1 . When going shopping with a friend, Gail Heyman found herself quite awkward (令人尴尬的) when her friend asked her which dress she liked best. Her friend had a clear favorite — a dress that Heyman happened to dislike. “In that case, I lied and said that I like the same one,” said Heyman.

As Heyman’s experience shows, it might not matter all that much if you tell a white lie to make a friend feel good at times. But when it comes to the most meaningful relationships in your life, protecting a friend’s feelings at all costs can sometimes make them fail. For example, if a person is practicing for a job interview and it’s a few days before his interview, and he gives an answer that you think is not good at all and you don’t tell him because you don’t want to hurt his feelings, that’s really not very nice to him, right? Because he has an opportunity to fix that thing.

If you know that lies can have results, why do you still lie often? A study carried out by Tali Sharot, a professor at University College London, found that it’s because people just get used to it. One little lie can turn into bigger and bigger lies over time. “If you habituate emotionally, it will change your behavior,” says Sharot.

Sharot notes that if you’re worried about lying a bit too much, try and notice when you want to bend the truth (歪曲事实). She thinks it’s best to do so when you’re not actually responding to those triggers (诱因). Moving your attention away from shame and focusing more on your values can be a healthy way to start looking at this more actively.

1. How does the author start the text?

A．By raising a question.	B．By giving an example.
C．By expressing an opinion.	D．By comparing different views.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Be careful about lying.	B．It’s OK to tell a white lie.
C．Never should a person tell lies.	D．A meaningful relationship matters.

3. Why would people lie more according to the study?

A．They are used to lying.

B．They don’t behave well.

C．They lose track of others.

D．They don’t want to hurt others’ feelings.

4. What does Sharot advise us to do?

A．Try to bend the truth.

B．Change our behavior.

C．Say sorry to the one we lied to.

D．Concentrate more on our values.

2 . You may feel like you have a lot of casual friends or acquaintances (熟人) but no one is close. You’re not alone. Not having any close friends is surprisingly common, especially in your youth.     1    

You might feel nervous meeting new people. It’s totally natural for lots of us to feel that way.     2     So try to focus on the other person instead of yourself. The more you practice meeting new people and forming connections, the easier it will get.

You may push people away instead of getting close to them.     3     If you have a few friends but you wouldn’t necessarily consider them close ones, you might be holding yourself back a bit. There are lots of reasons why you might be doing this, either on purpose or subconsciously, so try to give yourself permission to let people see the real you.

You might not make enough time for them.     4     They can disappear if you accidentally forget about them. Everyone’s busy, so don’t worry too much if you forget for a week or two, but try your best to talk to your friends often. Even if you can’t hang out with them in person all the time, just sending them a text or calling them can be enough to keep up that relationship.

    5     When you make plans, stick to them, and let your friends trust you. Close friendships happen when people can have faith in each other, so you want to be the best friend that you can be. Do your best to stick to your words, and keep up with the plans that you make with your pals. Over time, you’ll grow closer because they know they can trust you.

A．You could be a little unreliable.

B．You might enter new phases of life.

C．Remember that they might be feeling shy, too.

D．There are many factors that may account for that.

E．Sometimes we hold people at arm’s length accidentally.

F．Good friendships will get much closer if you keep in contact.

G．Probably it will become a little easier for you to keep up with all of them.

3 . If you are struggling with social anxiety, and don’t know how to find good friends, you can use the following important ways to meet new people.

    1    

A bookstore is a great place to get to know people with a true sense of curiosity. Meeting new people in the bookstore is lovely because your conversations have depth. You can talk about the different stories you’ve read.     2    .

Go traveling

Traveling is one of the most adventurous ways to meet other people. People will be in a good mood, particularly when traveling for a vacation, which opens up chances to meet new people in a happy way.     3    , you explore different places, and create positive memories while meeting new people from different cultures. You’ll make new friends during this happy moment in your life.

Attend a music festival

If you love songs, attending a music festival is the perfect choice for you. In this way, you really can’t escape meeting new people since you’re surrounded by hundreds or even thousands of people in one place, enjoying the live music.     4    . There’s a big chance that the people you meet in this event are connections you’ll remember even after it ends. If the event is several days long, you might notice that you go out with those strangers for a couple of days. After the event, you might choose to stay in touch.

Take a course

There’s no better way of making new friends and meeting people than taking a course. You can take a course such as learning a skill.     5    , you gain knowledge and a skill, and you get to socialize with a new set of people.

A．Visit a museum

B．When you travel

C．Go to the bookstore

D．By taking a course you’re interested in

E．If you are fond of exploring the world

F．And you can share your ideas about reading and books, too

G．The excitement of music festivals can create lasting friendships

4 . An association between individuals working together in the same organization is called interpersonal relationship. An individual spends around seven to eight hours at his workplace and it is practically not possible for him to work all alone.     1     Research says productivity increases when individuals work in groups as compared to an individual working alone.

Employees must get along well for a healthy atmosphere at the workplace. Let us go through various ways of improving interpersonal relationships at workplace.

●     2     Discussions must be on an open platform where every individual has the liberty to express his/her views and opinions. Written mode of communication is one of the effective ways of communicating at the workplace. Ignoring any of your co-workers might hurt him and spoil your relationship with the individual concerned. Avoid hiding things from your fellow workers.

●Team leaders should conduct morning meetings with their team members.     3     The employees should be allowed to bring their coffee. Let them communicate with each other. Morning meetings go a long way in breaking the ice among employees and improving interpersonal relationships at workplace.

●     4     Let the employees bring their families as well. Ask your team members to exchange contact numbers among themselves for them to interact with each other even after work.

●Greet your colleagues on their birthdays or anniversaries.     5     Such small initiatives (提议) go a long way in strengthening the bond among fellow workers. Important festivals must be celebrated for employees to come closer to each other.

A．Avoid being jealous.

B．Do not make the meetings too formal.

C．Interact with your co-workers more often.

D．Send them a nice e-card and do ask for a treat.

E．Individuals can also communicate through emails.

F．Take your team out for lunch, picnics or get together once in a while.

G．He needs people to talk to and discuss various issues at the workplace.

5 . Every child faces friendship problems at some time, in some way, but generally speaking, there are three main problems that keep children from being part of a group.

    1    

Kids who do too little in social situations could be ignored by the other kids and may have a hard time making friends. They are usually too shy and just wait for other kids to come to them.     2    . Then they can make friends in any social groups. These tricks include how to greet people friendly and show their good will through small acts of kindness.

Doing too much

We see this problem in kids who are always ready to cut in a talk or a game.     3    . If they continue their annoying behavior after a kid asks them to stop, they are likely to be disliked by the group. Therefore, these children need to learn proper ways of stopping, such as saying “sorry”, or sitting on their hands and keeping their mouths shut.

    4    

Some kids have trouble making friends because they behave in ways that set them apart from the other kids in the social groups. For example, they may always try to be funny on purpose, or have strange interests and habits.

Every child is unique, but they have to learn to connect with other kids in natural ways.     5    .

A．Talking too much

B．Doing too little

C．Being too different

D．Kids make friends by doing fun things together

E．The other kids may find their actions annoying

F．They have to learn some simple ways to reach out

G．Then they can build friendships and enjoy being part of a group

6 . Mary uses a walking stick. Benjamin recently learned how to walk. Mary is 99. Benjamin is 2. The neighbors may seem like _________friends, but during the pandemic (疫情), they formed a unique _________at the fence between their houses in Minneapolis.

“Benjamin just turned 2 years old. We’ve been _________with Mary long before he was born,” Benjamin’s mom, Sarah Olson said. They didn’t see Mary much, _________last year when the COV1D-19 pandemic _________and the family had to stay home, Mary was someone they could _________—outside.

During the pandemic, the Olsons _________played in their yard, and Mary would be in hers. Benjamin would _________Mary when he saw her in the yard and they would play games. There's a 97-year _________gap, but Benjamin doesn’t see it.

“She’s just Mary, or ‘Mimi’,” Sarah said. “We’re inside and he’ll go, ‘Mimi? Mimi?’ and we'll go outside and ____________Mary. Then Mary will call out, ‘Hey Benjamin!’ How ____________a scene it is!”

For Mary, who was completely ____________during the pandemic, a friend was just what she needed. It seems Mary has ____________a childlike spirit with Benjamin, playing with bubbles and even water guns.

More than a year after they first started ____________together, Benjamin and Mary still ____________each other's company. Benjamin and Mary's friendship has ____________so many because people like to see relationships form so ____________for young people and elderly people. “We didn't have to work on it at all; it just ____________,” Sarah said.

“Friendship can be ____________in so many different ways. I’m really happy they’ve developed this friendship, ” she said. “It is such a rewarding ____________for both of them.”

1.

A．unfaithful

B．unlikely

C．close

D．special

2.

A．bond

B．habit

C．belief

D．impression

3.

A．strangers

B．friends

C．neighbors

D．relatives

4.

A．but

B．so

C．because

D．or

5.

A．continued

B．ended

C．hit

D．faded

6.

A．visit

B．see

C．recognize

D．invite

7.

A．seldom

B．often

C．once

D．never

8.

A．talk about

B．make room for

C．tend to

D．run over to

9.

A．age

B．culture

C．generation

D．knowledge

10.

A．look into

B．look through

C．look after

D．look for

11.

A．strange

B．familiar

C．sweet

D．awkward

12.

A．different

B．forgotten

C．independent

D．alone

13.

A．rediscovered

B．broken

C．understood

D．accepted

14.

A．chatting

B．playing

C．working

D．learning

15.

A．ignore

B．imagine

C．miss

D．enjoy

16.

A．amused

B．shocked

C．touched

D．puzzled

17.

A．naturally

B．quickly

C．obviously

D．normally

18.

A．remained

B．changed

C．mattered

D．happened

19.

A．established

B．spoiled

C．betrayed

D．improved

20.

A．coincidence

B．experience

C．practice

D．lesson