1 . The Most Trending Professions in 2023
Referee (裁判) or other sports official
Average hourly wage: $24.86
Sports continue to be one of the nation’s favorite leisure activities. Sports officials who can keep the games fair are needed everywhere. Some on-the-job training is required, along with perhaps more than a little patience for fans and players.
Physician assistant
Average hourly wage: $57.43
Physician assistant is another health care role that has more responsibilities than a nurse but less than a doctor. Working with a physician, the workers can handle duties such as finding out patients’ disease, ordering medical tests and setting broken bones. These jobs require a master’s degree along with required certificates.
Project management specialist
Average hourly wage: $53.32
If you have experience helping others turn their great ideas into finished products, this could be the right role for you. A project management specialist needs a bachelor degree, but doesn’t have to follow a fixed working time.
Teacher
Average hourly wage: $33.43
Teaching has long been a popular job for older adults, whether they’ve been doing it for years or they choose it as a second career. While most public schools do require teachers to have a degree in education, many private schools are willing to hire teachers who come from other professions.
1. What can we know about physician assistants?| A．They need an on-the-job training. |
| B．They are paid the most on average. |
| C．They are less popular than doctors. |
| D．They need both certificates and experience. |
| A．Teacher. | B．Referee or other sports official. |
| C．Physician assistant. | D．Project management specialist. |
| A．Job seekers. | B．Volunteers. | C．Employers. | D．Patients. |
2 . I recently had a conversation with a friend who was feeling very upset about work. Why? He thought his manager didn’t like him. He rarely heard much from his manager, and when his manager said something, it was about correcting some aspects of his work or giving him some constructive advice.
Not surprisingly, given my friend’s understandably anxious view of these workplace dynamics (动态), he was afraid of his annual performance evaluation. He was worried that his boss might even tell him that he wasn’t needed anymore. Accordingly, he considered looking around for another job — not because he really wanted to, as he liked the kind of work he was doing, but because he suffered from the kind of management.
The evaluation day came, and to his great surprise, rather than being harshly critical, his manager told him that he was doing a fine job and gave him a promotion.
The sad truth is, this kind of phenomenon is by no means unusual in the workplace. One recent survey showed that nearly half of the employees have considered leaving a job “due to lack of recognition”. Another similar study found 46 percent of the employees left a job “because they felt unappreciated”.
The good news is that, in this case, the damage was repaired before it was too late — before my friend was out the door and his company began the expensive and time-consuming process of hiring a new employee. But as the research noted above shows, workplace problems related to recognition and appreciation are as common as the office air we breathe.
This conforms with my personal experience; during my decades of corporate management, I saw similar appreciation issues all the time. When a job isn’t done well, nobody deserves anything, of course. But when a job is done well, if you’re an employee, it’s entirely natural to expect at least a bit of appreciation. So if you’re a manager, it’s a good idea to show some. It’s that simple.
1. What phenomenon does the author want to describe through his friend’s case?| A．Unclear rewards and punishments. | B．Employee-management misunderstanding. |
| C．Unfair promotion in the workplace. | D．Fierce competition among new employees. |
| A．His company hired a new employee. |
| B．He continued to work for the company. |
| C．His company simplified the evaluation process. |
| D．He repaired the relationship with his colleagues. |
| A．Results from. | B．Separates from. |
| C．Agrees with. | D．Contrasts with. |
| A．Defend employees’ rights. | B．A friend’s unforgettable experience. |
| C．Acknowledge employees’ work. | D．Misunderstanding between employees. |
3 . In 2013, Alie Ward’s life was falling apart. In quick succession, her relationship with her partner ended; her dad was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer; and she was feeling increasingly unhappy in her job.
Ward lived in Los Angeles at the time. To distract herself from her sadness, she liked to find and take pictures of her unconventional obsession (痴迷) : bugs. Sometimes, if she found a beetle or a bee that she particularly liked, she’d post it to social media. Those posts attracted the attention of a woman named Lil a Higgins, who worked as an entomologist at the local natural history museum. After seeing Ward’s pictures, Higgins reached out to her to see if she would want a tour of the museum’s insectary (昆虫饲养研究室).
“For most people in the middle of a really terrible year, question like ‘Do you want to come to see 40 cockroaches (蟑螂) in a fish tank’ is not what most people would say ‘absolutely’ to,” Ward said. “But this is my jam. There was nothing I wanted more than to see some scorpions (蝎子).”
When Higgins led her through the different exhibits in the museum, for the first time in ages, Ward felt herself light up. Higgins noticed her enthusiasm and suggested Ward volunteer at the museum for a few hours every week.
Despite her doubts, Ward decided to sign up. “It gave me this sense of purpose. It helped me reconnect with my love of science and nature that I really put on the back burner to chase those careers that were not really what I like,” said Ward.
Soon, Ward quit her job and started working in science media. She now is the host of a podcast called Ologies. Ward had Higgins on the show as her first guest. “She has caused such an increasing effect in my life. It was really because of her that I was able to reconnect with that part of myself, and do something that I really love,” said Ward.
1. Why did Ward like to take pictures of bugs?| A．To help her get rid of her sadness. | B．To show her interest in bugs. |
| C．To draw inspiration from bugs. | D．To show how beautiful the bugs were. |
| A．Confused. | B．Excited. | C．Curious. | D．Worried. |
| A．Ward wanted to chase her career as a host. |
| B．Ward was unwilling to accept the job as a volunteer. |
| C．Ward didn’t show much interest in her previous job. |
| D．Ward accepted the volunteer work without hesitation. |
| A．A Special Passion for Bugs | B．An Unexpected Invitation |
| C．An Appreciation to a Stranger | D．A Positive Attitude Towards Life |
4 . Regardless of where you plan to work after college, it’s never too early to start networking.
Engage on Campus
The best place to start networking is on campus. Reaching out to professors can help you understand what it’s really like to work in that industry.
If you know about a networking opportunity in advance, take the night before to prepare. Go over your resume and be sure you can prove different strengths you gained from each experience. Eat a healthy dinner and get a good night’s sleep. Doing your research, and looking your best will help you feel excited and prepared.
Get Out There
Whether it’s a job fair or an informational interview, be sure to bring a pen and an open mind.
| A．Be prepared |
| B．Write your resume |
| C．Because it is too early to begin |
| D．Though it may seem challenging |
| E．Networking events require confidence and preparation |
| F．Also, they likely have connections for future opportunities |
| G．Have your resume on hand to share with everyone you meet |
5 . Many people dream of becoming a programmer for a leading tech company, as such work can secure a high salary that is envied by many. However, it may also mean having routinely to accept overtime work.
Recently, a programmer created a project called “996.ICU” on github.com, the well-known code-sharing website. The project criticized the “996 work schedule” where employees work from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week, with the prospect of ending up in an intensive care unit (ICU).
The work schedule is common among Chinese tech companies. On the website, many programmers working for China’s tech companies shared evidence showing that their companies asked them to work the long hours. Among them were major names like e-commerce leaders Alibaba and JD.com, as well as telecoms equipment manufacturer Huawei.
Several bosses of tech companies have defended “996” as a kind of work culture. Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, said it’s “a huge blessing” for young workers to work “996”. “If you don’t do ‘996’ when you’re young, when will you?” Ma said, according to a post on Alibaba’s WeChat account. “If you don’t invest more time and energy than others, how will you achieve the success you want?”
However, People’s Daily said that those who questioned “996” should not be labeled. “Valuing hard work does not equal forcing employees to work overtime,” commented the newspaper. “One should not attach the moral labels of ‘slackers’ or ‘not willing to strive’ to employees who are against ‘996’.”
Meanwhile, Cui Zhendong, a lawyer with the Yiqian Law Firm, said that it is illegal for a company to introduce a compulsory “996” work schedule for employees, since the Labor Law clearly states that the working hours of an employee should not exceed an average of eight hours daily, or 44 hours a week. Employers may extend working hours after consultation with an employee, but shall not exceed three hours a day or 36 hours a month.
A senior developer with the e-commerce giant Alibaba, who asked not to be named to protect his career, said employers seldom say the schedule is compulsory, but failure to follow the rules could lead to low performance scores and layoffs. “Refusal to overwork can also lead to losing your annual bonus, which is a lot of money,” he said.
“When resorting to the legal system for protection, there is a price to pay: time, money and the risk of losing your job, therefore they turn to cyberspace,” Jiang Ying, a professor of law said.
To better protect workers from harsh treatment, Jiang suggested that the systems for appealing to the court of law should be beefed up.
1. What can we infer from the passage?| A．The “996”work schedule is merely a rare case among companies. |
| B．The “996” work schedule is a newly invented system that is unique to China. |
| C．People’s Daily thinks it forgivable to criticize those who challenge the “996” work schedule. |
| D．In reality it’s so difficult for employees to defend their right against overwork through law. |
| A．3. | B．8. | C．9. | D．11. |
| A．Improved. | B．Banned. | C．Exposed. | D．Encouraged. |
| A．A government report. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A scientific essay. | D．A code-sharing website. |
6 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Reflected. | B．Caused. |
| C．Solved. | D．Increased. |
| 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. |
7 . People have been curious for centuries about a future without work. Some imagine that the coining work-free world will be defined by inequality: A few people will own all the wealth, and the masses will struggle in a wasteland. A different prediction holds that without jobs to give their lives meaning, people will simply become lazy and depressed. But it doesn’t necessarily follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with dissatisfaction. Such visions (想象) are based on the downsides of being unemployed in a society built on the downsides of employment. In the absence of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could provide strikingly different circumstances for the future of labor and leisure.
These days, spare time is relatively rare for most workers. “When I come home from a hard day’s work, I often feel tired,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different” — perhaps different enough to throw himself into a hobby with the enthusiasm usually reserved for professional matters.
Daniel Everett, an anthropologist (人类学家) at Bentley University, studied a group of hunter-gatherers in the Amazon called the Piraha (拉哈人) for years. According to Everett, while some might consider hunting and gathering work, hunter-gatherers don’t. “They think of it as fun,” he says. “They don’t have a concept of work the way we do.” Everett described a typical day for the Piraha: A man might get up, spend a few hours fishing, have a barbecue, and play until the evening.
Does this relaxing life lead to the depression and purposelessness seen among so many of today’s unemployed? “I’ve never seen anything like depression there, except people who are physically ill,” Everett says. While many may consider work a staple (主要部分) of human life, work as it exists today is a relatively new invention in the course of thousands of years of human culture. “We think it’s bad to just sit around with nothing to do,” says Everett. “For the Piraha, it’s quite a desirable state.”
1. What does the underlined word “downsides” in paragraph two probably mean?| A．Risks. | B．Reasons. | C．Challenges. | D．Disadvantages. |
| A．Work is the most important thing in life. |
| B．People don’t know how to balance work and life. |
| C．People may live a charmed life in the work-free future. |
| D．Higher unemployment makes life tougher for workers. |
| A．In a work-free world, inequality may no longer exist. |
| B．Unemployment is the main reason for people’s depression. |
| C．The Piraha in the Amazon take interest in hunting and gathering. |
| D．Only professional people can have a chance to lead a work-free life. |
| A．To prove John Danaher’s opinion. | B．To show a future life without work. |
| C．To compare different opinions on work. | D．To introduce a special group in the Amazon. |
8 . 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. |
9 . I was driving when my phone alerted me to a new email. Filled with eager anticipation, I pulled over, turned on my hazard lights, and opened it. My emotions quickly changed as I learned, for the sixth and final time, that I had been denied a promotion to full professor. My institution didn’t seem to value what I brought to the table. But when I told my family that night, my children offered a surprisingly positive response. They were excited to see what I was going to do next, they said. They apparently knew long before I did that losing my bid for a promotion would turn out to be the best thing that could have happened for me.
This had been the final step in a long process spanning 15 months and involving so much effort. I had started by studying successful promotion bids and asking senior scholars for frank discussions about my readiness. I had carefully prepared my application packet, summarizing everything I had achieved in my career. For more than a year, I had spent hours every day trying to prove my worth to my university.
To my surprise, having a final answer brought a welcome sense of closure. As a first step toward healing, I decided to prioritize my own values and follow my own internal compass. I disconnected from people in my life who violated my values, cultivated my relationships with those who share my priorities and bring out the best in me, and spent more time with my family. I founded a nonprofit that helps first-generation and low-income students and young professionals advance in the workforce while serving their community. The initiative had long been a dream of mine, but I never pursued it because typical academic hiring and promotion don’t reward such efforts. Now, such considerations were no longer my North Star.
Five months after that email from top leadership, I found myself in the car again, experiencing another career-defining moment. I may have lost my bid for a big promotion, but in the end, it brought me to the right place.
1. What did the author feel after he read the email?| A．Anxious and annoyed. | B．Embarrassed and ashamed. |
| C．Relieved and peaceful. | D．Disappointed and sorrowful. |
| A．What contributions the writer had made. | B．What preparations the writer had made. |
| C．How successful the career had been. | D．How tiring the process had been. |
| A．Success is more than a title or a rank. |
| B．One’s internal compass is to be developed. |
| C．Serving the community may heal a broken heart. |
| D．One’s real value first lies in his family interaction. |
| A．Emails: my North Star |
| B．Full professor: a double-edged sword |
| C．A career setback becomes a great opportunity |
| D．An academic career witnesses a failed promotion |
10 . 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. |
| A．By reading earlier reports. | B．By interviewing local people. |
| C．By watching past street views. | D．By searching his memories. |
| A．Sad. | B．Nervous. | C．Touched. | D．Confused. |
| 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. |
