1 . Behavioral scientists have found that good listening is one of the most important things we can do to improve our relationships.     1     At its core, listening in a one-on-one conversation is about taking an interest in another person and making him/her feel understood.    2     But some recurring (重复出现) features include attentiveness, conveying understanding, and showing a positive intention towards the speaker.

In addition to actively attending to a speaker’s words, good listeners also use questions and body language that indicate their understanding and their desire to understand. This might feel awkward at first, and what’s most effective might depend on your relationship with the speaker.    3     Another great way to show your understanding is by summarizing what you just heard and asking if you have missed anything. Summaries like this show the speaker that you’re truly trying to understand him/her rather than just waiting for your turn to talk. But while a good conversation requires back and forth, planning out your response while the speaker is talking is a common way to miss what’s being said.    4     This might feel embarrassing, but asking for clarification actually shows that you’re committed to understanding.

    5     It’s okay to ask for a moment to formulate your response and taking a beat to think can help speakers reflect on their speech as well.

These might seem like small changes, but together they make a big difference. And when people feel heard, they report more satisfaction, trust, and connection in their relationships.

A．Finally, don’t be afraid of silence.

B．So, what can we do to become better listeners?

C．It’s possible to know what truly excellent listening looks like.

D．But with time and practice, you can internalize these basic behaviors

E．There’s no universally agreed-upon definition of high-quality listening.

F．Researchers have found that smiling and nodding at set intervals doesn’t quite work.

G．So try to stay present and if you lose focus, don’t be shy about asking the speaker to repeat what you missed.

2 . PEER PRESSURE

Have you ever been forced to do anything? Have you ever felt that you are in a tight corner because of someone’s comment?     1     Peer pressure is the influence a social group has on him or her.

    2     We all want to be part of a group and feel like we belong to our community. Peer pressure can happen when we are influenced to do something that we would not usually do because we want to be accepted by our peers. Children and young adults feel social pressure to be in line with the peer group.

Peer pressure can influence how people dress, how they talk, what music they listen to, what attitudes they adopt and how they behave. Teenagers want to be liked, to fit in and to be accepted.     3     People who are low in confidence and unsure of themselves may be more likely to seek their peers’ approval by going along with risky suggestions or choosing the “wrong” path.

Students can do a lot to avoid peer pressure. The most important thing is to build up self-confidence, so that it is easier to say “no” to the peer group.     4     It’s a good idea for teens to surround themselves with positive role models—people who don’t make fun of them, but accept them and are confident themselves. It’s also important for young people to think about the consequences of their actions.     5     If they stop and think about the consequences, they might make a different decision.

A．Why does peer pressure happen?

B．Teens can talk to a grown-up they trust.

C．Students can do this by choosing their friends wisely.

D．If they give in to peer pressure, what could be the result?

E．This means peer pressure can be powerful and hard to resist.

F．We’ve all experienced the situations like that—peer pressure.

G．We need to recognize when it is positive and when it is negative.

3 . Romantic attachment is one of the best predictors of happiness that social scientists have identified. For example, my review of the General Social Survey finds that although 27 percent of married Americans said they were “very happy” with their lives, only 11 percent of those respondents who were never married, divorced, separated, or widowed answered this way. And research in the Journal of Research in Personality has shown that marriage can protect happiness in adulthood.

These findings may help explain the well-documented decline in American happiness, especially among young adults. The percentage of adults who are currently married has fallen from almost 70 in 1960 to about 50 today. The solution to the happiness deficit (赤字) — for the nation as well as among individuals — is simply to encourage more people to pair off. However, a closer look at the singles trend suggests that the problem is not a lack of available partners, but that young adults may unintentionally be avoiding romantic attachment.

Psychologists commonly measure the health of attachment through two dimensions: anxiety and avoidance the latter meaning a resistance to intimacy (亲密). To score lower on each dimension is better. An insecure bond can involve someone being anxious but not avoidant, avoidant but not anxious, or both, while secure attachment is on the other hand. Unfortunately, insecure attachment is becoming more and more common. Over the past two decades, successive groups of studied college students have shown an increasing likelihood of experiencing one of the insecure styles. One particular insecure style-avoidance-is associated with a greater preference for singlehood. That tells us that the underlying problem is chiefly one of greater avoidance.

The popularity of avoidant attachment is a more reasonable explanation for the increase in unhappiness among young adults than their simply being uncoupled. After all, we also know that singlehood can make some people happier, and that a bad romantic partnership is clearly worse than no relationship at all. But in contrast to that mixed picture, many studies show that avoidant attachment is associated with lower satisfaction with life.

So what is causing this mass romantic avoidance? Two psychologists provided clues in a paper published in 2022 that was based on surveys of university students in Cyprus, including what led them to prefer being single. Strongly predictive of singledom, the researchers found, was not only a preoccupation with work and career but also the wide spread of so-called Dark Triad(narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy). In other words, people may avoid romantic commitment if they are especially self-centered or work-focused.

1. What does the author think of the solution to happiness decline?

A．It hits the target.	B．It barks up the wrong tree.
C．It cuts to the chase.	D．It gets to the bottom.

2. What is secure attachment like according to the psychologists?

A．It is anxious but not intimate.	B．It is both intimate and anxious.
C．It is neither anxious nor avoidant.	D．It is neither anxious nor intimate.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The benefits of romantic partnership.

B．The popularity of insecure attachment.

C．The explanation for avoidant attachment.

D．The cause for declining happiness among young adults.

4. In the last paragraph, two psychologists found singledom was also probably associated with _____.

A．pressure of job hunting	B．level of education
C．different occupations	D．personal characteristics

5 . Acceptance, love, and respect are valued by all.     1     It is about making connections with others at work, in friendships, and by sharing interests. Simply feeling part of a group is healthy for mind and body, and for those around!

According to Forbes, love, belonging, and social connection are an important part of psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy (等级) of needs. A sense of belonging comes right after Maslow’s basic physiological and safety needs are met. This type of social connection is found in a group.     2     It can also be found in a couple, family members, or friends. This is because humans love to be loved. And without this sense of belonging, people may feel depressed, lonely, and socially anxious.

    3     A PLOS ONE study looking at both children and adults found that those who were part of multiple groups had higher personal self-esteem. This is because people get meaning from belonging and take pride in their group memberships.

It’s also essential to be genuine when joining a group. Being genuine signals openness and can help in building trust with others. Being open also brings out empathy, which can lead to a feeling of belonging.

Another tip is to embrace a group that shares a common purpose.     4     People will come, the sense of togetherness will be established, and the feeling of belonging will be developed. Belonging to a group often leads to long-lasting relationships with others.

Connection brings meaning to one’s life. Those who belong to a group feel like they are contributing to something larger and more important than themselves.     5    

A．If there is no such group, form one.

B．The key to belonging is via membership.

C．Creating these positive feelings is easier than one thinks.

D．These memberships can help people manage stress better.

E．Improving one’s sense of connection requires making an effort.

F．It can be large like religious organizations or social media groups.

G．So join a group or two to cultivate that amazing sense of belonging.

6 . 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.

7 . Social scientists have long understood that when people are smart and skilled, they’re likely to gain trust. To appear more capable — and therefore more trustworthy — many people tend to boast (吹嘘), according to another longstanding theory that researchers call impression management. But a new paper suggests that the common method people use to gain trust could have the opposite effect.

“If you consider yourself a highly capable individual, have a good education, are successful in life, then don’t talk too proudly about it when presenting yourself to others or managing impressions about what you can do,” said Martin Reimann, the paper’s lead author. “It can backfire, and people might become distrusting.”

“Since impression management is so widespread, we wondered how it impacts the well-known effect of ability on trust,” Reimann said.

To answer the question, the researchers designed seven online experiments concerning participants’ trust. In one experiment, for example, participants shopped for a TV in an online marketplace, similar to Amazon, with third-party vendors (销售商). Customer reviews with star ratings told participants how capable or competent vendors were, and each vendor’s ad either did or did not include a boastful statement of self-promotion.

Designing seven studies, Reimann said, allowed the researchers to reach more people and explore a range of variables that might affect someone’s willingness to trust. There were more than 106,000 participants across all seven studies.

The experiments showed that participants were more likely, unsurprisingly, to trust people or companies that appeared more capable. But every study also showed that highly capable people or companies were viewed as less trustworthy if they also boastfully promoted themselves.

“We see trust as a central concept that holds together society,” Reimann added. “If we don’t trust each other, then a lot of processes could come to a standstill. It’s important to understand what it is in the first place that leads people to trust each other, and how we can encourage that at different levels of society. That’s what we want to further uncover.”

1. According to the text, what do many people do by impression management?

A．Make themselves seem more important.	B．Remind others that boasting will lose trust.
C．Show what their impression of someone is.	D．Prove that they have become more capable.

2. Which of the following in the experiment was connected with boasting?

A．A TV.

B．Participants.

C．Vendors.

D．Customer reviews.

3. What will the researchers’ future study focus on?

A．The bad effects of boasting.	B．People’s views on boasting.
C．Promotion of trust among people.	D．Different levels of trust in society.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．People need to be able to trust each other.	B．Boasting could make people trust you less.
C．People’s trust depends on how honest you are.	D．Being good at your job helps you to gain trust.

8 . 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.

9 . I heard a story recently about a friend’s former boss. When employees would go into this person’s office to discuss something like a pay rise or promotion, the boss had a habit of greeting their request with silence. Quiet, tense seconds went slowly by, and they’d often leave, willing to take a pay cut or demotion (降职) — anything to end the terrible silence.

Embarrassing silences can be unbearable. In 2017, a study found that silence in a talk starts to be unbearable after about four seconds. There’s so much uncertainty in the air as those silent seconds went slowly by. Did I say something wrong? Does this person hate me? Am I going to get fired? But it’s worth remembering that if you don’t know what to say or do, there is always the choice to do nothing. Uncomfortable silences aren’t necessarily a bad thing, depending on how you use them.

For example, Katie Donovan is a supporter of the awkward-silence negotiating (谈判) technique. As she said, “The first step is to be silent or shut up!” If, for example, you are offered a starting salary of $40,000 when you know that the median salary for this position is $48,000, you can say something like this, “Thank you for the offer. I’m a little surprised about the salary, though. Based on my research I would have expected it to be in the $50,000 range.”

It’s a good start; there is no phrase more quietly deadly in the business world than “I’m a little surprised”. But it only works if you say this — and then say nothing. During this pause, Donovan explains, the hiring manager is likely to try to work out how serious you are and how much more to offer. “Remember,” Donovan writes, “the hiring manager most likely will increase the salary during the meeting.”

1. What would the employees often do when they met with the boss’s silence?

A．Keep silent.

B．Get angry.

C．Fight back.

D．Give in.

2. What does the author say about silence in Paragraph 2?

A．It is a basic part of communication.

B．It gives people time for themselves.

C．You don’t have to break it all the time.

D．The meaning of it varies among people.

3. What does the underlined word “median” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Average.	B．Highest.
C．Final.	D．Starting.

4. What should you do after saying “I’m a little surprised”?

A．Give up your request.	B．Keep silent for a while.
C．Avoid making eye contact.	D．Continue to give your reasons.

10 . Do you feel like an outsider, like you don’t belong anywhere or that you just don’t fit in? Here are some tips for you to deal with these feelings.

    1     Often it’s really only your own mind and emotions that tell you that you don’t fit in. Actually, you may fit in fine. Feeling like you don’t belong isn’t always a bad thing either. Remember, it’s the people that are unique in this world that make the biggest impact. You don’t want to change yourself just to fit in with a certain group of people.     2     They end up wanting to gain approval from others and end up losing themselves in the process.

Let go of past anger. We’re so angry at people that we can’t relate to anyone or only expect the worst from others. Once I figured out how to let go of my past, I became much more comfortable being me.     3     Maybe because I didn’t care as much what they thought of me but more likely just because I think people are more affected by the “aura” you give off.

Focus on your wants and desires. Instead of focusing on the problem that you don’t feel like you fit in, try turning it around. What do you want to explore, what goals do you have, or what do you want to learn?     4     There are so many incredible and inspiring things in this world to explore. Focus on the positive and the beauty of the world rather than getting caught up in a negative situation.

The key to handling the situation of “I feel like an outsider” is really all in how you react to that feeling.     5     As those who have gone through the same feelings show, there can definitely be an advantage to being unique. You truly are special and there is no one else quite like you. You just need to be willing to share the real you with the world.

A．Don’t be so hard on yourself.

B．Appreciate what makes you so unique.

C．That’s where a number of people go wrong.

D．Ask yourself these questions and then go and do it.

E．I found it was easier to get along with other people.

F．You have so much more to offer by being true to yourself.

G．You can beat yourself up over it or you can become stronger for it.