1 . On a recent visit to her family home in Atlanta, Stella came across some papers from her tenth- grade English class. Looking at her essays and the notes, Stella was struck by how the work she did in that class informed her work now as an editor. Her teacher, Mr. Newman, always encouraged his students to dig deeper. Stella learned that the best way to understand literature is by asking, “What is this work trying to accomplish?” Now, when she sits down to edit a manuscript (手稿) that’s one of two guiding questions Stella asks herself, followed by, “How can I help the author fully realize that vision?”
Those questions were at the top of Stella’s mind when Freewater by Amina landed on her desk. As Stella made editorial suggestions, she was mindful of the balancing act involved in writing about a topic as painful as slavery and doing so through the eyes of a child. Stella kept a kid reader in mind-someone who might have learned only a part of this history. Stella and Amina went back and forth in phone calls, e-mails, editorial letters, and notes directly in the manuscript, until they agreed that Freewater was exactly where it needed to be.
The novel hit bookshelves on February 1, 2022, and nearly a year later was awarded the John Newbery Medal. Amina became only the third Black woman to be awarded that medal in the award’s one-hundred-and-one-year history, and Stella became the first Black editor to edit a Newbery-winning book.
Stella’s strategic approach to editing, personal warmth, and keen editorial insight have won her universal admiration from authors and colleagues, who also enjoy her sense of humor and infectious laugh. She is a powerful advocate for all the authors in her orbit, which recently came to include her mother, Wanda M. Morris, whose novel All Her Little Secrets has been widely acclaimed and even optioned for TV.
1. What’s Stella’s tenth-grade English teacher like?| A．Humorous. | B．Determined. | C．Inspiring. | D．Cautious. |
| A．The novelty of the manuscript. |
| B．The writer’s purpose of writing. |
| C．The writer’s understanding of literature. |
| D．The practical significance of the work. |
| A．Why Amina created Freewater. | B．Who Freewater is intended for. |
| C．What message Freewater conveys. | D．How Stella helped improve Freewater. |
| A．Applied. | B．Adapted. | C．Praised. | D．Shared. |
2 . The Foundation for Educational Progress is Seeking a New Chief Executive
The Foundation for Educational Progress is an independent charity established by a global news organization in 2012. We support children from underserved backgrounds to have inspiring discussions about the news, which teach them to creatively solve problems, listen with an open mind and speak with confidence.
Our founding Chief Executive, Emily Evans, has decided to move on to tackle new challenges. She will step down next summer, and we are seeking a new Chief Executive to lead the charity as it begins a hugely exciting next stage of global growth. Our programme, Topical Talk, has expanded from a UK pilot in 2013 to reaching over 200,000 children across the world today, and we have ambitious plans for the next decade.
We have an extraordinary platform to support our growth ambitions: a talented, highly motivated and supportive team; a collaborative (合作的), high-trust culture; and clear strategic focus. We are looking for a leader who can build on this platform and realise our potential for scale at the same time as deepening our impact, ensuring that we always stay focused on making a meaningful difference in the lives of children who are most in need of extra support.
If you have experience of scaling an organisation while taking a collaborative, inclusive and empowering approach to leadership, and you are passionate about our mission, we would love to hear from you. The role is based in headquarters in London at least two days per week.
Find more information, including details of how to apply, here:
foundationforprogress.org/chiefexecutive
1. What do we know about the Foundation for Educational Progress?| A．It is a global news organization. |
| B．It runs many exchange programs. |
| C．It hopes to expand its global influence. |
| D．It provides financial help to needy children. |
| A．Take on the role immediately. |
| B．Specialize in global news reporting. |
| C．Lead the team in an authoritative way. |
| D．Ensure a minimal weekly presence in London. |
| A．News Updates. | B．Career Opportunities. |
| C．Educational Resources. | D．Volunteering Information. |
3 . How many bosses could rely on their employees threatening to quit in mass if they were abruptly forced out? Sam Altman received such a show of support from more than 700 staff after he was fired from Open AI that he was swiftly restored to his position by the board. But this level of loyalty is not typical and may not always be a good thing.
Management experts say staff who are loyal to their employer are inclined to invest more time and effort in their jobs, helping to create an engaged and higher performing workplace. In turn they receive promotions and pay rises. They have a greater sense of belonging and potentially a longer career at the same organisation. But it is not all rosy. People who are too loyal are more likely to take actions that are deemed wrong to keep their jobs and protect their employer, according to a 2021 academic paper. They might overlook wrongdoing and be less likely to expose corruption. Loyalty is sometimes seen as such a force for good that it can be used to justify bad behavior.
Often companies and senior bosses are the real winner a of employee loyalty. Research led by Matthew Stanley at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business published this year, found that managers were more likely to exploit loyal individuals. Stanley recruited almost 1,400 managers to read about a fictional 29-year-old employee called John, who worked for a company that was trying to keep costs down. They had to decide how willing they would be to ask John to work longer hours and take on more work without more pay. Researchers created various situations including labelling John as loyal versus other traits such as honest and fair. Managers were more willing to ask loyal John to take on the burden of unpaid work.
However, Consultancy Gallup’s latest state of the workplace report showed that half of the 122, 416 employees who took part in a global survey were looking out for new work. “You can’t guarantee anyone will stick around these days,” says a consultant who advises boards. This is particularly true of younger generations. They trust their bosses less and are not as patient when it comes to career progression, seeing little benefit in keeping their heads down and following orders if they do not see results quickly.
1. What does the author want to say by mentioning Sam Altman in Paragraph 1?| A．Open AI’s staff loyalty is quite high. |
| B．Staff loyalty’s rosy side in the work. |
| C．Sam Altman could count on his employees. |
| D．This level of loyalty is not always good. |
| A．Through global surveys concerning a fictional employee named John. |
| B．By creating different situations to ask John ta take on more unpaid work. |
| C．By asking managers to make decisions about work arrangements of John. |
| D．By recruiting managers to read fiction about work traits like loyal and honest. |
| A．Loyalty can be used by management to exploit employees. |
| B．Younger generations are more patient towards their employers. |
| C．Employees who are loyal are more likely to report wrongdoing. |
| D．Loyalty to an employer always leads to a positive work environment. |
| A．How Job Loyalty Affects the Work Environment? |
| B．Why Staff Loyalty is Not Always a Good Thing? |
| C．Are Loyal Employees More Likely to be Promoted? |
| D．Does Work Loyalty Help Career Progress More Quickly? |
4 . If you wanted to make a Disney-style animation (动画) of, say, Reggie, a spirited rabbit, planning to save his forest, you’d have a lead animator draw the extremes of the action: Reggie looking intensely focused, and then proudly announcing, “There’s a new hero in the forest!” Then you’d bring in an in-betweener that is, the animator who draws all the comprehensive frames that bridge the major actions.
In-betweeners don’t get the glory, but without them cartoons would hop from one emotional peak to another, missing connective grace. Burny Mattinson (1935-2023) started his career at the Walt Disney Company in the mailroom, and, even though he had no formal training in animation, he was given a swing at in-betweening just six months later.
His first big assignment was to in-between the wagging of a dog’s tail. Disney animation was famous for its silky elegance, owing in no small part to the skill of its in-betweeners, and, thanks to Mattinson, the tail practically glided from side to side.
Mattinson had wanted to be an animator ever since his mother had taken him to see “Pinocchio” at a theatre when he was six. In a bold move, Mattinson showed up at the Disney Studios gate with his portfolio (作品) as soon as he finished high school. The magical part of this story is that, instead of shooing him away, the security guard liked his drawings and called the head of personnel to take a look.
Thus, Mattinson became a messenger at Disney, beginning a career that would eventually make him the employee with the longest service at the company. He had joined the company at a golden moment. Listing the films that he worked on is a little like listing the entire output of the Walt Disney Company over the past six decades: “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Lion King”, and on and on.
Mattinson was, perhaps, one of the last of an almost extinct genotype-the happy company man, the lifer. He never had an employer besides Disney. When asked what Mattinson enjoyed doing outside of his life at Disney, his son said, “He just loved his work.”
1. What role do in-betweeners play in animation production?| A．Design the storyline. | B．Draw the background. |
| C．Invent extreme actions. | D．Generate smooth motion. |
| A．Unconventional. | B．Typical. | C．Illegal. | D．Accidental. |
| A．His lifelong dedication to Disney. |
| B．His detailed work as an in-betweener. |
| C．His passion for animation beyond work. |
| D．His pioneering role in Disney animation. |
| A．A diary entry. | B．A biographical sketch. |
| C．A news report. | D．A critical review. |
5 . Unexpected Things About Archaeology (考古学)
Archaeology is an amazing career. We get to explore and debate how life has been and can be lived, and we get to share this knowledge with people in a way which benefits society. If you don’t know an archaeologist or haven’t worked with one before, you might not know what they actually do or you might think we do things that we don’t.
Not all archaeology is underground.
A lot of people think of archaeology as being buried in the ground, but any physical material can tell us about the past.
You might think archaeologists are only interested in the most precious items, like coins, valuable jewellery or well-preserved objects. But often the most common items, like pottery, clay tobacco pipes, glass bottles or bricks, can tell them the most information. They help build a picture of people’s lives. Sometimes, not finding an object we thought would be there tells us something about the people.
Archaeologists don’t use brushes very often.
Many people think archaeologists spend all day brushing dirt off the items they find. They do sometimes use brushes to clean surfaces for clear photographs. But they mainly use tools like trowels, shovels or mattocks. A normal day involves a lot of heavy digging.
Archaeologists can use technology to learn what is underground instead of digging.
Archaeology is a science, an art and a form of physical work. It’s varied and can appeal to people with different interests and skills. It may take you on a journey you don’t expect!
| A．Archaeology is for everybody. |
| B．Archaeologists aren’t only interested in gold. |
| C．Archaeologists don’t have to dig to learn about what is underground. |
| D．So we pulled together a list of things you might not know about archaeology. |
| E．This means above-ground remains, like buildings, are important forms of evidence. |
| F．They also must work quickly as they’re usually part of a wider construction project. |
| G．Archaeologists get more information about the history of an area with every site they dig. |
6 . As a kid, Pamela Akuku spent her weekends exploring the National Museums of Kenya, following along with her mom who worked there. Akuku became fascinated with the researchers. She saw them using various equipment and researching the fossils carefully. “But I didn’t know what they were doing at the time,” she says. “I kept asking my mom about it.”
Akuku’s mom saw her daughter’s curiosity and signed her up for the museum’s Young Researchers Club. Akuku soon took part in mock excavations (模拟挖掘) and reconstructed bones. “I enjoyed reading and puzzles,” says Akuku. “And this was a mixture of the two.”
The museum experiences helped inspire her career as an archeologist. After her four years in university, she was sure that she wanted to study archaeology. She did her master’s in South Africa and majored in zooarchaeology (动物考古学). She is now at the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution in Tarragona, Spain. There, she studies how ancient humans modified (改良) animal bones. Her research is helping to reveal more about where early humans lived. She’s currently studying the remains from Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge, where researchers previously discovered stone tools and evidence of early human ancestors going back as far as 2 million years.
Akuku gives some advice to people who want to do her job. “Be prepared to come across hard conditions. Working in this field is challenging. You have to work twice as hard just to be recognized,” Akuku said. But she has learned to deal with it. Now she always tells everyone the efforts are worthy.
1. Why did Akuku’s mother let her join in the Young Researchers Club?| A．Akuku showed interest in the club. | B．Akuku’s mom was curious about the club. |
| C．Akuku’s mom wanted Akuku to help with her job. | D．Akuku hoped to be an archaeologist. |
| A．Why zooarchaeology is popular. | B．When the relics of Tarragona appeared. |
| C．What can be found from ancient fossils. | D．How ancient people modified animal bones. |
| A．Many stone tools remain to be found there. | B．Ancient human may live there 2 million years ago. |
| C．There are few relics left at present. | D．Few researchers show interest in it. |
| A．deal with challenges with colleagues | B．learn to be very smart |
| C．do the job harder than other people | D．believe what you do is important |
7 . 13-year-old Ava Dorsey is the founder of Ava’s Pet Palace, a business that sells organic dog and cat treats.“I actually had the idea when I was six with a picture I drew of a palace,”she says.It was a detailed design for dogs and cats and she had serious plans to build it one day.
Unlike most dog treats that you find in stores, dog treats sold by Ava’s Pet Palace are 100% organic, and are non-GMO(非转基因). Ava has set a goal for herself with these dog treats, and she wants every treat to be healthy, tasty, and top-quality. Seriously, some of her treats sound delicious enough for people to eat! “All of my bags now have the USDA organic stamp, and we're very excited to have gotten it because it's something I've wanted for a long time,”she says.“A lot of stores like to see organic products because customers like it, so that was really exciting.”
Ava says the biggest challenge of being a kid in business is when people don't take her seriously, but undoubtedly Ava has proved that her doubters are wrong! When asked how she defines(定义) success, Ava says,“When you hit a bump in the road, you shouldn't give up and you keep trying.”She learned that from her mom, who sounds like a smart lady! Some more things Ava has learned from her years in business: Hard work eventually pays off and there is nothing wrong with asking for help.
As far as the future of the pet treats industry goes, Ava is optimistic——but she’d also like to be an inspiration for change.“There’s not much diversity(多样性) right now, so that’s something I would love to see in the future,”says Ava.“I would also love to see more kids in this industry.There aren't many other teenagers around, and I hope that I can be an inspiration to others who hope to lead the pet industry.”
1. What can we learn about Ava’s Pet Palace from the first two paragraphs?| A．It is a palace for pets. | B．It is very popular among kids. |
| C．It sells organic pet food. | D．It designs stamps for customers. |
| A．Drive on a stone road. | B．Escape a setback in business. |
| C．Face a challenging situation. | D．Encounter an unexpected opportunity. |
| A．She plans to enlarge her business in other industries. |
| B．She wants to employ more teenagers in her company. |
| C．She intends to be a leading figure in the pet industry. |
| D．She hopes to break new ground in the pet treats industry. |
| A．Patient and hard-working. | B．Determined and creative. |
| C．Confident and humorous. | D．Friendly and outgoing. |
8 . Many people fear that robots will destroy jobs. A paper in 2013 by economists at Oxford University was widely misinterpreted as meaning that 47% of American jobs were at risk of being automated.
The concern about mass unemployment is overblown. Actually, robots will be ultimately beneficial for labour markets. A Yale University study that looked at Japanese manufacturing between 1978 and 2017 found that an increase of one robot unit per 1,000 workers boosted a company’s employment by 2.2%. Research from the Bank of Korea found that robotisation moved jobs away from manufacturing into other sectors, but that there was no decrease in overall vacancies. Another study, by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, looked at Finnish firms and concluded that their use of advanced technologies led to increases in hiring.
For all that, the march of the robots will bring big changes to workplaces. The skills and firms that are rewarded will shift, too. One supposed example of “bad automation” is self-service checkouts in supermarkets, because they replace human workers. Robots could perform work that is unpleasant, such as butchering. Checkout staff who retrain to help customers pick items from aisles may well find that dealing with people in need is more rewarding than spending all day swiping barcodes in front of lasers.
Inevitably, some people will be on the losing end of change even as the robots make society as a whole better off. One lesson from the freewheeling globalisation of the 1990s and 2000s is that the growth in trade that was overwhelmingly beneficial triggered a political backlash (反对), because the losers felt left behind. That is one more reason why firms and governments would do well to recognize the value of retraining and lifelong learning. As jobs change, workers should be helped to acquire new skills.
1. Why does the author mention “Japanese manufacturing” in paragraph 2?| A．To explain a rule. | B．To show a trend. |
| C．To support an idea. | D．To make a prediction. |
| A．Bored. | B．Refreshed. | C．Pleased. | D．Uncomfortable. |
| A．Robots may cause mass unemployment. |
| B．People should be ready to learn and adapt. |
| C．Everyone will benefit equally from robots. |
| D．Workers should be encouraged to find new employment. |
| A．Change the Control of Robots | B．More Robots |
| C．Welcome the Rise of Robots | D．Better Robots |
9 . Do you want to become a farmer? Do you want to grow whatever you like? Maybe your answer is “yes” . But you have never grown a crop before and don’t know where to start. Don’t worry. Here is good news.
Decide why you’re interested in farming.
Being a farmer is nothing but hard work. Any kind of farming requires a lot of hard work. Farming sometimes also gives you less money for all your hard work.
Visit with some experienced farmers.
It is highly recommended that you find those who are farming in a similar manner to what you intend to do. You can ask them to give you a tour of their work. Run a web search to find out about some upcoming local agricultural events happening and attend as many of them as you can.
This is the most important step on your way to becoming a farmer. It is because you are working and gaining direct experience. Like with all jobs, you will be entering at the very bottom. The only way you will work your way up is to work hard and do what is asked of you.
Have a good sense of humor.
| A．Offer your services as a farm worker. |
| B．Laughter makes the day go by faster. |
| C．Besides, don’t be afraid to learn new things. |
| D．Know when you are ready to begin your own farm. |
| E．This article will help you realize your dream of being a farmer. |
| F．You will find many active farmers you may want to visit at such events. |
| G．Therefore, you need to be interested and determined enough to be a farmer. |
10 . I was 6 years old when my father told me we were leaving the Big Apple Circus (马戏团). Until that point, I had spent most of my life on the circus lot, playing with the other circus kids. The circus, by its nature, is one that has a loose structure. So the early years after my leaving the circus to sit in a classroom all day felt more like a prison.
But years later, I found areas that interested me. I took the skills I had learned from being onstage and applied them to broadcasting. And so when Boston’s news station WBUR offered me a job out of college, I jumped at the chance. Along the way, I found I really enjoyed the work. I became WBUR’s news reporter. The flexibility and adaptability I’d learned in the circus as a child helped me do my job naturally and easily in a stressful situation — whether it was a destructive tornado outside Boston, or the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.
But then a serious infectious disease appeared. Suddenly, for the first time in my adult life, I went for a year without doing any shows. But it became clear to me that performing was what I truly wanted. For me, the circus symbolizes who I am. And stages have always been where I’ve felt the most free. Some people get nervous before they go onstage, but by assuming (扮演) the character of Jacques ze Whipper and drawing a stupid moustache on my face, all my social anxiety disappears.
Circus performances go beyond age, socioeconomic status (地位), and even language. It’s the type of performance where you can go anywhere in the world to entertain anyone — help anyone forget their troubles for 5, 10, and even 30 minutes. And most importantly, for me, it means coming home.
1. How did the author feel in the early years of school?| A．Curious. | B．Unfree. | C．Loose. | D．Impatient. |
| A．He did it for his father. | B．He did it against his will. |
| C．He risked his neck doing it. | D．He took to it like a duck to water. |
| A．A means of living. | B．A chance to go anywhere. |
| C．A part of his identity. | D．A way to forget his troubles. |
| A．To express his love for circus performances. |
| B．To stress the value of performing. |
| C．To share his personal experiences in a circus. |
| D．To discuss the problem of choosing a job. |
