Interest in pursuing international careers has risen in recent years strengthened by permanent personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talent.
Professionals seek career experience outside of their home countries for a variety of reasons. They may feel the need to recharge their batteries with a new challenge. They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity. Or they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language.
When applying for a job, one usually has to submit a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). The two terms generally mean the same thing: a one--or two--page document describing one's educational qualifications and professional experience. However, guidelines for preparing a resume are constantly changing. The best advice is to find out what is appropriate regarding the company culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision. The challenge will be to include two or more cultures in one document. The following list is a good place to start.
"Educational requirements differ from country to country. In almost every case of 'cross--border' job hunting, just stating the title of your degree will not be an adequate description. Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience. "
Pay attention to the resume format you use-chronological or reverse-chronological order. Chronological order means listing your 'oldest' work experience first. Reverse-chronological order means listing your current or most recent experience first. Most countries have preferences about which format is most acceptable. If you find no specific guidelines, the general preference is for the reverse-chronological format. "
If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the receiver uses British English or American English because there are changes between the two versions. For example, university education is often referred to as 'tertiary education' in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States. A reader who is unfamiliar with these changes may assume that your resume contains errors.Companies are hiring more foreign employees because ________.
| A．they find foreign employees are usually more talented |
| B．they need original ideas from employees hired overseas |
| C．they want to expand their business beyond home borders |
| D．they have difficulty finding qualified personnel at home |
The author believes that an individual who applies to work overseas ________.
| A．is usually creative |
| B．aims to improve his foreign language skills |
| C．is dissatisfied with his own life at home |
| D．seeks either his own or his children's development |
When it comes to resume writing, it is best to ________.
| A．take cultural factors into consideration |
| B．learn about the company's hiring process |
| C．follow appropriate guidelines for job hunting |
| D．know the employer's personal likes and dislikes |
When writing about qualifications, applicants are advised to __________.
| A．stress their academic potential to impress the decision maker |
| B．give the title of the university degree they have earned at home |
| C．provide a detailed description of their study and work experiences |
| D．emphasize their interest in pursuing a 'cross-border' career |
According to the author's last piece of advice, the applicants should be aware of ________.
| A．the different educational systems in the US and the UK |
| B．the differences between the changes of English |
| C．the receiver's preference with regard to the format |
| D．the special characteristics of American and British cultures |
In Europe people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right throughout the meal, a system that is generally agreed to be more efficient than the American zigzag（曲折的）method. Americans hold both the fork and the knife in their right hands throughout the meal, so they continually change their forks to the left hand when they have to cut their meat. It seems to be funny for the Europeans to see Americans busy changing their dinner sets, making a lot of noises. A few explanations for this American style are as follows:
(1)Americans are practical and efficient. Since most of us are right-handed, it is reasonable to keep our working tools at all times in the right hand that can use them most efficiently.
(2)Americans, the master of the New World are rebels（叛逆者）.They use the zigzag method to break the rules in the Old World and in this way they are thumbing their nose at Mother England. Americans are a restless kind. They do not like to sit in one spot for very long when dining.
(3)Forced to do so, they respond by “playing” with the silver.
Whatever the reason for the practice, it is now certainly as American as apple pie. Europeans recognize this and are quick to attack it as evidence of American innocence（无知）of form. Arguments against the zigzag method rest not only on grounds of efficiency but also on those of tradition. In Old World dining, the knife is held in the right hand continually because it can serve as an instant defense against the uninvited intruders（入侵者）.However, such alertness（警觉） is out of place in the New World, as every American believes that this is the home of the brave. Americans juggle their silverware, perhaps, to show that they are not afraid and that one of them holding a fork is worth any number of them holding blades（刀）.Americans use _______ to hold their fork to pick up the salad.
| A．the right hand | B．the left hand |
| C．both hands | D．either of the two hands |
As the masters of the New World, Americans use a different cutting method from that in the Old World to _______.
| A．show their independence of Mother England |
| B．show their disrespect to Mother England |
| C．add a new tradition to those in Mother England |
| D．show off their creativeness to Mother England |
In the sentence, the word “juggle” probably means _______.
| A．hold | B．play with | C．pick up | D．lay down |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．European people hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right hand. |
| B．The zigzag eating method is related to American characteristics. |
| C．The zigzag eating method has become an American feature. |
| D．European people will use the American method because of its efficiency. |
Fading beauty
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last for ever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louvre Museum (卢浮宫博物馆) where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state (化学状态).
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision (视觉) is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later.
During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell.What does the writer mean by “time is catching up with the Mona Lisa”?
| A．The painted woman is not so beautiful any more. |
| B．Ageing is something that affects us all. |
| C．The painting needs repairing. |
| D．At such an old age, she is no longer popular. |
What makes the repair work difficult?
| A．The wooden panel is thin and old and has also changed shape. |
| B．The health of the painting is suffering |
| C．Experts can’t agree on how the painting might respond to treatment. |
| D．No one knows exactly what materials were used to create the painting. |
What makes her smile so mysterious according to Professor Livingston?
| A．The materials the Italian artist used. | B．The way Da Vinci painted the smile. |
| C．The way she smiles. | D．It plays a trick upon the human eye. |
Which of the following is in the right order?
①The painting was stolen from the Louvre.
②The painting was sent back to France.
③It was sold to France’s King Francis I
④Da Vinci carried the painting with him.
⑤French hid the painting to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
| A．④→③→①→②→⑤ | B．④→①→③→②→⑤ |
| C．①→④→③→②→⑤ | D．①→③→④→②→⑤ |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
During the first half of the nineteenth century in the United States, Christmas was a very different kind of holiday than it is today. There was no set of way of celebrating the day,which was not yet an official holiday. 71Some observed Christmas as an important Christian religious day honoring the birth of Jesus.Others celebrated the day with parties,music,drinking and eating. 7273 .Calvinist Christians banned the celebration of Christmas.But groups such as Episcopalians
and Moravians honored the day with religious services and seasonal decorations.
By mid-century,Christian groups began to ignore their religious diffrences over the meaning of Christmas and honored the day in special ways.
Christmas became an important time for families to celebrate at home. More and more Christians Americans also began to follow the European traditions of Christmas trees and giving gifts.Christians believed that the tree represented Jesus and was also a sign of new beginnings. German immigrants brought their tradion of putting lights,sweets and toys on the branches of evergreen trees placed in their homes.
This tradition of setting up a Christmas tree soon spread to many American homes. 74As these traditions increased in popularity,the modern trade and business linked to Christmas also grew.
As Christmas became more popular,some states declared the day a state holiday.Louisiana was the first state to make the move in eighteen thirty-seven. 75 .It was not until eighteen seventy that President Ulysses Grant made Christmas a federal holiday.
| A．So did the practice of giving people presents. |
| B．By eighteen sixty,fourteen other states had followed. |
| C．And,some communities did not celebrate the day at all. |
| D．Americans seldom gave each other presents on Christmas Day. |
E. But many new American Christmas songs started to become popular.
F. Religion played a big role in how an American might celebrate the holiday.
G. Communities around the country honored the day in different ways.
I came to live here where I am now between Wounded Knee Greek and Grass Greek。Others came too, and we made these little grey houses of logs that you see, and they are square. It is a bad way to live, for there can be no power in a square.
You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the respectful circle of the nation, and so long as the circle was unbroken, the people were getting rich. The flowering tree was the living center of the circle, and the circle of the four quarters nursed it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and strong wind gave strength and continuous power.
This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our brief. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. Birds make their nests in circle, for theirs are the same as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.
Our places were like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s circle, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to nurse our children.
But the “white people” have put us in these square boxes. Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more. You can look at our boys and see how it is with us. Where we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen years of age. But now it takes them very much longer to grow up.According to the passage, the Indians _______.
| A．don’t have modern instruments in their homes |
| B．refused to move from round places |
| C．lived in round places, but were forced to live in square houses |
| D．lived in round places, but then decided to move into square houses |
Two things being compared in the passage are _______.
| A．the Indians’ past and present living conditions |
| B．the Indians’ past and modern beliefs |
| C．the Indians’ old and new power |
| D．people and nature |
In the second paragraph “the four quarters” refers to _______.
| A．the four rooms of the Indian’s house |
| B．the four kinds of natural power |
| C．the four seasons |
| D．the four directions |
According to the author, once the Indians moved into square houses, _______.
| A．they had to move to other houses |
| B．boys took more time to grow into men |
| C．they forgot the old way of life |
| D．everyone was not happy |
The food we eat seems to have great effects on our health. Although science has made great steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of all human illnesses are related to diet and forty percent of cancer is related to diet as well. Different cultures are subject to certain illnesses because of the food that is characteristic in these cultures. That food is related to illness is not a new discovery.
In 1945, government researchers realized that nitrates(硝酸盐) and nitrites(亚硝酸盐), commonly used to keep color in meats, and other food additives, caused cancer. Yet, these additives remain in our food, and it becomes more difficult all the time to know which things on the packaging labels(标签) of processed food are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to cows and chick and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of treated cows.
Sometimes similar drugs are given to animals not for medicinal purposes, but for financial reasons. The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get a higher price on the market. Although the FDA has tried repeatedly to control these, the practices continue.How has science done a bad service to mankind?
| A．Diseases caused by food have been done away with. |
| B．It has caused a lack of information about the value of food. |
| C．Some harmful materials have been added to our food. |
| D．Scientists have made food more expensive to eat. |
What are nitrates used for?
| A．They help process packaged food. |
| B．They keep the color in meats. |
| C．They cure diseases of cows and chickens. |
| D．They cause the animals to become fatter. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．You can find out harmful additives on the packaging labels of food. |
| B．Drugs given to animals are not all for medical reasons. |
| C．Researchers knew about the harm of food additives about 60 years ago. |
| D．Food may cause forty percent of cancer in the world. |
According to the passage, the FDA might be _________.
| A．an organization which controls the safety of food |
| B．a producer which makes additives |
| C．a factory which processes food |
| D．a hospital which cures cancer |