1 . There’s a long line of research showing that when we make contact with people who’re socially different from us, we tend to feel less prejudice towards them. According to the contact theory, contact seems to work best for reducing prejudice when the contact is generally positive. But what happens when the conditions for interpersonal contact may not be ideal? For example, what if you feel threatened in some way by a group of people you see as “the other”?

Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium analyzed the results of 34 studies surveying nearly 64,000 people from 19 countries to see how intergroup contact affected their viewpoints about “outgroups” under conflict situations. For example, people were asked to report on how they viewed other groups. The researchers also had data from the surveys that measured attitudes towards outgroup members, such as how positive people felt towards them and how much they could trust them.

After analyzing the data, the researchers found strong feelings of threat were associated with more negative views of outgroup members. But having contact with outgroup members still reduced prejudice just as much under those unfavorable conditions. To Jasper Van Assche, the lead author of the paper, this suggests contact theory holds even under conflict situations.

Van Assche says that contact is so powerful probably because just being around people from an outgroup affects how we think and feel about them. As we become accustomed to even the me re presence of people from other groups, that can reduce our anxiety, especially if the encounters are positive—and that can lead to warmer feelings. Also, contact can enhance our knowledge about others’ customs and practices, so that they don’t seem so foreign or “other” to us.

Van Assche hopes his research can lead people to see the benefits of integrating the spaces where they live. This could be done through top-down methods, such as the government requiring school integration, but also from the bottom up. For example, suggests Van Assche, communities could create low-cost, low-key events that bring people together, helping to promote tolerance.

1. Why are the questions raised in paragraph 1?

A．To inspire readers’ imagination.	B．To argue against the contact theory.
C．To show the author’s curiosity.	D．To offer the purpose of the study.

2. Why can interpersonal contact reduce prejudice?

A．It improves people’s adaptive capacity.	B．It increases people’s desire to socialize.
C．It promotes each other’s understanding.	D．It makes people emotionally stable.

3. What might be Van Assche’s advice according to the text?

A．Expanding communities on the whole.

B．Increasing chances of positive contact.

C．Strengthening interactions between schools.

D．Offering equal education opportunities to diverse groups.

4. What can be the best title of the text?

A．People involved in equal contact are generally positive	B．Opportunities for intergroup contact are on the rise
C．The interventions based on contact are unhealthy	D．Interpersonal contact can help people connect

2 . When I started secondary school, aged 11, I found myself in a class with only two children I’d met before.     1    . In fact, before the end of the day one I knew all 28 of my new classmates by heart. Even in my thirties, when I found myself back in school as a teacher, I could still learn all the students in my classes with relative ease. Here are three quick memory techniques that help me.

    2    . Remembering people starts with listening to what they’re called, and taking a proper look at their face. I make a point of repeating their names in my head, and silently saying something to myself about their appearance.

Spot similarities.     3    . So, who does this person look like? Do they share a name with a celebrity? Is there anything about them that reminds you of places, events, or experiences you’ve already got filed away?

A．Pay attention

B．But I soon got to know everyone

C．But I soon failed to remember their names

D．It’s always good to connect new information with things you already know

3 . As a professional life and relationship coach, Allison Cowan has over 21 years of experience in teaching and supporting others to achieve their goals. She has dedicated her career to helping her clients gain power and awareness in their lives.

As a coach, Allison inspires her clients to overcome obstacles and achieve goals. However, her practice has come with its own share of challenges. Expanding her knowledge to meet diverse client needs has involved lots of trial-and-error searching.

Initially, Allison spent a hard time building strong and trustworthy relationships with her clients. She knew trust was critical to finding and retaining clients but was frustrated at how long the trust-building process takes.

Allison soon learned that there was no single right way to coach. To meet her clients’ different needs, she needed to become more efficient at supporting their diverse learning styles. To overcome her challenges as a coach and offer better service, she began looking for ways to customize her coaching solutions.

During her search, Allison realized Positive Psychology is a field with many different goals. “It covers so many areas, including whatever a client may go through,” she recalled. Later, she began using self-reflection tools to help her clients develop self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. She even discovered a way to help clients without a coaching goal find their purposes. She said, “There’s a lot of blame. The more they stay in blame mode, the more angry they are, and they are not able to move forward with acceptance and forgiveness. But we can find solutions in Positive Psychology.”

Whether Allison was helping clients build self-confidence, understand their attachment styles, or reframe their challenges, she quickly found that she was also learning all the time. By completing the homework Allison assigned to them, her clients were also changing. They were more engaged with their coaching and making more significant progress between their sessions. That made Allison proud. She said, “They grow and move forward at a quicker pace. That’s what coaching is about.”

1. Why is Allison’s initial trouble mentioned in the text?

A．To show her special efforts.	B．To stress her defeated career.
C．To prove the difficulty in coaching.	D．To give the reason for setting goals.

2. What did Allison do to serve her clients better?

A．She used the same coaching ways to teach them.

B．She coached them according to their own needs.

C．She tried her best to change their learning styles.

D．She helped them overcome their challenges in life.

3. What’s Allison’s attitude to Positive Psychology?

A．Doubtful.	B．Unclear.
C．Supportive.	D．Dismissive.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Allison’s clients misunderstood what coaching is about.

B．Allison learned to build self-confidence all the time.

C．Allison’s clients helped her complete homework.

D．Allison and her clients benefited each other.

4 . How to Overcome a Bad First Impression

First impressions are important, but everyone has an off day or makes mistakes in social situations.     1    . However, there are still things you can do to overcome a bad first impression.

Apologize.     2    . Showing that you are aware of your mistake and willing to take steps to overcome it can help improve the impression the other person has of you.

    3    . You don’t want to make excuses, but it can be helpful to provide an honest explanation for why your first meeting went poorly. You might explain that you were nervous, or that you weren’t feeling well. No matter the cause, an honest explanation may help the other person better understand your situation.

Suggest another meeting. If you won’t see them in another setting, ask if you can have another opportunity to let them get to see the real you.     4    . For example, don’t continue pursuing (追求) someone after they have told you they are not interested.

Show who you really are. If you do get another opportunity to overcome a poor initial impression, make sure you show the qualities and strengths that you have and keep it in your future interactions.     5    .

Overcoming a bad first impression takes time and effort. It’s important to learn from the experience and apply those lessons when meeting new people.

A．Don’t be nervous

B．Explain what happened

C．Changing how people think of you is not an easy job

D．Let the other person see the “real you” in actual situations

E．Make an apology if your first meeting was affected by a mistake

F．It’s common that we may be misunderstood in daily communications

G．However, respect the other person’s decision if they refuse your offer

5 . Saying “thank you” when you receive an unexpected gift is all well and good, but how can you get a little creative with your appreciation? As it turns out, there are plenty of ways to express your gratitude to others while remaining gracious and sincere.     1    . We’ll show you how to say thank you in exciting and meaningful ways!

I appreciate this.     2    . A great “thank you” involves expressing appreciation for the gift and explaining why you’re grateful. For added value, you can even describe what you’ll do with their gifts if you have an idea.

You’ve made my day! Show them that their gifts turned your day around. Telling someone that they made your day will make the giver feel that their gifts are much more meaningful and worthwhile.     3     .

It’s like you read my mind! Thank you. Compliment (恭维) their gift-giving skills.     4     , it can be likely that they really know you and are anticipating your needs without having to ask you what you want! Show them how touched you are by letting them know that their gifts are exactly what you want.

    5    . Show them how surprised you are. If someone goes out of their way to give you an unexpected gift, make sure they know they succeeded in their mission to surprise and delight you. Say “thanks” and express your shock at the same time. For example, you should have seen me; my eyes almost popped out of my head! Thank you for the lovely surprise.

A．I’m extremely astonished

B．When someone gives you a gift

C．If people choose to spend time with you

D．It is impolite of you to say those words

E．You may receive gifts from others in daily life

F．Be specific about what you appreciate and why

G．They’ll be pleased that they were able to make you smile

6 . How to build a personal brand (品牌)

People tend to think about a personal brand as bragging (自吹自擂) , self- promotion and all about yourself. But it's actually something much more important.     1     In other words, it's how people see you. Below are some suggestions to build a strong personal brand.

Figure out your goal. What do you want your personal brand to help you achieve? Are you looking to change jobs or enter a new industry, and you need your brand to reflect a new skill set?     2    

Get clear on what you want to be known for.     3    Are you a teacher who focuses on social and emotional learning? Or maybe you're a project manager who is reliable and always gets things done on time. Dig deeper into the what, how and why behind your work so you can make it easy to remember.

    4    I once coached someone who called herself a "death midwife", which no one understood. But when she started introducing herself as a grief advisor who works with families during a time of loss, all of a sudden everyone got it.

Bring value to others online.     5    Share interesting articles related to you industry, post ideas or opinions that can benefit co-workers, and like or comment on posts shared by the people you follow.

A．It's your name.

B．Lead with no confusion.

C．Introduce yourself in detail.

D．Write your aim down and make it specific.

E．Focusing on something helpful is a good way

F．Why do you expect people to know about your job?

G．How do you want people to describe you as an expert?

7 . Think about that. If you are anything like me, you struggle to ask for help when you need it. It’s something a lot of humans battle with. You don’t want to be a burden on others. You are afraid to speak up, or want to prove that you can do it yourself.

You don’t ask for help when you don’t know how to do something or can’t manage it on your own, because you might be afraid of looking stupid or incompetent. You might pretend like you know what you’re doing when you’re really drowning. Perhaps you think asking for help is a sign of weakness; that if you ask for help you’re admitting you’re inadequate in some way; that you lack knowledge, skill or experience to do something yourself. You don’t want anyone to see that you’re struggling and you want people to think that you’re in control and can handle things.

There are tons of reason you won’t ask for help, but not to do so can be a mistake. You get in your own way if you make asking for help mean something negative about you when it doesn’t. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re stupid or inadequate. It simply means you need help with something specific for a time.

Confident people often ask others for help. They do so not only because they’re secure enough to let it be known they need help, but they know that trying to do everything themselves is not always the best use of their time, skills or energy. They recognize it can leave them feeling overwhelmed and stressed and then they can’t do things properly. Confident people find someone who’s good at what they need to learn or get done and then ask for their help and guidance. They know that asking, “Can you help me?” shows respect for the other person’s knowledge and abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn’t ask.

1. What is the author’s personality like?

A．He shows great love to others.	B．He hesitates to ask others for help.
C．He looks down upon other people.	D．He dislikes those who pretend to know.

2. What does the underlined word “incompetent” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Indifferent.

B．Unqualified.

C．Determined.

D．Devoted.

3. Confident people will find it quite natural to ________.

A．offer help to other people	B．respect others’ abilities
C．promote their abilities	D．turn to others for help

4. Through this text, the author is trying to ________.

A．advise us to learn more knowledge	B．encourage us to bravely ask for help
C．show our respect to the people around us	D．encourage us to be more confident in our life

8 . If you’re not sure which relationships to prioritize (优先考虑), here are some types of people to keep close.

    1    .

It’s essential that we can trust the people around us. Honesty is not just about someone refraining from lying or coming forward when they screw up. It’s also about finding a way to tell us truths that we don’t want to hear. It’s important to be around individuals who will call us out when we are wrong or heading down a path that they know is not leading to a destination we want.

    2    . Choose to be around those who will not feel threatened by your happiness or success.    3    . Surround yourself with those who believe in your skills, potential and vision as much as you do, and want to help you be the best version of yourself.

People who make space for your emotions. Many people are good at having stimulating conversations but lack the emotional availability needed to make space for how we feel. We all need individuals who respect our feelings understand that sometimes all we need is to be heard.    4    . Such individuals serve as a source of support and can help us grow in our emotional maturity.

People who model qualities you admire, understand and accept you, and show up authentically are also valuable.

Let’s remember to apply these criteria to every type of relationship in our life.    5    .

A．People who tell us lies

B．People who tell us the truth

C．People who encourage and support you

D．Find people who are not satisfied with everything you do

E．They will sit with us through the hard or painful moments

F．Our time is valuable, so spend it with people who deserve it

G．Find people who areas happy about your wins as they would be about their own

10 . How to Teach Confidence

While it might seem like some people are just born confident, confidence is largely an acquired skill.     1     Start by building up their self-esteem, independent thought, and positive self—talk. Show them how to achieve goals, and how to deal with failure when it happens. With lessons like these, you can teach the people around you to become more confident.

Model confident behavior far people.

If you’re trying to improve someone’s confidence, be a model for how they should behave in a confident way.     2     Show them confident interpersonal relations like eye contact, handshakes, and making small talk. This lets them practice in a safe environment.

Praise small accomplishments to raise a person’s self-worth.

If you’re trying to build someone’s confidence, start small. Each accomplishment they complete is a cause for celebration, even if it seems small. Be happy for your friends, kids, or students.     3    

Give specific praise so people know what they did well.

A specific praise is better than a simple “You did well”.     4     . This makes your praise more genuine and boosts the person self-esteem more by showing them their strengths.

Start with a positive statement before correcting something.

    5     This is especially important if you’re a parent, teacher, or coach. If you do have to make criticisms or corrections, always start by saying something positive first. This raises the person’s spirits and makes it easier for them to take the critical feedback that’s coming up.

A．Instead, tell the person exactly what they did well.

B．It’s something you can model and teach other people.

C．You may have to point out where someone needs to improve.

D．Instead of feeling criticized, the person will know you’re sincere.

E．Act confident around them and in your interpersonal interactions.

F．Your positive energy will teach them to celebrate their achievements.

G．You might show someone’s strengths to help them see the bright side.