1 . 
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. |
2 . When an editor called to ask if I could photograph a story about fireflies in Mexico, I didn’t check my schedule before I said yes. I’d seen these insects light up the forests in Tlaxcala once before, and I jumped at the chance to go back.
I had three nights to capture the magical scene in the forest. Camera stand in hand, I hiked with my colleagues into the foggy forest at dusk. According to our guides, visitors are usually not allowed to photograph the fireflies because the presence of artificial light from electronics can affect their habits. As I started shooting, I adjusted my exposures constantly to account for the fading light. In order to get the composition that I wanted, I placed my camera stand on a steep, rocky path and had to steady it during the long exposures. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but the fireflies were very interested in the camera and, by extension, in me. I stood completely still while they crawled all over me—my arms, my hair, my face—and tickled (呵痒) my nose and cheeks. From what I observed, peak firefly presence happens for only about 20 minutes each night, so I had time for just a few tries.
On the last night everything came together. The weather cooperated. I had improved my method for focusing and composing in the dark with quick flashes from a powerful flashlight—and I’d grown accustomed to insects on my face. I was rewarded with the image you see here. Each spot of light is one of several bursts that a firefly makes as it travels in a 30-second exposure. You can trace the insects’ paths: Some make small circles, like those in the bottom center of the frame, while others move steadily in one direction or another.
The first time I visited the fireflies, I didn’t have the pressure of trying to capture and convey this astonishing scene. That will always be my favorite experience with these shining creatures.
1. According to the passage, the author most probably is a(n) ______.| A．field biologist | B．insect observer |
| C．expert photographer | D．mountain hiker |
| A．make up for the dying light | B．keep away from the annoying fireflies |
| C．obtain an ideal image | D．catch peak firefly presence |
| A．was accused of capturing wild fireflies |
| B．endured physically to get first-hand firefly shots |
| C．was tired of the exposure to dark forests |
| D．got his most satisfying image on the second night |
| A．Fascinating. | B．Passionate. |
| C．Surprising. | D．Miserable. |
