1 . 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. |
| A．Designing a mock exam paper. | B．Passing the GCSE or GCE exam. |
| C．Being able to use office software. | D．Enjoying working independently. |
| A．Prepare for the interview. | B．Fill in an application form. |
| C．Apply for relevant training. | D．Contact the school online or by telephone. |
2 . Some interesting places in Barcelona
Barcelona is now Europe’s sixth most visited city. If you’ve never visited it before, a plan to go there is worth making because there’s so much to see. The following will definitely leave a deep impression on the first-timers in Barcelona.
Grab a fresh snack at La Boqueria Market
Barcelona’s biggest market is found right in the middle of the famous La Rambla. Its central location means that it’s always packed with people, so prepare to push your way through the stands! The selection and quality of ingredients are excellent. Grab a milk shake and get lost in the crowds.
Look down on the city from the majestic Park Guell
The mosaic-covered buildings of Park Guell have come to be the postcard photo of Barcelona! The park itself is remarkably beautiful and has one of the best views of the whole city. The best way to reach Park Guell from the city centre is to take Bus 24 from Placa Catalunya. Some areas of the park are free, while the best pats require you to buy a ticket.
Appreciate 4,000 original Picassos at the Picasso Museum
The Picasso Museum in Barcelona showcases one of the most extensive Picasso collections in the world, with a particular highlight on much of his early work. Picasso spent his adolescent years in Barcelona, and it is the place where he developed his artistic training. The Museum is located in the heart of the Old Town, in the very streets where the young Picasso lived his Barcelona life.
Take a tour of historic Camp Nou
The second biggest association football stadium in the world is home to one of the most historic clubs of all time. A tour at Camp Nou includes access to the Camp Nou Museum where you will be able to see 22 Liga and 4 Champions League trophies in the same room. Explore an area solely dedicated to Barcelona’s hero, Leo Messi.
1. What can you do at La Boqueria Market?| A．Buy souvenirs for friends. | B．Enjoy freshly-made food. |
| C．Meet the footballer, Messi. | D．Buy postcards in the market. |
| A．Those who like beautiful scenery. | B．Those who like western paintings. |
| C．Those who are interested in football. | D．Those eager to taste delicious food. |
| A．To advertise for a grand park. | B．To attract more visitors to Barcelona. |
| C．To introduce a famous artist Picasso. | D．To praise delicious snacks in Barcelona. |
3 . When asked what his father did for a living, Mike explained to his kindergarten teacher that “he steals things, but it’s OK, because he gets paid to do it. ”
He isn’t wrong. His father is a hacker(黑客), who is proud of his job, just like doctors are proud of the work they do. Thanks to security researchers’ hacking practices, leaks in a new version of the most common Wi-Fi code standard(WPA3)were found before criminals could use them to break into home and business networks. In another case, criminals found an unknown weakness in Google’s Android operating systems before security researchers did, giving the bad guys full control of more than a dozen phone models.
However, finding Mike’s father’s personalized plates for his car with the word ‘HACKING’, an employee of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles quickly took them away, claiming that a license plate displaying “HACKING” publicized criminal activity. While this reaction really isn’t the fault of the well-intentioned employee, it’s a sign of how a deeply rooted misrepresentation of his profession has created a fixed wrong image. It seems that the way that hackers are described in Hollywood has contributed to the word ‘hacker’ paralleling ‘criminal’, where hackers are often referred to as figures in dark rooms engaged in illegal activity while tapping at keyboards.
But actually, hacking is just an activity. What separates any activity from a crime is, very often, permission. People are free to drive, but they do not have permission to drive 150 miles per hour, which is a criminal offense. Since a driver is just a driver, why must a hacker be a criminal? Someone who engages in the illegal use of hacking should not be called a ‘bad hacker’ but a ‘cybercriminal’. Contrary to popular belief, most hackers like Mike’s father undoubtedly play an important role in keeping companies and people safe.
1. What did Mike’s son think of Mike’s job?| A．Admirable. | B．Amazing. | C．Acceptable. | D．Annoying. |
| A．Its weakness. | B．Its importance. | C．Its variety | D．Its security. |
| A．To entertain the renders. | B．To question the employee’s claim. |
| C．To clarify the concept of hacking. | D．To trace the wrong image of hackers. |
| A．Hacking mostly counts. | B．Hacking is actually a crime. |
| C．Hacking is popular with people. | D．Hacking needs licenses. |
4 . You’ve finally tucked yourself into bed and cracked open the detective novel you’ve been waiting all day to get back to. Three pages later, you’re fighting a losing battle against two suddenly very heavy eyelids. You were wide awake mere minutes ago, and the character just uncovered a promising new lead in the case. So, what gives?
As the BBC’s Science Focus explains, the coziness of your covers could be working against you. People usually try to read in a quiet, comfortable atmosphere, and those conditions happen to be ideal for sleep. Reading also eases your mind and draws its focus away from whatever preoccupations might otherwise keep you awake.
"For many people, reading can be relaxing and enjoyable, which can put your mind and body in the appropriate mindset or mood to go to sleep,” Dr. Raman Malhotra, a neurologist and member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s board of directors, told Refinery. “The main reason reading may help some fall asleep is that it allows your mind some time to rest and relax before turning out the lights to fall asleep.”
The concentration required to process every word can be pretty exhausting, too, especially if your chosen tome(大部头书) is dense. And reading line after line of anything can make you feel like giving your eyes a break.
These factors all make reading a great activity to add to your pre-sleep routine if you’re looking for ways to fall asleep faster. But if your body’s snoozing impulse is continually keeping you from enjoying a good book, there are some tricks to prevent it. Book Riot suggests reading in the morning, or trying an audiobook instead. Reading in a spot that isn’t your bed—preferably one where you’re sitting up, rather than lying down—can help, too. Reading in a public place like a coffee shop or park can also discourage dozing.
1. What is the function of the paragraph 1?| A．To make a summary. | B．To draw readers’ attention. |
| C．To give an example. | D．To analyze. |
| A．it permit your brain to have some time to rest and relax |
| B．you have some important things to do |
| C．you are very sleepy |
| D．you have a quite atmosphere |
| A．Spot. | B．Reading. | C．Sleep. | D．Book. |
| A．To make us know the sleep problems. |
| B．To inform us how to prevent sleeping while reading. |
| C．To call on people to read. |
| D．To inform us of the reason why reading makes us sleepy. |
5 . Do you know that some people have memories that are completely wrong? They remember things that never happened. Sometimes, many people have the same wrong memory. When this happens, it’s believed that it is because of the Mandela Effect.
People first noticed the Mandela Effect in 2013. That year, Nelson Mandela passed away. However, thousands of people remembered him dying in the 1980s. They described watching his funeral on TV. But in fact, Mandela lived to be 95 years old. How could that be? How could so many people have the same wrong memory?
Most experts explain the Mandela Effect using brain science. When we make memories our brains keep them in groups. Each group includes memories that are similar to each other. Sometimes, our brains mess up. They mix two similar memories together. That’s why people thought Nelson Mandela died in the 1980s. They knew he was imprisoned (坐牢) during the 1980s. For some reason, they mixed his imprisonment with his death.
That would explain why so many people in 2013 thought Nelson Mandela was already dead. But would it explain why all those people gave similar descriptions of his funeral? Could all those people have mixed up the same two memories?
Another theory about the basis for the Mandela effect originates from quantum physics (量子物理学) and relates to the idea that rather than one timeline of events, it is possible that alternate realities or universes are taking place and mixing with our timeline. In theory, this would result in groups of people having the same memories because the timeline has been changed as we shift between these different realities. You aren’t alone if you think this sounds a little unrealistic.
There are many other examples of the Mandela Effect. Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa? Many people remember the woman in the painting with a frown or was straight-faced. If you look at the Mona Lisa today, you'll find she’s smiling. Do you know where New Zealand is in relation to Australia? However, there is a community of people who claim to remember New Zealand being northeast instead of southeast.
Are these wrong memories the result of mixed memories, or is there another explanation? Without further science research, we can’t say for sure!
1. The Mandela Effect refers to a phenomenon ________.| A．created by the former South African president Nelson Mandela |
| B．describing how some people have worse memory than others |
| C．about a large number of people watching Mandela's funeral on TV |
| D．where many people have the same wrong memory about something |
| A．By making comparison. | B．By listing figures. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By drawing conclusions. |
| A．Our brains may mix similar memories together sometimes. |
| B．People might make up stories with imagination sometimes. |
| C．Things from other universes might be mixing with our timeline. |
| D．All the explanations don’t sound reasonable or realistic. |
| A．science journal | B．advertisement |
| C．book review | D．magazine article |
6 . Decision hard
From the moment we wake up each day, we’re faced with a continuous stream of choices.
When decision fatigue kicks in, you may feel like you just don’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with more decisions.
Here’s how to minimize or manage this phenomenon:
Tune into how you’re feeling. Be watchful of signs of decision fatigue and act accordingly: If you’ve had a demanding day that was filled with lots of decisions, put off making another one if you can. If things that wouldn’t normally upset you start bothering you, consider that a sign that you may not be in the best state of mind to make a major decision. “People may not realize that they’re experiencing decision fatigue,” Baumeister, a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia, says. “
| A．Make some choices automatic |
| B．It’s something to watch out for |
| C．They should turn to the experts for advice |
| D．Put down what you have in hand and take a break from them |
| E．This can lead to decisional disfunction or decreased self-control |
| F．If you like having oatmeal for breakfast, stick with it on a daily basis |
| G．We tend to feel overwhelmed, anxious, stressed or otherwise out of sorts |
7 . The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, just six months after the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics, will be held in a strict dosed loop to prevent infections.
Vaccination（接种疫苗）
•It will be required to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure for China, in order to be allowed entry.
•Athletes and team officials may be exempted（豁免）for medical reasons only. Anyone not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine（检疫）for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing.
•The “My 2022” app will be needed to monitor and track your health for 14 days before your departure for China.
•A negative COVID-19 test result will be needed before your departure for China.
Closed loop（闭环控制）
•Within the closed loop system, all Games participants will only move between permitted destinations in dedicated Games transport.
•COVID-19 screenings will happen daily during the Games.
•Avoid crowds if possible.
Hygiene（卫生）
•Wear a face mask at all times, except when training, competing, eating, drinking, sleeping or when alone.
•Wash your hands regularly. Support athletes by clapping instead of singing or chanting.
•Get a test if you experience any symptoms.
1. What is required for the Games entry before coming to China?| A．Vaccination received immediately. |
| B．Quarantine required for 21 days. |
| C．The “My 2022” app to track health. |
| D．A positive COVID-19 test result. |
| A．Move anywhere by bus. | B．Support athletes by clapping. |
| C．Escape COVID-19 screenings. | D．Take off face masks at any time. |
| A．A science book. | B．An official website. |
| C．A fashion magazine. | D．An online course. |
8 . We live in the age of the algorithm (算法). Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives— where we go to school, whether we get a car loan, how much we pay for health insurance— are being made not by humans, but by mathematical models.
One application that has become particularly common is the use of algorithms to evaluate job performance. Sarah, a teacher who, despite being widely respected by her students, their parents and her colleagues, was fired because she performed poorly according to an algorithm. When an algorithm rates you poorly, you are immediately branded as an underperformer and there is rarely an opportunity to appeal against those judgments. In many cases, methods are considered secrets and no details are shared. And data often seems convincing.
As a matter of fact, the belief that school performance in America is declining is based on a data mistake. A Nation at Risk is the report that rang the initial alarm bells about declining SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) scores. Yet if they had taken a closer look, they would have noticed that the scores in each smaller group were increasing. The reason for the decline in the average score was that more disadvantaged kids were taking the test. However, due to the data mistake, teachers as a whole were judged to be failing.
Wall Street is famous for its mathematicians who build complex models to predict market movements and develop business plans. These are really smart people. Even so, it is not at all uncommon for their models to fail. The key difference between those models and many of the ones being used these days is that Wall Street traders lose money when their data models go wrong. However, as CV Neil points out in her book, the effects of widely —used machine — driven judgments are often not borne by those who design the algorithms, but by everyone else.
As we increasingly rely on machines to make decisions, we need to ask these questions: What assumptions are there in your model? What hasn’t been taken into account? How are we going to test the effectiveness of the conclusions? Clearly, something has gone terribly wrong. When machines replace humans to make a judgment, we should hold them to a high standard. We should know how the data was collected. And when numbers lie, we should stop listening to them.
1. Why school performance in America is believed to be declining?| A．Teachers perform poorly. |
| B．Big data is popular. |
| C．The data is wrong. |
| D．There is misunderstanding about algorithms. |
| A．Follow the machines. | B．Make a judgment by tests. |
| C．Stop listening to machines. | D．Make the data convincing. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．The drawbacks of algorithm. |
| B．The application of algorithm in business. |
| C．The popularity of algorithm to employers. |
| D．The advantages and disadvantages of algorithm. |
9 . Being a leader in any environment earns you trust among peers and helps you get things done, whatever the task is. Let us show you how to develop leadership skills.
Assess yourself.
Address areas of improvement. Be open to testing new ideas and trying new ways of doing things, especially if it seems your old ways of doing things don’t work.
Be a good problem-solver.
Encourage others. Building leadership skills requires knowing how to work well with people. Staying in the know about what goes on in your community is important, but responding to that information with enthusiasm is equally critical.
| A．Accept responsibility. |
| B．Be open to the opinions of others. |
| C．Building leadership skills requires plenty of self-awareness. |
| D．Unexpected challenges will arise often and at lightning speed. |
| E．Let go of the need to stick to your plan and be flexible instead. |
| F．Recognizing the past can't be changed helps you make wiser choices in the future. |
| G．So be a source of positivity and support others in working toward their own goals. |
10 . How much food do you buy each week? Are you someone who stuffs your fridge and cupboards full of foods so that you’ll always have something to eat? Or maybe, you’ re more efficient with your shopping, only buying what you need and using up your leftovers so that you keep food waste to a minimum.
Throwing away unwanted food has become a big issue in the developed world. While some of us throw away unwanted items, people in other parts of world face food shortages and are starving. It’s a shocking fact that a third of the world’s food is wasted each year. The actual figure is 1.3 billion tons of food, which is enough to feed a billion hungry people.
You may think supermarkets are the main contributors to this mountain of food. After all, they do get rid of stuff that’s past its sell-by-date and they often refuse to sell vegetables and fruit that are the wrong shape or look damaged. They’ve also been criticized for encouraging customers to buy more than they need through promotions such as “buy one and get one free”.
But we ourselves are mainly responsible for creating food waste. In Europe an incredible 53% of food waste comes from households, which results in 88 million tonnes of food waste a year. The food waste is buried and left to rot. Unfortunately, this causes greenhouse gases which eventually lead to global warming and climate change.
In Denmark, a woman called Selina Juul has been working hard to solve this problem. She convinced some supermarkets to stop selling their items in bulk (批量) so that people bought only what they needed. She produced a leftovers cookbook and she's set up an education programme in schools. This has helped create a significant 25% reduction in food waste, which shows that something can be done.
Clearly, we need to think twice when we put something in our shopping trolley, and when we’re at home, we should make the most of the food we have—using recipes that use up our leftovers or even sharing our food with our friends and neighbors.
1. What does the author intend to show in paragraph 2?| A．The world hunger. | B．The impact of wasting food. |
| C．The solutions to food shortages. | D．The severe food waste. |
| A．They often change the prices of food. |
| B．They focus more on food's looks than qualities. |
| C．They make people buy more food than they need. |
| D．They often put up false advertisements for food. |
| A．She established an education programme in neighborhoods. |
| B．She persuaded supermarkets to change their ways of sale. |
| C．She convinced supermarkets to sell her leftovers cookbook. |
| D．She encouraged people to share food in communities. |
| A．To advocate healthy eating habits. |
| B．To raise the public’s awareness of saving. |
| C．To draw people's attention to food security. |
| D．To blame the marketing methods of some supermarkets. |
