When you were at school, the last thing you probably wanted to do was spend your weekends going to work. There was homework to do, sport to play and fun to have. But our parents probably persuaded us to find a job to earn some money and get some life experience. When I was a teenager I had a paper round: delivering newspapers to people's homes. I then progressed to a Saturday job in a supermarket: stacking shelves and working at the checkout.
Today in the UK you are allowed to work from the age of 13, and many children do take up part-time jobs. It's one of those things that are seen almost as a rite of passage(成人仪式).It's a taste of independence and sometimes a useful thing to put on your CV(简历).Teenagers agree that it teaches valuable lessons about working with adults and also about managing their money.
Some research has shown that not taking up a Saturday or holiday job could be deleterious to a person later on. A 2015 study by the UK Commission on Employment and Skills found that not participating in part-time work at school age had been blamed by employer's organizations for young adults being ill-prepared for full-time employment, but despite this, recent statistics have shown that the number of schoolchildren in the UK with a part-time job has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.
So, does this mean that British teenagers are now afraid of hard work? Probably not. Some experts feel that young people feel going out to work will affect their performance at school, and they are under more pressure now to study hard and get good exam results-and a good job in the long term. However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told BBC News that "Properly regulated（控制的）part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives." In reality, it's all about getting the right balance between doing part-time work and having enough time to study and rest.
1.How did the author feel about doing part-time jobs on weekends when he was a teenager?
A. Unwilling. B. Interested.
C. Delighted. D. Angry.
2.Which of the following may NOT be the benefit of school children's doing part-time jobs?
A. Learning to be independent. B. Gaining some life experience.
C. Being prepared for future jobs. D. Spending what they earn as they like.
3.What does the underlined word "deleterious" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. valuable. B. harmful.
C. necessary. D. beneficial.
4.What can we learn from Paragraph 4?
A. Students should spend all their time on studies.
B. Students should have as many part-time jobs as possible.
C. Doing part-time jobs must affect students' school results.
D. It's important for students to balance part-time jobs and studies.
For most of her life, Suanne Laqueur’s passion for storytelling was shown on the dance floor.
Although Laqueur began writing at a young age, dancing always took center stage. She majored in dance and theater at Alfred University and taught at her mother’s dance studio in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, for years. But when her mother was ready to retire and an opportunity opened for Laqueur to take over the studio, she realized she had no interest in taking on the business side of her art: “Owning a studio is a lot of work—financially, logistically. I love the teaching, the choreographing(编舞), the staging, but I didn’t want to own it.”
Yet Laqueur’s disinterest in running the studio changed when she became a self-published author. In the fall of 2013, she decided to pursue Self-publishing as a way of sharing her first completed novel with friends and family. During the process, she realized that following her true passion—telling stories through writing—made the business of the art worthwhile, and owning that business meant she could direct her writing career however she chose.
Starting with her second self-published novel, she began investing more time in marketing and building her audience. Her investment paid off. Since 2014, Laqueur, now 49, has self-published six novels, which collectively have hundreds of ratings and reviews on Goodreads. Her 2016 novel An Exaltation of Larks stole the show at the 25th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, topping more than 2,300 entries to win the grand prize.
“You have to write the most truthful story to you, and I think self-publishing allows that freedom,’ she says. “If you work with traditional publishing, it’s more about what’s marketable, There are trade-offs, which everyone will tell you, but by self-publishing I have control of the book, I have control of the story, and I’m cool with that.”
1.From Paragraph 2，we can learn that Laqueur _______.
A. wanted to own a publishing house
B. didn’t like teaching dancing in fact
C. was a part-time writer when she was young
D. was interested in running her mother’s studio
2.What made Laqueur change her attitude to business?
A. Her mother’s persuasion. B. Self-publishing her novels.
C. The desire to make money, D. Her own passion toward art.
3.Which of the following can best replace the phrase “stole the show” in Paragraph 4?
A. became a failure. B. was shown to people.
C. got all the attention. D. was accidentally stolen.
4.What can be inferred from what Laqueur’s said?
A. She enjoys the way of self-publishing.
B. She will never use traditional publishing.
C. Traditional publishing only focuses on the market.
D. Self-publishing will replace traditional publishing.
Wanted: A Personal Assistant
I’m a very busy woman, looking for an assistant to help me with certain important tasks. This is not your average assistant job. What I’m looking for is someone to take care of some of my more personal business so that I may focus on my true passion: grocery shopping. Please apply if and only if you are willing and able to accomplish the following tasks:
Work I would love to have a nine-to-five job. However, I find sitting in an office all day unbearable. An ideal assistant would secure a high-paying office job and excel in that setting, even going so far as to eagerly accept every invitation to after-work drinks.
Go on family vacations I love my family, especially when I don’t have to spend time with them. Thus, I will require my employee to attend all family vacations in my place. Since I’ll miss out on spending time with my nephews, a good assistant will live-stream (直播) them for me the entire time while discreetly muting the live-stream whenever they start fighting.
Exercise I am determined to get in better shape but find working out strenuous and tiring. The right candidate will exercise for a minimum of an hour every day and allow me to reap the benefits of his or her vigorous activity.
Eat Just kidding—I love eating!
Date I’m looking for love but find dating tedious and intimidating. Ideally, my employee will get a drink with a potential mate so he or she can do the tiresome work of getting to know someone and deciding whether I’ll like him. If the romantic candidate advances past a third date, I’d be willing to step in and proceed with the relationship from there, excluding birthdays, holidays, and other high-pressure situations.
Have a baby I’m eager to have a child, but being pregnant and giving birth seems hard. Likewise, raising a child seems daunting. I’d prefer to spend an hour or two with my child each day while someone else tackles the incredible responsibility of childrearing. Once my child turns 18, I will happily assume all parenting duties, excluding any financial obligations.
1.What is the author truly interested in?
A. Spending vacations. B. Going shopping.
C. Dating someone. D. Raising children.
2.The personal assistant needs to do the following things for the author EXCEPT ________.
A. working out. B. going to work.
C. accompanying families. D. eating delicious food.
3.What do you think is the purpose of the passage?
A. To warn. B. To inform. C. To amuse. D. To advertise.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What are the tourists advised to do when touring London?
A. Take their tour schedule. B. Watch out for the traffic. C. Wear comfortable shoes.
2.What will the tourists do in fifteen minutes?
A. Meet the speaker. B. Go to their rooms. C. Change some money.
3.Where probably is the speaker?
A. In a park. B. In a hotel. C. In a shopping center.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why is Dorothy going to Europe?
A. To attend a training program.
B. To carry out some research.
C. To take a Vacation.
2.How long will Dorothy stay in Europe?
A. A few days. B. Two weeks. C. Three months.
3.What does Dorothy think of her apartment?
A. It’s expensive. B. It’s satisfactory. C. It’s inconvenient.
4.What does Bill offer to do for Dorothy?
A. Recommend her apartment to Jim.
B. Find a new apartment for her.
C. Take care of her apartment.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where was the man born?
A. In Philadelphia. B. In Springfield. C. In Kansas.
2.What did the man like doing when he was a child?
A. Drawing. B. Traveling. C. Reading.
3.What inspires the man most in his work?
A. Education. B. Family love. C. Nature.
