1 . How would you feel if you were sharing a personal story and noticed that your friend wasn't really listening? You probably wouldn’t be too excited. Without active listening, people often feel unheard and unacknowledged.     1    

Listen without making judgements. Most people tend to judge others during conversations.     2     If you let your opinions come into play, they may ruin the conversation. However, if you enter a discussion with the goal of understanding someone else's opinion, they will want to have deeper discussions with you.

    3     Physically showing that you’re listening doesn’t come naturally for everybody. But if someone is ready to open up to you, and you sit back with your arms crossed without saying a word, they’re not going to say much. To encourage someone to keep talking, focus on the speaker by turning your head and body to face them and by making eye contact.

Ask questions. Asking questions is one of the best ways to show you're interested. If someone is telling you about their ski trip, don’t respond with “That’s nice.”     4     Instead, you can ask, “How long have you been skiing?” or “What was your favorite part of the trip?” The person will think highly of you because you have asked a few questions.

Think before responding. After the speaker has finished talking, a good listener may take some time before responding. Simply take a few seconds to think or say, “Give me a second to think about that.” Doing so either makes the speaker first feel you’re listening to what they’re saying.     5     In this way, it will make the speaker feel comfortable as they see you processing what they've said.

A．Use positive body language.

B．Pay attention to the speaker’s judgement

C．That would show a lack of interest and disrespect.

D．Give the speaker a chance to correct your understanding.

E．But judging isn’t helpful when you’re having a conversation.

F．Then they will know you want to be thoughtful in your response.

G．That’s why it’s important for everyone to learn how to be a better listener.

2 . At times you become friends in extraordinary situations with the most unexpected people. For many，the pandemic has led to new bonds of friendship being created.

Prema Malhotra, a resident of Ashok Vihar, has all plans set to celebrate Friendship Day. She says, “I started communicating with my neighbors over a game of Tambola and then we were playing it every day. Now, some of us even do video calls to entertain ourselves. Since we couldn't go out anywhere on Friendship Day, we played Antakshari, Tambola, while enjoying food and drinks from our own balconies.”

The pandemic has led to people becoming more social with their neighbors. “I am a final year student and due to my busy schedule, I never got the time to connect with people around me. Because of the pandemic, I have got to know a lot of my neighbors and I can so easily bond with them. I have made a new friend who lives next to my house and we're having close conversations. Initially, the conversations used to be about the pandemic and the increasing number of cases but gradually we started sharing thoughts about career goals and study,” says Harshiti Bharti, a resident of Shastri Nagar.

Echoing similar feelings, Ankita Singh, a resident of Malviya Nagar, says, “Due to my work schedule, I never had a chance to know many people in my building. After the lockdown was carried out, a WhatsApp group was created for communication. Through that group, we checked on the elderly people and their needs. I happened to connect personally with a few elderly people in my society and I felt really good. Singing songs and participating in various games led to the creation of new friendships during this time.”

The above examples indicate that from chatting and playing games from their balconies to providing necessities for the sick and needy while practicing self-isolation, neighbors have become new friends.

1. What did Harshiti Bharti talk about with his neighbor at first?

A．Their study.	B．Their career goals.
C．The pandemic situation.	D．The other neighbors around them.

2. What role did the WhatsApp group probably play during the pandemic?

A．Helping people in need.	B．Purchasing daily necessities.
C．Inviting elderly people to sing.	D．Instructing people in self-isolation.

3. The passage mainly wants to tell us that________.

A．people create a new way to celebrate Friendship Day.

B．strict lockdown is effective in dealing with the pandemic.

C．neighbors communicate to kill time during the pandemic.

D．the pandemic makes people create new bonds with neighbors.