1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words asfar as possible.

How to Be a Successful Team Leader?

Every well-organized team needs to have an outstanding leader with specific skills. Sometimes the leader’s abilities can come to affect the whole team. Although we students are still young, it’s never too early to cultivate leadership skills.

A team consists of both leaders and followers. Neither side can exist and work effectively without the other. What is essential to the role of leader is the ability to unite the whole team. A great leader enables their team to achieve a common goal through the giving of clear directions and support. Meanwhile, everyone on a team also desires personal success, so a balance can be hard to strike. If a leader doesn’t have fierce determination, the followers will lose their confidence and things will not be done well.

What’s more, a successful and charming leader ought to be able to handle interpersonal relationships well. They should be honest, fair, objective and impartial (公正的) when it comes to both rewards and punishments. These kinds of leaders are trustworthy, and thus, the working atmosphere will only come to be improved. They are role models who can have a strong influence on the whole team.

To become a powerful leader at school, students have to take the initiative in connecting with their fellow students. Good communication skills allow people to build good relationships, which is an essential part of being a good leader. If you find it hard to express your ideas clearly to those who you collaborate with, it may be rather difficult for you to be a good leader.

It’s a well-known fact that, whatever field you wish to work in, leadership skills are necessary for anyone who desires to have a successful career. So it’s never too early to train yourselves as promising future leaders.

Why You Need a Network of Casual Friends

When I was laid off in 2015, I tweeted it the way any young people would in the hope that someone in my social network would point me to potential opportunities. To my surprise, a friend of a friend alerted me to an opening in her department by Facebook message, and she became my boss three rounds of interviews later.

Think of the parents you see in the drop-off zone at school, your favorite waiter, the other dog owners at the park. Sociologists call these relationships “weak ties.” Not only can these connections affect our job prospects, but they can also have a positive impact on our well-being.

Maintaining the network of acquaintances can help you feel more connected. The desire to belong and form social attachments is a basic human need, alongside food, sleep and safety. But once we hit 25, the number of friends we have peaks and becomes smaller over time, according to a 2016 study. As we get older and priorities shift from after-work bowling league to after-school pickup, maintaining a loaded social calendar becomes less important. Staying socially engaged, then, is integral to personal fulfillment.

Besides, having at least a few acquaintances can connect us with a larger circle of people, which is fantastic news, say, for job hunters. Even if our friends want to help us find a job, the weak ties are often the ones who widen the job-search playing field.

Those acquaintances also provide us with a wider worldview. Regularly interacting with people who have different experiences than we do allows us to be more mindful of others’ circumstances. This, in turn, builds empathy.

Still, casual friends have a lot to offer. Uncovering surprising tidbits(花边新闻) about the regular players in one’s life—discovering that your neighbor is an accomplished dancer, for instance—can spice up your day.

So next time you see a friendly face when you’ re out and about, you might as well try to initiate small talks.

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