Many foreign students report feeling lonely or unwelcome in Australia. Those feelings are among the reasons why Australia is taking a close look at its international education industry. But wherever international students go, making friends may not always be easy. Elisabeth Gareis of Baruch College in New York surveyed 454 international students. They were attending four-year colleges and graduate schools in the American South and Northeast.
Students from English-speaking countries and from northern and central Europe were more likely to be happy with their friendships. But 38% of the international students said they had no close friends in the United States. And half of the students from East Asia said they were unhappy with the number of American friends they had. Thirty percent said they wished their friendships could be deeper and more meaningful.
Professor Gareis says, “Students from East Asia have cultures that are different on many levels from the culture in the United States. There are also language problems, and maybe some social skills, such as small talks, which are possibly not as important in their native countries, where it’s not as important to start friendships with small talks. Many East Asian students blamed themselves for their limited friendships with Americans, for not speaking the language well enough and for not knowing the culture well enough.”
VOA’s Students Union blogger Jessica Stahl did her own survey to find out how American students and foreign students relate to each other. More than 100 students, about half of them American, answered her online questions. Half of the international students and 60 % of the Americans said they related as well or better to the other group than to their own group.
Professor Gareis says, “International students who make friends with host nationals are, overall, more satisfied with their stay in the host country. They have better language skills, better academic performance and better attitudes toward the host country.”
1. What can be the best title for the text?| A．Making Friends Is Not Always Easy for Foreign Students |
| B．Students from East Asia Are Not Good at Making Friends |
| C．International Education Industry in Australia and America |
| D．The Relation between Foreign Students and Host Countries |
| A．culture shock should be blamed for many levels of American culture |
| B．foreign students don’t know small talks mean a lot to Americans |
| C．foreign students should learn some basic social skills first of all |
| D．foreign students have difficulty making friends for different reasons |
| A．By doing questionnaires from Students Union. |
| B．By asking questions on the Internet. |
| C．By forming the students into groups. |
| D．By doing a survey through VOA. |
| A．International students like to make more friends in their own group. |
| B．International students are more likely to remain in the host country after graduation. |
| C．Students who make more friends at home have better academic performance. |
| D．Students who make friends in their host countries feel happier with their experience. |
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【推荐1】There are times when I set off for my running-group sessions with little enthusiasm. It might be because I’m tired, or stressed, or have had to unwillingly tear myself away from something else. I’m the coach, so I can’t choose to give it a miss.
It was yet another cold, dark, wet evening and I wasn’t feeling the love as I gathered all the necessary outfits-head torch, reflective waterproof jacket, hat and gloves. No one in their right mind will come out in this weather, I thought. But when I turned into the car park, my headlights picked out runners making a dash through the rain to our meeting point, where others were already working out to stay warm, with chat, laughter and hugs. They, too, I realized, might be tired, stressed or busy. But, unlike me, they had a choice about whether to come running or stay at home. And that makes their decision to come--and to keep on coming-all the more uplifting. As on so many other occasions, I went home from the run feeling better than when I’d arrived.
I believe one of the strongest motivations behind these runners’ decisions to come along is being part of a group. Belonging to a running community makes running greater than the sum of its parts. It’s no longer just a workout; it’s a catch-up with friends, a laugh and a shared experience. It provides a space to share your running triumphs and disappointments, to be congratulated and comforted, and, just as important, to congratulate and comfort others.
Research has long shown the likelihood of staying motivated is higher when exercise takes place in a group. The reasons are many. A study at the University of Southern California found people enjoy physical activity more when they are with others and are more likely to keep it up over the long term. There’s also an element of social facilitation-an “I’m not going to let XX beat me” attitude that drives you to push harder and produces a greater sense of achievement. And research by Strava in 2017 found running in a group made runners go faster and further. Using data from 90 million runs taking place all over the world, Strava found that the average pace of runs taking place in a group was seven seconds per mile quicker than solo runs, and the distance covered was an average of 1.3 miles further.
I joke about people being more motivated to come to my running sessions by the tea and biscuits afterwards than by the running itself. There’s probably some truth in that, but it doesn’t matter. Those laughter- and chatter-filled minutes are every bit as important as the running in between.
1. The author sometimes feels to go coaching the running group.| A．reluctant | B．content | C．excited | D．frustrated |
| A．It involves a coach offering assistance. |
| B．It creates space to socialize with others. |
| C．It inspires members to beat their records. |
| D．It frees runners from boring daily routines. |
| A．citing a typical example | B．listing accurate statistics |
| C．performing an experiment | D．sharing his own experiences |
| A．attract more runners from other groups |
| B．build up some strength before running |
| C．make his running group stand out of all |
| D．add more life to their running experience |
【推荐2】How to Have a Successful Remote Interview?
If interviews make you nervous, the thought of doing one remotely might be a relief.
● Test your equipment.
●
You don’t want your interviewer to think you’re in an underground place. So skip the dark, dull mood lighting. Pick a spot where the light is facing you and try to set yourself up in a relaxing atmosphere and at a comfortable distance. Ideally, have slightly an inch of space above your head.
● Take your time.
A common mistake people make is cutting someone else off in conversation. This is even easier to do when you can’t see the person you’re talking to. So even if it feels slightly unnatural, wait for a while after your interviewer finishes a sentence.
| A．Get the atmosphere right. |
| B．But you should still take them seriously. |
| C．Here are three tips to make the whole process go smoothly. |
| D．Buy a phone or video before you have the interview. |
| E．Gutting him off a time or two might not be a big problem. |
| F．Make sure that your phone is charged and your Wi-Fi works. |
| G．Your interviewer will be happy to see you cut him off. |
【推荐3】Today’s workplace is unique in history. Never before have we seen people working together who represent such different backgrounds and experiences. This difference of age, race, gender, and work style makes it very difficult to organize and run a company.
As a result, companies are looking for individuals who can manage a wide range of employees effectively. Increasingly, managers are discovering that age differences among workers are a major cause of concern.
This has been an important realization. The management difficulties and challenges have led some experts to study intergenerational differences for an understanding of problems in the workplace. What they have discovered is interesting and may provide ways of improving working conditions in companies that employ individuals from different generations.
The first thing to realize, they say, is that differences of opinion about the importance of work and how to get work done are not a coincidence. That is, it is not an accident that young employees will be different from older employees. In fact, if employers do not pay attention to these differences, it is possible that anger will build up between people and lead to difficulties in the company.
Resentment (仇恨) between members of different generations, if not attended to, can lead to extreme anger and unhappiness and even lasting enmity if people are not careful. That individuals from different generations should come to view each other as if they were from different sides of warring countries should not be surprising.
It is natural for individuals from the same generation to form alliances (联盟), to come together for protection. Different generations represent different experiences in life, and these lead naturally to different opinions about oneself and one’s approaches to work.
If you were raised in a time of plenty, when products were readily available and relatively inexpensive, you would believe that prosperity is natural and expectable. If, on the other hand, you were raised in a time of scarcity, you would always be careful not to waste things for fear you would not have enough. You would make angry people who seem to believe that problems will always solve themselves. Such optimism in the face of difficulties would be a source of unhappiness between you and them. It is difficult, in such circumstances, to achieve a happy, agreeable atmosphere in the workplace.
1. According to the experts, employers should realize ______ if they want to avoid anger between employees.| A．the different understanding of problems in the workplace |
| B．the different views on value of work and working methods |
| C．the different genders of employees in the workplace |
| D．the different ways of expressing anger in the company |
| A．hatred | B．sorrows |
| C．ignorance | D．forgiveness |
| A．Employees in some companies regard each other as mere enemies. |
| B．Employees’ attitudes towards life are related to the time when they grow up. |
| C．Employees who are raised in a time of scarcity tend to be angry with others. |
| D．Achieving a harmonious atmosphere in the workplace is the main task for employers. |
| A．Employees should be cooperative and friendly with each other. |
| B．It is difficult for employers to have workers work in a friendly way. |
| C．The weakness of human nature causes the anger between employees. |
| D．The generational differences cause the disharmony among employees. |
