8-1 Sometimes, interviewers will ask questions to find out more about the skills you have. For example, employers might want to see if you are a good team worker or if you are able to solve problems. A good way to answer these questions is with the STAR acronym. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. Here is how this works. Imagine you are asked to talk about a time you showed leadership skills. Using the STAR technique, you might say something like: “Two years ago I was made captain of the basketball team. We had a big competition coming up, and the team hadn’t won a match in ten years. I decided to start an intensive training program. We trained every night for three hours. It was hard work, but I motivated my team members by giving them small rewards, like candy, when they scored a basket. In the end we won the competition and now we’re the most successful basketball team in our city!” The story is a good example of the STAR technique. It describes the situation (being captain of the basketball team) the task (having to win the competition) the action (motivating the team) and the result (winning). It’s impossible to predict exactly what you’ll be asked at an interview, but If you practice talking about some of your work and study experiences using the STAR technique, your answers will be well-structured and more likely to make a good impression. 71 Choose the best title for this article.

48. She’d had a bad day at work， and she needed to _______ her anger.

A. 　 tempt

B. 　 cite

C. 　 vent

D. 　 steam

3. What kind of content should job seekers be wary of posting online?

36. They _______ （don’t have to / shouldn’t）worry about money， as they both earn very high salaries.

31. Sally has such a positive attitude. I find her _______.

A. 　 inspire

B. 　 inspirational

C. 　 inspires

D. 　 inspired

8-1 Sometimes, interviewers will ask questions to find out more about the skills you have. For example, employers might want to see if you are a good team worker or if you are able to solve problems. A good way to answer these questions is with the STAR acronym. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. Here is how this works. Imagine you are asked to talk about a time you showed leadership skills. Using the STAR technique, you might say something like: “Two years ago I was made captain of the basketball team. We had a big competition coming up, and the team hadn’t won a match in ten years. I decided to start an intensive training program. We trained every night for three hours. It was hard work, but I motivated my team members by giving them small rewards, like candy, when they scored a basket. In the end we won the competition and now we’re the most successful basketball team in our city!” The story is a good example of the STAR technique. It describes the situation (being captain of the basketball team) the task (having to win the competition) the action (motivating the team) and the result (winning). It’s impossible to predict exactly what you’ll be asked at an interview, but If you practice talking about some of your work and study experiences using the STAR technique, your answers will be well-structured and more likely to make a good impression.75 What advice does the writer give about using the STAR technique?

A. 　Use it to answer every question in your interview.

B. 　Use it to practice talking about your experiences.

C. 　Only use it to talk about work experiences.

D. 　Only use it once during each interview.

4-1 Do you often feel stressed out on a Sunday night? Do you dream of how much better your life would be if you had a different job? And are you jealous of your friends’ careers， which always sound much better than yours? If you recognise any of the above， you probably need a career change. The question is， how are you going to go about getting one? First of all， think about what you’d rather do. Deciding what you like and dislike in your current job is a good starting point. Once you have a good idea of what you want to do， it＇s time to upgrade your skill set. Think about what you are able to do and how this matches the career you are interested in. For example， you may be interested in a career as a tour guide. Which skills does a tour guide need? Which of these do you have， and which do you need to work on developing? Finally， set yourself some goals， both long and short term. Write a list in which you include your goals for the year， the next six months and then the next six weeks. It can be a good idea to share the goals you have made with a friend， as this can help you to stay motivated. Changing your career is not always easy， but life is too short to stay in a job which does not make us happy and which does not fully utilise our skills. 32. According to the writer， which of the following is a sign you need a career change?

A. 　 Feeling that you don’t earn enough money.

B. 　 Feeling anxious at the end of the weekend.

C. 　 Spending lots of time reading job advertisements.

D. 　 Not getting on well with your colleagues.

6-2 New year, new goal! For the past five years, I made the same promise to myself every spring: “I am going to get into shape”. Each year, I promised myself that I was going to lose weight and go down two dress sizes, so that I would look good (or at least normal) on the beach. However, it was the same story every year. Just two weeks after I’d made the resolution, I went back to my old bad habits. This year I decided to do things differently. I realized that my goal of dropping two dress sizes was unrealistic, and probably even unhealthy. When I examined my goal, I decided that it was too short-sighted to be meaningful. Why would I work so hard for just two weeks on the beach? When I thought about it, I realized it was more important to be healthy and strong than to look slim. Examining and changing my goal made a big difference. Instead of trying to lose weight, a friend and I decided we’d run a marathon in July. We planned our exercise schedule together, which was really motivating. We ate healthily, without worrying about our weight. Instead of obsessing about how we looked, we focused on our running performance. So, what happened? Not only did I manage to run the marathon, I also went down a dress size. What did I take away from this experience? What we think we need isn’t always what’s good for us. It pays to examine our goals. 60. In addition to running the marathon, what did the writer achieve?

A. 　 She went down a dress size.

B. 　 She went down two dress sizes.

C. 　 She ran the marathon in record time.

D. 　 She became much stronger.

29. When it rains， we _______ （eat / will eat）lunch in the office instead of going outside.

10. --Wish you a happy New Year!---________.

A. 　 The same to you

B. 　 You do too

C. 　 The same as you

D. 　 You have it too

2-1 Advice from a Hiring Manager As a hiring manager I’ve conducted hundreds of interviews over the years. I believe this puts me in a good position to offer advice about how to make the best possible impression at interview. First of all, it is a good idea to arrive early for the interview, but not too early. 10-15 minutes before your interview starts is ideal. Candidates often believe that they should arrive as early as possible for an interview. However, arriving too early can be inconvenient for the hiring manager, who may well be interviewing other candidates. Once you have arrived, make sure you’re polite to everyone you meet, especially the receptionist. As a hiring manager, I often check with the receptionist after interviews to find out which candidates were most polite. It is important to me that team members will get on well with everyone they work with. Another important tip is this: if the interviewer tries to make small talks with you (by talking about the weather for example), make sure you are friendly. I often ask candidates about how their journey was, as their response will tell me what they are like as a person. Finally, bring a copy of your résumé. So many candidates forget to mention important dates or qualifications. If you have your résumé in front of you, it can really help you to answer challenging questions. Follow this advice, research the job and the position and you’ll be in with a good chance of passing the interview. 14. Why might an interviewer ask a candidate about the weather?

A. 　 To help the candidate to relax.

B. 　 To see how friendly the candidate is.

C. 　 When the interviewer has run out of other questions.

D. 　 If the interviewer’s office has no windows.