The next day I sat down,with almost a hundred other candidates,for the intelligence test.I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test.This time there were only about fifty candidates.The interviewer sat at a desk.Candidates 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,evealed(揭示)a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist,he had risen no higher than the underground railway.“You’ve 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.
The writer applied for the job chiefly because .
A.he wanted to work in the centre of London |
B.he could no longer afford to live without one |
C.he was not interested in any other available job |
D.he had received some suitable training |
The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because .
A.he often traveled underground |
B.he had written many poems |
C.he could deal with difficult situations |
D.he had worked in a company |
The length of his interview meant that .
A.he was not going to be offered the job |
B.he had not done well in the intelligence test |
C.he did not like the interviewer at all |
D.he had little work experience to talk about |
What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?
A.How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be |
B.How difficult it is to be a poet |
C.How unsuitable he was for the job |
D.How badly he did in the interview |
What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?
A.He was very aggressive |
B.He was unhappy with his job |
C.He was quite inefficient |
D.He was rather unsympathetic |