1 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.

What’s the problem? It’s possible that along with the rapid development of society, we all focus on our phone and desktop, and therefore it results in our compromised conversational intelligence. However, it’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.

Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for small conversation. “Small talk is the grease (润滑剂) for social communication,” says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”

In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral (边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”

Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.

1. What does the underlined word “compromised” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Weakened.

B．Enhanced.

C．Secret.

D．Natural.

2. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?

A．Showing good manners.	B．Relating to other people.
C．Focusing on a topic.	D．Making business deals.

3. What can we learn about small talk from the coffee shop study?

A．It made the coffee taste better.	B．It reduced waiting time in line.
C．It improved people’s mood and experience.	D．It helped them bond with the server deeply.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Elevator manners.	B．The importance of small talk.
C．Smartphones and social media.	D．Developing deep relationships.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Putian wood carving, one of the four well-known categories of the art of Chinese wood carving, originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties.     1    （serve）as a national intangible cultural heritage   (非物质文化遗产) item in China, it is a traditional folk carving technique of southeast China’s Fujian Province.

Zheng Chunhui, Lin Jianjun and Chen Yushu     2     (be) three exceptional representatives of wood carving masters. Zheng is     3     provincial-level inheritor (继承人) of the wood carving art,     4     not only excels (擅长) in traditional wood carving technique, but     5     (precise) expresses his love for his family and nation through his works. To promote the art, Zheng opened a unique wood carving gallery, which is the     6     (one) in Putian run by an individual and free to the public. The delicate wood carving works by Lin shone at a BRICS summit (峰会) several years ago. and meanwhile, the Chinese-style antique furniture pieces that are made by Chen     7     (show) at many international exhibitions over the past few years.

Putian city is home     8     over 2,600 wood carving companies, and the wood carving works     9     (create) there were sold to more than 20     10     (country) and regions around the world last year.

3 . 你校英语话剧社正在招募新成员，请你为话剧社写一则英文招募启示。内容包括：
1．招募对象的条件;
2．报名方式和截止时间。
注意：
1．写作词数应为80左右;
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Join Our English Drama Club

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4 . 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。

I’ve always thought of my mother Lee-Ann as a superhero. Not that she can fly or shoot lasers (激光) out of her eyes, but because she never runs out of room in her heart for anyone or anything.

I could write about all of the wonderful things she has done, but I want to focus on the one project she does every year that has shaped my whole family and everyone around us: She collects the money she finds in the washer and dryer, and she puts it in a little jar that we refer to as “The Charity Jar”. Every year, she takes this money and puts it toward something — a cause, an act of kindness, anything that can help someone. Sometimes, she buys coffee for the next people in line at a coffee shop. Other times, she buys something for an organization that needs it.

If you ask her about this tradition, she will tell you that she is carrying on something that her mother used to do around the holidays. If you ask anyone else who knows her, however, they will tell you that she has a huge heart. She manages to get our whole family involved in this movement every year.

Last year, for example, my younger brother Bob and I volunteered in a shelter for the homeless. Once, when we helped with delivering daily supplies there, he noticed the wish list on the wall: comforters, a DVD player, a coffee maker and supplies. We told Mum, and she quickly organized a family meeting to discuss how to help the shelter. We all agreed that the coffee maker would be the best thing for our family to work on together. We found a coffee maker online and decided to buy one.

Bob opened “The Charity Jar” and we counted the money Mum collected. Unfortunately, it was 50 dollars short. “Any way to make it up?” Mum asked me and Bob.

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。

“I’ve learned that Mr. Smith needs someone to tidy his big garden,” I told Bob.

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The next weekend, we went to the shelter with the new coffee maker excitedly.

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9 . Songs that make our hearts happy can make them stronger too, US researchers reported on Tuesday.

They found that when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels (血管) dilated in much the same way as when they are laughing, or taking blood medications (药物治疗).

“We have a pretty impressive effect,” said Dr Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology (心脏病学) at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.

“Blood vessel diameter (直径) improved,” he said. “The vessel opened up pretty significantly. You can see the vessels opening up with other activities such as exercise.” A similar effect is seen with drugs such as statins (抑制素).

When blood vessels open up more, blood flows more smoothly and is less likely to form the clots (凝块) that cause heart attacks and strokes. “We are not saying to stop your statins or not to exercise but rather to add this to an overall program of heart health,” said Miller.

Miller’s team tested 10 healthy, non-smoking men and women, who were told to bring their favorite music. They spent half an hour listening to the recordings and half an hour listening to music they said made them feel anxious while the researchers did ultrasound (超声波) tests designed to show blood vessel function.

Compared to their normal baseline measurements, blood vessel diameter increased 26% on average when the volunteers heard their joyful music. Listening to music they disliked — in most cases in this group heavy metal-blood vessels narrowed by 6%, Miller said.

Miller said he came up with the idea after discovering that laughter caused blood to flow more smoothly. “I asked myself what other things make us feel good, besides calories from dark chocolate of course. Music came to mind. It makes me feel really good.” he said.

Most of the volunteers chose country music but Miller said the style is not so important as what pleases each individual.

1. The underlined word “dilate” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．widen

B．move

C．change

D．increase

2. According to the passage, which of the following will NOT cause blood vessels to open up?

A．Taking exercise.	B．Listening to unpleasant music.
C．Bursting into laughter.	D．Taking drugs like statins.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．blood clots are caused by heart attacks and strokes

B．music is better than chocolate for your health

C．different music has different effects on different people

D．a person’s overall health is more influenced by how much exercise he gets

4. What is the passage possibly taken from?

A．A travel journal.	B．A school textbook.
C．A medical brochure.	D．A local newspaper.

10 . Julia Jarman’s family was upset when she was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer. But soon, her grandson Vigil made a plan to fill Jarman’s last days with an unforgettable ________.

When Vigil’s high school prom (舞会) was ________ his sister said, “Why don’t you just take grandma to the prom?” Hearing his sister’s ________, the 17-year-old immediately remembered that Jarman had ________ been to a prom. But his school had a(n) ________ that students could only have partners under 20, so Vigil first ________ the principal (校长) of his school to ask him if he could bring his grandmother. Luckily, the principal gave him ________. Excited, the teenager asked his grandma if she would like to ________ the first prom of her life, and she ________ the invitation.

As other teenagers walked into the prom with girls of their ________, Vigil entered with his grandmother on his arm. At first, Vigil wasn’t sure how his schoolmates would ________ to watching him dance with Jarman. Later, he was ________ to see everyone welcomed her.

The DJ played Jarman’s favorite song. Vigil recalled the ________ moment. “She almost had me crying as she was singing it along with me while we were dancing.”

Vigil’s mother felt proud of him for making a(n) ________ to please his grandmother. The teenager said, “My grandmother is my best friend: I just wanted to do something ________ for her.”

“That night was wonderful.” Jarman revealed

1.

A．dream

B．memory

C．adventure

D．convenience

2.

A．attacking

B．performing

C．approaching

D．identifying

3.

A．suggestion

B．comment

C．decision

D．encouragement

4.

A．never

B．frequently

C．sometimes

D．once

5.

A．habit

B．purpose

C．order

D．rule

6.

A．begged

B．contacted

C．enabled

D．thanked

7.

A．information

B．permission

C．composition

D．explanation

8.

A．organize

B．reserve

C．observe

D．attend

9.

A．refused

B．considered

C．accepted

D．expected

10.

A．age

B．height

C．class

D．family

11.

A．agree

B．adapt

C．react

D．stick

12.

A．puzzled

B．discouraged

C．ashamed

D．relieved

13.

A．hopeful

B．generous

C．touching

D．proud

14.

A．money

B．effort

C．belief

D．trouble

15.

A．special

B．tough

C．regular

D．familiar