personality inventory (量表) sorts people into 16 type categories, each of which is represented by four-letter codes such as INFP and ESTJ. Every year, about 1.5 million people have enjoyed discovering their personality type by completing the MBTI. Many companies, as well as hundreds of universities, use it in hiring and training.

Nevertheless, the MBTI has received a noticeable criticism from the academic community. Some research suggests the MBTI is unreliable because the same person can get different results when retaking the test. Other studies have questioned the validity of the MBTI, which is the ability of the test to accurately link the “types” to outcomes in the real world -for example, how well people classified as a certain type will perform in a given job.

Merve Emre, a professor a Oxford University, points out that it would be more scientifically advisable to score the MBTI scales continuously to show people the degree to which they resemble the types. Even when the MBTI’s results don’t quite match your intuition (直觉) about yourself or are just wrong, they can still provide self-insight and insight into differences and similarities between people.

Scoring and interpreting the MBTI the way other personality inventories are scored and interpreted might be less fun than finding. All of the folklore (民间看法) about INFPs, ESTJs, etc. would have to be dismissed. But, in the end the MBTI is sufficiently reliable and valid enough to be useful in a number of real-world contexts.

1. What do we know about the MBTI from the first paragraph?

A．It is a personality-testing tool.	B．It is divided into 16 categories.
C．It is a study of personal preference.	D．It is a questionnaire on four-letter codes.

2. Why does the MBTI invite criticism?

A．It performs badly in job interviews	B．Its reliability has been questioned.
C．It requires people to retake the test	D．Its advantages are not fully shown.

3. What does Merve Emre think of the MBTI?

A．It is beyond criticism.	B．It is a more scientific test.
C．It is less fun than other tests.	D．It is useful for self-exploration.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．How Can We Use the MBTI?	B．Why do We Criticise the MBTI?
C．Is the MBTI Totally Meaningless?	D．Is Scoring the MBTI Really Necessary?

2 . There’s just a 1 in 3, 700, 000 chance that a person will be killed by a shark in their lifetime, but the fear is still enough to have swimmers worrying about being perceived as prey (猎物). Now, new research supports the long-standing theory that when great whites do go in for a bite, it’s a case of “mistaken identity”.

A team of biologists from the UK and Australia compared videos of seals swimming with videos of humans swimming. They then edited the videos to simulate (模拟) a great white’s vision — the sharks are likely colorblind, and they can’t make out fine detail-and found that from the point of view of the ocean creatures, humans do indeed bear a strong resemblance to seals.

“Great white sharks are often regarded as ‘mindless killers’ and ‘fond of human flesh’. However, that's not the case — we just look like their food,” Laura Ryan, lead author of the study, said.

Despite their dissatisfying vision and spatial perception, great white sharks are highly visual creatures, and rely on motion and shadows when on the lookout for prey. To really see through the species’s eyes, the research team had to get creative.

“We attached a camera to an underwater scooter (轻便小车), and set it to travel at a typical speed for predatory sharks,” Ryan said in a statement. The researchers then paired the recordings with computer models to simulate how similar people look from a shark's view below the surface.

“I knew there would be some similarities, but not to the extent we have found,” Ryan said. “Specifically, I thought swimmers might not be as similar as surfers to seals as they typically aren’t involved in as many shark bites. However, the swimmers are also difficult to tell apart from seals.”

Ryan put it in a statement, “Understanding why shark bites occur can help us find ways to prevent them, while keeping both humans and sharks safer.”

1. What do the underlined words “the ocean creatures” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Seals.

B．Sharks.

C．Humans.

D．Swimmers.

2. Why did the researchers use the scooter with a camera?

A．To measure the speed of predatory sharks.

B．To take clear pictures of underwater seals.

C．To keep track of sharks’ travel underwater.

D．To see human beings through sharks' view.

3. What does the research find?

A．Swimmers are easy to tell apart from seals.

B．Swimmers are not as similar as surfers to seals.

C．The similarities between humans and seals are few.

D．Swimmers surprisingly resemble seals in sharks’ eyes.

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Why Sharks Attack Humans	B．Are Shark Bites Common?
C．How Sharks Hunt for Food	D．Are Sharks Really Dangerous?

3 . People who possess high self-esteem are able to commit better and produce a greater bond in relationships with others. Dr. Douglas feels that most people do not value themselves, but with love and self-respect anyone can be above normality and grasp success with the family, the office, or others.

We have become too reliant on intelligence, beauty, and money for our own self-esteem. The loss of esteem reduces the will and ability to set and reach goals. In a series of readings Douglas teaches how to avoid negative statements, how to change them into self-facing behavior, and how to take charge of your mental attitude. Where other motivational and self-help works stop with the theoretical plan for success, Douglas takes everyday examples and puts them into his books. From raising children who believe in themselves to using self-esteem to help bridge the gap in the workplace, he gives readers concrete solutions to the problems that might ruin their interpersonal relations.

Self-esteem building comes from filling your thoughts with positive affirmations (肯定) and learning to react to failures with motivation instead of self-destruction. These lessons are valuable for anyone who feels that life is even slightly out of control. People who feel they have adequate esteem can learn to use it to make their success grander, faster, and more beneficial for others. Douglas approaches this process of self-development as a means of more than creating good things for the individual but also for setting up keys for influencing good things for others.

For more than thirty years, Dr. Douglas has addressed more than two million people on topics from time management to speaking effectively to raising drug-free children. He is the author of fifteen books, including How to Make a Habit of Succeeding.

1. What can we infer from Paragraph 1?

A．Most people behave well enough.	B．Self-respect means being above normality.
C．Self-esteem matters much.	D．Committing better equals greater success.

2. Why does Douglas put everyday examples into bis books?

A．To be reliant on self-esteem.	B．To set and reach goals.
C．To avoid negative thoughts.	D．To offer concrete solutions.

3. What does the author advise those whose life is slightly out of control to do?

A．Learn to be positive.	B．Face it unmotivatedly.
C．Admit self-destruction.	D．Ask for help.

4. What’s the most important to be self-development?

A．Influencing the individual.	B．Influencing more people.
C．Gaining more benefits.	D．Speaking more effectively.

4 . Different countries celebrate Christmas in different ways. We asked some of our friends to explain what happens in their countries. This is what they told us:

France

In France, Christmas is always called Noël. Everyone has a Christmas tree, sometimes decorated in the old way with red ribbons and real white wax candles. Fir trees in the garden are often decorated too with lights on all night.

Father Christmas is called Père Noël. The Christmas meal is an important family gathering with good meat and the best wine. Few people send Christmas cards. More people send New Year cards to wish everyone good luck and joy for the New Year. These days Christmas lunch is a starter of foie gras (a strong tasting pate made from goose liver) followed by lunch of seafood — usually including lobsters and oysters.

New Zealand

Christmas starts for us with gifts under the tree, to be opened on Christmas morning. Then it’s onto a Christmas lunch either at home or at one’s parents place. Turkey or chicken with all the trimmings (佐料) is eaten. Then comes tea time. It is a BBQ for friends and family to get together, and have a few beers or wines with the meal!

Russia

In the days of the Soviet Union, Christmas was not celebrated very much. New Year was the important time — when “Father Frost” brought presents to children. With the fall of Communism, Christmas can be openly celebrated either on December 25th; or more often on January 7th. This unusual date is because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old “Julian” calendar for religious celebration days. Special Christmas food includes cakes, pies and “meat dumplings”.

Sweden

The most important day is Christmas Eve. A special Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve — ham (pork), herring fish, and brown beans — and this is the time when families give presents to each other. Many people attend a church meeting early on Christmas Day.

1. Why do people in France send New Year cards?

A．To tell their friends the New Year is coming.

B．To ask for some special presents.

C．To invite their friends to family gathering.

D．To send their friends best wishes and happiness for the New Year.

2. What do they have in common when celebrating Christmas?

A．A special meal is prepared.

B．Everyone has a Christmas tree.

C．Parents give gifts to their children.

D．People attend a church gathering.

3. Which country celebrates Christmas “twice”?

A．France.

B．New Zealand.

C．Sweden.

D．Russia.

5 . Benefits of Reading to a Dog

Here are five great reasons why your kid should read to a dog.

Dogs create a stress-free environment

It's hard to be really stressed(焦虑) around a cozy, friendly dog. Classrooms can be tense for kids who aren't great readers or presenters.     1    

Your kid won't even know she's building her vocabulary

    2    Without even knowing it, she'll be building her vocabulary, becoming more interested in books and improving her oral skills. Kids may also become more active to read aloud in other settings, as they get better at reading out loud to a dog.

A confidence-booster(增幅器)

Dogs are nonjudgmental. Kids will feel less self-conscious about reading aloud to them rather than, say, a judgmental human being.    3     .Thus they will be less afraid to read aloud in class.

Dogs like what your kid likes

Wanna talk about video games? Woof! Mermaids? Woof! A favourite cartoon? Woof! Dogs are interested in whatever your kid is interested in.

    4     They're not going to roll their eyes when your kid reads the Pokemon Go manual to them for the hundredth time. In fact, they'll just woof for more.

Petting a dog reduces stress and can even improve movement skills

Just grooming(梳毛)can help to improve a child's movement skills.

    5    Petting or hugging a dog also provides valuable breaks in reading, which gives children a chance to process what they've just read.

A．It's also been proven to reduce anxiety

B．They'll listen for hours and never get bored

C．Reading to a dog makes the whole situation less stressful

D．Keeping a dog as a pet also improve a child's confidence

E．As kids read to a dog, they feel as if they're in a formal environment.

F．Kids who read out loud to dogs become more confident in their reading skills

G．Reading to a friendly dog is a great way for your child to practice her pronunciation

6 . Climate breakdown threatens to cause a global food production crisis. The UN forecasts that by 2050, feeding the world will require a 20% expansion in global water use for agriculture. It is hard to see how agriculture can feed the population of the planet, let alone toward the end of the century and beyond. Agriculture is a major cause of climate breakdown, and both river and air pollution. Industrial fishing is similarly driving ecological collapse in seas around the world.

However, at this critical time, farming (a new kind of food technology) is creating astonishing possibilities to save both people and the planet. Farming will enable the return of vast areas of land and sea to nature, greatly reducing carbon emissions (排放物). It means an end to the employment of animals, a stop to overfishing, and a dramatic reduction in cutting down forests and the use of pesticides (杀虫剂). It is the best hope for stopping the destruction of the planet and, if it is done right, it means cheap and abundant food for everyone.

We are about to welcome one of the biggest economic transformations, of any kind, for 200 years. Arguments continue about plants against meat-based diets; however, new technologies will soon make these arguments irrelevant. Before long, most food will come neither from animals nor plants, but from micro-organisms (微生物).

Not only will food be cheaper, it will also be healthier. Due to the fact that farming creates food products built up from simple components rather than broken down from complex ones, hard fats and other unhealthy components can be screened out. Meat will still be meat, but it will be grown in factories rather than in the bodies of animals. Fats will still be fats, but food is likely to be better, cheaper and much less damaging to the living planet.

1. What is the major cause of sea ecological breakdown?

A．Food production.	B．Global farming.
C．Industrial fishing.	D．Climate breakdown.

2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us about farming?

A．Its benefits.

B．Its security.

C．Its research.

D．Its limits.

3. What will provide the majority of food in the near future?

A．Sea animals.

B．Wild plants.

C．Micro-organisms.

D．Farm products.

4. Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude to farming?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Disapproving.

D．Unclear.

7 . The past few years have been difficult for 13-year-old Adeola Abraham. In 2020, the teen was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, and he survived a successful bone marrow transplant (骨髓移植) and rounds of chemotherapy (化疗). Thankfully, Adeola is now out of the hospital. During his recovery, he found out that he had qualified for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask for a dream wish from Make-A-Wish Mississippi. While many teens would choose a memorable Disney trip, meet a favorite figure or get a PlayStation, Abraham instead chose to feed the homeless in his local community.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is famous for brightening the lives of children suffering from critical illnesses by meeting their wishes. A wish typically falls into three categories: a wish to have something, go somewhere or meet someone. Abraham’s charitable wish to give came as a surprise to the organization. Linda Sermons, a Make-A-Wish Mississippi representative, said that Abraham’s generous wish was the first of its kind in the organization’s 35-year history. She was impressed with the teen’s maturity and sense of sympathy.

Make-A-Wish Mississippi approved of the teen’s wish in a big way. They created a service named after the teen, called Abraham’s Table, which would provide free meals to the homeless every month for the next year. Local businesses generously donated food and supplies, and receivers gathered in Jackson’s Poindexter Park for the meals. Abraham and his proud mom personally attended and handed out the food. Abraham’s Table fed more than 80 people at its first event. Abraham said it warmed his heart when the receivers came back to thank him for the meal he provided.

Abraham now wants to inspire other teens to get more involved in local charities. He also wants to continue his mission of helping others by starting his own nonprofit that helps those experiencing food insecurity.

1. What made Abraham a remarkable boy?

A．His exceptional choice for a dream wish.	B．His great sufferings from a critical disease.
C．His special qualifications for a dream wish.	D．His successful survival from a blood disorder.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Eighty people or so benefited from Abraharn’s Table.

B．Abraham’s act of kindness received positive reaction.

C．The organization provided financial help for the homeless.

D．The local businesses were greatly appreciated by the receivers.

3. According to the passage, which words can best describe Abraham?

A．Energetic and determined.	B．Mature and intelligent.
C．Sympathetic and selfless.	D．Generous and cautious.

4. Which of the following can best describe the story?

A．Hard work always pays off.	B．It’s a blessing to be a giver.
C．Actions speak louder than words.	D．Miracles often occur in bad luck.

8 . The Best National Parks to Visit in Winter

While most parks tend to draw families in the summer and fall, there are also ideal spots for adventurous winter trips.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

The country’s oldest and best-known national park takes on an almost otherworldly atmosphere in winter: the air filled with rolling steam, the strong colors of hot springs, the surrounding white landscapes, let alone the impressive wildlife during this time, like bison, wolves, and playful red foxes. Just book a guided hiking tour to get a ranger’s perspective on the park and local people.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

With its giant red rocks and unique trees, you’ll feel like stepping onto a foreign planet as you spend hours hiking the Panorama Loop or Maze Loop. The park is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, featuring virtually zero light pollution and the country’s best views of a starry sky.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

A significantly lower number of visitors in winter means you can take in unblocked views of the South Rim, and get to see the rare beauty of the Grand Canyon dusted with snow. For those adventurous and daring, it is recommended to hike the Bright Angel Trail and take the chance to see the canyon’s wintertime wildlife, including mule deer, elk, and bald eagles.

Virgin Islands National Park, St. John

Surprise! Not all wintertime national park trips need to involve snow. Virgin Islands National Park is most famous for its white-sand beaches. You can also hike inland to visit old sugar plantations, or venture out to the water to swim along with sea turtles and manta rays. You will definitely enjoy a different winter here.

1. Which park will one choose if he/she is interested in stars?

A．Yellowstone National Park.	B．Joshua Tree National Park.
C．Grand Canyon National Park.	D．Virgin Islands National Park.

2. What do we know about the Grand Canyon National Park?

A．We can have a poor view of the South Rim there.	B．It lies in an area with rolling steam and hot springs.
C．There is a slight decline in visitor numbers in winter.	D．The Bright Angel Trail is challenging in cold weather.

3. Which activity is mentioned in all of the parks?

A．Hiking.

B．Skiing.

C．Swimming.

D．Hunting.

9 . Cheney School is a popular, high performing school located in the heart of Oxford serving a diverse community of students who are eager to learn. The school is looking to add to its bank of exam invigilators (监考人), who will be employed on a casual basis to watch over students taking both mock(模拟) and actual GCSE / GCE exams, as necessary throughout the school year.

Full training will be provided and staff will be contacted before the exam period to discuss the invigilation schedule in relation to their own availability.

We are looking for people who

*have a command of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint

*have effective written communication skills

* are reliable and punctual

*are able to solve problems and keep calm under pressure

*enjoy working as part of a team

We can offer you

*€10.19 per hour

*reduced tuition fees for your kids

*a housing allowance

*shuttle service

If you would like to find out more, please contact Ms Marie-Anne Fischer at mf@cheney.oxon.sch.uk, or by telephone on 01865 5755270.

How to apply: Please download an application form from the school’s vacancy website: http://www.cheney.oxon.sch.uk/lnvigilators.

1. What does Cheney School offer its invigilators?

A．Flexible working hours.	B．Free staff dormitories.
C．A transportation allowance.	D．Free schooling for their kids.

2. What is required of the applicants?

A．Designing a mock exam paper.	B．Passing the GCSE or GCE exam.
C．Being able to use office software.	D．Enjoying working independently.

3. What will you have to do if you are interested in the job?

A．Prepare for the interview.	B．Fill in an application form.
C．Apply for relevant training.	D．Contact the school online or by telephone.

10 . There are three things you can watch forever: Instagram feeds, YouTube videos and water. Among them, water is definitely something no one argues about, and there are many unusual water attractions that you can find around the world.

Bangkok Floating Markets

There are many floating markets where goods are sold from boats. While modern markets are more popular, floating markets still are a huge attraction for local tourism. Any visitors can purchase local foods and traditional handcrafted (手工的) souvenirs. Bargaining is a part of experience. So, start low and get the price you are ready to pay.

Bregenzer Festspiele

The Bregenz Festival is held every year from July to August in Vorarlberg. It has the world’s largest stage on the water. The performances are different every year but they are usually united by one theme. The decorations are very impressive and are worth seeing.

Marina Bay Stadium

This stadium was built as a temporary solution while Singapore National Stadium was rebuilt. The stadium was used for the opening and closing ceremonies during 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. It was a floating platform where the Formula One Grand Prix event was successfully held.

Archipelago Cinema

Archipelago Cinema is probably one of the world’s most scenic open-air cinemas that floats in the middle of a lake. The cinema was designed by German architect Ole Scheeren, who built it using techniques popular among local people. This cinema stage was built specially for the film festival Film on the Rocks Yao Noi.

1. What is special about Bangkok Floating Markets?

A．Local foods are free to taste.

B．Visitors can make boats by themselves.

C．Bargaining for a good price is an experience.

D．Performances on water are impressive to see.

2. Which one was used for Formula One Grand Prix event?

A．Archipelago Cinema.	B．Marina Bay Stadium.
C．Bregenzer Festspiele.	D．Bangkok Floating Markets.

3. What do Marina Bay Stadium and Archipelago Cinema have in common?

A．They both hold ceremonies every year.

B．They both used local building techniques.

C．They were both built for a special purpose.

D．They both provide visitors with sports events.