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I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer, none came.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace. It seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work though she’d never been able to. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside--a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
1.The writer began to love her mother’s desk _______.
A. after Mother died
B. before she became a writer
C. when she was a child
D. when mother gave it to her
2.The passage shows that _______.
A. Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter
B. Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done
C. Mother cared much about her daughter in words
D. Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words.
3.The world “gulf” in the passage means _______.
A. deep understanding between the old and the young.
B. different ideas between the mother and the daughter.
C. free talks between mother and daughter.
D. part of the sea going far in land.
4.What did Mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness?
She had never received the letter.
B. For years, she often talked about the letter.
C. She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life.
D. She read the letter again and again till she died.
5.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. My letter to Mother B. Mother and Children
C. My Mother’s Desk D. Talks between Mother and me.
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The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors, senior copy editors, copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team. We offer a competitive salary package, free accommodation(住处,住所) with utilities paid for, 90 per cent medical reimbursement, a seven-day paid leave, eleven-day public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence.
Senior Business Editor
You must:
★ assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them;
★ be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed and mentor junior staff;
★ ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership entails;
★ have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software.
Senior Copy Editor
You must:
★ work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print;
★ edit or rewrite copy and give snappy headlines and captions;
★ have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software.
Copy Editor
You must:
★ be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing snappy headlines and captions;
★ be able to work on shifts for different pages, and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print;
★ have two years of editing experience working on copy desks, and be familiar with industry software.
Graphic Designer
You must:
★ have excellent skills in information graphics;
★ be good at illustrations and freehand drawings;
★ be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts;
★ have a good sense of typography;
★ have good news judgment;
★ be well-versed with Macintosh software, including In Design, Illustrator and Photoshop;
★ be fluent in English.
For enquiries or to apply, write to job @ chinadaily.com.cn.
1.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To describe the positions of the China Daily newspaper group.
B. To describe the working conditions of the China Daily newspaper group.
C. To advertise for recruiting some good employees.
D. To tell you how to become part of this group.
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The employees(雇员) have to pay for their own food and lodging(住所).
B. The workers there can enjoy a seven-day leave without pay.
C. The senior business editor’s only job is to help the business editor to set goals.
D. The employees have the right to enjoy eleven-day public holidays.
3.How many positions need editing experience?
A. 1. B. 2. C. 3. D. 4.
4.What is NOT required about Graphic Designer?
A. Be well-versed with Photoshop.
B. Have excellent skills in information graphics.
C. Having a good sense of typography.
D. Writing snappy headlines and captions.
5.Which can be the title of the advertisement?
A. China Daily: New Employees Wanted
B. China Daily: Newspaper
C. China Daily: An International Team
D. China Daily: The Best Working Condition
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Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive(漂亮的) people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants (被告). But in the executive (行政的,管理的) circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plain(平常的，不漂亮的) men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine and an attractive man more manly than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the "manly" qualities required.
This is true even in politics. "When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently," says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
1.The word "liability" most probably means __________.
A. disadvantage B. advantage
C. misfortune D. trouble
2.In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness ________.
A. makes women look more honest and capable
B. strengthens the qualifies required
C. is of no importance to women
D. often enables women to succeed quickly
3.Bowman's experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness _______.
A. turns out to be a disadvantage to men
B. is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women
C. affects men and women alike
D. has as little effect on men as on women
4.It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often _____.
A. practical B. supportive
C. old-fashioned D. one-sided
5.The author writes this passage to __________.
A. give advice to job-seekers who are attractive
B. discuss the disadvantages of women being attractive
C. demand equal rights for women
D. state the importance of appearance
