1 . “Individuals of all ages who have empathy (共情) understand that sometimes telling little white lies can protect other people from getting hurt,” says Barbara Greenberg, a clinical psychologist in Connecticut. “Most people that I have come across tell these little white lies because they understand that 100 percent honesty all the time is not beneficial.” A white lie, she explains, spares people from unnecessary hurt.

At the same time, Dr. Julia Breur, a marriage and family therapist in Florida, emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the way we respond to someone. The fact is that not telling the truth can result in something unpleasant on you; it’s not just about the person the white lie is being told to. For example, she says someone who always tells others that “all is good” when it comes to a sick parent in an effort to avoid discussions about how serious their health issue really is, can eventually face stressful experiences. When that parent eventually passes away, the person who always gave an “all is good” response ends up emotionally broken.

Sometimes, telling white lies often depends on the situation, Dr. Breur says. For example, consider a woman who has not seen her mother for several months. The daughter has gained noticeable weight, yet the mother responds by excitedly declaring that she looks great. “I emphasize during psychotherapy sessions with my patients that context helps define meaning,” Dr. Breur says. “So when we look at the context of a mother saying you look great when she clearly sees that her daughter has gained weight, it can be acceptable. It reflects the intention of the white lie which is kindness, protection and unconditional love. Otherwise, white lies — especially when told to avoid personal accountability — can start a cycle of mistrust between people, ultimately compromising integrity,” she adds.

Therefore, it’s important to ask ourselves when it is and isn’t appropriate to deliver the honest truth, and when it’s best to step back and offer a more delicate response. More often than not, it’s about finding a balance between the two.

1. What can be learned about white lies according to Barbara Greenberg?

A．They are short-lived.	B．They are unidentifiable.
C．They are trouble-making.	D．They are common.

2. What message does Dr. Breur deliver in paragraph 2?

A．White lies can harm both the liars and the listeners.

B．We must respond to our family members truthfully.

C．It’s wrong to tell white lies to a seriously ill parent.

D．The “all is good” response is effective in dealing with patients.

3. What is Dr. Breur’s attitude towards the mother’s practice in paragraph 3?

A．Uncaring.

B．Critical.

C．Supportive.

D．Doubtful.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．East or West, White Lies Are the Best

B．Think Twice Before You Tell White Lies

C．White Lies Signify Unconditional Love

D．White Lies Are Empathetic People’s Favorable Choice

2 . 假定你是李华，最近你的班级就学生在学习和生活中面临的问题对班上的同学进行了调查。请根据图表，用英语写一篇短文向学校英文报投稿。内容包括：
1.学生面临困难的状况描述；
2.简单评论；
3.你的建议。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.稿件标题已给出，不计入总词数。

What Trouble We Have

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5 . A recent study by a group of researchers found that there is a link between happiness and a term that the researchers coined called “relational diversity.”

Using public data from sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the World Health Organization, the researchers were able to analyze data sets and survey responses from people who had shared their daily habits, schedules and interactions. They noticed a clear relationship between relational diversity and overall levels of satisfaction.

Hanne Collins, a Harvard Business School doctoral student who co-authored the study, says that relational diversity is composed of two elements: richness and evenness.

Richness measures relationship categories, or how many kinds of people you interact with in a day. That could be your romantic partner, a family member, a neighbor or a stranger. “The more relationship categories they talk to in a day and the more even their conversations are across those categories, the happier they are. And we find this in a large sample across many countries,” Collins said.

Evenness relates to the distribution of conversations among those different relationship categories. Some people may find themselves interacting with colleagues at work more than, say, their family members. “If you have a few conversations with colleagues, a few with friends, a few with a romantic partner or a couple chats with strangers, thats going to be more even across these categories,” Collins explained.

Ultimately, Collins says, the study gives insight to the idea that humans are social creatures at heart. Having a support system is important, but it goes beyond your inner circle. “Its about this mix. Its about connecting with people who are close to you, who are maybe less close to you, who connect you with other people, who provide different kinds of support,” she said. “Essentially, the idea is that the more diverse your social portfolio (社交档案), the happier you are and the higher your well-being.”

Next time you consider striking up a conversation with a stranger in line at the grocery store or while waiting at the coffee shop, keep in mind that it might be beneficial to your well-being.

1. How does the author explain the term “relational diversity”?

A．By listing statistics.	B．By making comparison.
C．By giving definitions and examples.	D．By describing the process.

2. Who is the happiest according to the study?

A．A person who interacts most with his family members.

B．A person who communicates frequently with his friends.

C．A person who seldom strikes up conversations with strangers.

D．A person who has ever conversations with many different people.

3. Which of the statements about the study is true?

A．Researchers came up with a new concept.

B．It shows that a support system is not necessary.

C．Researchers collected data by conducting experiments.

D．It was led by a doctoral student from Harvard Business School.

4. What is the writers attitude towards the result of the study?

A．Neutral.	B．Skeptical.
C．Opposed.	D．Approving.

6 . “I’m sorry” are two very important words that play a big part in daily life. You might apologize while squeezing through a crowd or using the last of the printer paper at work. It’s easy to say “I’m sorry”, but true apologies are a different story.    1     Or you may wonder how to properly demand an apology if the other person is at fault? With the following tips, you’ll find these are not hard.

Apologize sincerely. A genuine apology can help repair your relationship, and even your reputation—you’re showing that you can be trusted to do what’s right. But your relationship will remain tense if your apology seems casual.    2    

Apply specific principles. A meaningful apology comes down to the three R’s- regret, responsibility and remedy (补救办法). Firstly, communicate your regret. Show the other person you have recognized your error and can relate to his/her pain. Then take complete responsibility.    3     Lastly, show that you’re working to improve the situation. Offer to make up for the harm you caused or promise you wouldn’t repeat it again.

    4    If you’re the offended (冒犯) party, describe what’s changed in the relationship and your true feeling. For example, you could say, “Although there’s a disagreement between you and me, I want us to be friends again. But I’ve been hurt, and I’d like an apology. I need you to acknowledge what you’ve done.”

Don’t expect immediate forgiveness. Most people hope for immediate forgiveness while apologizing, but that may mean you don’t respect the others’ emotions and all you care about is yourself.    5    After all, they were hurt and it would take them a while to recover.

A．Ask for an apology if necessary.

B．Don’t make excuses or blame the victim.

C．Say sorry first if both parties are at fault.

D．So you have to be truly willing to apologize.

E．You should make sure your words are acceptable.

F．So give them some time to come out of the pain after your apology.

G．You may have trouble finding the right way to send meaningful apologies.

8 . False Memories or Parallel (平行的) Realities?

Here is a common situation: You’re talking with someone about an event, only to discover that you both remember things quite differently. Usually, you’d put it down to a poor memory, but what if it wasn’t just one person who remembered things differently? What if it was millions?

In fact, this isn’t a “what if” situation. It’s known as the Mandela Effect, and it was first noticed in 2009 by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome. Broome was chatting with people about the South African activist Nelson Mandela, and she commented how sad it was that he had died in prison in the 1980s.     1     Actually, he'd been released in 1990, become president of South Africa, and died in 2013.

Broome was so shocked at this that she started an investigation.     2     People have memories of movies that never existed, and famous words that were never spoken. There is even a group who clearly recall seeing maps showing that New Zealand was northeast of Australia (it’s southeast ). So what in the world is going on?

    3     In each reality, history is shaped by different events, and the Mandela Effect occurs when some of us shift from one reality to another. Therefore, those who remember Nelson Mandela dying in the 1980s aren’t wrong. They’re just remembering events from their original reality.

More likely, however, is that the Mandela Effect has to do with how our brains store information.     4     Many people remember Pikachu’s tail having a black tip on the end of it, when in fact it was always yellow. “Aha!” you cry. “Parallel realities!” Probably not. Consider instead that people often ignore unfamiliar details and transform information to make it more understandable. In the Pikachu example, his tail may not have a black tip, but his ears certainly do. Thus, both his ears and tail are misremembered as having black tips.     5    

All things considered, if you’re stuck arguing with someone about whose version of events is correct, it may indeed be easier to agree that neither of you is wrong. You just come from different realities.

A．Before we explain let’s look at an example.

B．It turns out she wasn’t the only one who’d experienced this.

C．If several people make these memory errors, the false memory gets stronger socially.

D．The story of Nelson Mandela is not the only example of this type of false group memory.

E．Some claim the Mandela Effect happens because we live in one of many parallel realities.

F．Many in her group agreed, while others mentioned that Nelson Mandela had not died in prison.

G．As more incidents of the Mandela effect continue to occur, perhaps more research into the origins will tell us the causes.