1 . I’ve been working as a UN Peacekeeper in the Central African Republic for the past two years. Before this, I was a pilot and I ________ my work. However, I felt it was my duty to help innocent people who are caught in trouble, so I ________ the United Nations.

The Central African Republic is a relatively small country. Since it got ________ from France in the 1950s, there have been many violent conflicts between the government and rebels (反叛者). In 2012, a civil war began, due to which, over one million people were forced to ________ their homes and there were many deaths and injuries. ________, the United Nations established a peacekeeping ________ in the country.

We peacekeepers ________ cities and villages to ________ that no conflict is occurring and help bring supplies of food and medicine. We are a ________ that can keep people in conflict apart.

As a woman, I am particularly ________ as I can act as a role model for many women and girls in the country. When they see how others respect me, they feel that they also ________ to be respected and treated ________.

My life is not ________ in any way! It’s long hours in a very tough environment. I have basic ________ with just a bed in a shared room. Of course, being away from my family and friends is also very hard at times. However, I know that the Central African Republic is safer because of the UN Peacekeepers, and that makes it all ________.

1.

A．hated

B．enjoyed

C．guarded

D．changed

2.

A．gave in to

B．looked up to

C．kept up with

D．signed up with

3.

A．treatment

B．technology

C．independence

D．inspiration

4.

A．flee

B．return

C．sweep

D．tend

5.

A．In turn

B．In surprise

C．In response

D．In addition

6.

A．measure

B．reputation

C．business

D．mission

7.

A．follow

B．expand

C．monitor

D．block

8.

A．ensure

B．prove

C．report

D．predict

9.

A．bridge

B．barrier

C．castle

D．shelter

10.

A．protected

B．trusted

C．valued

D．doubted

11.

A．deserve

B．prefer

C．plan

D．fail

12.

A．gently

B．equally

C．seriously

D．honestly

13.

A．boring

B．rewarding

C．difficult

D．fancy

14.

A．association

B．accommodation

C．administration

D．adaptation

15.

A．available

B．ambitious

C．worthwhile

D．educational

2 . The topic “slash youth”,   referring to those refusing to be defined or bound by just one personal identity and choosing to undertake multiple careers, has fueled heated debate on social media. On Douban, a Chinese social networking platform, the topic has attracted about 11,000posts and has been viewed over 400 million times. China’s young people are keen to share their slash youth stories online, presenting themselves as multiple and sometimes distinct identities, such as a nurse and model, a teacher and stand-up comedian, and an engineer and musician.

Xing Eryang, a 31-year-old female resident in Beijing, founded the Douban topic in 2021.While staying diligent about her daytime work, she is developing her hobbies, including stand-up comedy and vlogging, into secondary careers during her spare time. And she is amazed to find her “slash life” philosophy followed by so many of her peers.

Weiheng, a 26-year-old woman in Guangzhou, and Tang Yuhan, a 27-year-old man in Xuancheng city, Anhui province, are both participants in the topic, with their stories earning thousands of likes so far. The two are both musicians in their spare time, even though they are thousands of miles apart and have different jobs in media and finance. Their passion for music has grown since college and they didn’t abandon their enthusiasm, even after entering the workplace.

Their reaction showed the gap between the young and former generations. “My parents used to say,   ‘music cannot earn you money’,   so the band thing was regarded as a waste of time. However,   we want to pursue whatever we love and are willing to pay for it.” says Weiheng.

“The ‘slash life’ mania(狂热)shows that, along with China’s economic development, our society is becoming more and more diversified and inclusive, and it welcomes everyone’s self-fulfillment,” says Shi Yanrong, an   associate researcher from Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences. “Young people no longer have to rely on work and money for their sense of self-worth. They tend to practice a carpe diem(活在当下)philosophy and create their own identities.”

1. What are “slash youth” more likely to do?

A．Create a topic on Douban.

B．Take diverse occupations.

C．Become a stand-up comedian.

D．Share their own stories online.

2. Which of the following amazes Xing Eryang?

A．Other young people’s positive response.

B．Hobbies developed while working.

C．The growing social networking platform.

D．Thousands of likes earned on Douban.

3. What did Weiheng and Tang Yuhan do to pursue their musical career?

A．They sent their stories online to gain more funds.

B．They shared similar interests in both their hobbies and jobs.

C．They never lost passion for music even if they had to quit college.

D．They stuck with their dream despite the older generation’s opinion.

4. According to Shi Yanrong, what is our society’s attitude to the “slash life”?

A．Doubtful.	B．Supportive.
C．Unfavorable.	D．Indifferent.

3 . It’s not easy to find a job. Many jobs have age or experience requirements that you might not meet. On top of that, you need to juggle(应付)schoolwork, extracurriculars, and your social life. Fortunately, there are still some good jobs for you to start gaining working experience.

Tutor

Straight-A student? Then a job as a tutor(家庭教师)might be the best option for you. Helping younger students with their homework is a great way to put what you’ve studied to good use and make some extra money. One of the easiest ways to show that you’re qualified to teach other students is by listing your GPA(Grade Point Average) on your tutor resume.

Dog Walker

Love dogs? Then a position as a dog walker is the perfect fit for you. Dog walking requires no work experience and has flexible hours. However, you may need to do some shadowing or an interview before people trust you with their pets.

Delivery Driver

If you’re 16+ years old and have a driver’s license, you could try working as a delivery driver. Driving is a great way to gain relevant experience and show future employers that you’re responsible and work well under pressure.

Call Center Representative

If you don’t mind talking on the phone, then a job as a call center worker is a good choice for you. Working as a call center representative can even teach you some useful customer service skills that will help your career later on. To land a job at a call center, highlight your customer service and interpersonal skills on your resume.

1. Who are the passage intended for?

A．Parents.

B．Teachers.

C．Students.

D．Employers.

2. What qualifies you as a tutor?

A．Relevant experience.	B．Timely homework completion.
C．Flexible time schedule.	D．Impressive academic performance.

3. Which job requires good social skills?

A．Tutor.	B．Dog walker.
C．Delivery driver.	D．Call center representative.

5 . A walk around the workplace is also a trip back in time. The office is where colleagues meet, work and bond. But it is also a time capsule, a place where the traces of historic patterns of working are visible everywhere. The pandemic has heightened this sense of office as a dig site for corporate archaeologists.

The most obvious object is the landline phone(固定电话), a reminder of the days when mobility meant being able to stand up and keep talking. Long after people have junked them in their personal lives - less than 15% of Americans aged between 25 and 34 had one at home in the second half of 2021- landline phones survive in offices.

There might be good reasons for its persistence: they offer a more secure and stable connection than mobile phones, and no one worries that they are about to run out of battery. In practice, the habit of using them was definitely lost during the pandemic. Now they sit on desk after desk, rows of buttons unpressed, ring tones unheard.

Landline phones were already well on their way out before covid-19 struck. Whiteboard charts have suffered a swifter reverse. These objects signal a particular type of pain- people physically crowded together into a room while a manager sketches a graph with a marker pen and points meaningfully to the top-right-hand corner, giving requirements never to be satisfied. This manager is still making graphs but is now much more likely to use a PowerPoint. The crowd is still being tortured but is now much more likely to be watching on the screen. The office still has whiteboards, but they are left in corners and the charts on them are slowly yellowing.

Real archaeologists need tools and time to do their painstaking work: brushes, shovels and picks. Corporate archaeology is easier: you just need eyes and a memory of how things used to be. But you also need to be quick as more and more work places are revamped for the post-pandemic era. Now its time to take a careful look around the office: you may see something that will soon seem outdated.

1. Why does the author refer to the office as a time capsule?

A．You can travel back in time in the office.

B．You can dig out what has been buried for years in the office.

C．You can easily find some old-fashioned practices in the office.

D．You can work with archaeologists to study the history in the office.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3 and 4?

A．Whiteboard charts went useless due to new technologies.

B．More employees prefer online meetings to physical gatherings.

C．Landline phones still exist in offices because they don’t need batteries.

D．Many employees show a negative attitude to some routine work in companies.

3. What does the underlined word “revamped” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Transformed.	B．Abandoned.
C．Discovered.	D．Reserved.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Impact of Pandemic on Workplace	B．The Archaeology of the Office
C．Why Landline Phones Went Outdated?	D．The History of Old-fashioned Objects

6 . Career coaches provide a series of services, from helping you figure out what you want to do to exploring chances for career growth.     1     To make it all worthwhile, some helpful tips are offered here to help you choose a right coach.

Know what type of professional you need to hire.     2     In other words, they help you explore your future career possibilities and figure out what is stopping you from advancing in your development.

    3     Go into your coaching relationship with an idea of what you think you need from them, but be willing to think about their guidance on what other measures may make you more successful- for example, Business Value training to make sure you’ll be satisfied in a new job.

Try sample lessons to find the right one. Most coaches offer free sample lessons, which help you get to know their styles clearly. You may need a coach with career experiences, or you may need one who offers life advice. If you aren’t sure what you want, ask questions.     4    

Consider cost, and make contact. Coaching fees are not the same. Some coaches charge more for polishing resumes, while others include that in the overall price.     5     Once you’re clear about it, you can make your decision and communicate with the chosen coach.

A．Make sure you have a well-designed resume.

B．You need to understand what you’re receiving for the expense.

C．Career coaches also provide services for your personal training.

D．Thus, you can assess whether the coach understands your needs.

E．Engaging with a career coach requires an investment of time and money.

F．Know which services you need and be open to services you don't know you need.

G．Career coaches can help you decide how to make full use of your professional potential.

7 . I was 68 when I first stepped on stage as a standup comedian in 2003. I’d never set foot in a comedy club before. I’ve always been a performer - I’ve worked as a singer, actor and musician - but all that came to an end after 9/11. I live in New York, and we watched the twin towers fall from my apartment building. For a year afterwards, nobody wanted to go out or be entertained.

It was then that I started to think about comedy. I realised people needed to laugh, to enjoy themselves again, and thought that with a little training I could do it. I took a few classes, tried to work out a routine, and finally plucked up the courage to get up on stage. That first time was terrifying. I had no idea what the audience would make of me.

In New York, comedians are typically young men with beards. It’s hard enough to break through as a woman, even harder as someone old enough to be their grandmother. As I stepped on stage that first time, people laughed nervously. They were clearly surprised to see me. I introduced myself, stated my age and tried my first joke. There was silence. But by the time I got to the third line, people were properly laughing, I was addicted.

Now my sets differ. I might be on stage for 10 minutes in front of a dozen people, or my one-woman show is a full hour in front of a crowd of 100. Even today, I’m nervous before I step out. My first line is, “Hello, everybody. I’m 88 and three-quarters years old. I’m telling you that in case I don’t make it all the way through the show.” Then people laugh and I relax.

After a show, people young and old come up to me, saying what an inspiration I am. They say they want to be as active as me when they reach my age. I’m pleased I can show that as an older person you don’t need to take a back seat in life.

I’ve no intention of stopping comedy. I’m taking all these pills, trying to stay alive, and I hope to still be performing when I’m 100. My goal is to still be up there making people laugh. It’s hard work, but it stops me being bored. I’d only be playing golf otherwise

1. What made the writer take up comedy?

A．She wanted to overcome her fears	B．She wanted to brighten others’ lives
C．She was unwilling to quit performing	D．She wanted to work out a routine

2. Why does the writer mention young men with beards in Paragraph 3?

A．To show the challenge she was facing

B．To explain her attraction to the job

C．To illustrate her special advantage

D．To describe her new friends in comedy

3. How has the writer made progress since her first performance?

A．She now performs before larger audiences

B．She no longer feels nervous before performances

C．She remains on the stage for a longer time

D．She has learned to make a joke of her age

4. Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?

A．Age is just a number

B．Advancing years bring greater wisdom

C．Old age means a chance to sit back

D．Being elderly means you have to slow down

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Volunteer travel, also known as voluntourism, refers to taking a trip    1    purpose is to participate in an    2    (arrange) service opportunity to give back to the local community and make a difference. Volunteer travel dates back to the 1960s, when Alec Dickson and his wife Mora from the UK    3    (found) Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), an international volunteer organization. Various activities ranging    4    conservation work to education and healthcare projects can    5    (involve) in volunteer travel. These projects are    6    (typical) organized by nonprofit organizations or travel agencies that specialize in responsible and sustainable tourism.

Volunteer travel can help address social and environmental issues, contribute to local development projects    7    help with disaster relief efforts. Working voluntarily while exploring new destinations and cultures allows    8    (individual) to learn new skills and gain a deeper understanding of a country and its people.

Volunteer travel in rural areas is now attracting more urban visitors as a break from the fast and stressful pace of urban living. It has indeed been a growing trend for urban residents     9    (volunteer) in rural areas. For those who are sick of urban pressure but can’t decide whether to move to the countryside, volunteer travel can be    10    alternative solution.

9 . Jenn Larson was just 14 years old when she took over the bookkeeping for her family’s dairy farm near Firth, Idaho. She soon saw firsthand how challenging it was for her parents, who lacked any college education, to properly manage the unpredictable earnings of farming. This started a lifelong passion for finance, and it led her down an unexpected path to becoming a role model she never had.

Yet, such ambitions ran in obvious contrast to everything familiar to her. “I didn’t have any advisors,” Larson says. “I didn’t have anyone to look up to for a professional example. All the women I associated with were stay-at-home moms.” Despite having parents who couldn’t fully understand her ambitions, Larson went to the BYU Marriott School, where she earned a business degree and focused much of her coursework on international finance.

Larson worked for seven years as a financial representative with Northwestern Mutual, advising clients on important financial decisions. Larson returned to BYU Marriott in 2008 to earn an MBA, and accepted a position in the school as an assistant professor following her graduation. For more than a decade, Larson has taught finance classes to undergraduate and MBA students. While she teaches finance, Larson tries to help her students see how mastering finance principles can also impact their personal lives.

Constantly balancing motherhood and work, Larson makes adjustments to the way she teaches. She gave birth to her first three children in three years while teaching at BYU Marriott, wondering at times if labor might start while in front of a class full of students. During the pandemic, Larson taught online classes from her dining room table while taking care of a newborn and other young children at home.

As a female instructor in the often male-dominated finance industry, Larson works to inspire other women who seek a similar path to hers. Larson became the role model that she never had — the example that a 14-year-old girl staring at a farming expense sheet couldn’t find. Now, Labor on’s children and students will always have that example.

1. What motivated Larson to major in finance?

A．Her experience of managing accounts.

B．Her strong desire for college education.

C．The high expectations from her parents.

D．The challenging labor on her dairy farm.

2. What problem did Larson face when she decided to study finance?

A．She had no one to ask for advice.

B．She was unsure about the coursework.

C．She was misunderstood by her neighbours.

D．She was unfamiliar with everything at school.

3. What does the underlined word “labor” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．The work of looking after a baby.

B．The process of dealing with students.

C．The process of giving birth to a baby.

D．The work of adjusting teaching methods.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Following Your Interest

B．Balancing Work and Family

C．Becoming Your Own Role Model

D．Seeking a Way to Become a Role Model