3 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. lasting               B. opposing               C. agent-               D. enormous             E. Contribute F. convinced            G. involved               H. sponsor             I. committed             J. reflect K. insignificant

How an Individual Can Make a Difference

In the face of a multitude of global problems, it can be difficult to feel like an individual or small groups can make a difference. Our minds and hearts are in the right place but what can one person really do? It turns out quite a lot.

With Martin Luther King Day just around the comer in the United States, it’s the perfect time for all of us to     1     and remember just how much of an impact one person can make on the world. In his iconic speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, King told America, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

The social impact King had in the United States is tangible,     2     and real. All of us here at Up with People are     3     of the power of individuals to make a difference. In fact, it’s our mission.

Through music and action, we empower young people to be a positive     4     of change for a more hopeful, trusting, and peaceful world.

You might think the difference you can make is     5     . No matter what corner of the world you call home, what you do everyday matters and even small acts can make giant ripples of good in this world we all share.

It’s a myth that what we do has to be     6     to make a difference. You don’t have to be Martin Luther King Jr. to have a positive social impact on your community. Margaret Mead put it best, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and     7     citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

So, start small. Do daily, small acts of kindness. Pay for someone’s coffee, open a door, let someone cut in front of you in line or smile. Spread kindness because the world needs it.

    8     money or your time. Pick an organization close to home or volunteer around the world with Up with People!

Be a(n)     9     or join a meaningful campaign. Googling “join a campaign” will result in millions of responses from supporting children to the elderly. Whatever you get     10     in will advance the campaign greatly because of your actions. Pick one thing to start so you don’t get overwhelmed.

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A．clearing	B．commercial	C．cut	D．effectively	E．exhausting	F．likewise
G．range	H．restoring	I．scarcity	J．surprisingly	K．underestimated

The best bosses know how to subtract work

Companies are used to celebrating addition. Profits, customers and share prices should go up rather than fall. Innovation is the adding of new products. Larger numbers are a measure of career success.

Firms are not always opposed to subtraction. There are good kinds of cuts. Reducing costs is a necessary part of management, though not a welcome one. But the value of doing less is     1    . The best bosses are those who take things away as well as add them on.

That means     2     time for employees to get work done. Meetings are almost always called by bosses. Some are useful; many of them are not.

Shopify, an e-commerce firm, began the year by deleting 12,000 meeting s from corporate calendars, and asking everyone to think carefully before     3     them. The company reports a rise in productivity as a result of the     4    .

The only thing worse than having too many meetings is not being invited to them at all. So whenever meetings take place,     5     large numbers of people can turn up. Minus-minded managers will give employees permission not to attend if they are not needed.

Good bosses,     6    , will send messages when necessary, not every time a bright idea pops into their head. They will reduce the tempo of work, by leaving employees time to concentrate. They will be clear if something is urgent or not.

Subtraction is not just about removing day-to-day distractions. It’s also about taking decisions to kill off projects and products that are going nowhere, and to focus efforts on the most important bits of the business.

In “The Case for Good Jobs”, a new book, Zeynep Ton of MIT Sloan School of Management argues that doing less can often make     7     sense. Costco, a well-regarded American retailer has a deliberately limited product     8    . That means it can focus its buying power more effectively, forecast demand more accurately and use its employees’ time more productively.

Less may not sound like a great outcome for customers, but at some point choice is deeply     9    . When you have spent more time trying to decide what to watch on a streaming service than it takes to go to the cinema and watch “Oppenheimer” twice,     10     seems pretty attractive.

6 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. referring             B. refresh             C. pin                    D. occurred             E. acknowledging F. identify             G. drain                    H. discouraged       I. specific             J. negative K. specifically

Make a Wish List

Most of us know of New Year’s Resolutions, where one sets intentions for the year ahead. But too often, people make their resolutions     1     — “I will no longer eat biscuits left at my desk”— and then feel unhappy. In the cold month of January, the last thing you need is to     2     your energy further by setting up a series of battles with yourself. And if you break a resolution, you feel     3    , which is a rubbish way to start the year. What you need instead are things to look forward to.

So instead, try a wish list. This involves writing down 100 things you would like to do in the year ahead. The items can be enormous or tiny, ranging from “Climb Everest” to “buy a new pencil sharper”. The main thing is that at some point it has     4     to you as something that you would like to do.

The key here is — write it down.

Do you feel any resistance to the ideas? If so, ask yourself why. What is wrong with     5     what you would like to do? Try not to say to yourself: “I can’t I don’t have the money/time/energy/skills.” Just write it down.

It helps to be     6    , so rather than “Get outdoors”,     7     a place you would like to visit. And take your time when creating it — a wish list is not built in a day. Think about it, polish it and     8     it.

Finally, you have your list. And what a work of beauty it is. Here are all the things that you would like to do. Remember to     9     them up where you can see them; let yourself consider how they can be accomplished. You’ll be amazed that so many of your dreams can be realized though the simple trick of writing them down and     10     to them.

7 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. finances   B. continued   C. decline     D. addressing   E. pressured   AB. unneedy AC. giving   AD. charges   AE. tempered   BC. skipping   BD. cause

How to Check Out a Charity Before You Donate

You hear the words “childhood disease” or “natural disaster,” and it can be hard to say no to donation requests to help. But your instinct to be generous always should be     1     by a healthy dose of doubt. The recent crackdown launched by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on four cancer charities a good reminder to make sure your donations are put to good use. So how can you make sure that the money you give doesn’t end up lining the pockets of the     2     ? Follow these tips.

Hang up on telemarketers. The cancer charities charged with fraud by the FTC used telemarketing calls to raise donations. If you get a call from a group asking for money, you might feel     3     to make a donation on the spot. But the FTC cautions that you shouldn’t rush to say yes but     4     any requests to give over the phone. Telemarketing companies often keep a significant portion of the funds they raise. You’re better off     5     the middleman and contacting a charity directly to make a donation.

Don’t wait for charities to come to you. To avoid feeling the pressure to give to an organization that reaches out to you, figure out what     6     is important to you. Then find charities that are     7     it. You can browse charities that have been evaluated by Charity Navigator by category to identify groups you want to support. Having a(n)     8     plan will make it easier to avoid making impulse donations.

Research before you give. The FTC     9     against the four cancer charities shows that just because an organization claims to do good doesn’t mean it actually does. That’s why it’s important to find out as much as you can about how an organization will use your donation before you give. You can start with third-party evaluations and ratings at sites such as Charity Navigator and Charity Watch, which examine charities’     10    , governance and effectiveness.

9 . Directions: Complete the following passages by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Do note that there is one word more than you need in each passage.

A. guarantee     B. boost        C. barely       D. distractions     E. literally     F. spare G. towering       H. critical     I. excessive     J. packing          K. available

It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work

How often have you heard someone say “It’s crazy at work”? Maybe you’ve even said it yourself. For many, “It’s crazy at work” has become their normal. But why so crazy?

There are two primary reasons: (1) The workday is being sliced into tiny, fleeting work moments by an onslaught of physical and virtual     1    .   (2)And an unhealthy obsession with growth at any cost set     2    , unrealistic expectations that stress people out.

It’s no wonder people are working longer, earlier, later, on weekends, and whenever they have a(n)     3     moment. That turns life into work’s left-overs. The doggie bag.

What’s worse is that long hours,     4     busyness, and lack of sleep have become a badge of honor for many people these days. Sustained exhaustion is not a badge of honor. Instead, it’s a(n)     5     of a physical and mental breakdown.

Besides, everyone’s talking about how to     6     productivity these days. There’s an endless stream of methodologies and tools promising to make people more productive. But more productive at what?

Productivity is for machines, not for people. There’s nothing meaningful about     7     some number of work units into some amount of time or squeezing more into less. Machines can     8     work 24/7, but humans can’t.

When people focus on productivity, they end up focusing on being busy. Filling every moment with something to do. And there’s always more to do!

But we should not believe in busyness. We should believe in effectiveness. How little can we do? How much can we cut out? Instead of adding to-dos, we add to-don’ts.

Being productive is about occupying your time - filling your schedule to the brim and getting as much done as you can. Being effective is about finding more of your time unoccupied and     9     for other things besides work. Time for leisure, time for family and friends. Or time for doing absolutely nothing.

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to have nothing to do. Or, better yet, nothing worth doing. If you’ve only got three hours of work to do on a given day, then stop. Don’t fill your day with five more just to stay busy or feel productive. Not doing something that is     10     worth doing is a wonderful way to spend your time.