1 . In the fall of 2017, when Paula Aldridge needed to get a job, she found herself at a crossroads. The 50-year-old wasn’t sure she would ever work again, due to health issues.

But Aldridge’s life and career journey started to turn around after she connected with Goodwill of Central Iowa’s skills training programs. These programs are tailored to help people develop the kind of specific, real-world skills they need to get and keep a job, through a combination of detailed instruction and hands-on experience.

When Aldridge first connected with Goodwill in September 2017, she was dealing with several barriers to immediate employment. Transportation was challenging, as she didn’t have a driver’s license or own a car. Aldridge also had a limited work history with long employment gaps (间断) , meaning she missed out on learning important skills, such as working a credit card machine. On top of that, her physical health issues were also a problem.

According to Kayleigh Duff, a career specialist at Goodwill of Central Iowa, the biggest barrier Aldridge had to overcome was from within. “She said outwardly that she had all of this confidence and that she knew how strong a worker she was, but I don’t think she truly believed it herself.”

Thankfully, Aldridge had plenty of people on her side to provide motivation and guidance. She originally started off in the food service training program but was eager to enter the retail (零售) skills program, since she had previously worked at the Salvation Army and Subway. When Aldridge mentioned her interest in retail, Duff recognized that her go-getting attitude would be a perfect match for the program.

The seven-week retail skills training is a systematic program combining classroom instruction with on- the-job experience at a Goodwill store. As Aldridge progressed and graduated from the program, she became more confident in her abilities.

Duff said it was great to see how Aldridge grew into the devoted, driven worker she is today. “She has this strong desire, this longing to succeed. And she knows that she’s able to do that, although she has fallen short in the past.”

I’m a specially trained clown doctor     1     job is to cheer up patients, their families and the hospital staff by     2     (do) magic tricks, singing songs and telling stories and silly jokes. I chose this career because     3    the experience of going to hospital when I was     4    kid, and I     5    (spend) much of my time there feeling frightened and more than a little bored. So I think a clown doctor can help people by entertaining them.

    6    (wear) a white coat, my curly rainbow wig and a big red nose, I walk into the waiting area, where there is a familiar atmosphere of     7    (bore) and tension. There, I spot a little girl called Lara whose ankle has got injured and is twice its normal size. The doctors and nurses are treating her injury. To get her attention, I begin to do a magic trick,     8     has made her scared and anxious look replaced with loud laughter. Seeing their daughter so much happier has in turn made Lara’s parents more     9     (relax).

I hope clown doctors can help make the hospital a friendlier place to visit. After all, it really is true that “laughter is the    10     (good)medicine”．

I’m Li Hua. I’ m written to ask you to do me a favor. Two weeks ago, I apply for a part-time job in a library. I will have an interview on next Friday morning. I’ m not sure of them for lack of interview experience. Would you please tell me which preparations I should make for it? However, it’s likely that I may feel nervously and be at a loss what to do then. Would you like to give me some advices about the interview? I’m eager for your timely help. If convenience, shall I call on you this Saturday morning?

I would appreciate if you could give me your generous help. I’m looking forward to your reply.

There are basically two ways to get work do. One is working individual and the other is working in team. Some people prefer to working by themselves, because they are sure they can successfully work out the problems with others’ help. Other people likes to work with others. By doing so, theycan exchange idea and learn from each other. Personally speaking, I’d like to work with others for such reasons. Firstly, it can make me get along well with others. Secondly, the solutions of teamwork are usually better rather than that of a single person. Besides, I can improve my abilities, such as what to cooperate and communicate.