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 we all have compromised conversational intelligence. 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 casual 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(互动) 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 phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?| A．Addiction to smartphones. |
| B．Inappropriate behaviours in public places. |
| C．Absence of communication between strangers. |
| D．Impatience with slow service. |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Relating to other people. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Making business deals. |
| A．It improves family relationships. | B．It raises people’s confidence. |
| C．It matters as much as a formal talk. | D．It makes people feel good. |
| A．Conversation Counts | B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Benefits of Small Talk | D．Uncomfortable Silence |
2 . Museums are centers filled with information designed to enlighten and educate the curious mind. Especially for children, museums introduce them to unknown worlds, inspire their imagination and provide them with valuable learning experiences. It's generally believed that museums only help fuel academic education.
Museums offer children bigger connections and references to history than a traditional class. They play a huge role in impacting their historical knowledge and the innovation taking place before their eyes.
Museums are well enough equipped to awaken curiosity in young minds, which in turn will lead to these children asking questions.
Museums have the ability to leave its visitors in awe of the huge amount of information it holds. They provide inspiration to young children via its resources that leave them fascinated about the night sky and the solar system, the skeletons that keep them thinking about life before them, the artworks that arouse the creative mind, etc.
| A．Parents themselves don't have to be history lovers. |
| B．Some of these questions may have immediate answers. |
| C．All in all, museums encourage children to dream and wonder. |
| D．But in fact, they provide knowledge regarding all walks of life. |
| E．Museums are a collection of resources that promote informal education. |
| F．Museums are packed with exhibits that aid developing critical thinking skills. |
| G．To connect with the innovations, it is important that they understand where it all began. |
3 . Helen Keller, American blind writer, said: if I were given three days to see, I would not want to see too many wonderful things.
National Eye Caring Day in China is on June 6th, which came from 1996.
Most people are born with good eyesight. But look at the students in college, we can see over ninety percent of them are wearing glasses.
| A．It can do harm to our health and bring us trouble. |
| B．At that time the doctors advised the government to name a day. |
| C．Because when the darkness came, I would miss them too much. |
| D．So it is important to let the public know the ways to protect eyes. |
| E．What's more, a balanced diet is necessary to keep our eyes healthy. |
| F．Parents have the responsibility to supervise kids to protect their eyes. |
| G．The young generation often watch the electronic products for a long time. |
4 . As we know, mental health is in a worse situation among young people globally.
The average daily screen time for 8-to-18-year-olds was 7.5 hours in the U. S. ten years ago. As the study states, “This greatly goes above guidelines of 2 hours per day.” Now the condition is worse by the fact that so many schools are using technology to teach classes. Indeed some screen time can promote connections and enable tasks to be done more efficiently.
The study authors suggest that green time could act as a cure for screen time, essentially balancing its negative effects.
| A．Teenagers urgently need more green time. |
| B．Screen-based technology makes kids less attentive. |
| C．The frequency of depression and anxiety is increasing. |
| D．There are many more ways, nevertheless , in which it is harmful. |
| E．It suggests more outdoor projects like building parks could be fundamental. |
| F．Paying constant directed attention to screens can raise directed attention tiredness. |
| G．This study highlights that nature may currently be a potential public health resource. |
5 . Rich and Famous
Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today’s situation is quite different.
According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame.
In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living—they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months.
While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals.
| A．In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture. |
| B．People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved. |
| C．Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life. |
| D．The younger generation don’t favor these professions any more. |
| E．Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people’s life. |
| F．The reason is that they don’t realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous. |
| G．This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people. |
6 . By now, we are all aware that social media has had a tremendous influence on our culture, in business, on the world-at-large. Social media websites revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the Web. However, aside from seeing your friend’s new baby on Facebook, or reading about Justin Bieber’s latest conflict with the law on Twitter, what are some of the real influences?
Social networks offer the opportunity for people to re-connect with their old friends and acquaintances, make new friends, share ideas and pictures, and many other activities. Users can keep pace with the latest global and local developments, and participate in campaigns and activities of their choices. Professionals use social media sites like LinkedIn to enhance their career and business development. Students can work together with their peers to improve their academic and communication skills.
Unfortunately, there are a few downsides too to social networking. If you are not careful, immoral people can target you for cyber bullying and disturbance on social sites. School children, young girls, and women can fall victim to online attacks which can create tension and suffering. If you are a victim of cyber bullying, do not take it lying down, but try to take appropriate legal action against the attacker.
Many companies have blocked social networks as addicted employees can distract themselves on such sites, instead of focusing on work. In fact, studies show that British companies have lost billions of dollars per year in productivity because of social media addiction among employees.
Also, what you carelessly post on the Internet can come back to trouble you. Revealing (泄露) personal information on social sites can make users vulnerable (易受伤害的) to crimes like identity theft, stalking, etc. Many companies perform a background check on the Internet before hiring an employee. If a potential employee has posted something embarrassing on social media, it can greatly affect their chances of getting the job. The same holds true for our relationships too, as our loved ones and friends may get to know if we post something undesirable on social networks.
Social media has its advantages and drawbacks as each coin has two sides. It is up to each user to use social sites wisely to enhance their professional and social life, and exercise caution to ensure they do not fall victim to online dangers.
1. Paragraph 2 mainly shows that social networks ________.| A．help students finish their homework | B．offer professionals good chances |
| C．benefit users in various ways | D．guide users to make right choices |
| A．forbid the use of social networks during work time |
| B．avoid posting embarrassing information |
| C．refuse to hire potential addicted employees |
| D．take legal action against the attackers |
| A．share experiences in using social media | B．remind people to wisely use social media |
| C．provide some advice on social problems | D．raise public awareness of social problems |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
Kentucky Fried Chicken has launched a new themed branch in honor of Lei Feng, a legendary soldier
The restaurant opened on Sunday, two days before the
The restaurant will organize series of activities and also cooperate with the local Lei Fen Memorial Hall to
He Min, general manager of KFC in Hunan province, told voc. com. en that in addition to the themed restaurant, they will also launch a project devoted to Lei’s virtues in 250 outlets(门店)across the province, including
8 . In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that our appetite and food intake are influenced by a large number of factors besides our biological need for energy, including our eating environment and our perception (感知) of the food in front of us.
Studies have shown, for instance, that eating in front of the TV or a similar distraction(分心) can increase both hunger and the amount of food consumed. Even simple visual cues, like plate size and lighting, have been shown to affect portion size and consumption.
A new study suggested that our short-term memory also may play a role in appetite. Several hours after a meal, people’s hunger levels were predicted not by how much they’d eaten but rather by how much food they’d seen in front of them—in other words, how much they remembered eating.
This difference suggests the memory of our previous meal may have a bigger influence on our appetite than the actual size of the meal, says Jeffrey M. Brunstrom, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol.
“Hunger isn’t controlled solely by the physical characteristics of a recent meal. We have identified an independent role for memory for that meal,” Brunstrom says. “This shows that the relationship between hunger and food intake is more complex than we thought.”
These findings echo earlier research that suggests our perception of food can sometimes trick our body’s response to the food itself. In a 2011 study, for instance, people who drank the same 380-calorie milkshake on two separate occasions produced different levels of hunger-related hormones (荷尔蒙), depending on whether the shake’s label said it contained 620 or 140 calories. Moreover, the participants reported feeling more full when they thought they’d consumed a higher-calorie shake.
What does this mean for our eating habits? Although it hardly seems practical to trick ourselves into eating less, the new findings do highlight the benefits of focusing on our food and avoiding TV and multitasking while eating.
The so-called mindful-eating strategies can fight distractions and help us control our appetite, Brunstrom says.
1. What is said to be a factor affecting our appetite and food intake?| A．How we feel the food we eat. | B．What elements the food contains. |
| C．When we eat our meals. | D．How fast we eat our meals. |
| A．Food labels may mislead consumers in their purchases. |
| B．Food labels may influence our body’s response to food. |
| C．Hunger levels depend on one’s consumption of calories. |
| D．People tend to take in a lot more calories than necessary. |
| A．Trick ourselves into eating less. | B．Choose food with fewer calories. |
| C．Concentrate on food while eating. | D．Pick dishes of the right size. |
| A．Eating distractions often affect our food digestion. |
| B．Psychological factors influence our hunger levels. |
| C．Our food intake is determined by our biological needs. |
| D．Good eating habits will contribute to our health. |
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I am the shared bike. I’d like to be on the street to serve for people. They can ride me just via a mobile app. But horrible things happen a few days ago. Several people stole some of us with paying their bills on the app but treated us badly. They broke my saddle and even threw my friends everywhere. We felt angry for which those bad guys had done. Thanks to some kindly people, we received careful “treatment”. Now, you help as well as the whole society’s attention is what we need most. We are designed to help people who are stuck the heavy traffic. We are neither toy nor private vehicles. Please obey the basic rules.
Technology has started to take over the world. It may seem like a huge advancement to society, but large setbacks come equally.
We now live in an age of social media. We have never been as
While some may see social media’s positive effects
To understand technology, one must know
