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.72 What kind of questions should you use the STAR technique to help you answer?

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.73 The writer gives an example of STAR in the article. What is the situation they describe?

A. 　Being captain of the basketball team

B. 　Having to win the competition

C. 　Motivating the team

D. 　Winning the competition

25.---Let me introduce myself. I’m Alex.---- .

A. 　Thank you

B. 　 That’s nice

C. 　Nice to meet you

D. 　 Good luck

10-2 The benefits of flexible working Many job applicants cite paid vacation, health insurance and a good salary as being most important to them in a job. However, an increasing number of employers now offer flexible working. So, what could flexible working mean for you? Put simply, flexible working means that you, the employee, have some say over when you work. This could mean working from home for some of the time, job-sharing, or working flexitime (adapting your working hours to suit your own life, for example, starting later and finishing later). Flexible working can have many benefits. For example, it can reduce the time you spend travelling to work. If you work 9 to 5 every day, you will be travelling to and from work when the roads are busy. You might be surprised at how much shorter your journey is if you travel to work at 10am instead of 8am. A flexible working schedule can reduce employees’ stress and improve their work-life balance. A recent survey in The Business Times showed that 20 percent of working people are stressed by family relationships and the difficulty of managing their personal and private lives. Working flexibly can allow employees to switch off from their work when they need to, and to spend more quality time with their families. Improved work-life balance can give you more energy, and this will make you more productive when you are at work, leading to increased job satisfaction. So, next time you are job hunting, consider adding flexible working to your wish list. 96. Which sentence best describes the purpose of this article?

A. 　 To weigh up the pros and cons of flexible working

B. 　 To describe the advantages of flexible working

C. 　 To show that flexible working is good for employers

D. 　 To show that flexible working costs businesses money

42. If Ben _______（wears / will wear）that t-shirt to work， he’ll get fired.

8-2 The benefits of a paid vacation Taking a paid vacation is good for everyone. Not only are regular vacations good for the work-life balance of the individual employees， they also increase productivity， which is great for business. Vacations don’t need to be long to be effective. Sally Harper， a professional psychologist says: “Some people believe that a vacation is only worthwhile if it’s for two weeks or longer. In fact， taking several short two-day vacations each year can be even more energising. You don’t need to spend lots of money travelling somewhere new. The important thing is to try something you haven’t done before.” Sally continues: “It’s fine to stay at home， but go on a hike， or go swimming， you will feel better. Don’t spend your vacation cleaning out your kitchen closet， as this will not help you to return to work feeling recharged!” When you go on vacation， take a complete break from work. Sally says: “It can be tempting to respond to emails， so you don’t fall too far behind. If you do this， you’re not on vacation-you’re just working somewhere else.” If you’re still not convinced about the importance of taking regular vacations， think of the health benefits. Taking regular time off will improve your mental and physical health. You’ll return to work feeling relaxed and find it easier to get along with your colleagues. Better start planning your time off work now. And if you’re an employer， make sure you encourage all your employees to make the most of their vacations. 79. What impact might paid vacations have on staff relationships， according to the writer?

A. 　Workers will return feeling relaxed， so will get on with their colleagues better.

B. 　Vacations cause problems when staff have to do their colleagues’ work.

C. 　Vacations will not have any impact on staff relationships.

D. 　Vacations can cause workers to feel envious of each other and result in bad feeling.

3-1 Internships are a great way for graduates to get valuable work experience. However， they don’t always go smoothly. To find out more about potential internship problems， and how to solve them， read on. Being given trivial work For ambitious interns， being given small tasks such as making tea can be very frustrating. Just remember that all tasks， no matter how small， are important to your company’s success. Complete these tasks as well as you can—you will soon be given more interesting things to do. Feeling worried about asking questions It can be hard to ask questions when everybody else seems to know exactly what they＇re doing. However， everybody knows that you are an intern and they do not expect you to know everything. So， focus on what you need to know and ask the questions you need to ask. Getting too much work Some companies hire fewer interns than they need. This can result in your feeling overworked. Speak to your manager if think you have too much to do. Perhaps the problem is your poor time management skills， and in this case， your manager will help you to become more organized. Or， if you have been given too much work， they will try to reduce it. Finally remember that starting a new job is always challenging， but with time it becomes easier. Keep a positive attitude and you will soon settle into your new role. 24. According to the writer， why might interns end up with a heavy workload?

A. 　 Some interns aren’t well enough prepared for their role.

B. 　 Some companies don’t hire enough interns.

C. 　 More experienced colleagues sometimes ask interns to do their work.

D. 　 Interns are expected to work harder than everyone else.

8. ---Will you go shopping together with us this Sunday， Jenny?---Yes， __________.

A. 　 I do

B. 　 I’d like to

C. 　 I’d love to do

D. 　 I’m busy

8. I really love his work. It’s so _______.

A. 　 creative

B. 　 creation

C. 　 creativity

D. 　 created

6-1 Be your own life coach! The demand for life coaches has grown in recent years， with many celebrities claiming that their lives have been improved by a few sessions of coaching. So， what does a life coach do， and can they change your life for the better? Life coaches claim to be able to help their clients work towards achieving their goals. Sue Berry， a life coach， says， “As a qualified life coach， I have several different clients now. Basically， I help people to feel better about their life， work and relationships. Many clients come to me feeling very unhappy. By asking them questions and listening carefully to their answers， I help them move forwards and achieve goals that they could never have dreamed of achieving themselves.” Life coaching is a multi-million-dollar industry， with many life coaches charging hundreds of dollars for a session. Is it worth it? Not everyone thinks so. Melvyn Clark， a careers advisor at Leicester University， thinks that people should take responsibility for their own destiny. He says， “People spend lots of money on getting advice from professionals. In fact， there’s a belief that the more you spend， the less you actually have to do by yourself. Well， I believe that if you want to make real changes in your life， it has to come down to you. Spending hundreds to talk to someone else about your problems will only empty your bank account.” What do you think? Would you pay someone to help you get some direction in your life? 53. According to the article， is life coaching well-paid?

A. 　 Yes， very.

B. 　 Yes， quite.

C. 　 No， not very.

D. 　 No， not at all.

8-2 The benefits of a paid vacation Taking a paid vacation is good for everyone. Not only are regular vacations good for the work-life balance of the individual employees， they also increase productivity， which is great for business. Vacations don’t need to be long to be effective. Sally Harper， a professional psychologist says: “Some people believe that a vacation is only worthwhile if it’s for two weeks or longer. In fact， taking several short two-day vacations each year can be even more energising. You don’t need to spend lots of money travelling somewhere new. The important thing is to try something you haven’t done before.” Sally continues: “It’s fine to stay at home， but go on a hike， or go swimming， you will feel better. Don’t spend your vacation cleaning out your kitchen closet， as this will not help you to return to work feeling recharged!” When you go on vacation， take a complete break from work. Sally says: “It can be tempting to respond to emails， so you don’t fall too far behind. If you do this， you’re not on vacation-you’re just working somewhere else.” If you’re still not convinced about the importance of taking regular vacations， think of the health benefits. Taking regular time off will improve your mental and physical health. You’ll return to work feeling relaxed and find it easier to get along with your colleagues. Better start planning your time off work now. And if you’re an employer， make sure you encourage all your employees to make the most of their vacations. 78. According to Sally， what should you do about emails when you’re on vacation?

A. 　Check them regularly to make sure you’re not missing anything.

B. 　Ask your colleagues to phone you， rather than send emails.

C. 　Don’t check your emails.

D. 　Check your emails， but just once or twice a day.