1 . From self-driving cars to carebots for elderly people, rapid advances in technology have long represented a potential threat to many jobs normally performed by people.

But experts now believe that almost 50 per cent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to transform businesses. This could put some people’s livelihoods at risk.

“Experts predict that 50 per cent of occupations today will no longer exist by 2025 as people will take up more creative professions,” said Martin Chen, Chief Operating Officer of Genesis. “This means that jobs will develop and so will real estate development.”

Workspaces with rows of desks will become completely extra, not because they are not fit for purpose, but simply because that purpose no longer exists, according to the report. “The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a corresponding revolution will necessarily take place on how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.

A growing proportion of jobs in the future will require creativity intelligence, social skills and the ability to apply artificial intelligence. “And for most people that will be a route to happiness and fulfillment,” the report states.

Data in the US suggests that technology already destroys more jobs than it creates, as GDP has been able to grow faster than employment since 2000. A 2014 report by Pew Research found 52 per cent of experts in artificial and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few decades.

The optimists imagined “a future in which robots and digital agents do not replace more jobs than they create,” Microsoft’s Jonathan Grudin told researchers that: “Technology will continue to break up jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change.”

1. What will put some people’s livelihood at risk in fifteen years of time?

A．Self-driving cars and carebots.

B．Artificial intelligence.

C．Business.

D．Real estate.

2. Why will desks in offices be unnecessary by 2025?

A．There will be no purpose of using the desks.

B．The desks will no longer be fit for the purpose.

C．The office revolution will make people rethink about their work.

D．The development of technology removes the need for desks.

3. What will the characteristics of the jobs be in the next fifteen years?

A．Most jobs in the future use high technology.

B．More and more jobs focus of happiness and fulfillment.

C．More and more jobs are focusing on artificial intelligence.

D．Most jobs will require social ability to communicate with others.

4. What can be implied in what Jonathan Grudin said in the last paragraph ?

A．There will be billions of people in fifteen years of time.

B．Enough jobs will be created for everyone to choose from.

C．People needn’t worry about their jobs in the future.

D．Robots and digital agents create more jobs than they destroy.

5. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．2025, A Jobless World.

B．2025, Robots Leave Humans Unemployed.

C．There Will Be No Desks in Future.

D．Half of Our Jobs Will Be Unnecessary by 2025.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the probable relationship between the speakers?

A．Classmates.

B．Teacher and student.

C．Customer and shop assistant.

2. Where did the man work last summer?

A．In a clothes shop.

B．In a shoe shop.

C．In a bookshop.

3. How does the woman feel about her summer job？

A．Tired.

B．Pleased.

C．Interested.

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the relationship between the speakers?

A．Friends.

B．Strangers.

C．Husband and wife.

2. Why does the woman come to talk with the man?

A．To get a job.

B．To see the secretary.

C．To check the results of the test.

3. What does the man mean by saying sorry?

A．He can’t hear the woman clearly.

B．He won’t be back until next month.

C．He can’t help the woman.

4 . The Internet has completely changed the workplace over the past three decades. Artificial Intelligence is now all set to do the same, and businesses that don’t take advantage of the technology risk being left behind.

Global tech giants like Amazon have been leading the change, and businesses of all sizes are now using the technology for employing and managing their staff.

Among them is L’Oreal. With about a million applicants for roughly 15,000 new positions each year, the company is using AI to hire.

“We really wanted to save time and focus more on quality, diversity and candidate experience. And AI solutions were the best way to go faster on these challenges,” said Eva Azoulay, global vice-president of L’Oreal’s Human Resources Department.

The company uses Mya, a chatbot, to save employers’ time during the first stage of the process. It handles routine questions from candidates, and checks details such as availability and visa requirements. Should candidates make it to the next round, they’ll run into Seedlink, an AI software that scores applicants based on their answers to open-ended interview questions. These scores don’t replace human judgment, said Azoulay, but they do exclude candidates who might not seem like obvious choices.

Early results have been promising. For one internship program, where 12,000 people apply for about 80 spots, employers claim they saved 200 hours of time while hiring the most diverse group to date.

Other businesses have gone beyond employment and are using AI to help manage employees. Some UK firms have started using Isaak, a system designed by the London-based company StatusToday, to track how many hours staff spend online and the number of emails they receive. London real estate agent JBrown has been using this system since March. CEO James Brown said it helps the firm understand employees’ habits and prevent them from overworking. “It enables us to solve bottleneck problems and relieve overburdened employees,” he said.

Despite these examples of good practice, there is still a long way for AI to reach its full potential, and the technology comes with risks. Another AI danger could be its impact on jobs through automation.

McKinsey predicts AI could add $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030, with early adopters doubling their cash flow over that period. But the demand for repetitive (重复的) or digitally-unskilled jobs could drop by around 10%, the consulting firm said in a 2018 report.

1. What can we learn about AI technology from Paragraph 1?

A．It causes a great problem in workplace.

B．It will become a necessary part of business.

C．It requires businesses to invest much money.

D．It will replace the Internet in the future.

2. L’Oreal uses AI in its hiring process to _____.

A．pick out the most suitable candidates directly

B．come up with more questions unlimitedly

C．improve the company’s hiring efficiency

D．save money by replacing human judgment

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “exclude” in the 5th paragraph?

A．Prepare.

B．Consider.

C．Remove.

D．Include.

4. Firms with the system Isaak can _____.

A．prevent their employees from surfing the Internet

B．force their employees to form good working habits

C．monitor the contents of all their employees’ emails

D．help their employees avoid being overstressed at work

5. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．What AI will bring to the workplace.

B．Why AI could be good for the workplace.

C．How businesses can prepare for an AI future.

D．How to use AI to improve workplace efficiency.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What time is it now?

A．11:00.

B．11:10.

C．11:15.

2. What is the weather like?

A．Sunny.

B．Windy.

C．Rainy.

3. What’s the probable relationship between the speakers?

A．Boss and employee.

B．Professor and student.

C．Seller and customer.

7 . What did the woman’s mother do?

A．A babysitter.

B．A teacher.

C．A lawyer.

8 . Where is Jennifer working now?

A．In a college.

B．In a hospital.

C．In a drug store.

9 . What probably is the man?

A．A teacher.

B．A reporter.

C．A student.

10 . What happened to the man last week?

A．He lost his job.

B．He bought a newspaper.

C．He refused his co-workers.