4 . We all have friends that need a little advice, but one of the problems with those types of conversations is that it’s really easy to come off as a know-it-all when you’re offering help. When you do that, nobody’s going to listen.

    1     But it’s not an easy conversation to have someone, especially when you know all the extenuating circumstances of the situation. I talked with relationship and family therapist Roger S. Gil to get some advice for dealing with these situations.

Obviously not everyone is looking for your advice. Before you go offering up your point of view, make sure they’re interested in hearing it. As Roger Gil points out, often friends aren’t looking for you to solve a problem. They just want you to listen and maybe ask some questions. So, ask if they’d like to hear your input or insights on a problem, but also ask questions about why thee feel a certain way. If they say “no”, let them finish their story and listen politely.     2     Just wait for them to finish complaining before offering advice (or asking if they want). Sometimes the best way to figure something out is to do it on their own.

Speaking of listening. It’s also a good idea to figure out right away what your friends want from you. Gil describes this as differentiating between opinions, expert advice, and being a “sounding board”. Essentially, don’t pretend like you know something you don’t.     3    

Now that you know whether or not your friends or family actually want your advice, it’s time to learn how to advise without sounding like a know-it-all. This is a lot harder than you might think. As Gil points out, one way to offer advice without sounding pretentious (自以为是的) is to avoid “You should” statements.     4     By offering up your opinion clearly defined as your opinion, you remove the implication that “you know best”.

A．Definitely don’t act like you’ve been in a situation you haven’t been in.

B．Different situations require different approaches so we need to know what we should contribute.

C．Gil also adds that even when you know the answer to something, you might want to keep your mouth shut.

D．Gil’s advice, seems obvious, but it’s incredibly easy to get on your high-horse and use “You should” if you’re not careful.

E．When you have a friend who’s stuck in trouble, it’s normal to want to provide some type of insight to get them out of it.

F．However, the key is to make sure you stay in “listening mode” for as long as possible, and you don’t push your advice when it isn’t wanted.

5 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Sarah had unspeakable pain because she had to raise her children alone. But over time, she changed too much, looking skinny in the mirror, with dark bags under her eyes. She knew she had to stop burning herself out before it was too late. So she emailed her manager that she was taking an urgent day off.

It had to be the best day ever. Sarah hated instant coffee but didn’t have time for anything else. But not now. Sarah placed her favorite coffee maker on the stove and walked to the kitchen windowsill, enjoying her company when her phone rang loudly from her bedroom. “Yes?” “Hello, Sarah! How are you doing?” “Natalie? Oh, my goodness! Is this really you?” …Natalie was Sarah’s friend, but they’d lost touch after Natalie and her husband moved to Europe. Unfortunately, Sarah got so carried away by the conversation that she completely forgot about her coffee on the stove. The weather turned harsh, and strong winds blew the window curtain toward the stove, causing it to catch fire. Sarah put the phone down immediately when she smelled something burning and the smoke caused her to cough.

Sarah’s house was reduced to a pile of charred wreckage (残骸). Her neighbors looked at her pityingly and offered to shelter her until she could find a place to live. But Sarah couldn’t take their favor. She knew no one wanted to see a swarm of children at home, especially in the current economy. Sarah and her children had been dragged to a shelter in the street.

A few months later, it was Sarah’s birthday. She decided to take her children out for a good lunch and then get back to her work. But they didn’t want to and had a strange request. They blindfolded (蒙住眼睛) her, guiding her out of the house. Sarah had no clue what her children had planned for her. She knew they were heading somewhere far from the homeless shelter since they were on a bus at some point.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

As Sarah did remove the blindfold, her hands went to her mouth in shock.

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Her neighbors had actually built her a new home.

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