2 . For nearly ten years, I have spent my Monday evenings attending rehearsals for my amateur choir (合唱队). Mondays are not my favourite day, and I often arrive in a bad mood but by the end of the rehearsal, I usually feel _________. The singing does me good. So do the people. With a few exceptions, I would not describe my fellow choir members as close friends. We exchange _________ chats, smiles and jokes - but that is enough for me to come away feeling a little better about the world.
There is no choir practice now, and won’t be for a long time. I miss it. In lockdown, I do not feel _________ emotional support, but I do miss the friendly faces and casual conversations. _________, I miss my “weak ties.”
In 1973, Mark Granovetter, a sociology professor at Stanford University, published a paper entitled “The Strength of Weak Ties.” Until then, scholars had assumed that an individual’s well-being depended mainly on the _________ of their relationships with their close friends and family. Granovetter showed that quantity mattered, too. He categorized a person’s _________ world as “strong ties” and “weak ties.” His central insight was that for new ideas, weak ties are more important to us than strong ones. As Granovetter pointed out, the people whom we often talk to usually turn to the same _________ of information as we do. We depend on acquaintances whom we _________ see to bring us news of opportunities.
This was the idea behind the Pixer building, the design of which was _________ by Steve Jobs, who was responsible for making sure that the Pixar building project runs safely and smoothly. The building has a large central hall through which employees from different departments have to pass several times a day. Jobs wanted colleagues to ______________ each other and shoot the breeze (闲聊). He believed in the power of these seemingly random conversations to ______________ creativity.
Encounters with weak ties can be good for our ______________, too. Gillian Sandstrom, a senior lecturer at the University of Essex, found that when a person had more casual interactions with weak ties - say, a local gardener, a neighbour, a member of yoga class — they experienced more happiness and a greater sense of ______________.
______________, we should continue to find ways to cultivate weak-tie relationships, during lockdown and beyond. Sandstrom adds that we can also ______________ more weak-tie-style interactions with our strong ties. The goal is to let others know that you are thinking of them without asking for a great deal of time, energy or attention.
1. A.amazed | B.tired | C.frustrated | D.energized |
2. A.honest | B.brief | C.impressive | D.unforgettable |
3. A.short of | B.tired of | C.satisfied with | D.interested in |
4. A.In short | B.In other words | C.On the contrary | D.After all |
5. A.quality | B.impact | C.variety | D.source |
6. A.inner | B.ideal | C.social | D.material |
7. A.pool | B.exchange | C.analysis | D.organization |
8. A.typically | B.constantly | C.specially | D.infrequently |
9. A.funded | B.proven | C.overseen | D.preferred |
10. A.learn from | B.come across | C.rely on | D.look after |
11. A.kill | B.reflect | C.fuel | D.convert |
12. A.mentality | B.intelligence | C.career | D.interactions |
13. A.superiority | B.responsibility | C.accomplishment | D.belonging |
14. A.However | B.Therefore | C.Somehow | D.Besides |
15. A.engage in | B.believe in | C.reflect on | D.set aside |