American English | CEFR B1+ | Approximately 350 Words
Contents 目录
Reading 阅读
Questions 题目
Vocabulary 词汇
Useful Structures 常用结构
Comprehension Questions 阅读理解问题
Reading 阅读
The Unexpected Lesson of a Part-Time Job
When sixteen-year-old Daniel decided to find a part-time job, his main goal was simple: he wanted to earn enough money to buy a new laptop. His parents agreed, provided that his work would not interfere with his studies. After several unsuccessful applications, Daniel finally found a position at a small neighborhood café.
During his first week, Daniel discovered that working in a café was much more demanding than he had expected. He had to take orders, serve customers, clean tables, and sometimes deal with complaints. Although he had received basic training, he often made mistakes, especially when the café became crowded.
One afternoon, Daniel accidentally gave a customer the wrong order. The customer became annoyed and complained to the manager. Feeling embarrassed, Daniel expected to be criticized. Instead, his manager calmly explained how to handle similar situations. She reminded him that making mistakes was part of learning, but taking responsibility for them was equally important.
As the weeks passed, Daniel gradually became more confident. He learned to communicate politely with difficult customers, cooperate with coworkers, and manage his time more effectively. He also began to understand how much effort was required to keep a small business running smoothly.
However, balancing work and school was not always easy. After several exhausting evenings, Daniel noticed that his homework was suffering. Rather than quitting immediately, he discussed the problem with his manager, who agreed to reduce his working hours during the school week.
Three months later, Daniel had finally saved enough money to purchase his laptop. Surprisingly, however, buying it no longer seemed like the most important achievement. He had gained practical skills that could not easily be learned in a classroom.
More importantly, Daniel developed a greater appreciation for people working in service jobs. Before his experience at the café, he had rarely considered the patience and effort required to serve customers every day.
Looking back, Daniel realized that his part-time job had taught him far more than how to earn money. It had helped him become more responsible, independent, and understanding of others.
Questions 题目
Part 1: True / False / Not Given
Questions 1–5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
Write TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN.
1. Daniel originally wanted a part-time job because he needed money for a new laptop.
Answer
TRUE
2. Daniel’s parents allowed him to work without placing any conditions on his employment.
Answer
FALSE
3. Daniel found it difficult to perform his duties when the café became busy.
Answer
TRUE
4. Daniel’s manager had previously worked at several large restaurants.
Answer
NOT GIVEN
5. Daniel eventually adjusted his working hours to protect his academic performance.
Answer
TRUE
Part 2: Multiple Choice
Questions 6–10
Choose the correct answer, A, B, C, or D.
6. What surprised Daniel during his first week at the café?
A. The café attracted fewer customers than he had expected.
B. His coworkers were unwilling to help him learn.
C. The job required more effort than he had imagined.
D. The manager expected him to work without any training.
Answer
C
7. How did Daniel’s manager respond when he gave a customer the wrong order?
A. She criticized him in front of the customer.
B. She explained how he could handle similar problems.
C. She asked him to leave work for the rest of the day.
D. She immediately reduced his responsibilities.
Answer
B
8. What did Daniel do when his job began affecting his schoolwork?
A. He asked his manager to reduce his working hours.
B. He decided to stop working permanently.
C. He requested fewer homework assignments from his teachers.
D. He transferred to another café with shorter opening hours.
Answer
A
9. What did Daniel eventually consider more valuable than buying the laptop?
A. The opportunity to receive a promotion
B. The friendships he developed with regular customers
C. The possibility of opening his own business
D. The practical skills and personal growth he experienced
Answer
D
10. What is the main message of the passage?
A. Students should avoid working until they finish their education.
B. Part-time jobs can teach young people valuable life skills beyond earning money.
C. Working in customer service is more difficult than most other occupations.
D. Financial independence is the most important goal for teenagers.
Answer
B
Part 3: Sentence Completion
Questions 11–15
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.
11. Daniel’s parents agreed to let him work as long as the job did not __________ with his studies.
Answer
interfere
12. Daniel felt __________ after accidentally giving a customer the wrong order.
Answer
embarrassed
13. His manager explained that employees should take __________ for their mistakes.
Answer
responsibility
14. Daniel became better at cooperating with coworkers and managing his __________.
Answer
time
15. His experience helped him develop greater __________ for people employed in service jobs.
Answer
appreciation
Vocabulary 词汇
| demanding | /dɪˈmændɪŋ/ | 要求高的；费力的 |
| complaint | /kəmˈpleɪnt/ | 抱怨；投诉 |
| embarrassed | /ɪmˈbærəst/ | 尴尬的；难堪的 |
| criticize | /ˈkrɪtɪsaɪz/ | 批评；指责 |
| responsibility | /rɪˌspɑnsəˈbɪləti/ | 责任 |
| confident | /ˈkɑnfədənt/ | 自信的 |
| cooperate | /koʊˈɑpəreɪt/ | 合作；协作 |
| effectively | /ɪˈfɛktɪvli/ | 有效地 |
| exhausting | /ɪɡˈzɔstɪŋ/ | 令人筋疲力尽的 |
| reduce | /rɪˈdus/ | 减少；降低 |
| achievement | /əˈtʃivmənt/ | 成就 |
| appreciation | /əˌpriʃiˈeɪʃn/ | 欣赏；感激 |
Useful Structures 常用结构
decide to do something 决定做某事
Daniel decided to find a part-time job.
丹尼尔决定找一份兼职工作。
earn enough money to do something 赚足够的钱做某事
He wanted to earn enough money to buy a new laptop.
他想赚足够的钱买一台新笔记本电脑。
interfere with something 妨碍某事；对某事产生干扰
His parents didn’t want the job to interfere with his studies.
他的父母不希望这份工作影响他的学业。
be more demanding than expected 比预期的要求更高；比想象中更费力
Working in a café was much more demanding than he had expected.
在咖啡馆工作比他原先想象的要辛苦得多。
deal with something 处理某事；应对某事
Daniel sometimes had to deal with customer complaints.
丹尼尔有时不得不处理顾客的投诉。
take responsibility for something 为某事承担责任
Daniel learned to take responsibility for his mistakes.
丹尼尔学会了为自己的错误承担责任。
struggle to do something 做某事有困难
At first, Daniel struggled to balance his job and schoolwork.
起初，丹尼尔很难兼顾工作和学业。
develop a greater appreciation for something 更加理解或珍惜某事物
Daniel developed a greater appreciation for people working in service jobs.
丹尼尔更加理解和尊重从事服务行业工作的人。