5 . How to make conversation with a group of strangers

One of the most common fears is speaking to strangers. While most people don’t naturally enjoy talking to strangers, it is an art that you can learn. When you learn how to make conversation with a group of strangers, you never have to stand by yourself at a party again.

    1    Say hi and tell the group your name. Don’t focus on how boring you think you sound. Remember that others in the group are probably just as self-conscious as you are. Doing so to a group of strangers may result in making others feel comfortable enough to open up. They may secretly be glad that you made the first move.

Practice talking to as many strangers as possible throughout the day.     2    Soon it will be second nature for you to walk up to a group of strangers and introduce yourself.

Make a comment about something interesting in the environment. This may be something as simple as the decorations for the party or the band providing the entertainment.     3    

Ask for an opinion. People enjoy giving their opinion on any subject.     4    Asking for an opinion works immediately to break the ice and encourages the entire group to talk with you.

Learn to listen. Making conversation is about more than trying to find the right words to say.     5    And then find out the next thing you should say. Make sure that your response invites another response.

A．Introduce yourself.

B．Try to catch strangers’ attention.

C．Ask about book ideas, gift ideas or dining ideas.

D．Each time you do this, you will feel more confident.

E．Develop the habit of listening to others carefully to understand them.

F．A comment like this gives the group something in common to discuss.

G．Ask the group to share what they do for a living or whether they enjoy their work.

6 .

Hi Irene, I am so upset with my best friend because she refuses to accept my apology or listen to me. She won’t forgive me no matter what I say. She says there’s no way back and I should let it go. Signed, Maya

Hi Maya,

I can understand how upsetting it is to lose a best friend. Best friends have an emotional investment (感情投资) in the friendship. They also spend a great deal of time together, so breakups leave a huge sadness in both friends’ lives.

You haven’t shared the details of the argument or misunderstanding you had with your friend but problems may appear unexpectedly in all relationships. Sincere apologies can often smooth things over. In fact, they can make the relationship stronger.

Why won’t your friend forgive you? Here are a few possibilities:

·The mistake was so serious (e. g. a poor judgment) that it was unforgivable;

·Your friend over-reacted (反应过激) for uncertain reasons (e. g. perhaps because of her past or other things going on in her life now);

·This was one of a series of mistakes or misunderstandings, a final straw (稻草) that led your friend to say there was no way back.

You did the right thing by apologizing. Now you have to take a step back and give your friend the time she needs to cool off. You could try writing to her a note if you want to explain yourself but avoid apologizing repeatedly.

If she doesn’t respond or change her mind, there’s not much more that you can do. It takes two persons to sustain a close friendship.

Hope this helps and that you begin to heal from this loss.

Best,

Irene

1. What does Irene mean in Paragraph 1 of her letter?

A．Breakups can ruin people’s lives.

B．People put lots of efforts into friendships.

C．Best friends always spend their time together.

D．The emotional investment is the most valuable.

2. What’s the possible reason why Maya’s friend doesn’t forgive her?

A．Maya often over-reacts to the mistakes.

B．Maya’s friend is worried about Maya’s past life.

C．Maya is likely to make more than one mistake.

D．Maya’s friend has nothing to do with the mistake.

3. What does Irene advise Maya to do?

A．Always do the right things.

B．Avoid explaining what happened.

C．Give her friend time to calm down.

D．Write a note to apologize repeatedly.

4. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Maya should carry on the friendship.

B．There are two persons in the friendship.

C．Both of them want to keep the friendship.

D．Maya can give up if her friend doesn’t respond.

7 . When Chip heard the mail truck arriving on his sixth birthday, he rushed out — not knowing that he’d come back with a treasure.

Outside the house, which was decorated with birthday balloons, postwoman Shelley held a pile of boxes. One was marked with Chip’s name and a greeting for his Special day, November 5.

“So,” when he came running out the door, she said, “You must be Chip!” And he said,“Yes.” She said, “Today’s your birthday?” And he started smiling. Shelley said, “So, let me see if I can find you something for your birthday.”She checked her pocket and surprised him with a gift: a dollar bill and four quarters.

On this day, the 42-year-old postwoman made one little boy very happy. “He was very excited,” said his mom, Bonnie. “He came running back in the house just waving his money.” Chip is saving up to buy a Spider-man action figure.

“Our family has had money problems since I lost my job. Gestures like that are valuable memories.” Her hope is that Chip and his eight-year-old sister, Bennett, will remember this when they grow up. “Not the ugly that is out there right now, but the good and the kind and the giving.”

A photo of a smiling Chip and Shelley next to the mail truck has been shared widely on social media. Shelley said she was just trying to give back, because people are often nice to her eight-year-old son, Joshua.

On a recent day, Chip heard the mail truck and rushed out again, this time to deliver an envelope with a thank-you card for his favorite mail carrier. Since that day, the families have kept in contact. Shelley has struggled to find someone who can take care of her son, and Bonnie has agreed to watch him at her home while his mom is on her mail route.

1. Why did Chip rush out when he heard the mail truck the first time?

A．To thank the postwoman.	B．To get a gift box mailed to him.
C．To receive birthday wishes from the driver.	D．To watch the mail truck.

2. What did Shelley do to make Chip happy?

A．She gave him some pocket money.

B．She sent him some birthday balloons.

C．She presented him with a greeting card.

D．She bought him a Spider-man action figure.

3. What is Chip’s mother’s attitude towards Shelley?

A．Grateful.

B．Curious.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.

4. What does Chip’s mother do to help Shelley?

A．She offers to deliver the mails for her.

B．She often helps drive her mail truck.

C．She looks after her son when she is at work.

D．She posts pictures of her mail truck on social media.

8 . 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。

One rainy day, Lily, a sad little girl, was looking out of the window. Her mother was doing her usual housework. She had been busy preparing dinner and washing clothes. Her daughter, not old enough to go to school, had wanted to play outside, but it was raining. The mother told her little girl to get some paper and a pencil to draw pictures. She hadn’t noticed her daughter was very sad.

Lily was the only child in the family and had no brothers or sisters to play with. She sat on the sofa with her pencil and paper, looked out of the window and began to draw a picture. She drew the window with rain streaming down the glass. Then she drew a little girl in front of the window with ribbons in her hair. The mother passed by as she was going to put the clothes into the dryer. She told her daughter that her drawing was pretty. Lily said thank you, but she still wanted to go out to play. Her mother said, “We have discussed that already. You can’t. It’s raining.”

Lily continued to draw the picture, while her mother went back to the kitchen to check on dinner. The mother could see her daughter’s drawing across the glass door that divided the two rooms. In the drawing, a little girl had big tears rolling down her cheeks. The mother thought about the events of the day in her mind.

Several times that day, Lily had asked her mother for permission to go out and play. The rain had prevented her from going out. She had asked her mother to play and watch cartoons with her. Each time, her mother was too busy with things she had to do. The mother felt guilty, and realized the little girl in the drawing was her daughter’s self-portrait. So she walked into the living room.

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。
Paragraph 1:

She sat down on the sofa by her daughter.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

“Where’s my surprise, Mommy?” Lily asked curiously.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . You can learn a lot sitting in a parking lot. One day, I was sitting in my car with my son waiting for my wife who was in the _________. I would look up and _________what was going on outside. Then, I noticed a brand new bright red car park next to my car. A well-dressed woman stepped out of it. She looked _________with a serious look and her eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. I watched her as she headed for the same supermarket and _________what her life was like.

After a while, a truck parked on the other side of the red car. It _________ of burning oil and probably didn’t have many months of life left in its engine. A young mother with four little girls got out. All were dressed in _________ clothes that were most probably _________ at the second-hand store. She gathered them together and headed for the store, laughing and talking all the way.

A while later, I saw the well-dressed lady come out, _________ a shopping cart with several bags of items in it. She put them in the car and drove away quickly. Her eyes were still _________ and there was still a frown (皱眉) on her face. About thirty minutes later, the mother came back with her girls. They had a week’s __________ of groceries in their cart. After putting everything into the truck, the mother took out two __________, broke both in half, and gave each girl a half. They smiled as if the cookies were the most__________ gift in the world.

As they __________, I thought about the two women. I __________ knew who had more money, but I wasn’t sure who really owned more. Actually, there are many kinds of __________, but the most valuable is love. The truth is that one who loves the most, also learns the most, lives the most, gives the most, and grows the most in this life. And the more you share, the more you get.

1.

A．bookstore

B．supermarket

C．hotel

D．library

2.

A．find

B．guess

C．observe

D．judge

3.

A．unhappy

B．shocked

C．proud

D．unsatisfied

4.

A．asked

B．suspected

C．understood

D．wondered

5.

A．tasted

B．smelled

C．looked

D．sounded

6.

A．fashionable

B．ugly

C．new

D．worn

7.

A．made

B．bought

C．designed

D．washed

8.

A．pushing

B．lifting

C．carrying

D．driving

9.

A．hidden

B．affected

C．injured

D．closed

10.

A．bill

B．price

C．cost

D．worth

11.

A．candies

B．cookies

C．chocolates

D．cakes

12.

A．colorful

B．meaningless

C．priceless

D．useful

13.

A．drove away

B．turned up

C．pulled in

D．came over

14.

A．partly

B．gradually

C．temporarily

D．obviously

15.

A．fame

B．power

C．wealth

D．sadness

10 . Sand art is considered as one of the greatest forms of creative expression today. It is an activity that has caught the imagination of children and adults alike.     1     From cars to castles with fantasy lands, the themes are endless. Here are some tips on how to build the perfect sand sculpture or castle.

Before you begin the sculpture (雕刻), you must first ensure you have the right tools.    2     Remember you will need to include a spray bottle, as the sculpture needs to be kept a little wet to keep the surface firm while you construct it. Once you have gathered all the tools, it’s time to hunt for the right location on the beach. You need to look for a place that is moderately away from the sea. After you have found the ideal location, start digging. You need to keep digging till you reach wet sand. This will be your first tough task.     3    .

Now you need to prepare enough wet sand to start with the building and carving. This is known as the process of tamping (夯实). A frame is basically used for tamping. This is what you need to build tall structures.     4     Place the frame on the ground. Once the frame is filled, try to lift it slowly. When you have finished the base form, you can create other forms on top of that base.

Once you have finished the basic structure, it is time to release your creativity. Always start carving from the top. Carving must always be done in the outward direction. Do remember to concentrate on the entire structure rather than attempting to complete one side at a time.

    5     Today sand art and sculpting have a professional touch, with new sculptors creating some of the most imaginative forms of sand sculptures.

A．The limit to your creativity is endless.

B．Use the frame to begin your construction.

C．Castles are more popular than cars among children.

D．People have created masterpieces through sand sculpting.

E．Ensure you have packed a long-handled shovel and a bucket.

F．Sand art and sculpting have become very popular in recent times.

G．It is this wet sand that will give a firm foundation to your sculpture.