1 . What kind of dinosaur are you? If you answered Tyrannosaurus rex, then the bad news is that you probably won’t get the job you’re applying for.
Welcome to the strange world of extreme interviewing, the latest trend in which interviewers throw bizarre questions at candidates to see how they react.
It may seem like a game, but extreme interviewing is deadly serious. The idea is to see how quickly job seekers think on their feet and, at a time when 25 percent of recent graduates are unemployed, it offers employers a new way of separating the brilliant candidates from the merely very good.
This new approach to selecting candidates comes from Silicon Valley in California. One of the early pioneers of extreme interviewing was Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, who could be famously cruel with job seekers. Faced once with a candidate he considered boring, Jobs suddenly pretended to be a chicken, flapping his arms and making clucking noises around the unfortunate applicant, waiting to see what he would do. In fact, the secret to extreme interviewing is neither in the question nor the answer. It is in the candidate’s reaction.
David Moyle, a headhunter with the recruitment agency Eximius Group, who admits to using the dinosaur question selecting candidates, said: “Essentially, that kind of interviewing is used by us to give someone an opportunity to show they are smart.”
“Most candidates actually get something out of it, it’s not about trying to crush them. We are trying to give them an opportunity to show their personality, rather than just showing how they perform in an interview.”
Of course, getting the job is just the start. In the modern business world, survival will depend on what kind of dinosaur you really are.
1. The word “bizarre” in paragraph 2 is closet in meaning to ______.| A．common | B．unusual | C．instinctive | D．dishonest |
| A．They can attract more graduates to apply in this way. |
| B．They can learn to answer job seekers properly in this way. |
| C．They can find the most outstanding applicants in this way. |
| D．They can avoid being cruel to the interviewees in this way. |
| A．Their past experience. | B．Their job performance. |
| C．Their interview skills. | D．Their real personality. |
2 . Virtual (虚拟) Teams
Virtual teams are a great way to enable teamwork in situations where people are not sitting in the same office at the same time. Such teams are now widely used by companies and organizations to cut business costs. This is particularly so for businesses that use virtual teams to build global presence, or need less common skills or knowledge from people who are unwilling to travel.
Virtual teams are governed by the same basic principles as traditional teams.
Not everyone can perform well in a virtual team environment.
Managers of virtual teams need to pay much more attention to having clear goals, performance standards, and communication rules. People have various assumptions on what to expect from each other.
One of the biggest challenges of virtual teams is building trust between the team members. Trust is important for unblocking communication between members and increasing motivation of each person in the team. The issue of trust needs special attention at any stage of team existence.
| A．Yet, there is one significant difference. |
| B．Not every type of project is suitable for a virtual team. |
| C．A virtual team can choose whatever project they like to work on. |
| D．The members must be self-motivated and able to work independently. |
| E．Members of virtual teams communicate quite well although they never meet face-to-face. |
| F．To avoid misunderstanding, clear rules that everyone understands and agrees on are necessary. |
3 . When I stepped out the plane from Miami into Charlotte, North Carolina, airport for a connecting flight home, I immediately knew something was wrong. Lots of desperate people crowded the terminal. I quickly learned that flights headed to the Northeast were called off because of a storm. The earliest they could get us out of Charlotte was Tuesday. It was Friday. A gate agent stood on the counter and shouted, “Don’t ask us for help! We cannot help you!”
I joined a crowd that ran from terminal to terminal in search of a flight out. Eventually, I found six strangers willing to rent a van with me. We drove through the night to Washington, where I took a train the rest of the way to Providence.
The real problem, of course, is that incidents like this happen every day, to everyone who flies, more and more often. It really gets to me, though, because for eight years I was on the other side, as a flight attendant for Trans-World Airlines(TWA).
I know the days are gone when attendants could be written up if we did not put the lines napkins with the TWA logo in the lower right-hand corner of the first-class diners’ trays. As are the days when there were three dinner options on flights from Boston to Los Angeles in economy class. When, once, stuck on a tarmac (机场停机坪) in Newark for four hours, a planeload of passengers got McDonald’s hamburgers and fries by thoughtfulness of the airline.
I have experienced the decline of service along with the rest of the flying public. But I believe everything will change little by little, because I remember the days when to fly was to soar (翱翔). The airlines, and their employees, took pride in how their passengers were treated. And I think the days are sure to come back one day in the near future.
1. Many people crowded the terminal because ________.| A．they were ready to board on the planes |
| B．something was wrong with the terminal |
| C．the flights to the Northeast were canceled |
| D．the gate agent wouldn’t help the passengers |
| A．by air | B．by van | C．by train | D．by underground |
| A．The writer lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. |
| B．The writer thought the service was not as good as it used to be. |
| C．The writer with other passengers waited to be picked up patiently. |
| D．Passengers would feel proud of how they were treated on the plane. |
4 . In the fog of uncertainty about how new technology will change the way we work, policymakers around the world have flocked to the same idea. No matter what the future brings, they say confidently, we will need to upskill the workforce in order to cope.
The view sounds reassuringly sensible. If computers are growing smarter, humans will need to learn to use them to humans’ advantage. Otherwise, they may run the risk of being replaced by computers.
Research published by the Social Mobility Commission shows that workers with degrees are over three times more likely to participate in training as adults than workers with no qualifications. That creates a virtuous circle for those who did well at school, and vicious circle for those who did not. If the robots are coming for both the accountants and the taxi drivers, you can bet the bean counters will be more able to retrain themselves out of danger.
It is no good criticizing employers for directing investments at their highly skilled workers. They are simply aiming for the highest return they can get. And, for some types of lower-paid work, it is not always true that technological progress requires more skills. The UK’s latest Employment and Skills Survey, which is performed every five years, suggests the use of literacy and numeracy skills at work has fallen since 2012, even as the use of computers has increased. The trouble is, when the computer makes your job easier one day, it might make it unnecessary the next. Many of those affected by automation will need to switch occupations, or even industries.
It is time to revisit older ideas. The UK once had an energetic culture of night schools, for adults to attend after their day jobs. These institutions have been disappearing due to funding cuts. But a revival of night schools could be exactly what the 21st century needs.
It is still not clear whether the impact of new technology on the labour market will come in a trickle or aflood. But in an already unequal world, continuing to reserve all the lifeboats for the better-off would be a dangerous mistake.
| A．Employers also invest more in better educated workers by launching employer-sponsored cmployee education programs. |
| B．According to an Oxford University study, nowadays employers are more likely to hire the first-year apprentices. |
| C．Rather than just “upskilling” in a narrow way, people could choose to learn an entirely new skill or trade. |
| D．But the truth is, the people who are being “upskilled” in today’s economy are the ones who need it the least. |
| E．People can effectively train or upskill themselves to meet their specific professional needs. |
| F．But a retailer or warehouse company is not going to retrain its staff to help them move to a different sector. |
5 . Teaching is widely recognized to be a stressful occupation, characterized by numerous and varied challenges: administrative burdens, long hours, classroom management difficulties, to name but a few.
But if it’s clear that teacher stress is widespread, it’s not always clear how teacher stress should be defined. Traditionally, educational policy research has focused on working conditions (i.e., school administration) as the main driver of occupational health. That is, teacher stress tends to be viewed as a result of working in a stressful environment, often characterized as lacking sufficient funding or effective leadership.
Chris Kyriacou and others have argued that teacher stress is better understood as resulting from a mismatch between the pressures and demands made on educators and their ability to cope with those demands. Workforce conditions alone are not sufficient to explain why some teachers are highly stressed. Rather, what matters most is how each teacher sees the demands they face in relation to the resources they have available to meet those demands.
| A．These demands take a toll, resulting in job dissatisfaction, workplace fatigue, burnout, and reduced occupational commitment. |
| B．Just as beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, stress depends on the teacher’s unique view of their classroom. |
| C．For example, this holds true for 25% of teachers in Great Britain and Italy; 20-22% in Malaysia and Germany; and 25-26% in Australia and the U.S. |
| D．However, if only 20-25% of teachers report high levels of stress, then that would suggest that the working environment itself is only part of the issue. |
| E．Teachers are isolated from colleagues for much of the day, spending less than 5% of their work time collaborating with peers. |
| F．Clearly, then, there must be more to the story. |
6 . Today’s workplace is unique in history. Never before have we seen people working together who represent such different backgrounds and experiences. This difference of age, race, gender, and work style makes it very difficult to organize and run a company.
This has been an important realization. The management difficulties and challenges have led some experts to study intergenerational differences for an understanding of problems in the workplace. What they have discovered is interesting and may provide ways of improving working conditions in companies that employ individuals from different generations.
The first thing to realize, they say, is that differences of opinion about the importance of work and how to get work done are not a coincidence.
Resentment between members of different generations, if not attended to, can lead to extreme anger and unhappiness and even lasting enmity if people are not careful.
If you were raised in a time of plenty, when products were readily available and relatively inexpensive, you would believe that prosperity is natural and expectable. If, on the other hand, you were raised in a time of scarcity, you would always be careful not to waste things for fear you would not have enough. You would make angry people who seem to believe that problems will always solve themselves.
| A．That is, it is not an accident that young employees will be different from older employees. |
| B．The weaknesses of human nature cause the disharmony among employees. |
| C．As a result, companies are looking for individuals who can manage a wide range of employees effectively. |
| D．Such optimism in the face of difficulties would be a source of unhappiness between you and them. |
| E．Therefore, employers should pay attention to the different ways of expressing anger in the company. |
| F．That individuals from different generations should come to view each other as if they were from different sides of warring countries should not be surprising. |
7 . The local education department is looking to hire an additional two part-time employees to support its ongoing mobile library van project. The projected working hours shall be an average 23 hours per week spread out over 5 or 6 days from Tuesday to Sunday.
PAY RATESPay rates are competitive and are split into three pays bands: Weekdays 9am-6pm paid at $5.50 per hour, weekdays 6pm-9pm paid at $7.50 per hour, and work on weekends anytime 8:00am-8:00pm will be paid at $10 per hour.
QUALIFICATIONSQualifications for the position are minimal in that there are no specific qualifications required. However, regarding experience, previous library experience is preferred but not absolutely necessary. What is considered to be beneficial for the applicant is having good people skills and a strong desire to help people. A good knowledge of software programs and computers is required, so this position would favor an applicant with excellent computer skill. A valid driving license is essential.
BENEFITSThe employee will also be eligible for certain other benefits, such as full health insurance, whilst pension contributions and paid annual leave will be calculated on a pro rata basis. Free access to all library materials both physical and digital will be offered to the employee with certain limits depending on customer demand.
WORKING DAYSThese could be scheduled anytime from 9am-9pm midweek and 8am-8pm over the weekend Breaks (per day) will be calculated as follows: 0-3 hours = no break, 3-5 hours = 20 minutes, 5-7 hours = 40 minutes, 7-9 hours=60 minutes (taken as 2x 30 minutes), and working 9-11 hours =80 minutes (taken as 2x40 minutes). These breaks are mandatory by law.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS & NOTIFICATIONSFirstly and most importantly is that the employee must be completely flexible to work any shifts as needed, and that work schedules will be planned monthly in advance. On Mondays the mobile library van is closed for regular maintenance and cleaning. The employee will never be asked to work over 30 hours per week unless agreed upon in advance with the employee.
1. If Simon works 4 hours a day from Wednesday to Saturday, how much will he be paid at most per week?| A．$106. | B．$120. | C．$124. | D．$130. |
| A．Adequate computer skills. | B．Previous working experience. |
| C．Good communication skills. | D．An interest in literature. |
| A．Health & Diet section. |
| B．Job Hunting section. |
| C．Education section. |
| D．Book Review section. |
8 . People often imagine that a knowledge of languages is sufficient to make an interpreter. Of course it is a prerequisite, as are two hands to a professional boxer. But just as the fact of having two hands does not make a boxer, so the knowledge of different languages, be they many or few, does not make an interpreter. It is only an instrument which you must learn how to use in a particular way — for which you may or may not be gifted.
The basic qualities required of the interpreter are not exceptionally rare, but their combination is very uncommon. They are:
(1) A capacity for being passively receptive, i.e. for drinking in readily and without any personal reaction all that may be said by the speaker.
(2) The type of quick-wittedness which makes for prompt and effective repartee (妙语), interpretation being a sort of mental game of tennis.
(3) A good memory, because all the tricks of the trade are intended only to make up for its deficiencies. Two things are expected of the interpreter’s memory: first, that it should store up an exceptionally large vocabulary in the related languages and supply instantly the required word or phrase; second, that it should retain for a very brief period(seldom more than one hour) a picture as full, detailed, and accurate as possible of what has just been said after which the interpreter will be well advised to wash his mind clear of most of what he has memorized. In this latter function, the interpreter’s memory is therefore the reverse of the comedian’s. Whereas the actor has ample time to learn his part, gradually, and methodically, and is then expected to remember it over a long period and repeat it on a succession (连续) of occasions, the interpreter must wholly commit to his memory fleeting thoughts and words as they fly past, and then bring them back to mind only once, a very short while later.
The work of the translator and that of the interpreter are fundamentally different and can hardly be combined. Very rare indeed are people who can do both. The reason for this is clear: the translator can or should search at leisure for the accurate term, as well as effort to express himself in the best possible grammar and style; he may re-write the same paragraph ten times or more, improving it each time; he may consult all dictionaries and reference books, and ask for help and advice. The interpreter, on the other hand, is given hardly any time to think, can consult neither books nor friends, and must “put across”, immediately and as accurately as possible, whatever the speaker wishes to convey. But he may express nuances (微妙) by varying the tone of his voice, he may paraphrase when he does not find the exact word, he may repeat, correct or add to what he has just said, if he sees that he was not properly understood. These are in reality two contrary techniques.
1. Interpretation is similar to playing tennis in that both need _________.| A．two hands | B．quick response |
| C．mental fitness | D．good muscle memory |
| A．memorize all that is said and remember it for a long time |
| B．memorize the important part of what is said and remember it for a long time |
| C．memorize for a short period all that is said and then forget about it |
| D．memorize all that is said gradually and completely |
| A．It is not necessary for the interpreter to possess all the basic qualities. |
| B．It is uncommon for the interpreter to possess all the basic qualities. |
| C．Certain qualities are more important than the others. |
| D．Only two of the qualities are actually required. |
| A．The qualities required of a translator are basically opposite what is required of an interpreter. |
| B．Being an interpreter is more stressful because an interpreter cannot take back what has been said. |
| C．Putting effort into combing the qualities of a translator and an interpreter can enhance their performance. |
| D．The qualities of a translator are easier to obtain than those of an interpreter. |
9 . Personality may play only a small part in leadership effectiveness, but there is no doubt that some leaders have a certain magic that leaves peers envious and followers entranced. If you could bottle this leadership X-factor—charisma—the queue of interested executives would be a long-one. But what qualities can these often highly successful leaders be said to possess?
As individuals, charismatic leaders have highly developed communication skills, including the ability to convey emotions easily and naturally to others, says Ronald Riggio, professor of leadership and organizational psychology. “They are able to inspire and arouse the emotions of followers through their emotional expressiveness and verbal skills.”
“They connect with followers because they seem to truly understand others’ feelings and concerns.”
“And they are great role models because they have the ability to engage others socially and display appropriate role-playing skills that allow them to walk the talk” Professor Riggio says.
“One quality we like in our leaders is if they are seen to really represent us. We think someone is more charismatic, the more they represent our collective identity,” Professor Van Knippenberg says. In this way, a charismatic leader is somehow a larger-than-life version of ourselves.
Academics say that charismatic leaders also manage to stand out from the crowd. They might do this by being unconventional or by taking a different approach to problem-solving, for example.
“They are up for new things, and they are not stuck in the status quo. They are open to out-of-the-box thinking, etc. An optimistic, energetic quality helps us to see leadership qualities in them and makes us open to their influence,” he says.
“A lot of charismatic leadership, and leadership in general, is very contextual. It’s really good in entrepreneurial firms. It’s also good for turnarounds if the organization is in a bad state because it inspires”, says Kai Peters, the chief executive of Ashridge Business School.
But not every organization needs a charismatic leader. Leaders loaded with the X-factor can be narcissistic (自恋的), self-glorifying, exploitative and authoritarian. As Peters says: “Where it is a problem is where you have ‘look at me, I’m a star.’’’
1. Which word is closest in meaning to “charisma” in the first paragraph?| A．Charm. | B．Character. | C．Gratitude. | D．Optimism. |
| A．proper role-playing skills | B．subtle emotional expressiveness |
| C．marvellous problem-solving ability | D．unconventionality in the crowds |
| A．The one who has a heroical image. |
| B．The one who can speak for us. |
| C．The one who is a collective version of us. |
| D．The one who resembles us in characteristic. |
| A．Critical. | B．Approved. | C．Neutral. | D．Suspicious. |
| Posting 1. I haven’t got any formal qualifications - Will this stop me getting a good job? I’ve been doing the same job for ten years, but it’s going nowhere. I’m bored and poorly paid, and the managers who are assigning jobs to me to do are much younger than me. I want to get a better job, but I won’t be able to, because I haven’t got a degree. It seems really unfair. Annie | Replay A Not yet ________, no. Ask if they can give you some management training all firms should provide this if possible. Perhaps you’re not ready for your new responsibilities yet. But give your new job a chance first. And don’t worry about what your colleagues think! Good luck! Keith |
| Posting 2 My boss is always making me work over time. My job involves controlling budgets and making decisions, and the work is challenging and enjoyable. We get on very well in the office and outside. The problem is that I’m in the office almost every day, because my manager is always asking us to come in at weekends. I don’t want to say no, but the problem is that I hardly have any free time. Any advice? Hassan | Reply B Hello ________ I think you need to be more positive. If you don’t Pt apply, how will you know if they want you or not? If you don’t have lots of exams you’ve done on your resume, write about all the skills you have instead. Noreen |
| Posting 3 ________________ I was promoted and became a manager last year. To be honest, it’s not really ‘me’ to be assigning jobs to other people or interviewing job candidates. I’m not very good at making decisions or solving problems. I got on really well with my workmates before, but they’re not so friendly towards me now. What should I do just resign? Javier | Reply C Hi ________. Have you looked at your contract to see how many hours you should actually work? There must be something about your hours there. Also, if you say yes all the time, people probably think you’re happy to do all the work. Wildboy99 |
| A．I don’t think I’ve got the right management skills. |
| B．I don’t see any chance of further promotion. |
| C．I can’t get along well with my colleagues. |
| D．I can’t resign at the very moment. |
| A．Annie, Hassan, Javier | B．Hassan, Javier, Annie |
| C．Hassan, Annie, Javier | D．Javier, Annie, Hassan |
| A．Jobinterviewadvice. com | B．jobproblems.com |
| C．Jobvacanciesonline.com | D．Joboutlook.com |
