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 . 
Take Off with Historic Hiring Growth
A message from Kate Gebo
Welcome aboard!
We are so happy to have you fly with us. I’m sure you’ve thought about United as a way to travel, and with over 95,000 employees and growing, our company is also the center for rewarding careers.
I could not be prouder to lead Human Resources at United during this exciting time for our company, while we’re building the biggest and best airline in the history of aviation. Earlier this year, we announced that we are on track to hire at least 15,000 new employees by the end of this year.
When people think of career opportunities at United, they often think of being a pilot or flight attendant. In reality, our organization has a wide variety of roles in addition to our fantastic pilots and flight attendants, with jobs and functions to keep our airports running and our planes flying.
Whether it’s for operational roles, such as ramp service employees, customer service representatives, and aircraft technicians, or for corporate roles in human resources, digital technology, and social media, we’re hiring across every function of the airline, seeking strong talent that will take us to new heights.
A role at United is not just a job; it’s a career. Many of our employees have taken on new roles in different departments throughout their tenure (聘用期), which we support to develop and invest in our workforce. In the past seven years, more than 1,500 frontline employees were promoted to management roles, and 78 % of our senior leaders were promoted internally.
Beyond the traditional career paths, we’re proud to create new paths to help our talent pipelines fulfill some of the industry’s most critical job functions. Aviate, our pilot career development program, offers aspiring and established pilots a path to the United flight deck. Calibrate is our full-time, paid apprenticeship program for those wanting to go into aircraft maintenance and other technical operational roles. Our newly launched Innovate program helps provide the skills and experiences needed to succeed in a technology career at United.
We’re hiring from coast to coast, at our seven major hubs and across a broad range of positions. If you’re ready to join me and 95,000 of the industry’s best and brightest at United, I encourage you to visit careers.united.com today to see what opportunities await you. Your career is cleared for takeoff.
United with you,
Kate Gebo
Executive Vice President,
Human Resources and Labor Relations
1. What is the main purpose of this passage?| A．Guarantee to provide first-class customer service. |
| B．Promote frontline employees to management roles. |
| C．Introduce jobs available in some departments of United. |
| D．Advertise for United to enroll pilots and flight attendants. |
| A．Visit careers.united.com, and you can see positions available. |
| B．Employees at United can change their jobs with interest. |
| C．Employees have to keep their positions throughout their tenure. |
| D．The United is making efforts to be the biggest and best airline. |
| A．The full-time, paid apprenticeship program. | B．The traditional United career path. |
| C．The newly launched Innovate program. | D．The new paths for talent pipelines. |
3 . If you try to explain to someone, without using pictures, how to build the building that you have designed, it would take an enormous amount of writing and might end up with a very funny-looking building. The architect uses pictures called details to show how many hundreds of parts go together to form a complete building. This type of drawing is called drafting and is done by people called draftsmen.
Draftsmen make up the largest group of the architectural offices’ work force. Because of the wide range of duties they perform, draftsmen are sometimes called architectural technicians. In a typical office, there are not only career draftsmen but also architectural graduates working as junior draftsmen to learn the trade. Career draftsmen are usually graduates from a two-year junior college called technical school. There was a time when architectural office used young people right out of high school as tracers. Their job was to trace over the other people’s details while learning to be a draftsman. This is no longer possible with the fast-pace of architects’ offices today although a junior draftsman is given guides by the more experienced employees.
So a good comprehensive architectural drafting course is a must before anyone seeks a job with an architectural firm. The job of the draftsmen is to translate the ideas and directions of architects, designers and engineers into complete and accurate working drawings. These become the plans and details used in the actual construction of a building. The project must be shown in great detail and drawn very clearly, so there is no chance for misunderstanding by the contractors(承包商). Every line and figure has an effect on the finished product.
As you can see, the draftsman is a key member of the architectural team. Of course, a junior draftsman is not expected to produce a complete set of working drawings. Depending on the size of the office and difficulty of the project, draftsmen may work in groups. The group leader coordinates the group and works closely with the project architect while the drawings are being produced.
Working conditions are mostly very pleasant as draftsmen’s work is intense and many people depend on accurate work. Each draftsman has a large combination drawing board and desk with various drawing aids. Almost without exception, members of the architectural team have at one time in their careers worked as draftsmen. This is essential to an architect education and most architects never get very far away from the drafting board.
1. According to the passage, career draftsmen are usually ______.| A．experienced architects | B．architectural designers |
| C．high school graduates | D．graduates of technical schools |
| A．the architect’s rough drawings and directions |
| B．the ideas and directions for the project |
| C．the plans and details for the actual construction |
| D．the designer’s handbooks, tables and building codes |
| A．They all work in groups with a project architect. |
| B．They are the main members of the architectural team. |
| C．They provide labor and building materials. |
| D．They give guides to inexperienced architects. |
| A．An architect education. | B．The spirit of team work. |
| C．Accuracy in the drawings. | D．Advanced drawing aids. |
4 . “Come in, Kim. Have a seat, please.” said Bill Williams, the manager. This was Kim’s first experience with an assessment. After only six months he was due for a raise if this assessment (测评) was satisfactory.
“Kim.” began Bill Williams. “I am very pleased with the quality of your work. I have nothing but praise for your devotion and your hard work. My only concern is that you are not active enough in putting forward your suggestions.”
“But,” replied Kim. “I have always completed every assignment you have given me. Mr. Williams.” “I know that, Kim. And please, call me Bill. But what I expect is for you to think independently and introduce new ideas. I need more input from you—more feedback on how things are going I don’t need a “yes man”. You never tell me what you think. You just smile as though everything is find.”
“But,” said Kim. “I feel that since you are my superior, it would be presumptuous of me to tell you what to do.”
“I’m not asking you to tell me what to do, but what you think we could do. To make suggestions. I employed you because I respect your experience in this field, but you are not communicating your thoughts to me.”
“Yes, I see. I’m not accustomed to this, but I will try to do as you say…, Bill”
“Good, then, I expect to hear more from you at staff meetings or at any other time you want to discuss an idea with me.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, Mr. Will… Bill.”
1. Kim is the sort of employee who _______.| A．does not speak out his own ideas | B．is not devoted to the job |
| C．laughs too much over work | D．can not finish his work on time |
| A．full of respect | B．too confident and rude |
| C．lacking in experience | D．too shy and quiet |
| A．Kim has been invited to take charge of the staff meetings. |
| B．the manager appreciates those who just do what be tells them to do |
| C．the manager is pleased with Kim’s hard work and his suggestions |
| D．Kim is likely to have a higher salary if he can pass the assessment. |
5 . I was ten when I first sat with my grandmother behind the cashier(收银台)in her general store. Before long, she let me sit there by myself.I quickly learned the importance of treating customers politely and saying “thank you”.
At first I was paid in candy.
By the time I was 12, My grandmother thought I had done such a good job that she promoted me to selling cosmetics(化妆品). I developed the ability to look customers directly in the eye. Even though I was just a kid, women would ask me such things as “What color do you think I should wear? ”I took a real interest in their questions and was able to translate what they wanted into makeup(化妆)ideas.
The job taught me a valuable lesson: to be a successful salesperson, you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist—you needed to be a great listener.
| A．Later I received 50 cents an hour. |
| B．I ended my selling a record amount of cosmetics. |
| C．Today I still carry that lesson with me: I listen to customers. |
| D．My grandma’s trust taught me how to handle responsibility. |
| E．Soon I found myself looking more beautiful than ever before. |
| F．Watching my money grow was more rewarding than anything I could have bought. |
6 . The Four-day Work Week
If Liz Truss can reduce a whole premiership to seven weeks, why can’t a standard working week be squashed into something shorter? A six-month pilot (试点) scheme, in which around 3,300 workers from 70 companies are testing out a four-day workweek, is due to conclude this month.
Of the participating organisations, 46% reported maintaining overall output at the same level, and 49% said it had improved.
Becoming a four-day operation can be hard in a five-day world, however. Bookishly, an online shop, chose Wednesdays off to avoid having three days in a row when packages are not mailed out; people are warned about the new schedule before they order.
More tests are on the horizon. In January South Cambridge shire District Council will become the first British local authority to try out a four-day week. The lessons learned are likely to be valuable even if the idea does not spread.
| A．Sceptics might observe that the companies involved are self-selecting. |
| B．Advocates say a shorter week delivers a better work-life balance without hurting overall output. |
| C．The trial’s largest company, Outcomes First Group, tracks indicators for its 1,027 participating employees. |
| D．The scheme holds useful lessons about productivity. |
| E．Platten’s, a fish-and-chip shop in Norfolk, gives its 50-or-so employees two days on and two days off to cover the week. |
| F．But customers are not always prepared to wait, so most firms in the scheme have tried to spread staff more thinly. |
7 . As is the fate of anyone running a hotel in Kerala these days, Bijoy George is a man with too much to do. Before pandemic-caused lockdowns began in 2020, he managed 40 employees at the Eighth Bastion Hotel in the charming historic quarter of Kochi, a bustling coastal city. Now that business is back to pre-covid levels he needs the same number of staff again. But he has only 20 workers. His plight is shared with every other hotel, café and bar. It is a result of the state’s hospitality (招待) employees moving all together in large numbers to Qatar, not to watch football but to take up employment tied to the World Cup.
As the start of the competition approaches on November 20th, workers are quitting at a rate Mr. George says he has never seen in his 22 years in the business. Qatar, a country with a population of under 3m, will have welcomed more than 1.5m visitors before the matches conclude on December 18th. That means finding staff to run all the new hotels that have been built along with other venues that have been pressed into service to profit from the sports fans.
Kerala has long been a significant source of hospitality workers for Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. Its state government provides good schools with English-language instruction but few jobs. More than 2m people, 17% of its working population, already work overseas, largely in the Gulf.
The appeal of Qatar is straightforward. Starting salaries approach $1,000 a month, more than six times the level for similar jobs in Kerala. To replace those who have left, Kerala’s employers have been casting their nets wider. Recruiters have been extending their searches to many other Indian cities. But that means the most common word on name-tags pinned to the breast pockets of workers is “trainee”.
Among the many skills that need to be taught, says Mr. George, is smiling at customers — the failure to do so a result of shyness among those new to the workforce. The danger is that after a week or so when confidence grows, even these employees may slip away to the Gulf.
Most contracts run for three months, concluding at the end of December, not long after the World Cup final. Returning workers will be welcomed back with open arms. Filling the gaps is even more important as Indian tourism and weddings have restarted. The reunions, though, may be short-lived. The game these workers will have learned from the World Cup is how to be paid better. That means leaving India.
1. The underlined sentence in paragraph one implies that __________.| A．other hotels, cafes and bars will share Bijoy’s 20 employees |
| B．other hotels, cafes and bars will have to lay off some workers |
| C．other hotels, cafes and bars also send the workers to Qatar |
| D．other hotels, cafes and bars also find it hard to employ enough workers |
| A．Millions of tourists have to be served during the World Cup. |
| B．Hospitality workers are in high demand with new hotels and venues open for business in Qatar. |
| C．Qatar provides good education and English training for potential workers in Kerala. |
| D．The salaries of similar jobs in Kerala are much lower than those in Qatar. |
| A．Kerala’s employers have to take on new employees in Asian cities. |
| B．Many of the new employees will pin their name tags to their breast pockets. |
| C．The new employees will not greet the customers as a result of shyness. |
| D．The new employees may soon follow the trend of going to the Gulf. |
| A．Jobs outside India can provide Indian workers with a more decent life. |
| B．It will soon be the off season for Indian tourism and weddings. |
| C．Another grand occasion will soon begin in the Gulf. |
| D．The workers only sign short-term contracts with the employers in India. |
8 . Many questions can be expected in advance and it’s wise to have some well-constructed answers that you can tailor more closely on the day. It’s sensible to have a number of key phrases to use. Remember to always try and make your answers positive.
Q1: Tell me about yourself. (The interviewer is really saying “I want to hear you talk.”)
A1: This is just to get things started, but it is a very common question. Write a script, and practice it so that it sounds natural. Spend a maximum of four minutes describing your qualifications, career history and your range of skills. Emphasize those skills that are relevant to the job on offer.
Q2: What have been your achievements to date? (The interviewer is saying “Are you an achiever?”)
A2: Again, this is a common question, so be prepared. Select an achievement that is experience-related and fairly recent. Identify skills you used in this achievement and say what the results were.
Q3: What do you like about your present job? (The interviewer is really trying to find out whether you will enjoy the things the new job has to offer.)
A3: This is a straightforward question. All you have to make sure is that your ‘likes’ correspond to the skills etc. required for the job on offer. Be positive, describe your job as interesting and diverse, but do not overdo it. After all, you are leaving?
Q4: What are your strengths? (The interviewer simply wants a straightforward answer as to what you are good at.)
A4: This is the one question that you are definitely going to get, so there is no excuse for being unprepared. Concentrate on discussing your main strengths. List three or four explanations of how they could benefit the employer. Strengths to consider include technical proficiency; ability to learn quickly; determination to succeed; positive attitude; your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal. You may be asked to give examples of the above, so be prepared.
Q5: Tell me about the most difficult situation you’ve had to face and how you handled it.
(The interview is really trying to find out your definition of “difficult” and whether you can show a logical approach to problem solving using your initiative.)
A5: This can be a trap! To avoid it, select a difficult work situation that was not caused by you and which can be quickly explained in a few sentences. Explain how you defined the problem, what the options were, why you selected the one you did and what the outcome was. Always end on a positive note.
1. The passage is mainly intended to ________.| A．highlight the importance of looking positive in an interview |
| B．give suggestions on how to answer interview questions |
| C．provide some sample answers to interview questions |
| D．illustrate how to look confident in an interview |
| A．talk about what you dislike about it |
| B．comment positively on your colleagues |
| C．relates it to the job you are applying for |
| D．describe how interesting it is as far as possible |
| A．Tell me about yourself? |
| B．Tell me about your strengths? |
| C．What have been your achievements to date? |
| D．How did you handle the most difficult situation? |
9 . 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. |
10 . 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. |
