2 . It’s a great feeling when someone gives you a compliment (赞美), isn’t it?    1    When you compliment someone, he/she will become open and begin to talk with you. How do you give an appropriate compliment, though? It’s important to be sincere and specific about your praise.

When someone does an activity or a task particularly well, let him/her know about it by saying “You did a great job!”     2     For example, “That was a great presentation! I particularly liked the funny examples you used.”

    3    You can use “I like” or “I love” to start compliments, especially if someone wears a new coat or has a new haircut. For example, “I love your hair today” or “I like your skirt”.

When you’ve bought something new, it feels great when other people are excited about it. For example, if you take out your new mobile phone and a colleague says, “What a cool phone!”, it makes you feel like you made the right decision to buy it.

    4    

Compliment someone on their personalities and you'll make a new friend. For example, if you like how happy a coworker is, you can tell him/her, “You are always so happy. It makes my day better.”    5     If you like how organized another colleague is, tell him/her, “I really appreciate how organized you are. I would love to be as organized as you.”

A．It’s a useful way to start a conversation, too.

B．Everyone likes compliments about their appearance.

C．Be careful with compliments about appearance, though.

D．So, try giving someone a compliment and see their reaction.

E．Return the favor by complimenting others on nice things they own.

F．To make the compliment more meaningful, make it more specific.

G．Use compliments like this for any quality that you appreciate in a person.

4 . For 85 years, the Harvard Study of Adult Development has tracked an original group of 724 men and more than 1,300 of their male and female descendants (后代) over three generations, asking thousands of questions and taking hundreds of measurements to find out what really keeps people healthy and happy.

Through all the years of studying these lives, one crucial factor stands out for the consistency and power of its bond to physical health, mental health and longevity: good relationships.

In 2008, researchers telephoned the wives and husbands of Harvard Study couples in their 80s every night for eight nights. Researchers spoke to each partner separately and asked them a series of questions about their days.

On days when these men and women spent more time in the company of others, they were happier. Like most older people, those in the Harvard Study experienced day-to-day rises and falls in their levels of physical pain and health difficulties. But researchers found that the people who were in more satisfying relationships were cushioned (缓冲) somewhat from these ups and downs of mood—their happiness did not decline as much on the days when they had more pain. Simply put, their happy marriages seemed to have a protective effect.

Elizabeth Gillespie, a therapist of couples, stated that although most of us found that our experience of relationships might be hard, and at times, impossible, it is essential to our well-being.

Today we live in much more complicated environments, so meeting our social needs presents different challenges. We might be sitting on a gold mine of vitality that we are not paying attention to, because it is hidden by the shiny appeal of smartphones or pushed to the side by work demands.

1. What’s the purpose of the Harvard Study of Adult Development?

A．To study their lives over three generations.

B．To reveal the secret to health and well-being.

C．To track the descendants of an original group.

D．To study the relationship between health and happiness.

2. How did the researchers carry out the study?

A．By working with other researchers.

B．By tracking specific groups of people.

C．By helping participants with social difficulties.

D．By comparing the results from different people.

3. Why did the author mention the examples in Paragraph 4?

A．To provide evidence for the bond of health and longevity.

B．To introduce the concept of physical pain and health difficulties.

C．To show the negative impact of unhappy marriages on older people’s mood.

D．To support the positive impact of satisfying relationships on people’s lives.

4. According to Elizabeth Gillespie, what is essential to our well-being?

A．Having good social connections.

B．Declining pains and difficulties.

C．Overcoming ups and downs of mood.

D．Experiencing rises and falls of physical health.

5 . Apologizing for a mistake might seem difficult, but it will help you repair and improve your relationships with others after that offense (冒犯).

Acknowledge the offense. This is an essential element of a good apology.     1    Apologies are most likely to be well-received if you show that you recognize who was responsible and who was harmed. For example, saying “I made a mistake” is more effective than saying“mistakes were made”, which fails to clarify responsibility.

    2    In some cases, it’s helpful to explain an offense, especially to explain that it was not intentional and that it will not happen again. But explanations that are long-winded, sound like excuses, or blame the victim (e. g. You were really getting on my nerves.) tend to have an opposite effect.

Express regret.    3     Expressing these feelings communicates that you recognize and regret the suffering you caused. Be careful of phrases like “That was uncharacteristic of me.”     4     Instead, acknowledge your disappointment in yourself and your commitment to improve.

Tell them how you’ll change. Let them know how you’ll change and what you’d do to make that possible. For instance, if you’ve been late once again, instead of just apologizing, share how you’d keep an early alarm to be on time!     5    

A．Provide a proper explanation.

B．Express your intention clearly.

C．But many apologies don’t do this enough.

D．When you hurt someone, it’s natural to feel shame or regret.

E．A true apology is one where you promise it won’t be repeated again.

F．This might show that you aren’t taking full ownership for what happened.

G．This will enable you to know what means the most to the offended person.

8 . They caused the first wound, but you are causing the rest; this is what not forgiving does. They got it started but you keep it going. Forgive and let it go, or it will eat you alive. You think they made you feel this way, but when you don’t forgive, you are the one creating the pain on yourself.

Whatever you do — don’t wait to forgive someone until they apologize, ask for your forgiveness or even admit they have harmed you. If you are waiting for someone to admit they have hurt you, you could be waiting forever and it puts them in the power position, where you need something from them to move forward in your own life.

Forgiveness has nothing to do with how wrong someone else was; no matter how wrong they are, when you forgive a person, you break the ties with their ill deeds that keep you in pain. Forgiving breaks the unhealthy bonds between you and the one who hurt you, and redefines you as an independent victor in your own life. Whether they accept their responsibility or not, you are no longer dependent on their participation for your healing (治愈). You can forgive them, and you can then move on. Boundaries are an essential part of forgiveness.

It is easy to hold a grudge (记仇). It is easy to blame. But these experiences are a lasting role of a powerless victim (受害者). When you hold grudges the victimization continues.

It takes emotional bravery to forgive. It takes a huge determination toward self-care to let go of painful past events and not let them identify your future. There is no self-love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without self-love. Forgiving others may be the ultimate act of self-love. Through forgiveness you can protect yourself from suffering from the lapses made by others.

1. According to the author, if you don’t forgive, you’ll _____.

A．suffer further	B．keep your pride
C．become stronger	D．receive an apology

2. What does the author think of the degree of harm others do to you?

A．It counts a great deal.	B．It is tied to you firmly.
C．It is nothing important.	D．It decides whether you forgive.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word“lapses”in the last paragraph?

A．decisions	B．mistakes
C．contributions	D．apologies

4. What’s the purpose of the author in writing the text?

A．To advise us not to blame others.

B．To tell us it is difficult to forgive others.

C．To tell us the importance of forgiving others.

D．To advise us to learn to forgive others for self-love.

9 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The importance of good communication skills cannot be overstated. Communication is key to any relationship whether at work or in your personal life.     1     (equip) yourself with strong communication skills is one of the most valuable things     2     (conduct) by you, and can vastly enrich social interaction and open new social horizons. So, how do we improve our communication skills, ensuring that we speak to     3     world with clarity and confidence? Listening is the key.

Listening is really the single most important factor in becoming a clear and     4     (confidence) communicator. This is a key communication skill and something     5     so few of us are experts at. Actually listening to people’s words, their slight differences of intonation (语调)     6     hints of emotion, means you are much more likely to understand where they are coming from and what they     7     (try) to tell you.

On top of this, actively listening and engaging     8     (full) in the conversation is great for confidence and personal clarity. Firstly, good listeners     9     (respect) all the time; it is also an act of     10     (generous) towards the speaker. Secondly, you’ll feel in control: you’ll understand the conversation’s finer points, and knowing the finer points means you’ll be much more able to construct relevant responses and questions.