2015年同等学力英语模拟训练(16)

　　My new home was a long way from the center of London but it was becoming essential to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the tube. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn't drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a band and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I would be a tube guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I would be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges—those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city center.

　　The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after half an hour's wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The examiner sat at a desk. You were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.

　　I can remember the questions now: “ Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can't recall my answers except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You have failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”

　　Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs—being a postman is another one I still desire—demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.

　　1. The writer applied for the job because ______.

　　A. he could no longer afford to live without one

　　B. he wanted to work in the center of London

　　C. he had received suitable training

　　D. he was not interested in any other available job

　　2. The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because ______.

　　A. he had written many poems B. he often traveled underground

　　C. he had worked in an insurance company D. he could deal with difficult situations

　　3. The length of his interview meant that ______.

　　A. he had not done well in the intelligence test

　　B. he was not going to be offered the job

　　C. he had little work experience to talk about.

　　D. he did not like the examiner.

　　4. What was the writer's opinion of the psychologist?

　　A. He was inefficient at his job. B. He was unsympathetic.

　　C. He was unhappy with his job. D. He was very aggressive.

　　5. What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?

　　A. How difficult it can be to get a job. B. How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be.

　　C. How badly he did in the interview. D. How unsuitable he was for the job.

　　我的新家远离伦敦市中心，但是，找一份工作正逐渐成为至关重要的事情，所以，我最终花了一整个上午的时间进城，在伦敦运输部门登记了姓名，以便让他们考虑为我提供一份地铁部门的工作。地铁部门正在招聘警卫，不是司机。这种工作适合我。我不会开车，但是我认为，我大概能够看守火车，也许能够在各车站继续写诗歌。作家凯茨和查克霍伍曾经是医生。 T · S ·埃利奥特曾经在银行工作过，华莱士·史迪芬斯曾经在保险公司工作过。我将成为一名地铁警卫。我可以想象自己成了危机时刻的一名愉快、有用、令人满意的人。很显然，我的资历远远超过要求，但是我宁愿忘记这一点：作为回报，这份工作会给我带来稳定的收入和旅行优惠——这些优惠尤其受到那些生活于远离市中心地区的人们的欢迎。

　　第二天，我和其他近百名求职者坐在一起，进行智力测试。我肯定我考得不错，因为经过半小时的等待后，我被带进另一间房子进行心理测试。这一次只有大约五十名候选者。主考官坐在一张办公桌旁。当前一名候选者经过或长或短时间的测试被打发走后，主考官便示意要你上前，坐在他对面的座位上。很明显，时间长的面试就是更成功的面试。有些人的面试时间只有五分钟。我是唯一一个面试时间只有一分半钟的人。

　　我现在还记得当时的问题：“你为什么辞掉最后一份工作?”“你为什么辞掉之前的那份工作?”“你为什么辞掉这之前的那份工作?”我记不得我都答了些什么，只记得我的回答起初简短，后来越来越简短。我认为，主考官的结束语表明他缺少敏感性，而这有助于说明：作为一名心理学家，他的职位为什么没有地铁升得高。“你没有通过心理测试，我们不能给你安排工作。”

　　我的分数低导致我没有得到那份工作。或许我认为，那份工作不容易做。实际上，这样的工作——我的另一个愿望就是成为一名邮差——所要求的正是这种基本但是可靠的意识：通常的梦想家最没有资格获得这样的工作。但是，我还是很缺乏完全了解自我的意识。我也缺少钱。

　　参考答案 ： 1 . A 2 . D 3 . B 4 . B 5 . D

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