1 . An amount of the best research on daily experience, according to some experts, is based on rates of positive and negative interactions, which has proved that being blindly positive or negative can cause others to be frustrated or annoyed or to simply tune out.
Over the last two decades, scientists have made remarkable predictions simply by watching people interact with one another and then scoring the conversations based on the rate of positive and negative interactions. Researchers have used the findings to predict everything from the likelihood that a couple will divorce to the chances of a work team with high customer satisfaction and productivity levels.
More recent research helps explain why these brief exchanges matter so much. When you experience negative emotions as a result of disapproval or rejection, for example, your body produces higher levels of the stress hormone, which shuts down much of your thinking and activates conflict and defense mechanisms. You assume that situations are worse than they actually are.
When you experience a positive interaction, it activates a very different response. Positive exchanges increase your body’s production of oxytocin, a feel-good thing that increases your ability to communicate with, cooperate with and trust others. But the effects of a positive occurrence are less dramatic and lasting than how they are for a negative one.
We need at least 3 to 5 positive interactions to outweigh one negative exchange. Bad moments simply outweigh good ones. Whether you’re having a conversation* keep this simple short cut in mind: At least 80 percent of your conversations should be focused on what’s going right.
Workplaces, for example, often see this. During performance reviews, managers routinely spend 80 percent of their time on weaknesses and “areas for improvement”. They spend roughly 20 percent of the time on strengths and positive aspects. Any time you have discussions with a person or group, spend the vast majority of the time talking about what is working, and use the remaining time to address weaknesses.
1. What does the underlined phrase “tune out” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Stop listening. | B．Change one’s mind. |
| C．Sing aloud. | D．Be crazy. |
| A．The situations are sure to become worse. |
| B．Much of our thinking will be prevented. |
| C．We will feel an urge to improve and become better. |
| D．We’ll be motivated to settle conflicts with people. |
| A．We need a positive feeling to beat one negative feeling. |
| B．Positive interactions have greater effects than negative ones. |
| C．Our conversation should center on what needs improvement. |
| D．The effect of negative feelings lasts longer than that of positive ones. |
| A．Harmful Negative Interactions |
| B．More Positive Interactions |
| C．How to Promote Workplace Productivity |
| D．Less Time on Strengths and Positive Aspects |
2 . One spring morning many years ago, I was on southeastern Alaska’s Kupreanof Island when I saw a huge wolf caught in a trap. From her appearance, I realized it was a mother wolf and that somewhere hungry pups (小崽) were waiting for her. I guessed she had been trapped only a few days. So her pups were probably still alive, hungry, surely no more than a few miles away. But I thought if I released the wolf, she would tear me to pieces.
So I decided to search for her pups instead. Following some footprints, I finally found four tiny pups. One by one, I placed them in a bag and headed back. When the mother wolf spotted me, she stood up, possibly picking up the smell of her young. I released the pups, and they raced to her.
What next? I wondered. The mother wolf was clearly suffering. Yet each time I moved in her direction, she let out a threatening sound.
I put up a shelter for myself and was soon asleep nearby. At dawn, I was awakened by the four pups sniffing at my face and hands. I glanced toward the anxious mother wolf. If I could only win her confidence, I thought. It was her only hope. Over the next few days, I fed her, talked gently with her and played with the pups. But the big animal never took her eyes off me. When I was beginning to lose hope, at dusk on the fifth day, I saw a wagging (摇摆) of her tail. I moved within the length of her chain. She remained still. My heart in my mouth, I slowly placed my hand on the wolf’s injured leg. “OK,” I said, “We’ll have you out of there.” I pressed and the trap sprang open, the wolf pulled free.
Slowly, she headed toward me. She smelled my hands and arms and then began licking (添) my fingers. I was astonished. This went against everything I’d ever heard about wolves. Yet, strangely, it all seemed so natural.
1. What did the writer do after he discovered the mother wolf?| A．He looked for the pups | B．He set up a trap. |
| C．He put the wolf in a bag | D．He frightened off the wolf. |
| A．To study the habit of the wolves. | B．To gain the trust of the mother wolf. |
| C．To witness the growth of the pups. | D．To experience the charm of the wild |
| A．Nervous. | B．Proud. |
| C．Relieved. | D．Hopeless. |
| A．creatures are born equal | B．having comes before giving |
| C．wagging wolves seldom bite | D．kindness deserves acceptance |
