1 . Customer service refers to the way that companies behave towards their customers.     1    However, many a time organizations don’t focus on customer relationship management, and that’s what makes customers angry, which is one of the reasons why companies lose their customers.     2    

First of all, you need to realize the great value of the customers. It’s they who are the boss, and it, s because of them that you get your pay checks. So do take your customers seriously.

    3     You need to ask the customers the right kind of questions and think of the possible solutions which you can provide. Understand how they feel according to a particular situation, their body language, tone of voice and words they speak. Never make assumptions and think that you know what the customers want.

Making customers feel they are important is an excellent way to serve them better.     4     The best way to do that is using their first name and finding ways of praising them in a sincere way.

In addition, there are some other skills which will help you in serving your customers better. For example, once you finish solving the problem for the customers, before ending the call, always remember to ask if there is anything else you can do for them. End the call with a “thank you”. If the customers are angry, let them express their anger completely.    5     Once they’ve finished speaking, try to calm them down by apologizing.

In a word, always remember that if the customers remain happy, you’ll be in business.

A．Treat customers as individuals.

B．Never interrupt or start speaking until they’ve finished.

C．You can bring in as many new customers as you want.

D．So customer service is important and you should know how to improve it.

E．Finding out the needs of the customers is another important customer service tip.

F．More companies are finding that their customer service should not be limited to stores.

G．It’s the quality of service that determines whether the customer remains with the company.

2 . Social media does have its shortcomings, and one of those is that it can often seem like everybody is living and winning big — except you.

    1       But the reality is that these people go through struggles just like everybody else. Nobody’s life is perfect all the time. We all go through life’s hardships, failure, and pain. Picture perfect moments do exist, but they exist amongst the real-life terrible moments.    2    

Someone could have +1000 likes on their pictures or a million views on their videos and still be unhappy.     3     There are people with only 10 likes but having plenty of friends, and people with +1000 likes that are lonely, depressed, in fed up relationships and have no real friends.

There are couples that appear happy on social media but behind those photos, they suffer a lot in relationships.     4     Things aren’t always what they appear to be.

You don’t know what some people go through to come out with the fantastic pictures you envy. The real key players mostly operate behind the scenes but make the most happen. They may look like nobody but they are building their kingdoms while others are getting high on likes and attention. Success is not what is presented on social media.     5    

Be yourself and never give up on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. The real champions of social media are those who add value to others, not the ones who show their lifestyle to impress others.

A．Those ones don’t get documented.

B．Some even think it’s a complete show-off.

C．Being popular on social media is not everything.

D．Self-worth is determined by the number of likes one gets.

E．There are couples who post nothing but are in loving relationship.

F．It takes tears, sleepless nights, and loads of failure to make it in life.

G．You are always flooded with strangers’ images that show the life you long for.

3 . We often think about relationships on a scale from positive to negative. We are drawn to loving family members, caring classmates and supportive mentors. We do our best to avoid the cruel uncle, the playground bully and the jerk boss.

But the most toxic relationships aren’t the purely negative ones. They’re the ones that are a mix of positive and negative. We often call them frenemies, supposed friends who sometimes help you and sometimes hurt you. But ifs not just friends. It’s the in-laws who volunteer to watch your kids but belittle your parenting. The manager who praises your work but denies you a promotion.

Everyone knows how relationships like that can tie your stomach into a knot. But groundbreaking research led by the psychologists Bert Uchino and Julianne Holt-Lunstad shows that ambivalent (矛盾情绪的) relationships can be damaging to your health — even more than purely negative relationships.

I had assumed that with a neighbor or a colleague, having some positive interactions was better than all negative interactions. But being cheered on by the same person who cuts you down doesn’t reduce the bad feelings; it increases them. And it’s not just in your head: It leaves a trace in your heart and your blood.

Even a single ambivalent interaction can cause harm. In one experiment, people gave impromptu speeches on controversial topics in front of a friend who offered feedback. The researchers had randomly assigned the friend to give ambivalent or negative comments. Receiving mixed feedback caused higher blood pressure than pure criticism. “I would have gone about the topic differently, but you’re doing fine” proved to be more distressing than “I totally disagree with everything you’ve said.”

The evidence that ambivalent relationships can be bad for us is strong, but the reasons can be harder to read — just like the relationships themselves.

The most intuitive reason is that ambivalent relationships are unpredictable. With a clear enemy, you put up a shield when you cross paths. With a frenemy, you never know whether Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde is going to show up. Feeling unsure can disrupt the body’s calming system and activate a fight-or-flight response. It’s unsettling to hope for a hug while also preparing for a likely quarrel.

Another factor is that unpleasant interactions are more painful in an ambivalent relationship. It’s more upsetting to be let down by people you like sometimes than by people you dislike all the time. When someone stabs you in the back, it stings more if he’s been friendly to your face.

1. Which of the following can be counted as a frenemy?

A．Your neighbour’s kid who advises you to study hard but idles away his own time.

B．Your classmate who admires your diligence at first, but doubts your intelligence later.

C．Your mother’s friend who encourages you to spend more time on homework but less on smart phones.

D．Your father’s colleague who proposes you to do a moderate amount of homework while ensuring adequate sleep.

2. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A．Ambivalent relationships have a permanent effect on your well-being.

B．The common cause for high blood pressure is ambivalent relationship.

C．Ambivalent interactions will be more painful if it is done consciously.

D．The negative impact of ambivalent interactions is direct and strong.

3. The underlined word “belittle” in paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．devalue

B．appreciate

C．respect

D．abuse

4. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Some Negative Relationships Are Bad for Your Health

B．Your Most Ambivalent Relationships Are the Most Toxic

C．The Reasons for Ambivalent Relationships Are Unpredictable

D．Some Positive Relationships Are Better than All Negative Ones

4 . I moved into my house at the end of last year. I _______ that there was a tree in the front yard. My partner told me they _______ it was a fig (无花果) tree and _______, as the months went by, the tree grew huge leaves and _______ came to fruition. Figs the size of my fist! My partner and I were _______ but we didn’t know what to do with all the figs.

About a week ago, my next door neighbor came and properly introduced himself. He then asked if he could _______ some figs from my tree. Immediately, I _______ him to take as many as he liked. He told me that 12 years ago, the _______ owner of the house I live in now used to be very good friends with him and they planted this very fig tree way back then. I came home one day, to find a fruit box outside my front door. This _______ filled my heart with happiness and gratitude. It ________ me that there are still lively people in the world who want to do something nice for their neighbors.

1.

A．feared

B．noticed

C．believed

D．admitted

2.

A．forgot

B．discovered

C．decided

D．assumed

3.

A．at random

B．worst still

C．most important

D．sure enough

4.

A．constantly

B．temporarily

C．eventually

D．similarly

5.

A．confused

B．excited

C．disappointed

D．annoyed

6.

A．break up

B．tear down

C．pick up

D．make for

7.

A．encouraged

B．warned

C．advised

D．declined

8.

A．previous

B．punctual

C．transparent

D．voluntary

9.

A．friction

B．power

C．gesture

D．competence

10.

A．taught

B．warned

C．invited

D．reminded

5 . Why Talking to Strangers Is Good for You, Them and All of Us

In childhood, we’re told: “Don’t talk to strangers.” But this is short-sighted advice because after we finish high school and move out into the world, everyone we encounter is a stranger. And we’re a social species, which means we need each other.     1     Furthermore, we need to get good at interacting with them, both to get help when we need it and to be of use to them.

Let’s start with actual strangers-like the people you pass on the street. When you look right through someone as if they aren’t there, they feel a little bad.     2     When you give someone eye contact and a smile, it makes them feel good. And you feel good too when they do it back to you.

What about the humans you interact with regularly yet don’t really know, like the e servers at your coffee shop, the clerks at your grocery store, your postal carrier and so on? Show them that they matter by saying “How’s your day going?”     3     When you’re kind to someone, you, they and everyone who observes your interaction will get a lift from your act of kindness.

    4     For years, although it’s hard for me to admit this, I’d drive home after work each day and realize that I didn’t even know my neighbors. So I formed a monthly writing group with some of them in order to experience the real connections that form from hearing each others’ stories.     5     You have the power to make your community stronger like this, and meanwhile, it is good for you, it’s good for them, and it’s good for all of us.

A．The opposite is also true.

B．So we should not avoid strangers.

C．Then there are those like neighbors.

D．Not everyone can make eye contact or smile.

E．Learn their name so next time you can say, “Hey, Breonna. How’s your day going?”

F．But keep in mind that they came to work today and their work makes your life easier.

G．After doing this, we’ve been more able to do what neighbors do, like borrowing sugar or collecting mail when someone’s away.

6 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1 个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Gratitude is more than just saying “thank you”. Gratitude is a deeper appreciation for someone or something. Expressing gratitude makes us feel a positive emotion. Over the past thirty years, there    1     (be) many studies showing that writing a gratitude letter to another person offers us an opportunity    2     (escape) from negative emotions. Even if we don’t share our writing with anyone, the act of completing the exercise alone makes us happier and    3     (satisfied) with life. The more we express gratitude, the more positive we feel.

7 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

Building relationships and working successfully with different cultural backgrounds can seem like a major challenge. But you can enjoy the rewards, while keeping dissatisfaction to a minimum. The key to making them work is cultural competence. Essentially, cultural competence is defined as the ability to understand and interact effectively with people from different cultures.

Cultural competence is critical for everyone in today’s modern world. Living and working in a culturally diverse environment sometimes comes with differences of opinion and tension. People with strong cultural competence can resolve these issues creatively, even if a solution seems impossible at first. What’s more, thinking and caring about others with different experiences can bring out a sense of understanding. This helps to build trust between each other.

Cultural competence can be improved through training, education, and experience. Here are some simple tips to help you improve your cultural competence.

Assess yourself

The starting point is to understand your own cultural values and world view. Assess the current level of cultural competence in yourself and identify the knowledge, skills and resources that you want to acquire. This can give you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses in the area so that you can improve yourself in future.

Practice good manners

No matter whom you are dealing with, make sure that you are respecting others’ backgrounds, boundaries and customs. Pay close attention to your communication and make sure that you’re speaking to others in a kind and polite way.

Ask questions

When you don’t understand something or want to know why someone has behaved in a certain way, simply ask. Asking questions stops you making unnecessary assumptions, and shows the questions you did not understand to them.

Keep in mind that developing cultural competence is not a one-shot enterprise. It takes time and practice. Whether you are in a classroom or on campus, cultural competence plays an important role in your daily environment. Recognizing and dealing with cultural differences will create a happier setting for everyone.

1. What is cultural competence according to the passage?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is cultural competence important for people in intercultural environment?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
>To improve our cultural competence, we should not only understand our strengths and weaknesses in this area, but also ask questions when we don’t understand others’ behaviors, even if we may speak in an impolite way.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Apart from the tips mentioned in the passage, what other way(s) can you think of to develop your cultural competence? (In about 40 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . An apology can achieve great things for both the givers and the receivers although nobody likes to admit that they were wrong.

An apology is crucial to our physical health. When we acknowledge that we are wrongdoers and express our guilt to others, we will free ourselves from the uncomfortable state. This act feels like a weight on us has been lifted.     1     Research showed that heart rate, sweat levels and facial tension decreased in victims of wrongs even when they simply imagined receiving an apology.

Apologizing affects us not just physically, but also mentally.     2     When presented with an apology, the victims may view us as imperfect human beings and find it easier to give forgiveness. In a powerful piece in Psychology Today, writer Beverly Engel described how a simple “I’m sorry” from her mother, after being estranged from each other for three years, made her relieved emotionally. But let’s be real, apologizing can be difficult.

    3     We should recognize our action did hurt someone even if our intention may not have been so. Instead of making excuses for what we did, try to bear responsibility and offer a promise to take action so that we will not repeat the behavior in future.     4    

Of course, the most effective apologies often bring a cost to our dignity, since we have to admit that we are wrong in front of others or many people.     5     As is known, it is one of the most positive actions we can take when we do something wrong—for ourselves, the others, and the relationship. So, go ahead, apologize a little more often for the things worth apologizing for.

A．There are agreed-upon ways to express our apology to others.

B．It’s a way of showing the price we paid for the wronged action.

C．A good apology affects the health of those on the receiving end, too.

D．But this can often be minor compared to the benefits of a proper apology.

E．This means we should take the blame and not try to justify it or explain it away.

F．Apologize for what you did rather than what other people might have thought about it.

G．It has the ability to disarm others of their anger and to prevent further misunderstandings.

9 . While everyone’s image of their dream home looks a little different, most people will agree that their ideal neighbourhood is filled with friendly faces. Getting to know your neighbours takes time and effort.     1    

Nick Tebbey, national executive officer of Relationships Australia, says spring is the perfect season to start getting to know your neighbours. “When the weather starts warming up we’re all spending more time outdoors.” It makes sense that the best way to get to know a neighbour is to first make sure they actually know you’re neighbours.     2    “ There are always opportunities to make a connection and they can be as small as a nod,a wave or a friendly good day,” says Tebbey.

To put yourself in the way of these opportunities, Tebbey suggests timing your outings to take place“when other people are out and about as well”. When it comes to actually introducing yourself to your neighbours, Tebbey notes it’s important to do what feels comfortable, whether that’s leaving a note on a building notice board or chatting to someone while you wait for the elevator.    3    

Once you’ve introduced yourself to a neighbor, you can start conversations.     4    “ If they’re gardening, ask what they’re planting–be interested in what people share.”Tebbey says. And once someone tells you their dog’s name or where they’re about to go on holiday, try your best to keep that in mind so you can continue the conversation next time you cross paths.

“It’s not about grand gestures or sharing everything about yourself with your neighbours.     5    ” Tebbey says.“ It’s small but meaningful interactions and taking interest in each other’s lives,but without any sense of expectation.”

A．In fact, it’s almost the opposite.

B．It doesn’t have to require a lot of effort.

C．It’s vital to ask questions and remember people’s answers.

D．However, it can potentially be easier than you may expect.

E．Should you start to feel uncomfortable, you could invite another.

F．And the easiest way to do that is with short, repeated interactions.

G．The less anxiety you feel, the more likely you are to commit to them.

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.