Good neighbors are a lot like electricity or running water: We don’t know how much we depend on them until we don’t have them.
• Reach out to the newcomers.
These days, the old Welcome Wagon (欢迎礼车) is a thing of the past.
• Avoid causing inconvenience.
Return anything that you borrow from a neighbor, such as tools, in good condition as soon as you’ve finished with them. Replace anything that belongs to your neighbor if damaged.
• Make time for friendships.
If you value a friendship with your neighbors, spend time with them. Better yet, you might even consider throwing a get-together in their honor. Deliver the invitations in person to everyone who lives on your street and chat with each for five minutes before moving on to the next house.
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Help to bring in the mail for the elderly neighbor when there is a heavy rain. When your neighbor forgets to take in his rubbish cans, roll them back into his yard. If you’re truly concerned, you’ll give a bunch of flowers or a helping hand when it’s needed. All it takes to develop your relationship with neighbors is the respect for their feelings.
| A．Care about details. |
| B．Show interest in their life |
| C．They make our lives more pleasant. |
| D．Your new neighbors are good listeners. |
| E．Make sure that your car is not blocking their doorway. |
| F．This way, you will know what your neighbors are like. |
| G．But your new neighbors may be feeling lonely and unsure. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In the days before air conditioning, a wife and her husband were visiting her parents in a small town. As they were relaxing one day, the wife’s father suggested that they all drive to Abilene for dinner. The son-in-law dreaded the hot drive to a town 53 miles away, but said OK to avoid being a rude guest. The wife and mother-in-law both said it sounded good, so they went off.
Having the not very good food and returning home hot and sweaty, the mother-in-law said they would never have taken the terrible trip if it had been up to her. The son-in-law said that he chose to agree because the others wanted to go. Finally, the father-in-law said he only suggested it because he thought the younger couple might be bored at home.
This story happened to Jerry B. Harvey who later became a university professor. In 1974 he told it in an article entitled, “The Abilene Paradox (悖论): The Management of Agreement”, which shows that sometimes a consensus (一致) of opinion may not lead to achieving the desired result. The Abilene paradox sounds like groupthink. But in fact, groupthink members are voting according to their conscience (是非感) while Abilene “paradoxers” are not.
Going along to get along arises from a desire to avoid conflict and unwillingness to be seen as the “spoiler” who criticizes ideas and plans that others favor. The choice to go against one’s conscience to please the group produces cognitive dissonance (认识失调), and could involve personal risk to relationships or career or both.
The only way for either groupthink or the Abilene paradox in planning or decision-making situations is to avoid agreeing publicly with something you disagree with privately. You can’t control what others in the group do, but at least you can speak up, “I’ll go if everyone else wants to, but I’d be just happy to stay here and relax”.
1. What do we know about the son-in-law?| A．He was good at pleasing others. | B．He didn’t want to take the trip. |
| C．He behaved badly during the visit. | D．He was treated as an honored guest. |
| A．She helped the family make a decision. | B．She suggested taking some food along. |
| C．She had an argument with her family. | D．She made a complaint about the trip. |
| A．It is difficult to make a balance. |
| B．It is impossible to avoid a conflict. |
| C．It is unnecessary to satisfy everyone. |
| D．It is impolite to blame a person publicly. |
| A．A man should find right ways to relax. |
| B．A man should consider others’ ideas deeply. |
| C．A man should actively participate in group discussions. |
| D．A man should express himself directly in decision-making. |
【推荐2】Life doesn’t always seem fair. Some people are just born with the ability to attract anyone they meet easily. Well, it might seem like a magical power, but actually there are various factors at work.
But first, the bad news. People initially judge each other based purely on physical appearance With just a glimpse of a face, people make snap judgments about each other’s likeability, trustworthiness and confidence. How should we deal with this?
What other tricks might we have?
So we’ve looked at body language, but of course what you say is hugely important too, unless you want to just stand there grinning foolishly. The golden rule of friendship is if you make people feel good about themselves, they’re going to like you. In other words, you should not talk about yourself and all your wonderful achievements.
Finally, finding common ground is good to form a connection. Charming people are particularly skilled at seeking out shared interests or experiences to bond with others. Simple things like asking where someone’s from really can open up a discussion and allow you to find areas in common. And if all else fails, you can fall back on that most British of topics: the weather.
| A．It can break the ice. |
| B．So, can you develop exceptional charm? |
| C．There’s one incredibly basic tool: your smile. |
| D．Alternatively, you need to display interest in them. |
| E．What effective strategies can we employ to become charming? |
| F．Our brains frequently scan the surroundings for signs of friend or enemy. |
| G．Mutual interests are the foundation for building connections with others. |
【推荐3】In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh (法老) treated the message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off.
Shades of that spirit spread over today’s conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out of the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, “Oh, boy, bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it’s going to rain.” I wanted to strike him on the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, but for his smile.
Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile. “Oh, that bus left five minutes ago.” Dreams of head-cutting!
It’s not the news that makes someone angry. It’s the unsympathetic attitude with which it’s delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn’t get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should care the feeling of the receiver.
Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you are tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn’t ready yet? When you have your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you as a traveler or diner want to land your fist right on their unsympathetic faces.
Had my neighbour told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warning. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said, “Oh, that’s all right. I’ll catch the next one.” Big winners, when they hear bad news,deliver bombs with the emotion the bombarded (被轰炸的) person is sure to have.
1. In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the pharaoh to _______.| A．make a comparison | B．describe a scene |
| C．introduce a topic | D．offer an argument |
| A．not helpful | B．not considerate |
| C．friendly | D．warm-hearted |
| A．was reminded of the cruel pharaoh |
| B．was mad at the sales agent |
| C．wished that the sales agent would have had dreams |
| D．dreamed of cutting the sales agent’s head that night |
| A．Delivering bad news with sympathy is important in communication. |
| B．Helping others sincerely is the key to business success. |
| C．Receiving bad news requires great courage. |
| D．Learning ancient traditions can be useful. |
