3 . Yet although officers will not disappear, it’s hard to imagine that working life will return to before-COVID-19 (新冠肺炎) ways. For more than a century workers have pushed themselves on-to crowded trains and buses, or suffered traffic jams, to get into the office, and back, five days a week. However, for the past one year they have not had to commute (上下班往返), and may enjoy it for a long time.

Employers, for their part, have supported expensive offices in city centers because they need to gather workers in one place. The rent is only part of the cost; there are cleaning, lightning, printers, catering and security on top. Needless to say, in the homeworking era these costs are cut down.

Another part of the homeworking era may be the disappearance of the five-day working week. Even before the COVID-19 many workers became used to taking phone calls or answering emails at the weekend. In the homeworking era, the dividing line between home and working life, a useful way of relieving stress, will be even harder to keep. It may be lost altogether.

What’s more, without the Monday-to-Friday commute, the weekend seems more nebulous, for employees may walk and take breaks freely, with only the company video calls unchanged.

Looking further out, the homeworking era may bring other changes. Some may decide to live in small towns where housing costs are lower, since they have no need to commute. Men will have fewer excuses to skip cleaning or childcare if they are not disappearing to the office.

In a sense, this is a return to normal: until the 19th century most people worked at or close to their homes. But social historians may still regard 2020 as the start of a new age.

1. Which one is the change of the working life after the COVID-19?

A．Living in big cities.	B．More traffic jams.
C．Reduced working cost.	D．Less phone calls at the weekend.

2. What does the underlined word “nebulous” mean in the 4th paragraph?

A．Important.

B．Unclear.

C．Fruitful.

D．Annoying.

3. Which word can best describe the writer’s attitude in the last paragraph?

A．Doubtful.

B．Objective.

C．Supportive.

D．Negative.

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．2020: the Start of a New Age?

B．Working at Home: Are You Ready?

C．Who is the Winner: Employer or Employee?

D．Home and Working Life: How to Keep Balanced?

4 . Easy reading is hard writing

In an interview with The Daily Beast Last year, Maya Angelou, an American author and poet, discussed her writing career and her daily work habits.

I keep a hotel room in my hometown and pay for it by the month. I go around 6:30 in the morning. I have a bedroom, with a bed, a table, and a bath. I have Roget's Thesaurus =, which is a dictionary, and the Bible. Usually, a deck of cards and some crossword puzzles. Something to occupy my “little mind”. I think my grandmother taught me that. She didn't mean to, but she used to talk about her “little mind” . So when I was young, from the time I was about 3 until 13, I decided that there was a “big mind”and a “little mind”. And the “big mind”would allow you to consider deep thoughts, but the “little mind” would occupy you, so you could not be distracted. It would work at crossword puzzles or play cards, while the “big mind” would delve（探究） deep into the subjects I wanted to write about.

I have all the paintings and any decoration taken out of the room. I ask the management and housekeeping not to enter the room, just in case I've thrown a piece of paper on the floor. I don’t want it discarded（丢弃）. About every two months I get a note slipped under the door. “Dear Ms. Angelou, please let us change the bed sheet. We think it may be moldy（发霉的）!”

But I've never slept there. I am usually out of there by 2. And then I go home and I read what I've written that morning, and I tried to edit them.

Easy reading is hard writing. But if it's right, it's easy. It's the other way round, too. If it's carelessly written, then it's hard to read. It doesn't give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader.

1. What usually occupies Maya Angelou's “little mind”?

A．The Bible.

B．Her dictionary.

C．Her hotel room.

D．Crossword puzzles.

2. Why does Maya Angelou not allow the housekeeping into her room?

A．She thinks that they will ask for something from her.

B．She fears that they may clear up her writing.

C．Her grandmother can help her with the cleaning.

D．She doesn't sleep there and no cleaning is needed.

3. How does Maya Angelou like easy writing?

A．It is fun to read.

B．It is easy to read.

C．It is hard to read.

D．It is no use reading.

4. Where does Maya Angelou edit her writing?

A．At home.

B．In the hotel.

C．At a library.

D．In her grandmother's house.