1 . Intern (实习生): United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization(UNESCO)
Job Title: Digital Business Solutions Intern
Work location: Remote/Beijing
Duration: Six months
The Digital Bureau Solution is responsible for ICT operations within UNESCO, and reports to the Assistant Director General to Administration(ADG/ADM). The team oversees the implementation of UNESO’s digital strategy, with the delivery of more integrated and properly designed, project and knowledge management in support of programme delivery; the supply of a flexible IT infrastructure (基础建设), and best-in-class service management to enable effective programme delivery; and the supply of strengthened cyber security and digital risk management.
Job responsibilities
Network Monitoring and Arrangement: Assist in monitoring network performance and diagnosing connectivity issues using network monitoring tools; while gaining hands-on experience with network device arrangement, including routers, switches, and firewalls;
Cloud Platform Familiarity: Gain experience with cloud platforms by setting up and arranging cloud resources; assist in planning the migration of pre-stored applications and workloads to the cloud:
Server and Network Troubleshooting: Learn to troubleshoot network problems, such as slow connections or connection lost;
Documentation: Help update and maintain network documentation, including network diagrams and device inventories;·User Support and Troubleshooting: Provide basic user support, including password resets and account creation, and learn about helpdesk ticketing systems;
Requirements
You must be at least 20 years old to apply.
You have recently graduated with a Master’s degree or PhD, 12 months prior to the start of the internship; You should have an excellent command, both written and spoken, of English or French. A working knowledge of the other language (English or French) is an advantage; You must have an excellent knowledge of computer systems and office-related software.
Applicants need to register an account for UNESCD and enter the application process after completing their personal information resume. In the Application information, if you want to do this job offline, select duty station: China, Beijing.
1. The Digital Bureau Solution is to ______.| A．control the Assistant Director General to Administration |
| B．improve more integrated project and knowledge management |
| C．create a flexible IT infrastructure, and good service management |
| D．offer strengthened cyber security and digital risk management. |
| A．monitor network performance and diagnose connectivity issues |
| B．gain experience with cloud platforms by planning the applications |
| C．update and maintain network documentation for network diagrams |
| D．provide basic user support by learning about helpdesk ticketing systems |
| A．Being younger than 20 years old when applying. |
| B．Having a Master’s degree or PhD while applying. |
| C．Commanding English and French excellently, both written and spoken. |
| D．Having a rich knowledge of computer systems and office-related software. |
2 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求回答问题。
Anxiety is not deadly, because being able to feel anxious shows that our fight-or-flight system is operational, which is an indicator of brain and sensory health. Once we accept that being anxious is a normal part of life, we can use it to our benefit.
Anxiety can help build our emotional strength. If we want to build emotional strength, we need to face some degree of mental stress. Of course, unpleasant and abuse tend to cause more harm than good, but the experience of occasional anxiety, stress, and tension substantially increases our emotional courage.
Anxiety can increase your emotional connection. Clinical science has identified that sharing our anxieties with our loved ones is one of the most effective strategies to build connection. When my patients learn to open up and share their anxieties with their partners, they almost always report a greater sense of emotional connection.
Anxiety can help us rebalance. When we feel genuinely anxious because of stress, it’s our body’s way of telling us to rebalance. Nobody is truly limitless. When we pay attention to our internal cues and acknowledge our weaknesses, we emerge more focused and healthier overall and also less stressed and anxious.
Anxiety can be a healthy, helpful emotion that is a constructive aspect of human life. When it comes to occasional experience of anxiety, it can emotionally help boost our courage. It can also build up emotional connect ion when we express our sensitive feelings to others. And in the form of stress, it can serve as an internal indicator to remain balanced and healthy. Now it’s high time we started putting it to good use．
1. Why is anxiety not deadly?When we pay attention to our internal cues and acknowledge our weaknesses, we emerge more focused and healthier overall and also more stressed and anxious．
3 . Do you want to be a cognitive superager when you are old? Just as you take steps towards a future-proofing body, you can enhance your brain’s resilience to age-related disease by boosting cognitive reserve.
Andrew Sommerlad, an associate professor of psychiatry, discovers the power of cognitive reserve in studies of older people who show signs of Alzheimer’s (阿尔兹海默症) in their brains.
How do you improve it? The younger you implement things that will bolster it, the better. For example, you can do tasks that challenges your brain ability, like crosswords, reading, giving impromptu speech and critical thinking.
Cognitive reserve is developed through a lifetime of education, curiosity and persistence.
| A．Its effects are wide reaching. |
| B．Additionally, maintain regular sleep patterns. |
| C．So plan ahead to make sure you keep cognitively busy and engaged! |
| D．There are ways you can improve sleep, for both young and old people. |
| E．It suggests that developing a good cognitive reserve can be powerfully protective. |
| F．However, thinking too hard for too long may wear you out, hurting cognitive reserve. |
| G．They cope better with pathological (病理上的) changes, the higher their powers of cognitive reserve. |
4 . It is rapidly emerging as one of the most important technological, and increasingly ideological, divides of our times: should powerful generative artificial intelligence systems be open or closed?
Supporters say they broaden access to the technology, stimulate innovation and improve reliability by encouraging outside scrutiny. Far cheaper to develop and deploy, smaller open models also inject competition into a field dominated by big US companies such as Google. Microsoft and OpenAI that have invested billions developing massive, closed and closely controlled generative Al systems.
But detractors argue open models risk lifting the lid on a Pandora’s box of troubles. Bad actors can exploit them to spread personalised disinformation, while terrorists might use them to manufacture cyber or bio weapons. “The danger of open source is that it enables more crazies to do crazy things, “Geoffrey Hinton, one of the pioneers of modern AI, has warned.
The history of OpenAI, which developed the popular ChatGPT chatbot, is itself instructive. As its name suggests, the research company was founded in 2015 with a commitment to develop the technology as openly as possible. But it later abandoned that approach for both competitive and safety reasons. Once OpenAI realised that its generative AI models were going to be “unbelievably potent”, it made little sense to open source them, Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s chief scientist said.
Supporters of open models hit back, ridiculing the idea that open generative AI models enable people to access information they could not otherwise find from the internet or a rogue scientist. They also highlight the competitive self-interest of the big tech companies in shouting about the dangers of open models, whose intention is to establish their own market dominance strongly.
But there is an ideological dimension to this debate, too. Yann LeCun, chief scientist of Meta, has likened the arguments for controlling the technology to medieval obscurantism (蒙昧主义): the belief that only a self-selecting priesthood of experts is wise enough to handle knowledge.
In the future, all our interactions with the vast digital repository of human knowledge will be mediated through Al systems. We should not want a handful of Silicon Valley companies to control that access. Just as the internet flourished by resisting attempts to enclose it, so AI will thrive by remaining open, LeCun argues.
Wendy Hall, royal professor of computer science at Southampton university, says we do not want to live in a world where only the big companies run generative Al. Nor do we want to allow users to do anything they like with open models. “We have to find some compromise,” she suggests.
We should certainly resist the tyranny (暴政) of the binary (二进制) when it comes to thinking about AI models. Both open and closed models have their benefits and flaws. As the capabilities of these models evolve, we will constantly have to tweak the weightings between competition and control.
1. What does the underlined word “potent” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?| A．Accessible. | B．Powerful. | C．Significant. | D．Unnoticeable. |
| A．It needs billions of dollars to develop and deploy open-source models. |
| B．The field of generative AI systems is dominated by big companies. |
| C．Only self-selecting experts can handle open models wisely. |
| D．Users can do anything they like with open models at this moment. |
| A．sympathetic | B．puzzled | C．unconcerned | D．opposed |
| A．How to Keep the Lid on the Pandora’s Box of Open AI |
| B．Divides on Open AI: technology and ideology |
| C．Where does the Debate on Open AI End |
| D．Pros and Cons of Open AI |
5 . EVs are in the middle of an obesity epidemic
Fisker, an electric vehicle, unveiled the future line-up on August 3rd. It included: a souped-up, off-road version of the Ocean. Though Fisker says sustainability is one of its founding principles, it is indulging in a trait almost universal among car firms: building bigger, stronger cars, even when they are electric.
There are two reasons for this. The first is profit. As with conventional cars, bigger EVs generate higher margins. The second is consumer preference. For decades, drivers have been opting for SUVs and pickup trucks rather than smaller cars, and this now applies to battery-charged ones. EV drivers, who worry about the availability of charging infrastructure, want more range, hence bigger batteries. That may help make for a more reassuring ride. But eventually the supersizing trend will prove to be unsustainable and unsafe.
For now, carmakers can argue that however big the electric rigs, they have a positive impact on the planet. Though manufacturing EVs—including sourcing the metals and minerals that go into them—generates more greenhouse gases than a conventional car, they quickly compensate for that through the absence of tallpipe emissions.
But in the long run the trend for bigger butteries may backfire, for economic and environmental reasons. First, the bigger the battery, the more pressure there will be on the supply chain. If battery sizes increase there are likely to be looming seareitles of lithium and nickel. That will push up the cost of lithium-ion batteries, undermining carmakers’ profitability. Second, to charge bigger batteries in a carbon-neutral way requires more low-carbon electricity. That may create bottlenecks on the grid. Third, the more pressure on scarce resources vital for EV production, the harder it will be to make affordable electric cars critical for electrifying the mass market. That will slow the overall decarbonisation of transport. Finally, there is safety. Not only is a battle tank that does zero to 100 kilometres per hour in the blink of an eye a liability for anyone that happens to be in its way.
Governments have ways to encourage EVs to shrink. The most important is to support the expansion of charging infrastructure, which would reduce range anxiety and promote smaller cars. Taxes could punish heavier vehicles and subsidies could promote lighter ones.
Ultimately, the industry is almost sure to realise the folly of pursuing size for its own sake. The penny is starting to drop. Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, recently said carmakers could not make money with the longest-range batteries. His opposite number at General Motors, Mary Barra, has taken the unexpected step of reversing a plan to retire the affordable Chevy Bolt EV. In Europe, carmakers like Volkswagen are building smaller, cheaper EVs. Tesla is said to be planning a compact model made in Mexico.
1. Consumers want EVs with more range and bigger batteries because ______.| A．they can bring more profits |
| B．they can reduce tailpipe emissions |
| C．they are more secure |
| D．there are insufficient charging facilities for them |
| A．Rising cost of batteries will increase profitability |
| B．Conventional cars produce more greenhouse gases than EVs in production |
| C．Bigger batteries may create more pressure on the supply chain |
| D．The demand on scarce resources in EVs makes electric cars more affordable |
| A．Lighter electric vehicles should be encouraged. |
| B．Bigger, stronger cars are safer and more sustainable. |
| C．Supersizing electric vehicles have a positive impact on the planet. |
| D．EVs with bigger batteries may help make for a more comfortable ride. |
6 . Living beyond limits
Growing up in the hot Las Vegas desert, all I wanted was to be free. I would daydream about traveling the world, living in a place where it snowed.
At the age of 19, the day after I graduated from high school, I moved to a place where it snowed and I found my dream job. For the first time in my life, I felt free, independent and completely in control of my life. That is, until my life took a detour (转折点) . I went home from work early one day with what I thought was the flu, and less than 24 hours later I was in the hospital on life support with less than a 2% chance of living.
Over the course of two and a half months I lost the hearing in my left ear and both of my legs below the knee. I thought the worst was over until weeks later when I saw my new artificial legs for the first time. They were so painful that all I could think was, how am I ever going to travel the world in these things? And how was I going to snowboard again?
But I knew that in order to move forward, I had to let go of the old Self and learn to embrace the new Self. And that is when it dawned on me that if I snowboarded again, my feet aren’t going to get cold.
Four months later I was back up on a snowboard, although things didn’t go quite as expected: My knees and my ankles wouldn’t bend. But I knew that I would be able to do this again if I could find the right pair of feet.
I did a year of research, still couldn’t figure out what kind of legs to use. So I decided to make a pair myself. My leg maker and I put random parts together and we made a pair of feet that I could snowboard in. Then in 2005 I cofounded a nonprofit organization for youth with physical disabilities so they could get involved with action sports.
Eleven years ago, when I lost my legs, I had no idea what to expect. But if you ask me today, if I would ever want to change my situation, I would have to say no. Because my legs haven’t disabled me. They’ve forced me to rely on my imagination and to believe in the possibilities.
1. How did the author feel when she saw her new legs for the first time?| A．Astonished. | B．Hopeful. | C．Desperate. | D．Delighted. |
| A．Her positive attitude. |
| B．Inspiration from research. |
| C．Her love for snowboard. |
| D．Help from a nonprofit organization. |
| A．travel around the world |
| B．take part in action sports |
| C．bend their knees and ankles |
| D．recover from their disabilities |
| A．Practice makes perfect. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．You can’t judge a book by its cover. |
| D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart |
1. How long will it take to complete the writing course?
| A．2 hours. | B．4 hours. | C．4.5 hours. | D．6 hours. |
| A．a study plan | B．written works | C．text summaries | D．a questionnaire |
| A．Writing for your course. | B．How to be a time manager. |
| C．A better reader. | D．Which position for me. |
| A．A science report. | B．A website. | C．A guidebook. | D．A menu. |
8 . 
Tommy Rhomberg was a twelve-year-old young boy in Iowa. Last summer, his home state was destroyed by Great Derecho. He soon came up with a creative idea to raise money for his community by making and selling baseball bats out of wood brought down by the storm.
The idea for the bats originally began as Tommy prepared a birthday gift for his friend. Then many others expressed interest in owning Great Derecho bats of their own. At first, Tommy didn’t take it seriously, but since so many people in the area needed help after the storm, he determined to make a difference to them.
The first bat took Tommy 10 hours to carve and sand (用砂纸打磨) out of a tree branch that had fallen in his yard. With blisters (水泡) on his hands, Tommy had to refuse his brother’s request for making another bat. But as he began receiving more orders, he streamlined the process with a machine with the help of his grandfather. Tommy promised $20 from each order would go to the local disaster relief fund to rebuild the community.
When asked why he started the “bat business”, Tommy replied, “We got kind of lucky with the storm. We didn’t have much damage, but just driving around town there were people with houses destroyed, and I just wanted to raise money so we could help them rebuild. I feel like it’s really helping people.”
Tommy has made more than 100 bats, raising more than $2,500 to help out his community, and orders have come in from as far as Arizona and Connecticut. Tommy is not taking additional orders at the moment, but it’s possible that he’ll make more bats in the future, according to his website.
1. What does the underlined words “Great Derecho” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．A place. | B．A person. | C．A storm. | D．An idea. |
| A．his brother asked him to make one | B．his grandfather suggested producing one |
| C．he wanted to give his friend a gift | D．he was interested in playing baseball |
| A．He collected the wood. | B．He donated money. |
| C．He rebuilt the school. | D．He repaired the machine. |
| A．Well begun, half done. | B．Don’t judge a book by its cover. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | D．Little people can make a big difference. |
In today’s modern era, technology is expanding rapidly and it is being used by mankind for their benefit. The major benefit that developing technology has provided is allowing individuals to work from home.
Organizations can save a huge amount of capital by making employees work from home. Moreover, this reduces other expenses associated with the workspace and accommodates an increased number of employees at the same time. As stated above, employers have the benefits of reducing the expenses associated with the workplace, borrowing land for the workplace. Since, nowadays, expenses of buildings and owning lands are very high, this could save the organizations a large sum of money.
To quote an example, India observes an extremely low rate in the companies that used to provide remote work prior to the pandemic hitting the global nations. Post the pandemic, several companies understood the importance of working from home and the associated benefits of working remotely. Thus, most of organizations have started promoting remote work due to which they have saved a huge amount of money and increased their turnover and productivity approaches.
The second major benefit associated with remote work is the lack of the necessity to travel, which reduces the chances of being stuck in traffic. This has increased productivity and efficiency at work and saved a potential amount of time for them that they could invest in other productive activities.
To summarize, it cannot be denied that developing technologies have a number of benefits to society as it has allowed individuals to manage their time effectively. Moreover, it also helps with social life balance.
1. According to this passage, what makes individuals able to work from home?2. In the sentence “…this could save the organizations a large sum of money” in paragraph 2, what does “this” mean?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Working from home can do many benefits, because it reduces employers’ capital as well as individuals’ working time.
4. What do you think are disadvantages of working from home? (In about 40 words)
10 . Why Boundaries at Work Are Essential
What is a boundary, you ask? A boundary is a limit defining you in relation to someone or something.
Letting co-workers know you are not comfortable shaking their hands or hugging them at a holiday party, especially with Covid at this time, is another example of setting a physical boundary. It is often easier to understand a physical boundary. Emotional or mental boundaries may be subtler (更微妙的).
Emotional boundaries are related to our feelings and how something or someone’s behavior affects us. For example, if a boss treats you disrespectfully by yelling at you or a colleague frequently interrupts you in meetings, you are likely to feel hurt, embarrassed, and perhaps angry. Understandably, by having a courageous conversation with both your boss and co-worker about their behavior, the impact it has on you, and your expectations regarding future behavior, you are setting healthy emotional boundaries for yourself at work.
Sometimes we set a boundary that is a combination of both a physical and emotional one.
Mental boundaries are related to our beliefs, values, cultural norms, ethics (道德), and standards. For example, you value a workplace culture that treats employees and clients with respect and dignity and acts ethically. After six months, you realize that company leaders are repeatedly behaving in ways not consistent with this.
| A．Why are boundaries important? |
| B．However, they are equally, if not more, important. |
| C．Therefore, we need to tell the difference between them. |
| D．Setting a boundary in the above example may be quite helpful. |
| E．Boundaries can be physical, mental, emotional, tangible, or intangible. |
| F．Your values and ethical standards don’t match with your company’s, which likely will lead to internal conflict. |
| G．Such boundaries often involve being asked to do more than we feel capable of for an extended period of time. |
