1 . You’ve heard it many times: first impressions are lasting. When an important first impression ends up with failure, this warning can feel like a death sentence.     1     It won’t be easy, but it is possible to cheer up after leaving a bad first impression. Or you can even turn it into a good one.

Firstly, there is no need to blame yourself. Actually, everyone makes mistakes, and, at some point in their life, everyone says or does something they wish they hadn’t.     2    

Honestly admitting the mistake and apologizing for it are the best choice. You can apologize in a formal language like, “I am sorry, but I didn’t mean to do that.”     3     Instead, you can send an email or a note.

What’s the most important is that you learn from your mistakes and avoid making them again. And make sure you won’t behave in a similar manner again.     4     Then it’s possible to make others trust you. After all, trust is the base of everything.

    5     Some sort of harmless self-deprecating (自我贬低的) humor will work. But make sure you don’t go too far in laughing at your shortcomings. It can make your impression even worse.

A．Don’t pretend you’re good friends.

B．The good news is that you can recover from a first impression failure.

C．Sometimes, it is difficult to apologize face to face.

D．Avoid trying to change what has been said.

E．Your action is the best evidence that you’re not the person you used to be.

F．If you focus too much on your mistakes, you may make the situation worse.

G．Besides, if you’re trying to recover from a bad first impression, then humor will be an important tool.

2 . 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.

3 . 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.

5 . 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

6 . It’s never easy to say “no”, especially when we’re asked by someone close to us, Maybe a friend is asking you for a favor, or a co-worker is asking you to cover their shift for the afternoon     1    . Don’t worry, We’ve put together some tips to help you politely refuse a request without feeling guilty or hurting anyone’s feelings in the process.

Be kind but forthright. Though you can always just say “no” on your own terms, you might find more success by padding your refusal with positivity.     2    . There’s no need to hide the real reason why you’re saying “no”, as long as you can express it in a polite manner. People will appreciate it if you tell them kindly and quickly why you can’t accommodate them.

    3    . It’s important to set boundaries (界限) with co workers and close friends alike. People shouldn’t expect they can take advantage of you or you’ll drop everything for them at the last minute. Aim for relationships in which both of you feel glad to say “yes” when you can but are also understanding when one of you can’t.

Offer a brief explanation. Providing a concise explanation as to why you’re refusing a request is one polite way to say “no”. For instance, if you already have other work this week that would prevent you from hitting a pew deadline, let the person know that. You’d better avoid adding too much fluff (无价值的东西) to your explanation.     4     .

Know yourself. Knowing yourself and your needs will help you decide if you should say“no”. Have a brainstorming session about areas where you have too much on your plate.     5    . You need to be able to take care of yourself before you can show up for others.

A．Set healthy boundaries.

B．Be honest about your own needs.

C．When should you say “no” to them?

D．Set boundaries between work and your personal life.

E．That can very likely give the other person false hope.

F．You can try keeping your voice calm, welcoming and kind.

G．How can you stand your ground politely without feeling guilty?

7 . Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intention behind them. The word “active” implies that you are taking some type of action when listening to others.

    1    

Be fully present

Active listening requires being fully present in the conversation. It enables you to concentrate on what is being said. Being present involves listening with all your senses and giving your full attention to the speaker. To use this active listening technique effectively, put away your cell phone, ignore distractions, and shut down your internal dialogue.     2     And let everything else slip away.

Pay attention to non-verbal cues (非言语暗示)

As much as 65% of a person’s communication is unspoken,     3    . This involves not folding your arms, smiling while listening, leaning in, and nodding at key points. It can also be helpful to pay attention to your facial expressions when active listening so that you don’t convey any type of negative response.

Keep good eye contact

When engaged in active listening, making eye contact is especially important. This tells the other person that you are present and listening to what he or she says.     4     At the same time, you don’t want to use so much eye contact that the conversation feels strange. To keep this from happening, follow the 50/70 rule. This involves maintaining eye contact for 50% to 70% of the time spent listening, holding the contact for four to five seconds before briefly looking away.

Be patient

Patience is an important active listening technique because it allows the other person to speak without interruption. Being patient involves not trying to fill periods of silence with your own thoughts or stories. This also requires listening to understand, not to respond.     5     Also, don’t change the subject too abruptly as this conveys boredom and impatience.

A．Don’t prepare a reply while listening.

B．It also shows that you aren’t distracted.

C．This isn’t helpful during active listening.

D．So use open, non-threatening body language.

E．Don’t focus too much on insignificant details.

F．Place your focus on your conversation partner.

G．This involves using certain strategies or techniques.

10 . 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.