1 . How to Be a Good Friend
Being a good friend isn’t always easy. As the years pass, some people will stay by your side, but many won’t. And you’ll realize that each friendship you keep is priceless. Of course, to have a good friend, you should remember the following tips:
Don’t make a promise that you can’t keep. Nobody’s perfect, and it’s okay if you skip out on a promise occasionally, but don’t make it a regular thing.
Be dependable.
Your friend will need you for support, especially in hard times.
Apologize when you’ve made a mistake.
If you want your friends to trust you, then you can’t act like you’re perfect.
Be honest.
If you want to be a good friend and to have people trust you, then you have to be honest about your feelings and about how you feel about your friendship. If you’re honest about how you feel, that will make your friends more likely to open up to you.
Be loyal.
| A．Keep your promises. |
| B．Take an interest in his/her hobby. |
| C．If you know you’ve made a mistake, just say sorry. |
| D．If your friend hurts you. don’t be afraid to talk about it. |
| E．If your friend tells you a secret, keep it and don’t talk about it with anyone else. |
| F．It’s hard to rely on a person who doesn’t behave in a consistent and trustworthy way. |
| G．All the same, you don’t always have to agree with him just because he is your friend. |
2 . Have you ever argued with a friend, and said or done something you regretted? Sometimes it can be hard to put things right, especially when feelings have been hurt. Apologizing can understand why you fell out in the first place.
Why do we argue?
You might think your football team is fantastic but your friend disagrees; or you don’t want someone joining in your game. Sometimes, especially if you’re angry, things can be out of control and you’ll say or do something you regret.
We all make mistakes, and apologizing is a way of admitting we’ve got something wrong and will try not to do it again. Dr Jennifer Thomas, a psychologist, believes an apology needs to show the other person that we’re genuinely sorry. Meanwhile, we accept responsibility for our actions and want forgiveness.
What if it’s not my fault?
Sometimes another person may pressure you into taking the blame when it’s not your fault. If you feel this is happening, you had better communicate with them.
Does apologizing always work?
Sorry on its own might not always be enough, so try to ask the other person how they felt while you were arguing. Explain your side too, and make it clear you’ll try not to repeat the same mistake again.
| A．What does saying sorry mean |
| B．We argue for all kinds of reasons |
| C．What do we make mistakes in life |
| D．A genuine apology isn’t a magic wand |
| E．Here are some ways to apologize to others |
| F．Knowing how to apologize can help you become friends again |
| G．Try talking about why you argue at first and explain your feeling |
3 . I was at a new school in a new state and needed something solid to stand on: a place to feel grounded. I also needed to do laundry, so I walked to a nearby self-service laundry and stuffed a machine with my clothes. As I struggled to close the washer door, the woman working behind the counter told me to give it a good hit with my hand. The washer did its job, yet even after an hour, the dryer seemed to have barely warmed my clothes. I left, having decided to air-dry them on my car in the August heat.
A month later, I learned her name was Sandy, which she told me after I’d helped her stop a washing machine from moving across the floor. I was grading poems at a table when one of the washers broke loose and skipped an inch into the air. I jumped to the machine and held on while she unplugged it. The next week, Sandy told me dryer No. 8 was the fastest.
It went on like this. I’d do laundry once a week, usually Thursday or Friday. Sandy worked Tuesday through Saturday and we’d talk small while I folded clothes. She told me about her son and his grades, as well as the new dog they’d just adopted. She was fascinated that I was studying poetry. She teased (开玩笑) that it was harder making a living as a poet than as a laundry attendant. Even then I knew she was probably right.
I began to recognize others there: workers taking breaks by the door, a mother and her baby, and even some delivery drivers. But Sandy was the center of my community. For nearly three years and almost every week, I’d do laundry and talk with her. We checked on each other, expecting the other to be there. We asked where the other had gone when we missed a week. There was a note of concern for the other’s absence, a note of joy at their return.
I’d found a place to stand on solid ground.
1. Why did the author leave with his wet clothes?| A．He liked the August heat better. | B．He had to go back to the meeting. |
| C．He wanted to show off his new car. | D．He didn’t think the dryer worked well. |
| A．She was warm-hearted. | B．She needed a volunteer. |
| C．She wanted to thank him. | D．She was sorry for the mess. |
| A．It was harder to fulfill. | B．It was really fascinating. |
| C．It was badly-paid work. | D．It needed a lot of effort. |
| A．He formed a close friendship with Sandy. |
| B．He made a lot of friends in college. |
| C．He expected Sandy to do laundry for him. |
| D．He often wrote to Sandy after graduation. |
4 . We are now having face-to-face chats with friends instead of talking online. But have you ever been in a conversation that you wish you could run away from? Scientists have proved that you might not be alone.
A research team surveyed 806 participants about a recent conversation they had with someone close to them. The participants were asked about the actual length and their expected length of the conversation, and how long they thought the other person wanted to talk for.
About one-third of the conversation length was unwanted, according to the team’s paper published in the journal PNAS. Also, more participants believed that they wanted to end the conversation first. On average, they continued talking for 3.87 minutes before they found that the other speaker wished the same thing. Situations are similar when it comes to strangers. Only about 1.6 percent of the conversations ended when both parties wanted them to.
The paper pointed out that when they talk to strangers, what makes people “mask their desires” may be their politeness. When talking to close friends and family, it may be their kindness as ending the chat too soon may hurt the other’s feelings.
So, what is the best way to end a conversation? Saying you only have a certain amount of time to talk at the start of the chat is a good place to start. “Remember conversations don’t end because people don’t know when the other person wants to go,” Adam Mastroianni who led the study told the Inverse website. You should make your partner feel good about the end of the chat by “clearly communicating that you had a nice time and would like to talk again”.
Mastroianni also suggested that the difficulty in ending conversations may be a “coordination (协调) problem”. It’s hard to tell your grandma you want to get off the phone just because you want the conversation to be over, for example.
However, in some ways, this dilemma (困境) may not be a bad thing. People need social connections, and conversation is a good way to make these connections happen.
1. What did the research team survey the participants about?| A．Their favorite conversation topics. |
| B．Their expected length of a recent conversation. |
| C．Their attitudes toward face-to-face chats. |
| D．Their ways of ending an unwanted conversation. |
| A．Nearly half of the length of conversations was unwanted. |
| B．Most conversations ended when both speakers wanted. |
| C．Ending conversations with strangers was easier than with friends. |
| D．Many people tended to talk longer than they wanted in a conversation. |
| A．Searching for a good excuse. | B．Saying you want to leave directly. |
| C．Showing your willingness to talk next time. | D．Waiting until the other speaker wants to end. |
| A．To introduce a method to start a conversation when both parties are ready. |
| B．To analyze why people are unwilling to have conversations with strangers. |
| C．To suggest that people hesitate to stop talking in an unwanted conversation out of curiosity. |
| D．To explain the reason why people are trapped in an undesired conversation and how to end it politely. |
5 . I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．The author was very willing to stay with Kate. | B．Kate always helped the author to clean her bed. |
| C．The author felt proud to have such a roommate. | D．The author didn’t get along very well with Kate. |
| A．The author placed her shoes under Kate’s bed. | B．The author refused to listen to Kate’s advice. |
| C．The news of Kate’s grandma’s illness spread. | D．The author was very tired of Kate at school. |
| A．Because she realized the importance of tidiness. | B．Because she would like to express her concern. |
| C．Because she was required by other roommates. | D．Because she expected to be inspected by school. |
| A．They never quarreled with each other about anything again. |
| B．They separated at once and never wanted to see each other. |
| C．They completely understood the principle of being roommates. |
| D．They gained a deeper understanding of each other’s personalities. |
6 . Friendship plays an important role in our life. If you and your friends are in conflict (冲突) and your friendship is coming to an end, it’s time to work through hurt feelings and misunderstandings.
Reflect and write down the good. Before you face a difficult conversation with a friend, stop and reflect (反思).
Give it time and try again. The expert noted that friendships may require time to settle back into normal after the conflicts. People differ in how they deal with conflicts.
Sometimes a friendship suffers due to a miscommunication. The experts encourage people not to let a single problem break up a friendship. Don’t give up a friendship because one conflict has appeared.
| A．Think of a specific moment |
| B．You were not aware of the things |
| C．Choose a different way to communicate |
| D．Here are ways to help you repair a friendship |
| E．Instead, it can be an opening to improve a friendship |
| F．Things can go back to the way they were before the conflict |
| G．Therefore, give a friendship some breathing room before trying again |
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Healthy relationships can be of great
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Good relationships also help us deal with stress. The support
Moreover, you may feel richer
10 . Do you have a best friend at work? A person once said, “Relationships
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I’ve worked with a lot of people over my career. The most
I’ve been through a lot with many people I would
Good relationships and a sense of
| A．measure | B．matter | C．compare | D．succeed |
| A．significance | B．foundation | C．resources | D．details |
| A．deserve | B．remember | C．select | D．require |
| A．approach | B．admission | C．response | D．method |
| A．determine | B．observe | C．reflect | D．rate |
| A．connection | B．agreement | C．gap | D．trend |
| A．effective | B．memorable | C．qualified | D．professional |
| A．classmates | B．teams | C．committees | D．families |
| A．mixing | B．corresponding | C．commenting | D．chatting |
| A．comes across | B．sticks to | C．lies in | D．takes up |
| A．consider | B．replace | C．attract | D．acquire |
| A．tasks | B．arrangements | C．processes | D．achievements |
| A．humor | B．direction | C．belonging | D．progress |
| A．Responsibly | B．Fortunately | C．Hopefully | D．Particularly |
| A．city | B．destination | C．castle | D．workplace |
