1 . Boundaries are personal guidelines that define what is and isn’t okay in your interpersonal relationships. As everyone has different needs and comfort levels, they may appear different for each person. Having healthy boundaries may provide such benefits as avoiding burnout, boosting self-esteem and maintaining personal space.     1     After setting your boundaries, it’s helpful to review them on a regular basis to remain relevant to your life circumstances.

    2     The way you set them reflects your attitude to taking responsibility in life. Taking the time to think about your wants and needs in different situations will help you understand how your values influence boundary-setting. Once you have made the list of your values, needs, and wants, use that knowledge to establish clear boundaries that respect yourself and those around you.

Once you have identified your boundaries, it is important to communicate them effectively.     3     Express your ideas in an open and straightforward manner; speak up for yourself so that others can hear, understand and respect your needs. Additionally, take a step back if tensions arise during a conversation about setting boundaries. Allow yourself or the other person to cool down before restarting the conversation.     4    

When learning how to set healthy boundaries, it is essential to learn how to say “no”. Saying “yes” to everything can lead to stress, burnout, and frustration. It is important to understand what you consider acceptable and unacceptable, setting limits that reflect those standards.     5     If the situation persists, remove yourself from it respectfully. You deserve more than surrounding yourself with people who don’t value your values.

A．Honesty and respect play an essential key role in the process.

B．Initially, you are supposed to identify your personal boundaries.

C．When you feel that someone has crossed your boundaries, remind them.

D．Therefore, setting healthy boundaries is of vital importance in social activities.

E．Keep saying “no” to things you disapprove of helps to understand yourself better.

F．This contributes to finding possible solutions to issues regarding boundary-setting.

G．Pick up the conversation unless there appears another argument needed to be settled.

2 . We all remember our first days of high-school, college, our first job. We all remember the feelings of butterflies in our stomachs when we took our ________ steps into those positions, the feeling that we were unqualified for what we were doing, that we didn’t ________.

What if my coworkers don’t like me? What if I mess everything up? These are the ________ that run through your mind during those first few days as you tiptoe your way around the workplace, being ________ that you don’t do anything that will get you noticed, with the ________ that when they notice you, you will mess up. But eventually you do get noticed, and you don’t mess up, and soon you develop a ________.

It has only been a week and you have already fallen into a rhythm. You walk into your workplace and ________ to the receptionist who now knows you by name, you get you morning coffee and ________ a conversation with a coworker who you’ve quickly developed a friendship with. Whereas before you looked around ________ for the sugar and cream, now the location is familiar and you ________ it immediately. You walk to your desk, take a sip of coffee, and look over your daily ________ that has become all too familiar to you.

You notice a new task that you haven’t encountered before, but you no longer feel ________ and fear of messing it up. You have ________ a week in this place without messing up, people have ________ you on how good of a job you’ve done, and you belong here. A ________ creeps over your face as you look forward to undertaking this new unproven challenge. The day begins and you fall into your rhythm.

1.

A．first

B．quick

C．big

D．light

2.

A．achieve

B．belong

C．finish

D．find

3.

A．opinions

B．memories

C．excuses

D．thoughts

4.

A．brave

B．careful

C．determined

D．patient

5.

A．despair

B．desire

C．fear

D．promise

6.

A．career

B．relationship

C．habit

D．rhythm

7.

A．say hello

B．make an apology

C．wave goodbye

D．tell a story

8.

A．end in

B．give up

C．strike up

D．cut in

9.

A．confusedly

B．curiously

C．impatiently

D．hurriedly

10.

A．take in

B．search for

C．think of

D．reach for

11.

A．work

B．report

C．schedule

D．routine

12.

A．pleasure

B．respect

C．uncertainty

D．loneliness

13.

A．survived

B．planned

C．surprised

D．regretted

14.

A．advised

B．congratulated

C．lectured

D．questioned

15.

A．wrinkle

B．smile

C．frown

D．sorrow

3 . Your neighbors are probably the first line of defense in case of any problematic situation.     1     It gives you an assurance that you have people close by looking out for you. Here are easily applicable tips on creating stronger neighbor relationships.

The first step is introducing yourself when you move to a new neighborhood or when a newcomer moves in. Leave them a note under their door to introduce yourself.     2     It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune and opting for a potted plant or baked biscuits will do. These actions present excellent opportunities to connect with them.

Be respectful of your neighbors. It’s in poor taste to have regular insensitive parties at your place causing disturbances. Before your party, it’s good practice to notify your neighbors. Besides, avoid chatting them up for hours on end, which may be inconvenient, especially if you don’t know their schedules.     3     When you borrow anything, return it in due time. If you accidentally break their things, replace them without being asked to.

    4     You could offer to babysit your neighbors’ kids, help with snow removals or even keep an eye on their home when they’re away. Such acts of reaching out to your neighbors make for stronger relationships.

As Emma Seppälä put it, “social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop (圈) of social, emotional and physical well-being.” It feels so easy to just stay home without having to engage with your neighbors but connecting with them is worth the effort.     5    

A．Remember every small gesture counts.

B．A crisis is a test of communication skills.

C．It can actually boost your mood in the long run.

D．Slipping it in their mailbox further solidifies friendship.

E．It’s essential to ensure you maintain decent relationships with them.

F．Alternatively, you can give them a gift while making yourself known to them.

G．Only by establishing healthy boundaries will you achieve peaceful coexistence.

4 . One of the essential aspects of becoming successful is the person’s charismatic personality.    1    . Though many skills can make your personality charismatic, we’ve got some of the essential skills that are required to become a charismatic person, a person who represents friendly and influencing skills.

1.     2    

Having high confidence helps you to cross many barriers while communicating with different types of people every day. Confidence helps people to communicate smoothly and provide accurate and reliable solutions to all the key problems. A charismatic person shows a high level of confidence while communicating. These people create a positive environment round themselves.

2.Charismatic people have excellent leadership skills.

Charismatic people are the best leaders in the field. They know how to motivate people so that production can increase quickly. They know how to deal with people and solve conflicts without affecting the performance of the organization.    3    .

3.Charismatic people have excellent influencing and persuasion skills.

They can influence people to get what they want. They change and encourage other people to do those things that seem impossible.    4    . It helps them to gain respect, care and trust of other people though they can use this trait for both cases—good or bad.

4.Charismatic people listen to others patiently and show their interest in others.

Charismatic people pay attention to what others say, and they seem interested in them. They ask questions to understand the points, views, and opinions more clearly. They keep all the details of their previous conversations carefully in mind.    5    .

A．Charismatic people have supreme confidence

B．This quality of them helps to gain trust from others

C．Charismatic people are good at building relationships with people

D．Charismatic people can influence people to go for hardworking jobs

E．Their communication skills are so excellent that they know how to lead people in the right direction

F．Charismatic personality makes you more attractive, charming, and likeable

G．They think carefully about if what they want to say can be easily accepted by others

5 . While some gossip can be annoying and unprofessional, other types of gossiping can be fun, normal, even healthy and productive. Experts say that talking about others behind their backs doesn’t have to be a guilty office pastime — it can be a useful tool to direct the workplace and learn important information. “I think, generally, gossip is a good thing,” says Elena Martinescu, a research associate who’s studied the psychology of gossiping. “According to evolutionary theory, humans have developed gossip in order to form cooperation on a group.”

By talking about other people, we can learn whom to cooperate with and whom to stay away from, something that helps a group work better together. “This fixed behavior translates to the modern workplace.” she says, “It is equally important to be aware of which colleagues one can trust and who one should be careful with.”

“Gossip confirms the value of our emotions and can help us figure out where other people stand on things,” she says, “and gossip can help us make sure if we’re perceiving the world in the same way as other colleagues and coworkers receive it.” It is really about information gathering. So, if someone at work says something like Ralph has been taking a lot of sick leave recently,” it could open the door for others to share their judgments and evaluations that maybe Ralph’s frequent sick leave could account for his poor job performance, for example. It can help you calculate how much sick leave is regarded as “appropriate” among your colleagues as well as who is empathetic or mean towards Ralph.

Sometimes, though, gossiping is just random talks about people or structures you dislike. Maybe it’s tyrannous boss, or the team that work slowly. Yet this gossip can still provide a network of observations and warnings that provide an informal instruction of support outside traditional workplace channels like HR.

1. What is Elena Martinescu’s attitude towards gossip?

A．Indifferent.

B．Negative.

C．Doubtful.

D．Supportive.

2. What can be learned from the example of Ralph’s frequent sick leave?

A．Whom Ralph works well with.	B．How Ralph’s health condition is.
C．Who is kind or unfriendly to Ralph.	D．Whether sick leave is regarded as appropriate.

3. What does the underlined word “tyrannous” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Unkind.

B．Wealthy.

C．Helpful.

D．Generous.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．The Impact of Judging Workers Behind Their Backs.

B．The Surprising Benefits of Gossiping in the Workplace.

C．How Gossiping Helps You Win Trust in the Workplace.

D．Why Gossip is Always a Productive Tool in the Workplace.

6 . I am a psychologist. Kate, a former client who I had helped, got a promotion recently. She came into my_________. I expected our conversation would be about her success._________, Kate mentioned she had a simple but serious problem—-she wasn’t getting along well with another manager called Mary. The two didn’t _________each other from the beginning, and as time passed things weren’t getting any better. Kate told me that it was becoming painfully clear that her inability to get on with Mary was going to block her success, and _________ ruin her career at the company.

As Kate and I _________ the situation, she told me Mary was seen as a highly talented and well-liked manager. But Kate believed that they had different _________, and Mary made her _________. I suggested Kate revisit their shared work. It was then that Kate realized Mary’s teamwork was important for getting the business _________ they all wanted. In measuring the relationship more honestly, Kate realized she’d been failing to _________ with Mary in positive ways. She hadn’t made Mary feel her efforts were valuable, and had more or less been trying to __________ her.

So Kate decided to __________ herself. She thought about the cause of the situation and how she responded to it. She reminded herself, “I won’t get along with everyone but there is possible__________ in every interaction with others. I can and should learn from almost everyone I meet.” Later Kate and Mary’s relationship greatly __________. Now they communicate frequently in person and join in each other’s team meetings. Take an honest look at what’s __________ the tension. Maybe your __________ to the situation is at the center of the problem.

1.

A．garden

B．yard

C．office

D．school

2.

A．Therefore

B．Instead

C．Moreover

D．Besides

3.

A．know

B．attack

C．like

D．shock

4.

A．rarely

B．scarcely

C．hardly

D．possibly

5.

A．designed

B．explored

C．imagined

D．repeated

6.

A．names

B．firms

C．styles

D．titles

7.

A．pleasant

B．weak

C．special

D．unhappy

8.

A．results

B．plans

C．secrets

D．talks

9.

A．quarrel

B．play

C．communicate

D．compete

10.

A．avoid

B．meet

C．love

D．order

11.

A．persuade

B．change

C．believe

D．cheer

12.

A．meaning

B．luck

C．reason

D．value

13.

A．worked

B．failed

C．improved

D．returned

14.

A．reducing

B．causing

C．affecting

D．judging

15.

A．objection

B．devotion

C．contribution

D．reaction

7 . Most of us associate awe (敬畏) with something rare and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But people can waken awe too, and not just public heroes. Research shows that we can be awed by our nearest and dearest — the people sitting next to us on the couch, chatting on the other end of the phone, looking back at us over Zoom.     1    

Often, interpersonal awe is a response to life’s big, sweeping changes, such as witnessing a baby’s first steps.     2     John Bargh said he was “truly awestruck” — by his 5-year-old daughter while dining in a McDonald’s. When she heard another child crying, she grabbed the toy from her Happy Meal, walked over to the boy and handed it to him.

Though we can’t make someone else behave in a way that’s awesome, we can prepare ourselves to notice it when they do and boost the emotion’s positive effects.

Question your assumptions. Do you believe your partner is insensitive or your sibling is selfish? There may be a little truth to that, but it’s never the whole tale.     3     To increase your chances of feeling awed by the other person, ask yourself what’s going on in his or her life that you don’t know about.

Name awe when you see it. Speaking out “Wow, that was awesome!” is a simple way to help you identify and remember a special experience. Savor (品味) it in the moment and then tell others about it. This will reinforce your positive emotions.     4     Studies show that you will feel awe again simply by remembering an awe experience.

    5     This makes the other person feel good and can give your relationship a boost. And it will help you too: Studies show that people who practice gratitude have significantly higher levels of happiness and psychological well-being.

A．Thank the person who awed you.

B．And recall it or write about it later.

C．Psychologists call this interpersonal awe.

D．It’s easy to forget that it can be awesome too.

E．But interpersonal awe does happen in smaller moments.

F．Here’s why you should recognize those moments of interpersonal awe.

G．The story you tell yourself gets in the way of catching people at their best.

8 . Saying farewell to someone you love, even for a night, can be difficult, much less saying goodbye for a lifetime or forever in death. Juliet bid Romeo adieu (再见) for the evening with the words, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Sweet sorrow is an oxymoron. But this seeming contradiction is true in the context of relationships.

Relationships are based on feelings, emotions, and passion. Deep friendships and loving relationships are measured by the level of emotional attachment. Emotions intensify over time. People spend time with the people they like. The more one person likes another person, the closer the relationship becomes. Each person in the relationship receives an emotional benefit from knowing the other person.

Saying goodbye means separating from the people who make up a significant part of your emotional identity. Separation, even a temporary absence, from the people you have a deep emotional connection with can cause sorrow because you will no longer be able to enjoy their company.

The sweet side of saying goodbye is the emotional fulfillment of being in a close relationship. The time spent together is emotionally rewarding, especially if that person is seen as a soulmate. Humans are social beings. We seek the love and comfort of other people. Loneliness devastates the human condition and leads to sadness. Sad people will do anything they can to find fulfilling relationships. Likewise, happy people will do anything they can to maintain or enhance relationships. Herein lies the essential point of the emotional problem.

The more intense relationships become, the more devastating the emotional loss that is felt upon separation. The exhilaration of relationships cannot be truly measured without experiencing the overwhelming loss of a deep emotional connection.

Enjoy the company of the person you are with as long as you can; knowing the pain you will feel at the end of the relationship is the true measure of the relationship. If it doesn’t hurt to say goodbye, perhaps it wasn’t worth saying hello.

1. Which of the word group can create the same effect as “sweet sorrow”?

A．icy cold

B．clicking sound

C．deafening silence

D．endless speech

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．Saying goodbye is unavoidable in our daily life.

B．The companion of close friends can lessen sorrow.

C．A person’s identity is connected with relationship.

D．Separation is the sorrowful part of saying goodbye.

3. What gives a person emotional satisfaction in social life?

A．Making more communication with others.

B．Building deep emotional connections with others.

C．Comforting friends with love and intense feelings.

D．Being a thoughtful person by standing in others’ shoes.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Sweet sorrow is very common in close relationships.

B．The pain of separation is the measure of relationships.

C．Human beings are eager to get emotional fulfillment.

D．Happiness is meaningless without sadness to compare it.

9 . What do work relationships, personal relationships and diplomacy have in common? First, they best function when based on purely positive energy.

I developed a more remarkable ability to relate to the people in my life after taking multiple courses from an organization. The organization offers advice far more than anything I’ve ever experienced. As an example of the benefits of their teachings, my decade conflict with my mom has turned into loving relationship. This turnaround was critical since she is now in her late 70s. This renewed love was worth my investment in training or the organization. Had I continued down my former path, I believe my life today would be one of suffering.

They teach never to criticize, condemn, or complain. I have applied these principles to great success in all my relationships. And the rewards have been astounding, beyond my imagination. But in my role of management at work, I need to learn how to combine authority with positivity.

Recently, however, I found a solution. In other words, I discovered the secret to maintaining authority in the workplace while maintaining pure positivity. For the most part, I found it in Napoleon Hill’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. I found many of the same principles taught by the organization, but the guidelines were less optimistic in Hill’s book. For instance, Napoleon Hill’s advice on criticizing without offending suggests we start by mentioning the positives about the person and then follow up with criticism.

But, of course, the organization advises against all complaints and I’ve concluded that work relationships, too, shouldn’t have any criticisms. Instead, work relationships should focus on another of Napoleon Hill’s strategies: focusing only on the positives while using suggestions instead of criticism. In other words, say, “That looks great. Do you think this addition might make it even better?” instead of “Here’s what that is lacking.”

1. Why did the author take several courses from an organization?

A．To mainly learn management skills.

B．To enrich his technological knowledge.

C．To deal with relationships in a positive way.

D．To become more sociable as a successful diplomat.

2. What did the author think of the change of his relationship with his mother?

A．It did not come as a surprise.

B．It had little to do with the courses.

C．It was the result of his mother’s great efforts.

D．It was very important considering her old age.

3. What does the underlined word “astounding” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Satisfactory.

B．Unexpected.

C．Unsurprising.

D．Imaginary.

4. Why did the author give the example at the end of the text?

A．To show how powerful criticism is.

B．To suggest replacing complaints with criticism.

C．To show how to use suggestions instead of criticism.

D．To advise readers to combine suggestions with criticism.

10 . While everyone’s image of their dream home looks a little different, most people will agree that their ideal neighbourhood is filled with friendly faces. Getting to know your neighbours takes time and effort.     1    

Nick Tebbey, national executive officer of Relationships Australia, says spring is the perfect season to start getting to know your neighbours. “When the weather starts warming up we’re all spending more time outdoors.” It makes sense that the best way to get to know a neighbour is to first make sure they actually know you’re neighbours.     2    “ There are always opportunities to make a connection and they can be as small as a nod,a wave or a friendly good day,” says Tebbey.

To put yourself in the way of these opportunities, Tebbey suggests timing your outings to take place“when other people are out and about as well”. When it comes to actually introducing yourself to your neighbours, Tebbey notes it’s important to do what feels comfortable, whether that’s leaving a note on a building notice board or chatting to someone while you wait for the elevator.    3    

Once you’ve introduced yourself to a neighbor, you can start conversations.     4    “ If they’re gardening, ask what they’re planting–be interested in what people share.”Tebbey says. And once someone tells you their dog’s name or where they’re about to go on holiday, try your best to keep that in mind so you can continue the conversation next time you cross paths.

“It’s not about grand gestures or sharing everything about yourself with your neighbours.     5    ” Tebbey says.“ It’s small but meaningful interactions and taking interest in each other’s lives,but without any sense of expectation.”

A．In fact, it’s almost the opposite.

B．It doesn’t have to require a lot of effort.

C．It’s vital to ask questions and remember people’s answers.

D．However, it can potentially be easier than you may expect.

E．Should you start to feel uncomfortable, you could invite another.

F．And the easiest way to do that is with short, repeated interactions.

G．The less anxiety you feel, the more likely you are to commit to them.