1 . Feel exhausted after a party? Rather see one close friend than a group of acquaintances? Enjoy your own company? In our world, that makes you an introvert (内向的人). However, there’s another possible explanation — vertical attachment. If you are closer to your parents and family members than to your peers, you are vertically attached, which means you rely more on family for comfort.
If you are closer to your peers, then you are peer attached. We live in a peer-oriented world. We believe that having lots of friends means that we are well-adjusted. We put our kids in playgroups and daycare for peer interaction. We expect teenagers to want to hang out with their friends, thinking it is the natural way of things.
Result? Generations often feel worlds apart. We use different language, dress, and technology apps. Even if multiple generations are invited to the same party, the kids go to the basement playroom while the parents stay upstairs.
Vertically-attached individuals can feel out of place in this context, demonstrating the traces of introversion. Will they be exhausted after a party with same-aged acquaintances? Absolutely. Would they rather spend time with one close friend? Sure. Do they enjoy alone time? Yes, more than they enjoy time fitting in with peers.
It’s normal that many people need alone time to recharge. However, vertically-attached people often label themselves as introverted. They feel insecure that others have more friends and live richer lives. They claim that their family attachments arise from their loved ones being stuck with them.
If you feel these insecurities, know that there is nothing wrong with you, and you are not missing out on anything. Your attachment style is just different from the culture where you live. Have confidence in the strength of the relationships you have, whether it is with a mom who feels more like a best friend, or a grandmother with whom you can share anything. They are meaningful, enriching relationships, even if they look different from the cultural norm.
1. Who is vertically attached according to the text?| A．Mike, who feels at ease with his teachers. |
| B．Maggie, who enjoys film time alone at weekends. |
| C．Tom, who feels burnt out after a family get-together. |
| D．Lisa, who often turns to her dad when things are hard. |
| A．Younger generations should be self-disciplined. |
| B．Being sociable is a desired quality for their children. |
| C．Their children need more friends than they themselves do. |
| D．Different generations should have different circles of acquaintances. |
| A．Be that as it may, just leave it as it is. |
| B．Never underestimate your inner power. |
| C．Hang out more with friends and adjust to it. |
| D．Treat others the way you want to be treated. |
| A．Biased. | B．Objective. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Critical. |
2 . How would you feel if you were invited to the moon? If you found a gold coin, would you save it, give it to charity or use it for a holiday? Personality quizzes of this kind, known as “psychometrics”, have bothered many job seekers. Now, it is being applied to the oldest problem in finance: will a borrower repay?
In rich countries, lenders use credit scores to weigh risk. But just 7% of Africans and 13% of South Asians are covered by credit bureaus (征信机构). Bailey Klinger of the Entrepreneurial Finance Lab (EFL), which explores new kinds of credit data, argues that psychometrics could include many more people in the financial system. Everyone has a personality, after all.
Judging character is not new. Psychometrics attempts to make it a science. The model developed by EFL has undergone many tests and adapted to different cultures. Its collected data reflect something unnoticed. For instance, young optimists are risky, but old ones are safe.
Clever design cuts cheating. There are no obvious right answers; responses are cross-checked for consistency. The model monitors mouse movements for signs of indecision or distraction. When borrowers lie to get a loan, they often do so in predictable ways. In an EFL test, people are shown pictures of five drinks and asked which one they would be. Choosing water over something with small bubbles may be a sign of cheating.
This sounds fanciful, but there is evidence that it works. In one Indonesian bank, combining psychometrics with existing customer data cut default (违约) rates for small businesses by 45%. A study by the World Bank found that EFL’s model increased lending to those without a credit history.
The technique needs further development. At present, turning to credit bureaus is still the best way to tell if somebody will repay a loan. But bureaus improve more slowly than technology. Lenders will find ever more ways to look into their customers’ souls.
1. What are the figures intended to show in paragraph 2?| A．Uncertain property of poor people. | B．Racial discrimination from lenders. |
| C．Current weakness of credit bureaus. | D．Great risks brought by credit scores. |
| A．Its data confirm some ideas. | B．It has been greatly improved. |
| C．Its effects vary with cultures. | D．It can’t tell characters exactly. |
| A．Lenders’ answers. | B．Drinks with bubbles. |
| C．Borrowers’ responses. | D．Pictures of five drinks. |
| A．It is beyond the expectation | B．It will replace credit bureaus. |
| C．It will be mature in the future. | D．It has won most lenders’ love. |
3 . “REMOVE from friends.”
This is no ordinary button. One click, and I have the power to erase a person from my life.
In late fall, I had around 400 friends on Facebook. Today, I have 134. Click. Make that 133.
When Facebook first entered my life in 2005, I panicked that my friend count was too low. If I wasn’t properly connected, how would anyone see my clever quote? Who would wish me a happy birthday? I accepted and sent out friend requests without a second thought and soon accumulated 391 friends.
There is an appeal to being able to communicate 24/7 with someone or just “thumbs (拇指) up” a photo rather than make real conversation.
“It’s comforting and it’s easy,” said Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University, who studies the way people communicate online. “There’s a sense of belonging in it. It’s a sense of community in a generation where community has sort of disappeared.”
However, I don’t talk to half of these people in the online community. Click. 132. Sound easy? You try it.
Look at who you’re dealing with: family, friends, classmates… With every click of the “Remove from friends” button, you risk burning a bridge, losing a contact and missing an opportunity. So every time I go to click the button, my heart hurts.
The New Oxford American Dictionary announces its “Word of the Year” each year, and last year, “unfriend” made the cut (入围) (though I’ll still stick with “defriend”).
When I started my mission (任务), a few friends joined.
“Oh my God, I defriended like 600 people today. I feel so good!” my friend Sarah messaged.
Dana, a close friend from high school, and I battled it out to see who could get our counts lower. She wins at 123.
To some, it’s poor “netiquette (网络礼仪)” to defriend. But to me, it’s the stage of life when we hold onto the people who count, the people who impact you.
1. According to the article, what happens when you click the “Remove from friends” button?| A．You send out a friend request to people. |
| B．You accept someone as your online friend. |
| C．A message is sent out to your online friends. |
| D．The number of your online friends is reduced. |
| A．It was the first time she had used Facebook. |
| B．She had only 391 online friends at that time. |
| C．She was afraid of making connections with others. |
| D．She had just a few friends to communicate online. |
| A．Impoliteness. | B．A sense of belonging. |
| C．A battle with her friend. | D．Keeping those who matter more. |
| A．No ordinary button | B．Losing friends can be fun |
| C．A Friend in need is a friend indeed | D．Facebook, a special online community |
1. 人际关系方面的一些建议；
2. 合理的开头结尾。
注意：词数100左右，可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。抬头和落款已为你写好。
人际关系：interpersonal relationship 人际交往：interpersonal communication
Dear Will,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes,
Li Hua
1. 你对家庭的理解；
2. 如何维持和谐的家庭关系。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 开头和结尾已为你写好。
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . If you feel that making friends as a kid is easy, you’re right. “They have a break between lessons and gym classes. They can let their guard down,” says Marisa G. Franco, a sought-after friendship & belonging expert. However, it’s not the case for adults. Even though they see their colleagues every day, they still find it never easy to be friends with them.
In the US, for example, a 2021 survey by the American Enterprise Institute, found that the number of adults who said they had no close friends had increased four times since 1990, going from 3 percent to 12 percent. “We’ve never been more disconnected,” says psychologist and author Jody Carrington. Although adults spend time together from 9: 00 am to 6: 00 pm and even late into the night, the fast paced work pattern dictates that communication is limited to the content of the work, and after work, they immediately go back to homes, leaving no extra energy to have unplanned interactions to develop further friendship.
Research by Brigham Young University psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad has shown that loneliness is a major threat to longevity (长寿), same as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being an alcoholic. People who are lonely or socially cut off have a higher risk of having diseases like depression, dementia and cardiac death. On the another side, healthy friendships can help us a lot, doing better with stress and living happier and longer. Plus, happiness is contagious. Harvard researchers found that when an individual becomes happy, his or her friends who live in a 1.6-kilometre radius have a 25 percent higher chance of getting a boost in happiness, too.
Hence, making and deepening friendships matters more than we imagine. You might think making friends is an inherent skill that doesn’t need to be taught. It’s not the case. We can all get better at connection if we try. Some experts offer some tricks to make finding connection a little easier.
1. How does the author lead in the topic of the text?| A．By listing a lot of figures. |
| B．By drawing a conclusion. |
| C．By making a comparison. |
| D．By showing a conversation. |
| A．Lack of breaks in the workplace. |
| B．Worry about being deeply hurt. |
| C．Unwillingness to communicate. |
| D．Lack of unplanned interactions. |
| A．The necessity of staying connected. |
| B．The approach to leading a happy life. |
| C．The consequences of getting into bad habits. |
| D．The relationship between happiness and habits. |
| A．Unrealistic. | B．Influential. | C．Flexible. | D．Unique. |
7 . Boundaries are personal guidelines that define what is and isn’t okay in your interpersonal relationships. As everyone has different needs and comfort levels, they may appear different for each person. Having healthy boundaries may provide such benefits as avoiding burnout, boosting self-esteem and maintaining personal space.
Once you have identified your boundaries, it is important to communicate them effectively.
When learning how to set healthy boundaries, it is essential to learn how to say “no”. Saying “yes” to everything can lead to stress, burnout, and frustration. It is important to understand what you consider acceptable and unacceptable, setting limits that reflect those standards.
| A．Honesty and respect play an essential key role in the process. |
| B．Initially, you are supposed to identify your personal boundaries. |
| C．When you feel that someone has crossed your boundaries, remind them. |
| D．Therefore, setting healthy boundaries is of vital importance in social activities. |
| E．Keep saying “no” to things you disapprove of helps to understand yourself better. |
| F．This contributes to finding possible solutions to issues regarding boundary-setting. |
| G．Pick up the conversation unless there appears another argument needed to be settled. |
Every family member has a role to play. Parents and other adults are responsible for ensuring that the basic needs of the family
Not all responsibilities in the family fall on parents and other adults. Children have special jobs, too. In many
9 . Teamwork is important in any workplace, and effective teamwork is the key to productivity. What improves teamwork and makes a team successful? Read the tips below to find out.
Appoint a strong leader
A team has no direction without a leader.
Clarify all responsibilities
From the moment the team is formed, particular attention must be paid to assigning direct responsibilities to each member.
Each team will comprise a range of people from diverse backgrounds. It is important to set common goals the team is working towards so that the focus always remains on the finished product. Each team member must understand that personal goals must be set aside and team goals must remain the focus.
Encourage open communication
Encouraging team members to be forthcoming about their ideas is important for the success of the team.
| A．Set common goals |
| B．Be willing to help others |
| C．As the well-known saying goes, “There is no I in team” |
| D．If these are set from the beginning, there will be no issues of authority |
| E．It is vital that this person is capable and efficient at giving out tasks |
| F．When team members feel that they can contribute ideas, there is more creativity and innovation |
| G．This may mean contributing to tasks that are perhaps below your level, but the overall goal must be kept in mind |
10 . Having good working relationships with your coworkers is important. Unfortunately, some coworkers can be rude, or unprofessional. It’s easy to get stressed and struggle with productivity when you’re suffering a bad work relationship.
One easiest way to avoid trouble is simply to avoid them when you can. Stay away from difficult coworkers if you don’t have to work with them directly. Limit your interactions.
Fight a coworker’s negativity with your own optimistic perspective. Does your coworker seem to complain constantly?
Understanding and empathizing with them makes it easier to get along. As you learn about your coworker, you’ll also gain insight into why they behave the way they do.
| A．If so, build a positive attitude in response. |
| B．Try developing a few coping methods to help you. |
| C．Thankfully, there are ways to improve the situation. |
| D．Then you’ll reduce the amount of frustration you feel. |
| E．They might be overworked, or going through a rough time. |
| F．Get to know your coworker so you can understand why they act that way. |
| G．Letting bad behavior slide right off your shoulders is often the easiest way. |
