“Community” is not a concept that is easy to define (定义) . In this essay I will examine what turns individuals into a community, and discuss some different types. I will also look at what all communities have in common, the benefits they offer and draw conclusions about their increasing importance.
The word “community” may make you think of traditional communities in the developing world, where large families live together. We may also imagine the neighbours as people who are happy to help out whenever it is needed. The stereotpical(老套的) view is that of a village, where people have little but can feel very rich because everyone takes responsibility for the welfare of the others.
On the other hand, there are other types of communities: ultramodern(超现代的) ones, where the community members are unlikely to have actually met each other. These are online communities, where people blog or chat about particular issues that are important to them. They come across others on websites and may develop a relationship there with like-minded people, discussing the same topics. The view is often that these are artificial connections between people who are, in effect, still isolated(孤立的) strangers.
In reality, the connections are real. Moreover, there are many types of communities in between these extremes: people who join clubs, who sign up with voluntary, political or other organizations, or who take part in group discussions in their local area. They may be campaigning about issues or simply getting together for companionship and support.
Human beings are social by nature, so it should not be a surprise that we organize ourselves in groups. However, there is more going on: these groups provide something that we cannot achieve on our own. The main benefit of being part of a larger group is strength in numbers. For example, we can access and share more information, we can take part in team sports, we can complain and campaign more effectively and even if we are just having a chat, online or in person, we can feel supported in whatever we do.
Whatever forms communities take, what defines them is the sense of identity and safety that they provide for their members: the knowledge that there are people who we have something in common with and who can be relied on when we need each other.
1. In traditional communities, people_________.| A．live in a large family |
| B．are wealthy but unhappy |
| C．help and care about each other |
| D．are isolated and don't have connections |
| A．develop a close working relationship |
| B．share opinions about issues on websites |
| C．communicate with each other in person |
| D．share the same interest but have no relations |
| A．the types of community |
| B．the culture of community |
| C．the benefits of community |
| D．the definition of community |
| A．a sense of identity and safety |
| B．a sense of social responsibility |
| C．chances of meeting new people |
| D．chances of developing their interests |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Five traps to avoid when starting communication with others
Assuming that nobody wants to talk to you
Introducing controversial(有争议的) topics
If you’re talking to someone new, it’s generally best not to talk about weighty, embarrassing topics. For starters, aim for something simple and close at hand that you and the other person can observe together.
Once you’ve made a connection with each other, keep that connection going by making yourself easy to understand.
If you speak different languages, for example, slow your speech and pronounce clearly. If they ask you what you do for work, answer in a way that doesn’t take five minutes or use a lot of workplace terms.
Talking too much about yourself—or about the other person
It’s often said that people love to talk about themselves, and that asking questions is the secret ingredient to good conversations. But that’s not true for everyone.
Wasting someone’s time
If you’re talking to someone, talk to them. Don’t stare at the floor or look over their shoulder at another person. Put your phone away.
| A．Being hard to follow |
| B．If you’re shy, I get it |
| C．Nobody likes to feel questioned |
| D．Be present and give them your full attention |
| E．Staring talking without having something to say |
| F．Maybe it’s the music you’re both hearing, or the food you’re both tasting |
| G．It’s all about creating a comfortable opportunity for the other person to respond |
【推荐2】To Please Your Friends, Tell Them What They Already Know
The research emerged out of some real-life observations shared by Gilbert and co-authors Gus Cooney and Timothy D.Wilson: “Conversation is the most common of all human social activities, and doing it well requires that we know what our conversation partners most want to hear.
“When our friends try to tell us about movies we’ve never seen or albums we’ve never heard, we usually find ourselves bored, confused, and underwhelmed.
In their first experiment, the researchers assigned participants to groups of three, with one person acting as the speaker and the other two acting as listeners.Speakers watched a video and then tried to describe it to the listeners.Some of the listeners had seen the video the speaker was describing, and others had not.
A second study showed that when asked to predict their own reactions before hearing the story, listeners made the same mistake that speakers did.
| A．The speakers, before speaking, predicted how much the listeners would enjoy hearing them talk, and how interesting and effective the listeners would consider them. |
| B．The reason behind this is that the speakers seem to be able to keep their audience engaged in their stories. |
| C．Listeners could fill in the gaps in the speaker’s story because they had already seen the video the speaker was describing. |
| D．Speakers think listeners will most enjoy hearing stories about experiences that the listeners have not themselves had, but our studies suggest the speakers were wrong. |
| E．That’s because those experiences are so complex that they are nearly impossible for an ordinary person to communicate well. |
| F．As a matter of fact, however, listeners responded much more positively, when they had seen the video. |
【推荐3】How to Deal with People Who Put You Down
It's not a good feeling when someone insults（侮辱）you.
1.Avoid reacting immediately.
When someone puts you down，deal with it by not immediately reacting to him. Getting angry will strengthen his behavior.
2.Understand why the person does it.
3.
The person's words are a reflection of himself，not of you. If he were a happy person，he would not spend so much time putting down other people around him. Also，he most likely does this to other people and not just you. If you let his put-downs get to you，then he wins. Don't allow what he said to make you feel bad about yourself.
4.Ask for support.
You should tell someone and ask for help if the person is putting you down all the time. Tell someone who is an authority figure like a teacher，parent，or supervisor if the person does this to you.
| A．Don't take it to heart. |
| B．Hang out with positive people. |
| C．Using your support systems helps in many ways. |
| D．These people can surely put you down every time. |
| E．It gives him what he wants — a response from you. |
| F．It can also hurt your feelings when someone puts you down. |
| G．People that put others down may do it for several reasons. |
