1 . 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. |
2 . Many people believe that working to the maximum is the secret to success, but research has found that moderation(适度) also gets results on the job.
In a study led by Ellen Langer of Harvard University, researchers asked people to translate sentences into a new made-up language. Subjects who practiced the language moderately beforehand made fewer errors than those who practiced extensively or not at all. High levels of knowledge can make people too attached to traditional ways of viewing problems across fields the arts, sciences, and politics. High conscientiousness is related to lower job performance, especially in simple jobs where it doesn’t pay to be a perfectionist.
How long we stay on the clock and how we spend that time are under careful examination in many workplaces. The young banker who eats lunch at his desk is probably seen as a go-getter, while his colleagues who chat over a relaxed conference-room meal get dirty looks from the corner office. “People from cultures that value relationships more than ours does are shocked by the thought of eating alone in front of a computer”, says Art Markman, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin. Social interaction has been shown to lift mood(情绪) and get people thinking in new directions and in ways that could help improve any post-lunch effort.
Markman also promotes off-task time. “Part of being a good thinker is experiencing things that are seemingly unrelated to what you are working on at the moment but give you fresh ideas about your work,” he says. “Also, there is a lot of research showing that a positive mood leads to higher levels of productivity and creativity. So, when people do things to increase their life satisfaction, they also make themselves more effective at work.”
1. What does Ellen Langer’s study show?A.It is worthwhile to be a perfectionist | B.Translation makes people knowledgeable. |
C.Simpler jobs require greater caution. | D.Moderate effort produces the best result. |
A.is good at handling pressure | B.works hard to become successful |
C.a has a natural talent for his job. | D.gets on well with his co-workers |
A.A good thinker is able to inspire other people. |
B.Experience unrelated to your job is useless. |
C.A cheerful mood helps make a creative mind. |
D.Focusing on what you do raises productivity. |
A.Middle-of-the-road work habits. | B.Balance between work and family. |
C.Long-standing cultural traditions. | D.Harmony in the work environment. |
3 . Summer is coming. Are you looking for a part-time job? Here are some possible options.
Lifeguard
Are you a strong swimmer and a good communicator? Would you like a challenge? We are looking for lifeguards for our busy summer season. No experience is necessary as you will get two weeks of training before you start the job. As well as being physically fit, you need to be available for work Mon-Fri, 7- 11 a.m.
Store assistant
We are looking for store assistants for our busy gift store. Applicants need to be reliable, friendly, and enjoy speaking to customers. A second language is preferred as many of our customers are tourists from other countries. The positions are part-time and you need to work from Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Fashion designer
Are you interested in the latest styles? Are you creative and good at art? If so, Dresswise is looking for a young person to create new looks for our teen department. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in the clothing industry. You will need to work four days a week and we’ll pay you for each design we use. We’ll also give you samples of your designs to wear.
Game tester
Are you into technology and creative? Would you like to play and test educational games and get paid for it? This is an exciting part-time job for somebody who loves playing games. We offer flexible hours. If this is for you, write a description of your favorite game and why you like it in no more than 150 words.
If you are interested in any of the above jobs, please contact us at studentunrion @campus.com.
1. What is a shared requirement for lifeguard and store assistant?A.Communicative ability. | B.A second language. |
C.Professional experience. | D.A strong body. |
A.Lifeguard. | B.Store assistant. |
C.Fashion designer. | D.Game tester. |
A.Samples of the latest styles. |
B.Payment for each of your designs. |
C.Experience in the fashion industry. |
D.Chances to design clothes for adults. |
4 . I was 68 when I first stepped on stage as a standup comedian in 2003. I’d never set foot in a comedy club before. I’ve always been a performer - I’ve worked as a singer, actor and musician - but all that came to an end after 9/11. I live in New York, and we watched the twin towers fall from my apartment building. For a year afterwards, nobody wanted to go out or be entertained.
It was then that I started to think about comedy. I realised people needed to laugh, to enjoy themselves again, and thought that with a little training I could do it. I took a few classes, tried to work out a routine, and finally plucked up the courage to get up on stage. That first time was terrifying. I had no idea what the audience would make of me.
In New York, comedians are typically young men with beards. It’s hard enough to break through as a woman, even harder as someone old enough to be their grandmother. As I stepped on stage that first time, people laughed nervously. They were clearly surprised to see me. I introduced myself, stated my age and tried my first joke. There was silence. But by the time I got to the third line, people were properly laughing, I was addicted.
Now my sets differ. I might be on stage for 10 minutes in front of a dozen people, or my one-woman show is a full hour in front of a crowd of 100. Even today, I’m nervous before I step out. My first line is, “Hello, everybody. I’m 88 and three-quarters years old. I’m telling you that in case I don’t make it all the way through the show.” Then people laugh and I relax.
After a show, people young and old come up to me, saying what an inspiration I am. They say they want to be as active as me when they reach my age. I’m pleased I can show that as an older person you don’t need to take a back seat in life.
I’ve no intention of stopping comedy. I’m taking all these pills, trying to stay alive, and I hope to still be performing when I’m 100. My goal is to still be up there making people laugh. It’s hard work, but it stops me being bored. I’d only be playing golf otherwise
1. What made the writer take up comedy?A.She wanted to overcome her fears | B.She wanted to brighten others’ lives |
C.She was unwilling to quit performing | D.She wanted to work out a routine |
A.To show the challenge she was facing |
B.To explain her attraction to the job |
C.To illustrate her special advantage |
D.To describe her new friends in comedy |
A.She now performs before larger audiences |
B.She no longer feels nervous before performances |
C.She remains on the stage for a longer time |
D.She has learned to make a joke of her age |
A.Age is just a number |
B.Advancing years bring greater wisdom |
C.Old age means a chance to sit back |
D.Being elderly means you have to slow down |
5 . Jenn Larson was just 14 years old when she took over the bookkeeping for her family’s dairy farm near Firth, Idaho. She soon saw firsthand how challenging it was for her parents, who lacked any college education, to properly manage the unpredictable earnings of farming. This started a lifelong passion for finance, and it led her down an unexpected path to becoming a role model she never had.
Yet, such ambitions ran in obvious contrast to everything familiar to her. “I didn’t have any advisors,” Larson says. “I didn’t have anyone to look up to for a professional example. All the women I associated with were stay-at-home moms.” Despite having parents who couldn’t fully understand her ambitions, Larson went to the BYU Marriott School, where she earned a business degree and focused much of her coursework on international finance.
Larson worked for seven years as a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual, advising clients on important financial decisions. Larson returned to BYU Marriott in 2008 to earn an MBA, and accepted a position in the school as an assistant professor following her graduation. For more than a decade, Larson has taught finance classes to undergraduate and MBA students. While she teaches finance, Larson tries to help her students see how mastering finance principles can also impact their personal lives.
Constantly balancing motherhood and work, Larson makes adjustments to the way she teaches. She gave birth to her first three children in three years while teaching at BYU Marriott, wondering at times if labor might start while in front of a class full of students. During the pandemic, Larson taught online classes from her dining room table while taking care of a newborn and other young children at home.
As a female instructor in the often male-dominated finance industry, Larson works to inspire other women who seek a similar path to hers. Larson became the role model that she never had — the example that a 14-year-old girl staring at a farming expense sheet couldn’t find. Now, Labor on’s children and students will always have that example.
1. What motivated Larson to major in finance?A.Her experience of managing accounts. |
B.Her strong desire for college education. |
C.The high expectations from her parents. |
D.The challenging labor on her dairy farm. |
A.She had no one to ask for advice. |
B.She was unsure about the coursework. |
C.She was misunderstood by her neighbours. |
D.She was unfamiliar with everything at school. |
A.The work of looking after a baby. |
B.The process of dealing with students. |
C.The process of giving birth to a baby. |
D.The work of adjusting teaching methods. |
A.Following Your Interest |
B.Balancing Work and Family |
C.Becoming Your Own Role Model |
D.Seeking a Way to Become a Role Model |
6 . Benedict Morelli, one of New York’s top-rated lawyers, owns Morelli Law Firm, which has offices, lawyers, cases and experts all over the country. Benedict Morelli and his team of experienced lawyers are expert at handling a wide variety of cases, from auto and truck accidents, to construction injuries, to complex employment discrimination.
One critical reason for their success is that unlike many firms, Morelli Law has the experience, patience, and resources to pursue all difficult cases. Since founding the firm, Mr. Morelli and his team have successfully dealt with an impressive list of outstanding cases in the industry. In fact, they have delivered more than a billion dollars on behalf of their clients. Impressive firm results include a $95 million settlement in a sexual discrimination case involving Aaron’s Inc., as well as a $62 million settlement for Mark Perez, a construction worker who fell from a roof and suffered a brain injury.
When asked whether they would feel afraid when facing difficult opponents in court, “At my core, I’m a trial lawyer,” said Benedict Morelli. “Because of our experience and accomplishments in the courtroom, our opponents know that we’re prepared to pursue the best result possible. Going to trial does not intimidate us.”
The firm is devoted to realizing its clients’ goals both inside and outside of the courtroom. For example, in a drunk driving case, the firm worked with the client to strengthen New York laws that punish drunk drivers. This effort has made it easier for lawyers in New York to charge drunk drivers. Moreover, Mr. Moreli and his team are also committed to helping those who have been wronged achieve the justice they deserve, no matter the difficulty of the circumstances.
Corporations are powerful actors in society and Mr. Morelli and his team feel fortunate to be in a position to provide the highest level of service to their clients.
1. What contributes to Morelli Law Firm’s success?A.Talents, Strategies and funds. |
B.Attitude, passion and resolution. |
C.Experience, patience and resources. |
D.Management, devotion and knowledge. |
A.Scare. | B.Threaten. | C.Benefit. | D.Excite. |
A.It has made more than a billion dollars from their clients. |
B.It focuses mainly on bringing justice to the wrongful cases. |
C.It aims to help clients obtain good outcomes in and out of court. |
D.It works with New York to pass laws on banning drinking alcohol. |
A.Morelli Law Firm | B.A top-rated lawyer |
C.Morelli and his cases | D.Corporations in society |
7 . I was driving when my phone alerted me to a new email. Filled with eager anticipation, I pulled over, turned on my hazard lights, and opened it. My emotions quickly changed as I learned, for the sixth and final time, that I had been denied a promotion to full professor. My institution didn’t seem to value what I brought to the table. But when I told my family that night, my children offered a surprisingly positive response. They were excited to see what I was going to do next, they said. They apparently knew long before I did that losing my bid for a promotion would turn out to be the best thing that could have happened for me.
This had been the final step in a long process spanning 15 months and involving so much effort. I had started by studying successful promotion bids and asking senior scholars for frank discussions about my readiness. I had carefully prepared my application packet, summarizing everything I had achieved in my career. For more than a year, I had spent hours every day trying to prove my worth to my university.
To my surprise, having a final answer brought a welcome sense of closure. As a first step toward healing, I decided to prioritize my own values and follow my own internal compass. I disconnected from people in my life who violated my values, cultivated my relationships with those who share my priorities and bring out the best in me, and spent more time with my family. I founded a nonprofit that helps first-generation and low-income students and young professionals advance in the workforce while serving their community. The initiative had long been a dream of mine, but I never pursued it because typical academic hiring and promotion don’t reward such efforts. Now, such considerations were no longer my North Star.
Five months after that email from top leadership, I found myself in the car again, experiencing another career-defining moment. I may have lost my bid for a big promotion, but in the end, it brought me to the right place.
1. What did the author feel after he read the email?A.Anxious and annoyed. | B.Embarrassed and ashamed. |
C.Relieved and peaceful. | D.Disappointed and sorrowful. |
A.What contributions the writer had made. | B.What preparations the writer had made. |
C.How successful the career had been. | D.How tiring the process had been. |
A.Success is more than a title or a rank. |
B.One’s internal compass is to be developed. |
C.Serving the community may heal a broken heart. |
D.One’s real value first lies in his family interaction. |
A.Emails: my North Star |
B.Full professor: a double-edged sword |
C.A career setback becomes a great opportunity |
D.An academic career witnesses a failed promotion |
8 . The following jobs are expected to be in high demand in 2023. Clicking on the “Find jobs” link will take you to the list of current job postings and help you make career choices.
Nurse Practitioner
Average hourly wage: $56. 00
Nurse practitioners can perform many of the tasks that doctors do, such as creating treatment plans for patients and managing medical records. The big difference is that nurse practitioners cannot prescribe medications in most states. To become a nurse practitioner, you will need a graduate degree in nursing along with the appropriate licenses for the states in which you work.
Data Scientist
Average hourly wage: $52. 00
From car rental companies to telecommunication businesses, data scientists analyze the information to figure out the best ways for their businesses to be more successful. The job duties include identifying what types of business and customer data are worth gathering, then checking whether the information is accurate. It’s a big job that generally requires eight working hours a day and professional skills in mathematics.
Web Developer
Average hourly wage: $38. 00
Most people rely on the Internet to stay informed and connected with our communities. Web developers make sure those sites function properly while also updating them to include new functions that make them easier to use. Most of the work can be done remotely, which is favored by young people.
Choreographer(编舞师)
Average hourly wage: $20. 00
Maybe it’s the popularity of viral dance videos on TikTok that brings about the increasing demand in recent years. In addition to instructing trainees and performing on the stage and in the film, they work on smaller events such as weddings and other family gatherings. No degree is necessary to work in this field, but you will need some training and rhythm.
1. How much will a data scientist get per day on average?A.$52. | B.$56. | C.$416. | D.$448. |
A.Data scientist. | B.Web developer. |
C.Choreographer. | D.Nurse practitioner. |
A.They can earn at least $20 per hour. |
B.They need to get a degree before work. |
C.They make money by making dance videos. |
D.They are gaining popularity owing to social media. |
9 . According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China’s digital economy has increased by 15.9 percent annually since 2012, reaching 45.5 trillion yuan ($6.32 trillion) last year. Facing the growing digital economy and new vacancies developed in the sector such as deliverymen and livestreaming anchors(主播), young people, especially those born after 2000, are expressing a stronger willingness for flexible work relations with companies, and also wish to become “digital workers” with flexible work locations and schedules.
“The Internet helps me a lot. I check emails from my clients and submit my proposals through WeChat, and then we discuss plans via teleconference. I love working from home actually,” said Mi Lu, a 28-year-old new media operator in Beijing. “We work everywhere, perhaps in a cafe, or on a bullet train or even on the table of a restaurant.”
To cater to young people’s work preferences, more companies have begun to include “flexible working mode” in their recruitment advertisements. Zhaopin, a website, said vacancies with flexible work available make up 15 to 20 percent of total vacancies on its platform, especially for industries in the growing gig economy such as transportation and logistics(物流). According to Zhaopin, the proportion of flexible vacancies in these industries has increased to 25 percent this year, up from 10 percent in 2018.
However, the flexibility may bring risks to workers’ rights protection, according to Zhaopin. It said that though roughly 60 percent of companies posting vacancies on its platform offer insurance, the proportion is decreasing.
Li Qiang, vice-president of Zhaopin, said that the greatest risk to those seeking flexible work is whether the company pays the salary fully and on time. “It’s necessary for job seekers to set up a long-term development plan, rather than be shortsighted.” He added that companies may bear risks that flexible employees can’t deliver high-quality work in a limited time period, which requires the companies to establish a sound work delivery standard to help evaluate employee performance.
1. What factor contributes to flexible work?A.The booming digital economy. | B.The desire for more free time. |
C.The disappearance of some positions. | D.The improvement of working conditions. |
A.They ignore the youth’s requests. | B.They follow the old working mode. |
C.They provide positions accordingly. | D.They reduce working opportunities. |
A.The companies pay higher salary. | B.The job seekers make a detailed plan. |
C.The companies make reasonable rules. | D.The job seekers apply for positions on time. |
A.A new internet-related working model | B.Job seekers more keen on flexible work |
C.The rapidly developing digital economy | D.Companies well prepared for new risks |
10 . Recently, I had lunch with a young Chinese student who studies at a college in New York. He is very bright and ambitious and I enjoyed our conversation. Still, I felt upset and useless afterwards because I was not able to provide him with any good news. Graduating at the end of this year, he asked me how he could find a job in this country and fulfill his career dreams.
In recent years, students who found a job here after graduation have had to go through a cruel lottery system to obtain their H-1B working visa. And the success rates have been declining year after year because of the ever growing number of applicants. Last year, there were 233,000 applicants and only 30 percent of them were lucky, about half of the rate in 2013.
And it can only become worse. US former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies in this country have been tightening up and this trend will continue for at least the next few years. In this case, foreign students studying social sciences, a field in which starting salaries are rarely above the required amount, can kiss their visa hopes goodbye.
Compared to the older generation of Chinese students, today’s young people no longer consider the US as the only option. Many start to think China offers better opportunities in the longer term.
This is not to say that Chinese students in the US are not interested in job opportunities here any more. A few years of work experience in the US can give them advantages when they finally land back in their home country. But if the job opportunities are largely reduced by the tightening of immigration policy, I expect there will be a decline. And if that happens, it is the American economy that will suffer from the loss of those educated, hard-working and talented immigrants.
1. The author felt useless because ___.A.he couldn’t find a job in the fierce job market. |
B.he was less bright and ambitious than the Chinese young student. |
C.he couldn’t win the cruel lottery. |
D.he had to make the Chinese student realize it was difficult to find work there. |
A.It is increasingly hard for them to get their H-1B working visa. |
B.The number of applicants in the job market is ever growing. |
C.Donald Trump’s immigration policies have been tightening up. |
D.The starting salaries they require are higher than expected. |
A.125, 000. |
B.75, 000. |
C.150. 000. |
D.200, 000. |
A.Indifferent. |
B.Concerned. |
C.Favorable. |
D.Objective. |