1 . Every day, as I took long walks through North Vancouver, I would think about the potential joys of a physically closer network. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone who could join me at a moment’s notice? How good would it be to have more non-scheduled hangs instead of ones that had to be planned weeks in advance?
This doesn’t have to be just a dream. Although technology is making it easier to maintain long-distance connections, nothing can replace seeing friends in person. Researchers have found that happiness spreads “like an emotional contagion (传染)”, especially among those who live close together.
Friends who live in the same city could decide to move within walking distance of one another — the same neighborhood, block, or even apartment building. Doing so would likely involve a lot of effort, but the resulting community could pay emotional dividends for years. Doing so would make it easier to support one another materially and emotionally.
Moving close to your friends requires some masterminding. Cities can make doing so easier by ending single-family zoning codes and encouraging a variety of housing types in neighborhoods. But even without official policies, people can make it work on their own. Sam Unger, 32, a food scientist and a friend of mine, has created a chosen family like this in Montreal, where about 15 of her friends live within walking distance of one another. When someone moves away, they try to transfer (移交) their lease (租约) to other friends. And when pals based elsewhere in the city are looking to move, Unger will try selling them on the positives of her neighborhood and sometimes even look for housing for them. “It’s funny,” she told me. “The other day, I bought a fire extinguisher, and she’s like, ‘Oh, well, I have one. You could just call me if you had a fire, and I’d be right over with it.’”
1. What kind of lifestyle does the author prefer?| A．Alone. | B．Modern. | C．Scheduled | D．Free. |
| A．Needs. | B．Benefits. | C．States | D．Effects. |
| A．To tell Sam Unger has a talent in business. |
| B．To prove people can move closer on their own. |
| C．To show how important the official policies are. |
| D．To suggest how one can get on well with others. |
| A．Live Closer to Your Friends |
| B．The Internet Brings People Closer |
| C．A Way to Maintain Relationships |
| D．Technology Harms Friendships |
2 . For some people charm (吸引力) is a natural gift, but for others being charming is a skill that they need to acquire in order to survive. If you want to charm someone, here are some ways on how to do it.
1.
2.
3. Show respect. By showing respect, you are expressing sincerity to that person. Learn how to politely introduce yourself. You don’t want to create an impression that you are overconfident. A handshake may be the most common way to do it. However, other traditions involve other forms of introductory gestures.
4. Always smile. Smiling is one of the basic ways to charm a person. By smiling a lot, you are creating a positive image for the person you wish to charm. Smiling is also a way of showing that person how glad you are to meet him. Remember to show a sincere and honest smile.
| A．Establish eye contact. |
| B．Avoid pretending to smile. |
| C．Show interest and enthusiasm. |
| D．Learn something about the person you wish to charm. |
| E．Try to find out his tradition and follow it accordingly. |
| F．When the person sees that you have the same interests, you can easily charm him. |
| G．When you are having a conversation, make him feel that he is in control of the conversation. |
3 . A new environment is a challenge for everyone. Learning to adapt, live and learn in the new environment is extremely important for us to grow up. And the first thing you have to face is to fit in, which means making more friends, having more influence on others and getting more chances to live a happier life.
Believe yourself. Confidence makes a great first impression. Everyone h unique and there is only one person like you in this world. Take some time to think about your strong points.
Be kind to everyone. Kindness is the bridge to your own happiness. When people notice your kindness, they will return it one day. Always give more than you receive, and think more of others than of yourself.
Do smile to everyone every day. It makes both you and others feel happy.
If you follow the suggestions mentioned above, you will be accepted by people around you. As a result, you will fit in very well and enjoy your new life.
| A．Be active in group activities. |
| B．However, everybody needs friends. |
| C．Here are some suggestions that can help you. |
| D．A pleasant smile costs the least and does the most. |
| E．A person who cares about others is popular everywhere. |
| F．If so, you will be able to build up confidence step by step. |
| G．A pleasant smile often leaves one to wonder if we fit in well. |
4 . I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．The author was very willing to stay with Kate. | B．Kate always helped the author to clean her bed. |
| C．The author felt proud to have such a roommate. | D．The author didn’t get along very well with Kate. |
| A．The author placed her shoes under Kate’s bed. | B．The author refused to listen to Kate’s advice. |
| C．The news of Kate’s grandma’s illness spread. | D．The author was very tired of Kate at school. |
| A．Because she realized the importance of tidiness. | B．Because she would like to express her concern. |
| C．Because she was required by other roommates. | D．Because she expected to be inspected by school. |
| A．They never quarreled with each other about anything again. |
| B．They separated at once and never wanted to see each other. |
| C．They completely understood the principle of being roommates. |
| D．They gained a deeper understanding of each other’s personalities. |
With the development of our society, the connection between people becomes inevitable (不可避免的). People need to communicate with others as long as they are in the world. As
Throughout human history, we can know that no one can do everything well and become
6 . Good relationship are definitely good sources of happiness in life. We all want happy relationships but if we do not keep that relationship alive, it can also be one of the most distraught things in life. There may be no hard and fast rules in making good relationships, as each of us has different preferences and points of view as to what is a great relationship. The following are some major key players in making relationships work.
It is often said that building good relationship is all about communication. Good communication indeed governs a good relationship—knowing the right thing to say, when to say it, how to say it, and accepting some things that are better left unsaid. I personally think communication must be broadened because relationships involve more decisions to make. From study to work, from money to entertainment and even in things about yourself or about your friends that you do not know, communication is necessary in these aspects of the relationships.
Of course, being with someone is not saying that you totally agree with him or her all the time. You and your friends come from different family backgrounds, raised in different environment so there may be disagreement here and there. However, it is important in making relationship work to express disagreements without pushing the relationship to end. Again, good communication and learning to compromise(妥协) at times are necessary.
As relationships last longer, you may also discover things about you and your friends that you may not have known before. Therefore supporting each other on both your “hidden selves” can also make a good relationship.
Love is an important aspect of building relationships and for me, I always believe that love needs open communication, respect, support and understanding each other in making relationships work.
1. The underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 1 probably means _________.| A．interesting | B．surprising | C．funny | D．upset |
| A．supporting each other in anything helps build a good relationship |
| B．a white lie is necessary sometimes |
| C．compromises are necessary at any time |
| D．your friends need to have the same backgrounds with you |
| A．Communication. | B．Support. |
| C．Hidden selves. | D．Love. |
| A．Forbidden Rules in Building Good Relationships. |
| B．Keys to Making Relationships Work. |
| C．Different Opinions on Good Relationships. |
| D．The Importance to Express Disagreements. |
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 reasons you won’t ask for help, but not doing 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 does the author tend to do when encountering difficulties?| A．He is unwilling to turn to others for help. |
| B．He will actively seek for diverse solutions. |
| C．He will ask for help from his closest friends. |
| D．He will refuse friendly help from others. |
| A．To avoid making many mistakes. |
| B．To cover up one’s lack of confidence. |
| C．To reassure others about their own abilities. |
| D．To prove that they have been striving. |
| A．It is a very shameful thing to ask for help. |
| B．Asking for help is the last way to improve one’s abilities. |
| C．It is stupid to ask for help when one meets difficulties. |
| D．Don’t hesitate to seek help when it is necessary. |
| A．They respectfully call anyone better than themselves their teacher. |
| B．They seek advice from people better than themselves in anything. |
| C．They consider it as a way to show respect for knowledge and abilities. |
| D．They strongly believe that asking others is lowering themselves. |
8 . Knowing how to get the conversation started is important; however, keeping it going is even more important. Here are some conversation skills that make people like you.
●
The most important conversation skill is to invite people to talk about their lives. Almost everyone enjoys talking about themselves. Show an interest in learning about a person’s history, family, ideas, or goals and it will likely get the conversation going right away.
●Ask open-ended(开放式的)questions.
Open-ended questions require more than just a yes-or-no answer. Ask open-ended questions that encourage other people to start discussing a topic in detail.
●Wait for your turn to talk.
●Request advice.
Asking for advice shows that you value someone else’s opinion. Just because you ask for advice doesn’t mean you have to follow it.
| A．Invite people to share their lives. |
| B．Don’t interrupt no matter what you do. |
| C．For example, ask “How did you like living in Hawaii?” |
| D．You can ask for advice on both simple and serious things in life. |
| E．This shows that you are listening and helps understand what you have heard. |
| F．Change the subject if a person appears uncomfortable sharing something personal. |
| G．Ask for an explanation if someone is talking about something you don’t understand. |
9 . How to Communicate Effectively?
Having good communication skills is important. Effective communication is a skill you can learn no matter what your age, background or experience is.
Choose the right time. As the saying states, there is a time and a place for everything.
tired. Instead, deliver messages and conduct discussions about heavy topics in the mornings when people are watchful and more likely to be able to respond clearly.
Thank your listener(s). Thank the person or group for the time taken to listen and respond.
Communicate eye to eye. Eye contact builds relationship, helps to convince people that you’re trustworthy and displays interest. During a conversation or presentation, it is important to look into the other person’s eyes if possible and maintain contact for a reasonable amount of time.
| A．Take care not to overdo it |
| B．Communicating is no different |
| C．Organize key points in your mind |
| D．No matter what the outcome of your communication |
| E．If you have already targeted some key points to stick to |
| F．The basics of communication below will help get your point across easily |
| G．Ignoring any single person can easily be taken as a sign of disrespect for them |
10 . Are you new to experiencing relationships? Well, let me give you advice on how to have a healthy and possibly long-term relationship.
Be an honest person with them.
Make sure you give them respect. Now respect isn’t just simply treating them nicely. There’s a lot more to it. You have to learn to get used to their liking. Basically, learn to study your partners’ moods, wants and needs.
Make sure you are encouraging your partner.
Make sure you have a good sense of humor with them.
| A．Do not hide things from them, and do not lie. |
| B．Show them your personality. |
| C．Laughter is the key to happiness. |
| D．Always be willing to help and encourage them. |
| E．Make sure the communication is good. |
| F．Don’t start to neglect them and make them feel unwanted. |
| G．Don’t just think about yourself, but think about what your partners need out of it as well. |
