1 . We all know that unpleasant feeling when we’re talking about something interesting and halfway through our sentence we’re interrupted (打断). But was that really an interruption? The answer depends on whom you ask, according to new research led by Katherine Hilton from Stanford University.

Using a set of controlled audio clips, Hilton surveyed 5,000 American English speakers to better understand what affects people’s perceptions of interruptions. She had participants listen to audio clips and then answer questions about whether the speakers seemed to be friendly and engaged, listening to one another, or trying to interrupt.

Hilton found that American English speakers have different conversational styles. She identified two groups: high and low Intensity speakers. High intensity speakers are generally uncomfortable with moments of silence in conversation and consider talking at the same time a sign of engagement. Low intensity speakers find it rude to talk at the same time and prefer people speak one after another in conversation.

The differences in conversational styles became obvious when participants listened to audio clips in which two people spoke at the same time but were agreeing with each other and stayed on topic, Hilton said. The high intensity group reported that conversations where people spoke at the same time when expressing agreement were not interruptive but engaged and friendlier than the conversations with moments of silence in between speaking turns. In contrast, the low intensity group perceived any amount of simultaneous (同时) chat as a rude interruption, regardless of what the speakers were saying.

“People care about being interrupted, and those small interruptions can have a massive effect on the overall communication,” Hilton said. “Breaking apart what an interruption means is essential if we want to understand how humans interact with each other.”

2 . Volunteering is a great way to help your community. It is something that people should be doing more often, because it is a great way to help out those less fortunate. Another reason that you should volunteer is that it has a lot of health benefits, which people don’t seem to really know about.     1    .

Reduce depression (抑郁)

Volunteering is a great way to decrease depression, especially if you are someone who doesn’t have a great support system at home.     2    . When you are volunteering, you are around other people often talking and laughing, which helps reduce depression.

    3    

A lot of volunteering involves packing boxes or moving things, and that is very good for your heart. You can actually walk the dogs and clean cages at a local animal shelter, which are all ways to stay active. If you are volunteering to do something you love, you may not even notice that it takes a great deal of physical energy, so it’s much better than just working out because you enjoy it.

Make you feel satisfied (满意的)

When you do voluntary work, you feel this satisfaction out of what you are doing, because you know you are helping other people. When you feel this satisfaction, your mental and physical health improves, and you just feel better overall (全面的).     4    . And this is something that volunteering provides.

Reduce anxiety

    5    . When you start volunteering, you find new ways to communicate with other people. It helps reduce your anxiety levels. It can help you find ways to interact with others and can help you build confidence around others.

3 . Experts say boredom is good for kids, which forces them to be creative, improves their imagination, and helps them discover new things. A (n) _________ in point is 12-year-old Luke Thrill from Dubuque, lowa.

Luke was _________ of playing video games and riding his bike, so he decided to build a tree house in his backyard instead. He made money from mowing the lawn and _________ exchanged some services, such as gaining the help of an electrician _________ sweeping his garage. Luke also used spare materials from his grandmother’s house and other _________ materials from his neighbors for some of the windows and the door.

The 46-square-foot tree house cost $2,000 to build and _________ 18 months. Inside there is a bed, a table and a mounted (安装好的) TV, and a lift can be easily _________ by stairway.

Although Luke did the _________ and learned how to do all the work, he had his father’s help throughout the project. Greg was very happy that his son learned to keep within a _________ and deal with grown-ups. __________, he had some simple rules when Luke started the project 18 months ago: “You __________ the money. You build it. And you own it.”

Luke is now in love with building. He has a You Tube channel and hopes to __________ other kids to start building. __________, he wants to build a bigger tiny house to live in, but for now, he __________ in his new home a few nights a week, does homework there, and uses it to take a __________ from his twin brother.

Chinese opera is one of the oldest dramatic art forms in the world. During the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor Xuanzong set up an opera school with the poetic name Liyuan (Pear Garden). From that time on, performers of Chinese opera were referred to     1     “Disciples(弟子) of the Pear Garden”. Since the Yuan Dynasty it has been encouraged by officials and emperors and has become a     2    (tradition) art form. During the Qing Dynasty, it became fashionable among ordinary people and was watched in tearooms and     3    (restaurant).

It developed from folk songs, dances, talking and especially distinctive dialectical music, and     4    (gradual) combined music, art and literature into one     5    (perform) on the stage.     6    (accompany) by Chinese musical instruments like the erhu and the suona, actors present unique melodies and dialogues which are beautifully written. For Chinese, especially older folks, to listen to this kind of opera is a real pleasure.

    7     appeals to foreigners most might be the different styles of facial make-up, which requires distinctive techniques of painting. Always, exaggerated designs     8    (paint) on each performer’s face to symbolize a character’s personality and role. Audiences     9     are familiar with opera can know the character by     10    (observe) the facial painting as well as the costumes.

Chinese opera has developed into many different regional varieties. Today, there are over 300 amazing regional opera styles.

6 . “You should get a cat,” my doctor said. “A cat?” I couldn’t even look after myself. I took a deep breath and carefully considered the idea of welcoming a feline (猫科的) friend into my life.

Adopting an animal during the height of the pandemic was far from easy. When my partner and I found Cinnamon, her adoption profile made her out as the perfect kitten. We filled out the paperwork and had a few weeks to prepare for her arrival.

When she came home, it became increasingly obvious that Cinnamon didn’t understand “no”, “stop it” or “don’t do that”. She was the worst cat I’ve ever owned. I was beginning to doubt my doctor’s advice.

We decided to start taking her for walks. I could barely leave the house before, but my heart couldn’t say no to Cinnamon. Cinnamon showed me what bravery looked like if there was a dog at a park, she would run toward it. She jumped without knowing where she would land. She loved adventure. I found myself mirroring her behavior after a while, jumping out of bed without a second thought. I began to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning.

Cinnamon unfortunately passed away after a medical accident, leaving a cat-sized hole in my heart the day she left us at only six months old. I’m no stranger to sadness or grief, but losing my pet so suddenly was the most confusing emotional experience I’ve ever had. She was supposed to help me through more of my life than the three short months we had her.

Our time is often cut unpredictably, unmistakably short. It would be a shame to live life being anything less than brave and adventurous.