1 . How Can Volunteering Help You Get a Good Job?

Sometimes, by giving just a little, you can get a lot back in return. This couldn’t ring more true for volunteering. Here are just some of the things volunteering can do for your employability.

    1    

Employers like to see evidence of practical work experience on your CV(简历)—it tells them that you have the soft skills needed to work as part of a team and are able to handle responsibility. So, if the “work experience” section of your CV is: looking a little bare, volunteering is a great way to flesh it out. Even if the role isn’t super relevant to the job you want after university, so long as there are transferable(可迁移的) skills, it will be valuable for your CV.

Introduce you to new people

If you are volunteering in the sector you want to eventually work in, it will be a great way for you to network with people who have already broken into the field.     2    . They’d also make great references to refer future employers to.

Help you develop valuable skills

    3    , but getting hands-on experience is key to really being able to transition into employment smoothly. Lectures and seminars can’t really teach you personal skills like leadership, time management, how to best communicate with colleagues or how to act in a professional manner, which are all valuable to employers.     4    

Boost your confidence

You’ll experience so many personal benefits from helping the community or lending a hand for a worthwhile project.     5    . All of this-as well as the practical experience itself-will boost your confidence, meaning you can approach job applications and interviews with renewed courage and belief in yourself.

A．Improve your CV

B．Update your interview skills

C．Volunteering is a great way to push you ahead

D．University prepares you for work academically

E．Volunteering can help you develop all of these and plenty more

F．It can help give you a fresh sense of purpose and make you feel valued

G．Use the opportunity to pick their brains, get insider advice and find out job opportunities

2 . Montreal is one of those diverse cities that offer something for everyone. The best time to visit Montreal is typically in the spring (March ~ June) or during the fall (September ~November). At these times, you’ll likely find fewer crowds, cheaper accommodations and the best weather for sightseeing as it is neither too hot nor too cold.

Things to do

Go back in time in Old Montreal: A visit to Old Montreal is a must for anyone visiting the city. Even if you don’t have a plan, just wandering the scenic stone streets is worthwhile. You ‘ll see centuries-old buildings blending (融合) perfectly with trendy restaurants and cute cafes and you can easily spend half a day exploring.

Do some shopping along Sainte-Catherine Street: From major department stores to boutiques, there is a lot to shop for on Sainte-Catherine Street. From west to east, it stretches 9miles across the city.

Explore the Old Port: Montreal’s Old Port features a range of things to see and do, making it a great area to spend an afternoon or even a whole day. The Old Port is also where you’ll find the Montreal Science Centre and its IMAX theatre, and in the winter, take advantage of the outdoor skating spot.

Hang out in Pare du Mont-Royal: No matter at what time of a year you visit Montreal, you’ll find something to do at Pare du Mont-Royal. The park is popular among walkers, joggers and bikers as well as picnickers in the spring and summer. While in the winter, you can enjoy skating and skiing.

1. Which of the following is the best time to take a trip to Montreal?

A．April.

B．July.

C．August.

D．December.

2. Where can you visit the Montreal Science Centre?

A．In Old Montreal.	B．On Sainte-Catherine Street.
C．In the Old Port.	D．In Pare du Mont-Royal.

3. What can people do in Pare du Mont-Royal?

A．Have a picnic.	B．Appreciate centuries-old buildings.
C．Walk on the stone street.	D．Watch a film in an IMAX theatre.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How old was the speaker when the birthday party was held?

A．17.

B．18.

C．19.

2. What after-school activity did the speaker use to join?

A．Playing basketball.

B．Cleaning the park.

C．Caring for the old.

3. Who attended the speaker’s birthday party?

A．His brother.

B．His relatives.

C．His friends.

4. Why does the speaker think the birthday was unforgettable?

A．He was given the most presents.

B．He was permitted to keep a pet cat.

C．Her mother made him a birthday cake.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the man’s book about?

A．A family.

B．A city.

C．An accident.

2. Where did the man read and do research?

A．At home.

B．In the library.

C．On the Internet.

3. How soon will the man finish his book?

A．In two months.

B．In three months.

C．In four months.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How long does the man want to stay?

A．One night.

B．Two days.

C．A week.

2. What room does the man like?

A．A double room.

B．A room which costs $260.

C．A room with a park view.

3. What’s the man’s room number?

A．408.

B．806.

C．508.

6 . Gratitude, which is a positive emotional state, can have a profound impact on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Gratitude offers us a way of embracing (拥抱) all that makes our lives what they are.     1     It includes the willingness to expand our attention so that we perceive more of the goodness we are always receiving.

Robert Emmons is one of the world’s leading experts on the science of gratitude.     2     The first is an affirmation of goodness: People can learn to wake up to the good around them and notice the gifts they have received. The second part of gratitude is recognizing that the source of this goodness rests outside of oneself — we receive these gifts from other people, and sometimes from fate, or the natural world.     3    

In one study involving nearly 300 adults seeking counseling services at a university, one group wrote a gratitude letter each week for three weeks. The gratitude group reported significantly better mental health (compared to the control group), 12 weeks after the last writing exercise.     4     A study of this practice found that people who wrote down three things that had gone well in their day and identified the causes of those good things were significantly happier and less depressed.

    5     When you practice gratitude, you shift your thoughts away from negative emotions and uncomfortable sensations. Instead, you begin to focus on good things that you may have overlooked. Rather than focusing on the misfortune of having a flat tire, for example, you consider how your job has made it possible to pay for repairs. Or you shift your focus to how fortunate you are to have close friends who are willing to drive you home.

A．He defines gratitude as having two parts.

B．A little gratitude can do wonders for your mood.

C．Gratitude isn’t just a happy feeling for our present lives.

D．However, many people don’t realize the power of gratitude.

E．Another type of written gratitude practice is counting blessings.

F．Gratitude doesn’t necessarily mean showing appreciation for the things that are around you.

G．In other words, gratitude helps realize they wouldn’t be where they are without the help of others.

7 . While writing, we may always ask ourselves “Are there any better expressions to convey what we mean?” In a writing class, a teacher tells a golden rule of writing.

Teacher: Show but don’t tell, class. This is the golden rule of creative writing. You need to show the reader (the person who is reading) what you want to say, not tell him, or her.

David (student):     1    ? Writing is about words, right? We can only tell things using words. How can we show them? We’re not painters!

Teacher: Stop laughing, everybody, and listen carefully. I’ll give you two examples: ‘He was feeling very worried.’ Now I will say the same thing in a different way: ‘He was biting his fingernails and sweating.’     2    ? Which part shows the reader how he was feeling?

Anne(student):The second example, the one about the fingernails and the sweating.       3    

Teacher: Yes! Excellent! Well done, Anne. You’re a brilliant student.

David: I don’t understand.

Teacher: And here, everybody, we see a very good example of both showing and telling. Not only has David told us that he doesn’t understand, he’s also shown us: with that silly look on his face.     4     Well done!

David: Stop laughing! It’s not funny! Be quiet, Anne!

Teacher: David! Don’t shout at Anne. She’s done nothing wrong. Now, everybody, let’s play a game:     5     . OK? Right, let’s go. ‘She was very sad.’ Now, who’d like to speak out your sentence?

A．This is showing

B．A lovely example

C．Why not try doing it

D．But how do we do that

E．I’ll tell you something and you have to say it in a different way

F．Now, which example tells the reader about how the man was feeling

G．Look and decide which ‘tell’ sentence matches which ‘show’ sentence

8 . Since her retirement, an old family friend has begun visually journaling her travels. She isn’t an “artist”, but that doesn’t reduce her joy in her experiences or the truth and appeal of her sketches (素描). It was inspiring and I took it as a good idea for later. When I saw the recent Van der Weel and Van der Meer study about handwriting and cognitive activation (认知激活), I thought about my friend, the passage of time, and aging and realized that it was time to hunt up all my media ( pens, pencils, watercolors, bound journals, and sketchpads) and shift some activities from keyboard to paper as an investment in brain health.

Van der Weel and Van der Meer found writing by hand (rather than tapping away on your keyboard) increases brain connectivity. It may be time to consider deleting some of those list-making and journal apps from your phone and return to paper and notebooks. Healthy media use of any kind is, after all, about balance. I realized that I write very little by hand but if doing so activates the whole brain, then it may join the list of activities, like doing crossword puzzles and learning a new language, which help delay cognitive decline.

Writing helps people process life’s emotional ups and downs through sense-making—the greater the cognitive effort to find meaning, the greater appreciation of the benefits and improved mood. Meaning and positive emotions are central to well-being.

However, I had never considered the physical act of handwriting as a brain health aging activity. The greater brain activity from handwriting compared to typing is thought to explain why handwritten notes are linked to increased learning among students. Learning and memory are both cognitive functions. Learning describes how we gain new skills and knowledge. Memory is how we store and bring back what we learn. Aging messes with both and can prevent new learning as well as the memory of what you just learned. However, social, physical, and cognitively challenging activities have been shown to reduce the negative effects of aging on cognitive function and increase cognitive reserve (认知储备).

1. What made the author begin to notice brain health?

A．The passage of time.	B．The aging of him/her.
C．The recent study about handwriting.	D．His/Her friend’s visual travel sketch.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The benefits of writing.

B．Ups and downs of life.

C．The meanings of positive emotions.

D．The advantages of writing over computers.

3. How is the last paragraph developed?

A．By giving advice.	B．By listing numbers.
C．By quoting experts’ words.	D．By making a comparison.

4. What may the author say to students?

A．Learn by memorizing.	B．Add handwriting to your list.
C．Be aware of the secret of memory.	D．Join in the healthy aging activities.

9 . Passive learning and active learning are two totally different patterns of learning in the world of teaching. Traditionally, learning has been mostly passive in nature. However, in the last 2-3 decades, there has been a push to encourage active learning in the classroom. Passive learning refers to learning in which the student does little to acquire knowledge. The most common form of passive learning is direct instruction. In passive learning, the student is viewed as an empty container of knowledge that the teacher must fill with his or her knowledge. Freire called this pattern of learning banking education as the student serves as an account in which the teacher or banker places knowledge or money. There’s a heavy stress on memorizing information or knowledge. The student should take notes and be ready to repeat what the teacher has said. The teacher is the wise man on the stage.

Passive learning always sounds bad but sometimes it can be beneficial. When people have no former knowledge of a subject, passive learning can provide a foundation for future active learning activities.

Active learning is learning in which the student is actively involved in the learning process. Common examples of this learning pattern include any form of discussion in the classroom.

Active learning encourages students to use their current knowledge to build new understanding. There’s a reduction of lecturing in an active learning classroom. Rather, students interact with each other and the teacher to develop their understanding of the content. Active learning also faces some challenges. One is that active learning is time-consuming. Developing activities and leading discussions can force the class to move slower. If the course covers a large amount of content, this can be challenging for teachers.

In conclusion, there’s room in the world of education for both passive and active learning. But too much reliance on either one will probably be a disadvantage for students.

1. What’s the disadvantage of banking education?

A．Failing to make classes move quickly.

B．Weakening teachers’ interest in education.

C．Focusing too much on memorizing knowledge.

D．Causing bad relationships between teachers and students.

2. When does passive learning happen?

A．When learning a new lesson.

B．When writing about reflection.

C．When answering a teacher’s question.

D．When planning active learning activities.

3. Which would the author most probably agree with?

A．Parents should support teachers’ education.

B．Teachers shouldn’t bother students’ learning process.

C．We must make passive learning disappear from classes.

D．We should balance passive learning and active learning.

4. What does the underlined word “time-consuming” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Taking too much time.	B．Highly effective.
C．Making no difference.	D．Rather expensive.

10 . The Ark

Shanghai International Dance Center Theater will present “The Ark” this weekend, a two-dance performance by Chinese and foreign female choreographers (编舞者).

“Build Beauty” by Chinese choreographer Gong Xingxing and “Last Man Standing” by German choreographer Sita Ostheimer, comprise “The Ark”. Artists from Xiexin Dance Theater will perform both works.

Time: December 23, 7:30 pm

Admission:180 — 580 yuan

Venue: Shanghai International Dance Center Theater

Belt and Road Initiative

The exhibition narrates the history of the ancient Silk Road and Shanghai’s modern development. It features over 250 documents, artifacts, photos and videos. About 80 percent of the exhibits are on display in Shanghai for the first time. Highlighted items include a tiny replica (模型) of the treasure ship of Zheng He and some historical documents.

Time: Through late April, 2024

Admission: Free

Venue: Shanghai Archives

Live in Love!

The Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Singers will lead audiences to welcome the New Year with a concert “Live in Love!”

Starting at 10:00 pm on Sunday, the concert features RCS’s original compositions covering the themes of love, memory, and farewells. The concert will end with the title song “Live in Love!” Audiences will be invited to stand up and set their emotions free together with the singers to welcome the New Year.

Time: December 31, 10:00 pm

Admission:180 — 1,080 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Oriental Art Center

Inside No. 9

The popular British TV series “Inside No. 9” has been adapted into an immersive (沉浸式的) live theater performance. Three “Inside No. 9” stories will be performed live for the audience. The specially designed seats and stages will provide audiences with a one-of-a-kind immersive theater experience.

Time: Through February 29, 2:50 pm/7:30 pm/8:20 pm

Admission:489 —   589 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater

1. What is special about “The Ark”?

A．It will contain dances from the East and the West.

B．It will be composed all by German choreographers.

C．It will provide specially designed stages.

D．It will offer an immersive theater experience.

2. What can you enjoy at Shanghai Grand Theater?

A．Some brilliant dances.	B．Some operas with the theme of love.
C．Some performances based on a TV play.	D．Some videos about the ancient Silk Road.

3. Which one should you choose to experience a festive celebration?

A．The Ark.

B．Live in Love!

C．Belt and Road Initiative.

D．Inside No. 9.