2 . Part-time jobs for 15 and 16 years olds

Waiter / Waitress A job as a waiter or waitress is a good choice for 16-year-olds. Not only can one earn $9-$12 an hour, but they can also get the tips (小费). Most people that visit a restaurant don’t just have good food. They come here to relax and have a good time. Besides serving food quickly, a young waiter who talks to them politely with a smile on his face will make the diners enjoy their time at the restaurant.

Work in a library If one is fond of books, working in a library is another suitable choice. Besides the pay is good, it offers a lot of free time when students can actually sit down and finish their homework. So on returning home, they would have time to hang around with friends or just relax. So working in a library is an excellent part-time job for teens, especially for school students.

Internet jobs There are many ways of making money through online jobs like clicking on advertisements, visiting sites and signing up with them. However, such online jobs don’t pay well. A better Internet job for teens is to complete online surveys. These are quite simple surveys that usually ask one about his/ her opinions and ideas. Many companies use these ideas to make products designed for teenagers.

1. A student who is busy with his research paper will probably choose to work ______.

A．in a restaurant	B．in a library
C．on the Internet	D．in an IT company

2. The writer wrote this text to ______.

A．tell us the importance of doing part-time jobs

B．advise teenagers how to choose a part-time job

C．teach young people how to make lots of money

D．introduce his/her experience of doing part-time jobs

3. Why do some companies ask the teens to do surveys?

A．The teens have more free time.

B．They can pay less to the teens.

C．They need advice to make products for teens.

D．The teens usually express their true opinions.

4 . Phyllis George, the former Miss America who became a female sports casting pioneer on CBS’s The NFL Today and served as the first lady of Kentucky, has _______. She was 70.

A family spokeswoman said George died Thursday in hospital _______ a long fight with a blood disorder.

Her children gave a joint statement, _______ “For many, Mom was known for her _______ as the pioneering female sportscaster, 50th Miss America and first lady. To us, she was the most incredible _______ we could ever ask for.”

George joined in The NFL Today in 1975 and _______ her sports broadcasting and worked on the live show, interviewing star athletes, which won _______ for her. She also covered horse racing and _______ the entertainment show People and CBS Morning News.

George _______ wrote a male friend and told him that her sports casting wouldn’t ________ because it was a man’s job. However, none of the difficulties she met with ________ her. With her great courage and ________, she managed to range into a (an) ________ variety of roles, in media, the film industry, food and beauty products, and as the first lady of the bluegrass state.

“Saying yes to yourself opens up ________ that can take you ________,” George wrote.

“She had ________ and enthusiasm that made her a valuable ________,” Pilson said. “She didn’t claim to know a ________ amount about sports, but she knew about people, which is why her interviews were ________. She was a warm person and that ________ through on the set and in the interviews.

1.

A．turned up

B．aged

C．passed away

D．retired

2.

A．before

B．after

C．because of

D．for

3.

A．saying

B．implying

C．complaining

D．announcing

4.

A．progress

B．awards

C．jobs

D．achievements

5.

A．reporter

B．mother

C．lady

D．fighter

6.

A．changed

B．practiced

C．began

D．created

7.

A．love

B．hope

C．prizes

D．recognition

8.

A．hosted

B．gave

C．recorded

D．arranged

9.

A．sometimes

B．once

C．immediately

D．finally

10.

A．fail

B．appear

C．work

D．influence

11.

A．pleased

B．benefited

C．stopped

D．shaped

12.

A．devotion

B．hope

C．perfection

D．career

13.

A．interesting

B．demanding

C．disappointing

D．amazing

14.

A．opportunities

B．experiences

C．lives

D．events

15.

A．elsewhere

B．nowhere

C．everywhere

D．anywhere

16.

A．honour

B．anxiety

C．openness

D．expectation

17.

A．athlete

B．pioneer

C．speaker

D．dreamer

18.

A．certain

B．huge

C．small

D．slight

19.

A．active

B．improved

C．impressive

D．well-prepared

20.

A．came

B．went

C．looked

D．saw

5 . The Joy of Absence

How some companies fight the curse of presenteeism (出勤主义)?

RONALD REAGAN famously joked that “it’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?” Beyond a certain level, extra e ffort seems to be self-defeating. Studies suggest that, after around 50 hours a week, employees’ productivity declines sharply.

But that doesn’t stop some managers from demanding that workers stay chained to their desk for long periods. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce group, recently praised the 996 model, where employees work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, as a “great opportunity”. Yet presenteeism is the curse of the modern office worker.

There will be days when you do not have much to do; perhaps because you are waiting for someone else in a different department, or a different company, to respond to a request. As the clock ticks past 5 p.m., there may be no purpose in staying at your desk. But you can see your boss hard at work and, more importantly, they can see you. So you make an effort to look busy.

The consequence is often wasted effort. Rather than work hard, you slave to make bosses think that you are. But presenteeism has more serious consequences. As well as reduced productivity, this can mean greater medical expenses for the employer. According to a study in The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, these costs can be six times higher for employers than the costs of absenteeism among workers.

None of this is to say that employers are not called to expect workers to be in the office for a proper period of time. Surely there will be a need for some (preferably short) meetings. Dealing with colleagues face-to-face creates a feeling of togetherness, allows for a useful exchange of ideas and enables workers to have a better sense of their mutual needs.

Turning an office into a prison, with inmates (囚犯) allowed home for the evenings, does nothing for creativity that is increasingly demanded of office workers as routine tasks are automated. To be productive you need presence of mind, not being present in the flesh.

1. Why does the author mention Ronald Reagan’s joke in Paragraph 1?

A．To encourage people to work hard.

B．To show that hard work is harmless.

C．To introduce the topic of the passage.

D．To praise Ronald Reagan’s joking skills.

2. What is the meaning of the underlined sentence?

A．Extra effort causes problems or difficulties.

B．With extra effort, we can defeat anybody.

C．We should say no to extra effort.

D．Extra effort isn’t necessarily helpful.

3. According to the passage, which situation is helpful to a company?

A．All workers follow the 996 model praised by Jack Ma.

B．Employees don’t go home until their boss does.

C．Workers have a brief meeting to discuss an urgency.

D．Workers keep working when they are sick.

4. Which of the following opinions agrees with the passage?

A．Some managers have workers tied to their desks with a chain.

B．Reduced productivity means greater medical expenses for employers.

C．A prison-like office doesn’t inspire creativity.

D．Presence of mind guarantees your productivity.

6 . So often we find ourselves on autopilot—waking up in the same home, putting on the same clothes and taking the same transportation to the same-old job.    1    And while it’s perfectly natural for humans to stick to routine, there’s much to be discovered beyond the limits of our comfort zones.

There is no exception to a man aged 53.    2    He knew it was going to be hard to find another job. He also knew it was now or never to pursue his lifelong dream of owning his own restaurant. But he was too old to compete with the young and too weak to do any labor work.

    3    He didn’t want to spend his rest life sitting around and feeling pity for himself. Also, Mrs. Mockenhaupt actively encouraged him to move on, considering it a perfect chance for two of them to start their own business with plenty of time and without the disturbance of children.

    4    Brian found just what he wanted eight blocks from home—an existing cafe that was underperforming and whose owner was highly motivated to get out of his lease (租期).    5    But the problem was that he had never financially planned for this day. He had to borrow money from friends and relatives. After that, he changed the name to Black Dog Coffee, and made it alive again. Eighteen years later, they’re still there and doing better than ever. Brian says he’s extremely grateful for the decision to make a change.

A．Then came the opportunity.

B．The thought filled him with anxiety.

C．That was exactly what Brian needed.

D．Even our New Year’s decisions to change hardly make it.

E．With the support of his family, he took a job in the local cafe.

F．Several weeks after consideration, he decided to have a change.

G．Brian Mockenhaupt got laid off from a senior management position.

7 . I look forward to my half hour train ride to work every morning. I can look out of the window as it twists and turns itself through neighborhoods with the sun casting its strong lighting on the floor of the train car. I sometimes get lost in thought while following the light. But the reason I love this ride is that it’s a reminder of how neighborhoods can change from block to block.

For almost a year now I have been riding this train as I head into the office where I work as a reporter for a local magazine. I am one of 13 journalists who help report community news in areas that are often forgotten. And for me, that means covering areas like the one I grew up in.

Last week, as I was on the way to my office, I started wondering how neighborhoods have changed since the 2008 housing crisis. I searched addresses on the city’s southwest side, a neighborhood that has seen a significant number of residential homes pulled down, I scanned the street views recorded on my phone and saw how the neighborhood looked in 2007. Then I set out to visit the city block, and that’s when I met 3-year-old Harmony.

Harmony loved collecting rocks for me to hold as I walked down the street with her mother, Marquita. I already knew what the neighborhood looked like in the past, but Marquita shared more details of the people who once lived on her block, who were really friendly to each other. However, people today in the neighborhood are busy with life and seldom say hello to each other. Marquita has lived on this block her entire life, and Harmony has for most of her short life as well. But the neighborhood that Marquita grew up in will be one obviously different than the one Harmony will grow to know.

In the end, they smiled at my camera. And then I got back on the train and headed back to the office to tell their stories.

1. What makes the author love his train ride to work?

A．Being lost in thought.	B．Admiring the outside views.
C．Enjoying the warm sunshine.	D．Knowing the change of blocks.

2. How did the author find out what the city’s southwest side looked like in the past?

A．By reading earlier reports.	B．By interviewing local people.
C．By watching past street views.	D．By searching his memories.

3. How might Marquita feel when she talked with the author?

A．Sad.

B．Nervous.

C．Touched.

D．Confused.

4. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To share a pleasant train ride with us.

B．To tell us the work of a news reporter.

C．To show us a crowded community.

D．To introduce a new neighborhood.

8 . What does the man mean?

A．He doesn’t have time now.

B．He is waiting for someone else.

C．He doesn’t want to talk with Mr Miller.

9 . The alarm rang in my ear. After silencing it, I remained in bed. My motivation to push ahead with my PhD was disappearing, which made it hard to face each new day. Continuing would risk a total breakdown. With anxiety, I decided to cease my PhD temporarily and take a 9-month position at a health care charity. Back when I looked for PhD positions, I was unclear what I wanted to study. For me, the degree mostly served as a means to an end, securing more interesting and higher-paid positions in the private sector than my master’s degree would unlock. So I wasn’t picky and reasoned a variety of projects that would provide the training and degree I wanted.

In hindsight (事后想来), I should have been more selective. I ended up working on a project I was technically capable of completing but over time felt full of disappointment. The purely academic research was intellectually interesting, yet I struggled to see how it would make an impact on the wider real world.

Some unexpected things amplified my trouble. I started my program in 2020, when meetings were virtual and in-person contact was actively discouraged, so I had few opportunities to form personal connections with co-workers. Research became my only focus, and when my interest in that faded, my project felt depressing.

After only 1 month at the charity, it became clear that I’d made the right decision. My mental health improved and I found it easier to come into work. Things I did could matter and energize me after all —if I chose wisely. That was exactly what I needed and desired. After that realization, I decided I wanted to return to my PhD program and make changes. I told my teacher I wasn’t interested in the current research. To my relief, he was supportive, and we redesigned the project to better fit me. I will return to my program next month, optimistic that this time will be different. But if it doesn’t go as I hope, my charity experience has given me direction and confidence that I’ll live a satisfying life, with or without a PhD.

1. What did the author view the PhD degree as at first?

A．A struggle for new days.

B．A breakthrough in his study.

C．A way of getting a better job.

D．A chance to build connections.

2. Why did the author become disappointed at his project?

A．It was of slight practical use.

B．It failed to meet his social need.

C．It showed an unpromising future.

D．It had a high degree of difficulty.

3. What does the underlined word “amplified”in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Reflected.	B．Caused.
C．Solved.	D．Increased.

4. How did the charity work affect the author?

A．It inspired him to face challenges.

B．It helped him find a purpose in life.

C．It fueled his enthusiasm for his program.

D．It enabled him to make the right decision.

10 . Issued to those who intend to go to China for commercial and trade activities.

Application:

1. Basic Documents

（1） Passport

Original passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages, and a photocopy of the passport’s data page and the photo page if it is separate.

（2） Visa Application Form and photo

One completed Visa Application Form with a recently -taken color passport photo （ bare-head, full face ） against a white background attached （ Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Application ）

（3） Proof of legal stay or residence status （ applicable to those not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship ）

If you are not applying for the visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid visa or certificate of stay，residence, employment or student status of the country where you are currently staying.

（4） Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas （ applicable to those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship ）

2. Supporting Documents

Documents on the commercial activity issued by a trade partner in China, or trade fair invitation relevant entity（实体） or individual. The invitation letter should contain :

a） Information on the applicant （ full name, gender, date of birth, etc. ）

b） Information on the planned visit （ purpose of visit, arrival and departure dates, place（s） to be visited, relations between the applicant and the inviting entity or individual, financial source for expenditures）

c） Information on the inviting entity or individual （ name, contact telephone number, address, official stamp, signature of the legal representative or the inviting individual ）

3. Application Procedure, Processing Time and Fees

Please visit Chinese Embassy/ Consulate General’s websites for more details based on your State of residence.

1. Who is this article intended for?

A．Those who want to visit China for personal issues.

B．Those who apply for Chinese passport recently.

C．Those who want to go sightseeing in China recently.

D．Those coming to China for commerce and trade.

2. What can we conclude about the photo of the passport?

A．Any black and white photo is OK.

B．The photo must be taken in color recently.

C．The photo must be taken on the ground.

D．The photo must show your full body.

3. What should the trade partner in China provide?

A．An invitation letter with necessary information.

B．The applicant’s passport and photocopy.

C．The permission from the Chinese Embassy.

D．The financial condition of the applicant.