1 . In 2000, Andréa Speranza achieved her dream of becoming a firefighter joining the Halifax Regional Fire Service. Her job was exactly as satisfying as she imagined it would be, except for one thing: she still hadn’t seen another woman in her role — not in a magazine, not on television, not in real life. Even today, less than five percent of firefighters in Canada are women. Speranza decided that she wanted to help young women see that they, too, could have a career like hers.
The result is Camp Courage, a program for girls aged 15 to 19 who want to learn more about firefighting. In 2006, Speranza and about 20 volunteers welcomed their first 17 participants, recruiting (招募) attendees through advertising in schools and recreation centers. Over the course of eight days, the girls discovered the ins and outs of being first responders: learning how to put out fires, deliver first aid and even use the jaws of life (救生钳) on a car.
Camp Courage now runs one session every year in Halifax and is free to attend. To offset costs, Speranza and her fellow campers fundraise by holding everything from car washes to comedy nights. Hopeful campers must also submit an essay describing how they plan to help their community, or a specific individual in need. And they have to deliver on the plan—from building a bench (长椅) for a senior at a bus stop to launching a local chapter of the Kids Help Phone.
Hundreds of girls have passed through Camp Courage, and 36 percent are doing exactly what 52-year-old Speranza hoped they would: working as first responders across the country. This past summer, the camp held its first session for young women in Halifax, as well as its first national camp in Calgary with plans to roll out more in 2023.
1. What was probably Speranza’s wish in 2001?| A．To see more female firefighters. |
| B．To make contact with more teenage girls. |
| C．To be recruited to the Halifax Regional Fire Service. |
| D．To work part-time in schools and recreation centers. |
| A．Risks. | B．Chances. | C．Details. | D．Purposes. |
| A．It is a nonprofit international organization. |
| B．It teaches the value of being helpful to others. |
| C．It requires its campers to write an essay every week. |
| D．It introduces boys and girls to the emergency services. |
| A．She had a burning ambition to play comedy. |
| B．She used to be reserved and disciplined. |
| C．She is intellectual and scholarly. |
| D．She is brave and inspiring. |
2 . For nearly a decade now, Merebeth has been a self-employed pet transport specialist. Her pet transport job was born of the financial crisis(危机)in the late 2000s. The downturn hit the real estate (房地产)firm where she had worked for ten years as an office manager. The firm went broke and left her looking for a new job. One day, while driving near her home, she saw a dog wandering on the road, clearly lost. She took it home, and her sister in Denver agreed to take it. This was a loving home for sure, but 1, 600 miles away. It didn’t take long for Merebeth to decide to drive the dog there herself. It was her first road trip to her new job.
Merebeth’s pet delivery service also satisfies her wanderlust. It has taken her to every state in the US except Montana, Washington and Oregon, she says proudly. If she wants to visit a new place, she will simply find a pet with transport needs there. She travels in all weathers. She has driven through 55 mph winds in Wyoming, heavy flooding and storms in Alabama and total whiteout conditions in Kansas.
This wanderlust is inherited from her father, she says. She moved their family from Canada to California when she was one year old, because he wanted them to explore a new place together. As soon as she graduated from high school she left home to live on Catalina Island off the Californian coast, away from her parents, where she enjoyed a life of sailing and off-road biking.
It turns out that pet transporting pays quite well at about $30, 000 per year before tax. She doesn’t work in summer, as it would be unpleasantly hot for the animals in the car, even with air conditioning. As autumn comes, she gets restless—the same old wanderlust returning. It’s a call she must heed alone, though. Merebeth says, “When I am on the road, I’m just in my own world. I’ve always been independent-spirited and I just feel strongly that I must help animals.”
1. Why did Merebeth changed her job?| A．She wanted to work near her home. |
| B．She was tired of working in the office. |
| C．Her sister asked her to move to Denver. |
| D．Her former employer was out of business. |
| A．make money. | B．try various jobs. |
| C．be close to nature. | D．travel to different places. |
| A．She has chances to see rare animals. |
| B．She works hard throughout the year. |
| C．She relies on herself the whole time. |
| D．She earns a basic and tax-free salary. |
3 . "Everything happens for the best, "my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. "If you can carry on, one day something good will happen. "
After graduating from college in 1932, I decided to try for a job as a sports announcer on the radio. I took the bus to Chicago and knocked on the door of every radio station. But I was refused every time. In one studio, a nice lady told me that big radio stations didn't want to accept inexperienced persons. "Go to the countryside and find a small station that'll give you a chance," she said.
I returned home, Dixon in Illinois. My father said Smith Ward had opened a store and wanted a local sportsman to manage its sports department. Since I had played high school football in Dixon, I applied. The job sounded just right for me, but I still failed in the interview. As I left his office, I felt sad. I asked aloud, "How can a man become a sports announcer if he can't get a job in a radio station?
I was waiting for the lift when I heard Smith Ward calling, "What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?" Then he made me stand before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game. As a result, I did a wonderful job and was told to broadcast Saturday's game!
On my way home, I thought of my mother's words again: Everything happens for the best if you carry on. One day something good will happen.
1. The nice lady suggested that the writer should look for a job in ________.| A．a small city | B．a big station | C．a small station | D．a big city |
| A．有经验的 | B．没经验的 | C．重要的 | D．不重要的 |
| A．Thursday' game | B．Friday's game | C．Saturday's game | D．Sunday's game |
4 . Three Steps to a Rewarding Career
You see the saying: “Do what you love, love what you do.”
Step 1:
Jansen suggests having a full understanding of personal values, interests, attitudes and skills. The point is to understand your strengths and how these lead to a meaningful career. Take note of what is important in your career and in your personal life.
Step 2: Identify barriers
Step 3: Create an action plan
You must be very clear about what you need to do to improve your career goals. Think about each and every step you need to take. Divide your plan into short-term action steps.
“By putting your short-term goals on paper, you will feel more determined to do what you have to do in order to create the meaning you are looking for in your work,” she says.
| A．Find what you like best. |
| B．Complete a self-assessment. |
| C．Of course, meaning looks different for everyone. |
| D．Set very clear deadlines for when you will get each done. |
| E．Think about what may keep you from taking up a different kind of occupation. |
| F．To find meaning, you need to question the purpose of the work you are doing now. |
| G．Yet some people never find work that they love or work that gives meaning to their lives. |
5 . In the fall of 2017, when Paula Aldridge needed to get a job, she found herself at a crossroads. The 50-year-old wasn’t sure she would ever work again, due to health issues.
But Aldridge’s life and career journey started to turn around after she connected with Goodwill of Central Iowa’s skills training programs. These programs are tailored to help people develop the kind of specific, real-world skills they need to get and keep a job, through a combination of detailed instruction and hands-on experience.
When Aldridge first connected with Goodwill in September 2017, she was dealing with several barriers to immediate employment. Transportation was challenging, as she didn’t have a driver’s license or own a car. Aldridge also had a limited work history with long employment gaps (间断) , meaning she missed out on learning important skills, such as working a credit card machine. On top of that, her physical health issues were also a problem.
According to Kayleigh Duff, a career specialist at Goodwill of Central Iowa, the biggest barrier Aldridge had to overcome was from within. “She said outwardly that she had all of this confidence and that she knew how strong a worker she was, but I don’t think she truly believed it herself.”
Thankfully, Aldridge had plenty of people on her side to provide motivation and guidance. She originally started off in the food service training program but was eager to enter the retail (零售) skills program, since she had previously worked at the Salvation Army and Subway. When Aldridge mentioned her interest in retail, Duff recognized that her go-getting attitude would be a perfect match for the program.
The seven-week retail skills training is a systematic program combining classroom instruction with on- the-job experience at a Goodwill store. As Aldridge progressed and graduated from the program, she became more confident in her abilities.
Duff said it was great to see how Aldridge grew into the devoted, driven worker she is today. “She has this strong desire, this longing to succeed. And she knows that she’s able to do that, although she has fallen short in the past.”
1. What can be learned about Goodwill’s training programs?| A．They combine theory with practice. |
| B．They guarantee a good job for participants. |
| C．They are designed mainly for the unemployed. |
| D．They were established in the autumn of 2017. |
| A．Poor health. | B．Poor working skills. |
| C．A lack of confidence. | D．A lack of a driver’s license. |
| A．She wanted to attend a more systematic program. |
| B．She wanted to gain some hands-on experience. |
| C．She was more interested in retail. |
| D．She followed Duff’s advice. |
| A．A 50-year-old devotes herself to Goodwill. |
| B．Goodwill helps a 50-year-old turn her life around. |
| C．Goodwill training programs spring up around the world. |
| D．Success is closely linked to appropriate training programs. |
6 . When planning for a new job, many people will go through a job interview.
One way is to do a great deal of research, like finding the requirements of the job, the company's product lines, the industry's standard salary for the position, the interviewer, etc. When doing research, don't forget to learn about whether you have unique qualifications for the position.
Some job seekers prepare for a job interview by conducting their own mock （模拟的） interviews. A trusted friend or even a professional job coach can act as an interviewer, asking many of the same questions a real interviewer might ask. In view of your performance, these people may be able to point out your trouble spots.
There're also numerous resources job seekers can use to prepare for a job interview.
| A．You should consider how to be qualified. |
| B．Self-help books may be available at public libraries. |
| C．Another way is to work on your outward appearance. |
| D．It can be one of the most stressful events in a person's life. |
| E．Then, you can improve yourself by overcoming your weaknesses. |
| F．Observing how you communicate with others is equally important. |
| G．An interviewer's job is to recommend the best qualified applicants. |
7 . If you make list of the world’s top ten most challenging jobs, chances are that being a teacher will not make the cut. But think about the discouraging task millions of educators face each day as they try to shape group of often bad-tempered, wild kids into intelligent, well-rounded individuals. That surely has to be the toughest job in the world, especially given that there is no promotion or bonus awaiting them even if they are wildly successful!
What if these all-important individuals that we often take for granted disappear from our lives? That was what Project Ed and Participant Media’s Teach campaign asked filmmakers of all ages to imagine in their recently-held competition Entitled “A World Without Teachers”, its purpose was to inspire more young people to become teachers. However, the 62 amazing video submissions also serve as a reminder of how horrible things would be if we didn’t have these selfless individuals guiding us through life. What was interesting is that even the youngest participants did not appear to be happy at the idea of not having anybody telling them what to do.
High-school student Savannah Wakefield reflected if art as we know it today would have been different without teachers. Would Monet have discovered his talent for impressionism? Los Angeles-based Miles Horst, who won the 1000 USD prize for the best adult submission imagines a world where teachers are replaced by a “brain box” in his fun lively entry.
Youth category winner Marina Barham’s video represents a fact we all know but often forget. Teachers don’t just teach, they inspire-something that no electronic device, no matter how smart, can do! So the next time you think your teacher is being “mean” for trying to channel you in the right direction, imagine life without him/her. We have feeling it will not appear as rosy!
1. From the passage we can learn that ________.| A．teaching naughty kids is a very discouraging task |
| B．teachers have little influence on kids’ individual development |
| C．a successful teacher has the greatest chance to be promoted |
| D．being a teacher is one of the most challenging jobs in the world |
| A．To attract kids to submit more videos of their teachers. |
| B．To remind students to appreciate teachers’ hard work. |
| C．To expect teachers to devote themselves to their jobs. |
| D．To encourage more people to go into teaching career. |
| A．A world without teachers will be unimaginable. |
| B．The future of teachers’ work appears inspiring. |
| C．Teaching is quite different from other jobs. |
| D．Many people attach more importance to teaching |
| A．A survey of people’s views about teachers. |
| B．The campaign to promote teachers’ status. |
| C．The significance of teachers. |
| D．A competition to win the prize for the best teacher. |
8 . Five Tips for Dealing with Your Boss!
Do you have the best boss in the world? Or the worst? Either way, you need to know how to deal with him/her if you want to be happy and successful at work．Here are our top tips．
Ask
There’s a saying in English，“If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no．” Do you want a raise or a holiday?
Work can be stressful(有压力的)．But always remember to keep your cool when dealing with your boss．If you stay calm, you’ll earn their respect(尊重)．If you’re unhappy about something, wait until you’ve calmed down before speaking to him or her．
Get it in writing
If your boss promises you something (like a raise or a holiday), ask for it in writing．That way you’ll have a paper trail．
Understand your boss
Every boss has a different management style．Is yours a micromanager or are they handsoff? Are they organised or disorganised?
Get along well with your boss
You see your boss a lot．Almost as much as you see your family! So try to stay on good terms with him or her．
| A．Do what you say you’ll do |
| B．Learn to control your feelings |
| C．Are they good or bad communicators? |
| D．You won’t get it if you don’t ask your boss． |
| E．You should tell your boss when you’ve made a mistake． |
| F．If they suddenly “forget” what they said, you may take it out． |
| G．If the relationship breaks down, your job will be even more stressful． |
9 . Those who work on the “996” model (where employees work from 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week) must envy their counterparts (对应的人)in an American company, because they have a shorter work week. Basecamp, a Chicago-based web application company gives all his employees a short work week: just four days—a total of 32 hours, between May and September every year. Also, they usually work five days a week for the rest of the year.
“That’s plenty of time to get great work done. This is all we expect and all we want from people,” says Jason Fried, a co-founder. “Working 60-plus, or 70-plus hours is unnecessary. In fact, if you have to work 60-plus or 70-plus hours a week, there’s a management problem.”
The company’s summer workload must fit reduced hours, Mr. Fried insists, otherwise the benefits of a shorter week - to recover from work, enjoy time with family and develop outside interests - would be undone.
His new research finds that it is not just long hours that are harmful to employees’ physical and mental health. It is also the intensity (强度)of work. Moreover, it suggests that intensity work harms career prospects (前景).That is because unbearable hours and intensity are in the opposite direction, reducing the quality of the work.
The research concludes that the level of intensity we apply to the work we do is generally “a stronger predictor of unfavorable outcomes than overtime work”. The research compared people of similar jobs and education levels, and found they were more likely to suffer poorer happiness and worse career prospects, including satisfaction, security and promotion, when they worked at an intense level for long periods.
1. What do we know about Basecamp’s four — day work week?| A．It lasts nearly half a year. | B．The work pressure is too high. |
| C．There are some management problems. | D．Employees work more than 8 hours a day. |
| A．Given plenty of time, people can do more. |
| B．To get work done well needs plenty of time. |
| C．People can do a job very well in a short work week. |
| D．A long work week is appropriate for reduced workload. |
| A．Getting much more rest. | B．Improving work quality. |
| C．Refusing a five-day work week. | D．Avoiding working too intensely. |
| A．More Work, More Profits | B．Shorter Week, Better Reward |
| C．Less Work, Less Benefits | D．Longer Hours, Higher Intensity |
10 .
Hot Spots for Retirees to Start Their Encore Career
Encore Career: Vocational School Instructor
Retire in: Los Angeles, CA
Ever since IBM CEO Ginni Rometty coined the term “new collar” to describe well-paid jobs that require specific skills but not necessarily a degree, vocational schools have made a serious comeback. Apparently instructors are in short supply in sunny L.A., where there are 13 jobs at vocational schools for every applicant on the market. This is a great opportunity for skilled retirees since, unlike teaching at a public school that requires a state certificate, the only requirement here is that you be a seasoned expert in your field.
Encore Career: Business Consultant
Retire in: Miami, FL
Consulting is a great option for a retired business professional looking to make their own hours, be their own boss, and earn as much or as little as needed to maintain their standard of living. For every consultant in Miami right now there are 13 businesses hoping to hire them. There’s even greater demand here than in Washington D.C., which is typically considered the consulting capital of the world.
Encore Career: Tourist Wrangler
Retire in: Austin, TX
As the economy continues to boom and more Americans have extra income to spend, the tourism industry has taken off. This is particularly true in Austin, TX, where there were astonishing 36 tourism jobs for every applicant in July. Between four-star hotels, the noisy rock n’ roll scene, and a new food culture, Austin is the place to be if you want to work in service industry.
Encore Career: Supporter of the Arts
Retire in: Charleston, SC
If you’re a Baby Boomer with a degree in the arts, now could be the perfect time to revisit your passion for creativity, especially if you also want to live in the center of southern charm. Between the 14 art galleries on King Street in Old Town, an abundance of acting companies and theaters, and music festivals, it’s not surprising there were 25 jobs for every arty applicant iii Charleston.
1. Which career focuses on an applicant’s skills instead of a diploma?| A．Vocational School Instructor. | B．Business Consultant. |
| C．Tourist Wrangler. | D．Supporter of the Arts. |
| A．Los Angeles. | B．Miami. | C．Austin. | D．Charleston. |
| A．Children. | B．Graduates. | C．Retirees. | D．Tourists. |
