Part III: Reading 30%
Directions: Read the following passages and choose the correct answer according to the passage.
Passage 1
I study political violence for a living., yet I, too, am shaken and unsure how to react. As I sit here today in my office, only a few miles from the still-burning Pentagon, images of the slaughter in my native New York dominate my thoughts. It makes it hard to concentrate on work, and it makes the everyday things seem so trivial. Only now, twenty-four hours after the tragedy began to unfold, have I begun to realize how this has affected me on so many levels.
As an American, I feel threatened and confused, where only yesterday I felt proud and invincible (不可战胜的). As a citizen of the global community, I have been shocked into the reality of the reach of global terrorism. As a human being, I am appalled at the cruelty and inhumanity of these acts of terrorism. As someone who hopes to understand unspeakable acts, I am at a loss to understand this one, perhaps because it hits so close to home.
I know only these things: Someone, for some reason, has decided to strike at the United States. Despite the many people killed, the intended target of this attack was American power. The goal was to strike a paralyzing fear into the hearts and minds of all citizens of the U.S., and perhaps its allies as well. Thus, we—all of us— are the real targets of this attack. This explains why many of us, even those of us who were not near the attacks, or who knew no one affected by them, felt this tragedy so deeply.
Yet we must not succumb to fear, for if we do the terrorists have won. Surely our lives will be different now. We may be more aware, more inconvenienced, more insecure. But we must learn to deal with this tragedy and to move on, to live our lives as fully and as entirely as before. I came to my office today, even though classes here have been cancelled, to live my life as normally as possible, for to do so in the face of yesterday’s terrorist attacks is itself an act of defiance.
1. How did the author feel following the terrorist attack?
a) He felt proud and invincible because Americans did not succumb to fear.
b) He felt relieved because no one dear to him was injured.
c) He felt sorry for those killed or injured in the tragedy.
d) He felt threatened and confused because he couldn’t understand it.
2. The “unspeakable acts” (Line 4, Para 2) the author hopes to understand are _____.
a) acts of political violence
b) acts of attacks for unknown reasons
c) acts of war
d) acts of murder
3. We can infer from the passage that the author ____
a) did not expect global terrorism could hit America
b) had a deep understanding of terrorism even before the attack
c) knew that Americans would not succumb to terrorism
d) believed that life would go on as before despite the attack
4. According to the author, the aim of the terrorist attack is ___.
a) to kill as many Americans as possible
b) to make Americans aware of the terrorists’ strength
c) to sow panic among the Americans
d) to destroy the vital institutions of the American Government
5. The author’s purpose in going to his office on the day following the terrorist attack is ___.
a) to give classes
b) to discuss the terrorist attack with his colleagues
c) to show defiance by living his life as normally as possible
d) to get the latest news of the terrorist attack
Passage 2
The interview is an important event in the job-hunting process, because the 20 or 30 minutes you spend with the interviewer may determine whether or not you get the particular job you want. Therefore, it is important to remember that your objective during the interview may differ from the objective of the potential employer. You want to make yourself stand out as a whole person who has personal strengths, is well qualified, and should be considered the right person for the job. It is encouraging to know that the interviewer’s task is not to embarrass you or to trip you up, but to hire the right person for the job.
Remember, job hunting is very competitive. Anything you can do to enhance your interview techniques will be to your advantage. The following suggestions may help you land the most important job.
Your goal in this interview is to make sure your good points get across. The interviewer won’t know them unless you point them out, so try to do this in a factual and sincere manner.
Do not make slighting references to former employers or professors. If you have been fired from a job and the interviewer asks about it, be frank in your answer.
Show the interviewer that you are interested in the company by asking relevant questions. Ask about responsibilities, working conditions, promotion opportunities and fringe benefits (附加福利) of the job you are interviewing for.
If at some point you decide the interview is not going well, do not let your discouragement show. You have nothing to lose by continuing a show of confidence, and you may have much to gain. It may be real, or it may be a test to see how you react to adverse conditions.
Some interviewers may bring up salary early in the interview. At this time, you may indicate that you are more interested in a job where you can prove yourself than a specific salary. This politely passes the question back to the interviewer. If the interviewer continues to press, give him a range or suggest the going rate for a particular job. If possible, you should negotiate for salary after you have been offered a job and when you are ready to complete the paperwork.
6. To get the job you want, during the interview you should______.
a) avoid the interviewer’s questions that are designed to trip you up
b) remember that you are the best qualified candidate
c) make yourself stand out as the right person for the job
d) keep in mind that it determines whether or not you get the particular job you want
7. If you did not get along with your former employer, you _____.
a) should tell the interviewer frankly
b) should not speak ill of him
c) should refer to him in a factual manner
d) should never mention it
8. When you find the interview is not going well you should ____.
a) keep up your confidence
b) bring it to an end as soon as possible
c) tell you interviewer how you react to adverse conditions
d) tell yourself you have much to gain and nothing to lose
9. The best time to discuss your salary is ______.
a) when you have been offered the job
b) at the end of the interview
c) after you have completed the paperwork
d) when the interviewer brings this matter up
10. The most important thing to do during an interview is _____.
a) to make your strengths understood
b) to show your intense interest in the job you are applying for
c) to be frank and sincere
d) to be natural and confident
