1 . Terri Bolton is a dab hand when it comes to DIY (do-it-yourself). Skilled at putting up shelves and piecing together furniture, she never pays someone else to do a job she can do herself.
She credits these skills to her late grandfather and builder Derek Lloyd. From the age of six, Terri, now 26, accompanied Derek to work during her school holidays. A day’s work was rewarded with £5 in pocket money. She says: “I’m sure I wasn’t much of a help to start with, painting the rooms and putting down the flooring throughout the house. It took weeks and it was backbreaking work, but I know he was proud of my skills.”
Terri, who now rents a house with friends in Wandsworth, South West London, says DIY also saves her from losing any deposit when a tenancy (租期) comes to an end. She adds: “I’ve moved house many times and I always like to personalise my room and put up pictures, so, it’s been useful to know how to cover up holes and repaint a room to avoid any charges when I’ve moved out.”
With millions of people likely to take on DIY projects over that coming weeks, new research shows that more than half of people are planning to make the most of the long, warm summer days to get jobs done. The average spend per project will be around £823. Two thirds of people aim to improve their comfort while at home. Two fifths wish to increase the value of their house. Though DIY has traditionally been seen as male hobby, the research shows it is women now leading the charge.
1. Which is closest in meaning to “a dab hand” in paragraph 1?| A．An artist. | B．A winner. | C．A specialist. | D．A pioneer. |
| A．For a birthday gift. | B．As a treat for her work. |
| C．To support her DIY projects. | D．To encourage her to take up a hobby. |
| A．By making it look like before. | B．By furnishing it herself. |
| C．By splitting the rent with a roommate. | D．By cancelling the rental agreement. |
| A．It is becoming more costly. | B．It is getting more time-consuming. |
| C．It is turning into a seasonal industry. | D．It is gaining popularity among females. |
2 . By day, Robert Titterton is a lawyer. In his spare time though he goes on stage beside pianist Maria Raspopova — not as a musician but as her page turner. “I’m not a trained musician, but I’ve learnt to read music so I can help Maria in her performance.”
Mr Titterton is chairman of the Omega Ensemble but has been the group’s official page turner for the past four years. His job is to sit beside the pianist and turn the pages of the score so the musician doesn’t have to break the flow of sound by doing it themselves. He said he became just as nervous as those playing instruments on stage.
“A lot of skills are needed for the job. You have to make sure you don’t turn two pages at once and make sure you find the repeats in the music when you have to go back to the right spot.” Mr Titterton explained.
Being a page turner requires plenty of practice. Some pieces of music can go for 40 minutes and require up to 50 page turns, including back turns for repeat passages. Silent onstage communication is key, and each pianist has their own style of “nodding” to indicate a page turn which they need to practise with their page turner.
But like all performances, there are moments when things go wrong. “I was turning the page to get ready for the next page, but the draft wind from the turn caused the spare pages to fall off the stand,” Mr Titterton said, “Luckily I was able to catch them and put them back.”
Most page turners are piano students or up-and-coming concert pianists, although Ms Raspopova has once asked her husband to help her out on stage.
“My husband is the worst page turner,” she laughed. “He’s interested in the music, feeling every note, and I have to say: ‘Turn, turn!’ Robert is the best page turner I’ve had in my entire life.”
1. What should Titterton be able to do to be a page turner?| A．Read music. | B．Play the piano. |
| C．Sing songs. | D．Fix the instruments. |
| A．Boring. | B．Well-paid. |
| C．Demanding. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．Counting the pages. | B．Recognizing the “nodding”. |
| C．Catching falling objects. | D．Performing in his own style. |
| A．He has very poor eyesight. | B．He ignores the audience. |
| C．He has no interest in music. | D．He forgets to do his job. |
3 . Over the past 38 years, Mr. Wang has pretended to be someone else many times,and has even learned to
The 60-year-old is not an actor, but a
In the 1990s, a group of thieves often sold stolen goods with the help of some beggars. To look into the
“I often
Wang, who is often in
Wang's
| A．teach | B．compare | C．assess | D．speak |
| A．lawyer | B．doctor | C．policeman | D．businessman |
| A．role | B．study | C．family | D．audience |
| A．minor | B．case | C．future | D．question |
| A．interviewed | B．joined | C．arrested | D．assisted |
| A．challenge | B．experience | C．appearance | D．freedom |
| A．vote | B．sympathy | C．permission | D．trust |
| A．invited | B．forced | C．helped | D．expected |
| A．drunk | B．deserted | C．bored | D．lost |
| A．guide | B．persuade | C．excuse | D．allow |
| A．refer to | B．note down | C．ask about | D．miss out |
| A．plan | B．agreement | C．direction | D．information |
| A．awkward | B．dangerous | C．unfortunate | D．strange |
| A．separate | B．recover | C．escape | D．hear |
| A．courage | B．honesty | C．kindness | D．optimism |
4 . Emoji(表情符号) and Workplace Communication
In Asia, messaging platforms are growing rapidly, with users in the hundreds of millions, both at work and play.
Written communications can often read as cold and dull. Using emojis can add humor and feeling, keeping intention clear.
In any given office, employees can range from age 22 to 70 and beyond, and finding common ground in communication style can be a challenge.
There is also the matter of tone(语气). Who hasn’t received an email so annoying that it ruined an entire day?
| A．Message with emojis feel more conversational |
| B．Even a formal email can seem cold and unfriendly |
| C．Sending smiling faces to colleagues may seem strange |
| D．The popularity of these platforms is spreading globally |
| E．Giving employees the tools enables them to communicate honestly |
| F．Studies show that friendlier communication leads to a happier workplace |
| G．An easy way to bring all work generations together is with a chat platform |
5 . Get up at 6 am, arrive at the hospital one hour earlier to help patients check in, and accompany patients during consultations… In recent years, “patient escorts” has emerged as a new industry, and those who have taken on this career are known as “people who sell time”, 26-year-old Zhang Tian is one of them.
September 4 was a lucky day for Zhang Tian. On this day, Zhang Tian saw a video about patient escorts on a short video platform. The daily routine of patient escorts shown in the video fascinated her and gradually inspired her to take this on as a business. She browsed through many platforms and read multiple information and found there indeed exists a certain demand for patient escorts, especially for the elderly, children, and pregnant women. Since she had never engaged in this kind of work before, she spent two days in major hospitals in Wuhan, in order to familiarize herself with all the departments on different floors, as well as the processes of medical consultation and preparation for surgery.
After preliminary preparatory (预备的) work, Zhang Tian posted a video of myself-introduction on major social platforms, talking about the help and services a patient escort provides, as well as some tips for a quick and convenient medical consultation. At first, she was a little worried that her video would go unnoticed. However, after she uploaded the video, it got over 100 likes and she received her first ever offer as a patient escort.
The memory of her first task is still alive and fresh in her mind. She received a phone call on September 9 from a man whose father was seriously ill and might need surgery. He wanted Zhang Tian to accompany his father through his consultation and treatment.” Zhang Tian made full preparations before meeting her first client and did a very good job despite her nervousness.
“Later, the family expressed their gratitude to me over and over again, which warmed my heart and gave me a sense of achievement.” Zhang Tian said.
1. What do patient escorts do?| A．They assist doctors in hospitals. |
| B．They arrive at hospitals early to check in. |
| C．They take on this career to sell their time. |
| D．They help patients get treated in hospitals. |
| A．she enjoyed seeing an interesting video |
| B．she got inspiration for her own career |
| C．she found a demand for medical workers |
| D．she was well received on social platforms |
| A．She got familiar with the routine work in hospitals. |
| B．She spent two days in major hospitals to meet patients. |
| C．Her video on social platforms attracted her first client. |
| D．The man’s father was seriously ill and might need a surgery. |
| A．Hardworking and considerate. | B．Humorous and careful. |
| C．Ambitious and imaginative. | D．Talkative and positive. |
6 . Work from Anywhere Movement
For a lot of us, working from wherever we wanted was a bit of a dream. It would mean we’d be able to visit family and not take holiday days. But suddenly that “dream” of not working in the office became a reality for many. Working from home over the last years has proven that it isn’t always necessary for teams to physically be together and there is more flexibility.
An obvious benefit for many employers is reduced costs. With a widespread workforce, there’s no need to have an office big enough for everyone. They also save on travel costs, as meetings that once “needed” to be done face-to-face can now be done online.
For many employees, working from anywhere supports mental health.
| A．But it’s not only about money. |
| B．However, every coin has two sides. |
| C．It decreases stress and other concerns. |
| D．Your time is spent on the things that matter. |
| E．There are a lot of benefits for companies and workers. |
| F．Offering remote job positions makes a company more competitive. |
| G．Offices are increasingly where you go to put the company into company. |
7 . I’ve been working as a UN Peacekeeper in the Central African Republic for the past two years. Before this, I was a pilot and I
The Central African Republic is a relatively small country. Since it got
We peacekeepers
As a woman, I am particularly
My life is not
| A．hated | B．enjoyed | C．guarded | D．changed |
| A．gave in to | B．looked up to | C．kept up with | D．signed up with |
| A．treatment | B．technology | C．independence | D．inspiration |
| A．flee | B．return | C．sweep | D．tend |
| A．In turn | B．In surprise | C．In response | D．In addition |
| A．measure | B．reputation | C．business | D．mission |
| A．follow | B．expand | C．monitor | D．block |
| A．ensure | B．prove | C．report | D．predict |
| A．bridge | B．barrier | C．castle | D．shelter |
| A．protected | B．trusted | C．valued | D．doubted |
| A．deserve | B．prefer | C．plan | D．fail |
| A．gently | B．equally | C．seriously | D．honestly |
| A．boring | B．rewarding | C．difficult | D．fancy |
| A．association | B．accommodation | C．administration | D．adaptation |
| A．available | B．ambitious | C．worthwhile | D．educational |
8 . Once the choice of royal household, the watermelon has gained popularity rapidly over the years, and an online grocer reported that the fruit’s sales on the platform had increased sixfold from 2020 to 2022, resulting in increasingly high demand for watermelon quality testers.
Lee, 32, is extremely busy in the summer months. Just by holding the watermelon near his ear and knocking on the surface with his fingers, Lee says, he can tell by the sound if the fruit is ripe enough to be eaten or not. He works for a rural cooperative set up by a group of watermelon farmers, and puts thousands of watermelons through the “knock test” daily, before they are shipped to downtown warehouses where the platform sources its supplies.
The practice of knocking on watermelons to determine their ripeness can be found across cultures. In China, it is considered a national habit. Smart buyers tap on the fruit before purchase to ensure their money is well-spent. Some buyers knock on the fruit despite not knowing what the hollow sound means just to negotiate a better deal from the seller.
As fruit sales have moved to online platforms in a big way, those who make a living by checking the quality of the fruits with their fingers are much in demand. Lee is one among the growing group. Their task is to conduct knock tests on behalf of e-buyers and ensure that the fruits selected to be sold online are uniform in size and quality.
Lee, who was once an award-winning soccer player, now describes himself as a “goalkeeper for watermelons”. He quit soccer about four years ago and learned about melon-knocking as an emerging profession and decided to become an apprentice(学徒) to an experienced farmer.
After a year’s trial and error, Lee worked independently as a quality checker. “It is a highly demanding task. During the apprenticeship, I often cracked open melons to confirm my judgment. There are just no shortcuts, ” he said.
1. What is the main purpose of the text?| A．To introduce an emerging profession. |
| B．To describe Lee’s career transformation. |
| C．To discuss the importance of fruit quality testers. |
| D．To explain the cultural role of watermelon-knocking. |
| A．The popularity of watermelons. | B．The big harvest of watermelons. |
| C．An increase in watermelon prices. | D．A rapid rise in online watermelon sales. |
| A．He was once an award-winning soccer player. |
| B．He dreams of being a professional melon-knocker. |
| C．He was taught by an experienced watermelon farmer. |
| D．He ensures that customers enjoy watermelons of quality. |
| A．Seeing is believing. | B．Every man has his value. |
| C．Great efforts and practice matter. | D．Excellence can be found in any profession. |
9 . A walk around the workplace is also a trip back in time. The office is where colleagues meet, work and bond. But it is also a time capsule, a place where the traces of historic patterns of working are visible everywhere. The pandemic has heightened this sense of office as a dig site for corporate archaeologists.
The most obvious object is the landline phone(固定电话), a reminder of the days when mobility meant being able to stand up and keep talking. Long after people have junked them in their personal lives - less than 15% of Americans aged between 25 and 34 had one at home in the second half of 2021- landline phones survive in offices.
There might be good reasons for its persistence: they offer a more secure and stable connection than mobile phones, and no one worries that they are about to run out of battery. In practice, the habit of using them was definitely lost during the pandemic. Now they sit on desk after desk, rows of buttons unpressed, ring tones unheard.
Landline phones were already well on their way out before covid-19 struck. Whiteboard charts have suffered a swifter reverse. These objects signal a particular type of pain- people physically crowded together into a room while a manager sketches a graph with a marker pen and points meaningfully to the top-right-hand corner, giving requirements never to be satisfied. This manager is still making graphs but is now much more likely to use a PowerPoint. The crowd is still being tortured but is now much more likely to be watching on the screen. The office still has whiteboards, but they are left in corners and the charts on them are slowly yellowing.
Real archaeologists need tools and time to do their painstaking work: brushes, shovels and picks. Corporate archaeology is easier: you just need eyes and a memory of how things used to be. But you also need to be quick as more and more work places are revamped for the post-pandemic era. Now its time to take a careful look around the office: you may see something that will soon seem outdated.
1. Why does the author refer to the office as a time capsule?| A．You can travel back in time in the office. |
| B．You can dig out what has been buried for years in the office. |
| C．You can easily find some old-fashioned practices in the office. |
| D．You can work with archaeologists to study the history in the office. |
| A．Whiteboard charts went useless due to new technologies. |
| B．More employees prefer online meetings to physical gatherings. |
| C．Landline phones still exist in offices because they don’t need batteries. |
| D．Many employees show a negative attitude to some routine work in companies. |
| A．Transformed. | B．Abandoned. |
| C．Discovered. | D．Reserved. |
| A．The Impact of Pandemic on Workplace | B．The Archaeology of the Office |
| C．Why Landline Phones Went Outdated? | D．The History of Old-fashioned Objects |
10 . Career coaches provide a series of services, from helping you figure out what you want to do to exploring chances for career growth.
Know what type of professional you need to hire.
Try sample lessons to find the right one. Most coaches offer free sample lessons, which help you get to know their styles clearly. You may need a coach with career experiences, or you may need one who offers life advice. If you aren’t sure what you want, ask questions.
Consider cost, and make contact. Coaching fees are not the same. Some coaches charge more for polishing resumes, while others include that in the overall price.
| A．Make sure you have a well-designed resume. |
| B．You need to understand what you’re receiving for the expense. |
| C．Career coaches also provide services for your personal training. |
| D．Thus, you can assess whether the coach understands your needs. |
| E．Engaging with a career coach requires an investment of time and money. |
| F．Know which services you need and be open to services you don't know you need. |
| G．Career coaches can help you decide how to make full use of your professional potential. |
