1 . Will your happiness differ if you are doing a kind action without any expectation of rewards or with an expectation of rewards? A study by University of Sussex, headed by Dr. Daniel Campbell­Meikeljohn, tried to answer that question. He and his partners analyzed over 1, 000 brain scans from other studies related to reactions to making a decision based on kindness. They split the studies based on who was making a decision for altruistic (无私的) reasons and who was making a decision due to the expectation of an obvious reward. The results were interesting.

In both instances, the reward center of the brain lit up on the MRI scans (磁共振成像扫描). Yet, for those who made their decision without any rewards, other areas of the brain lit up as well. Specifically, it lit up the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (前扣带皮层区域), which scientists believe plays a role in emotional regulation. Also, it might aid in maintaining excitement related to an event that creates a positive emotional state.

In one study about the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, it is believed that this brain region could be related to depression if it isn’t developed properly or is dysfunctional. The fact that this part of the brain lights up during acts of generosity and caring without expectation of rewards shows that the altruistic individuals are getting more sustainable pleasure than those motivated by rewards. It also could aid in explaining how it helps depressive individuals feel happier after doing a kind deed.

We live in a society, and no man is a lonely island. We all need each other. For those who genuinely desire to help others regardless of repayment, maintaining a balance of helping others and yourself is very important. It is healthy and necessary to be kind to yourself, as well as to others.

1. Why did the author think the results interesting?

A．There are no differences as to the lit­up area of the brain.

B．The reward center of the brain lit up in one case alone.

C．The subgenual anterior cingulate cortex makes no difference.

D．The reward center of the brain lit up in both cases.

2. What can be learned about the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex?

A．It might help keep calm.	B．It may make a difference to controlling emotion.
C．It can create positive emotion.	D．It has nothing to do with depression.

3. What does the author seem to suggest in the last paragraph?

A．Help others regardless of yourself.	B．Treat others and yourself with kindness.
C．For the sake of yourself, lend a hand.	D．Practise kindness at all costs.

2 . Clear and effective communication not only can help you get what you want but also is important to successful relationships with your partner coworkers, bosses, and friends. You take part in some form of communication with others many times a day.     1     To be an effective communicator, you first need to learn which habits to break and which ones to build, so you can be a thoughtful listener and a powerful speaker.

Few people have had any training in listening at all and they don’t know how to communicate with others. If you want to interact effectively with me, you first need to understand me. And you can’t do that with techniques alone.     2     And I don’t feel safe enough to open myself up to you.

    3     The conversation flows naturally out of your character, or the kind of person you truly are. It is obvious in how I actually experience you. If your private performance doesn’t match your public performance, it will be very hard for me to open up to you.     4    

Unless you understand me and my unique situation and feelings you won’t know how to advise me.     5     You may say you care about and appreciate me. I really want to believe that. But how can you appreciate me when you don’t even understand me? All I have are your words, and I can’t trust words.

A．Being honest is the first step in good communication.

B．At first there is not enough trust between two strangers.

C．However, that doesn’t mean you’re communicating well.

D．What you say is good and fine, but it doesn’t relate to me.

E．But most people are not good at expressing themselves in public.

F．Then, I don’t feel safe enough to express my opinions and my true feelings.

G．If I sense you’re using some techniques, I will wonder what your purposes are.

3 . How to treat each other well

The following tips can help you enjoy a healthy and satisfying relationship.

Create a foundation of respect.     1    . However, it is important to make sure that you and your partner are rooted in respect. Act in ways that demand respect from your partner. Struggle to treat each other with respect at all times, even when you are mad at each other.

Appreciate each other. A healthy relationship should be one in which you and your partner feel appreciated. Often, relationships are built from many small things added one on top of the other.     2    . Instead of focusing on mistakes your partner makes, focus on the ways your partner adds to your life. When you notice something, speak out and show your appreciation.

    3    . It’s easy to change from face-to-face time together to digital communication. Spending quality time together can help strengthen your relationship and increase the bond you and your partner feel together.     4    . It can be as simple as enjoying a cup of coffee together each morning or reading together at night.

Expect changes. Know that your relationship will likely change. Allow growth for yourself, your partner, and for the relationship itself.     5    . Change is inevitable, so welcome changes and accept that the relationship will adapt.

A．Spend quality time together

B．Make a healthy relationship work

C．Relationships can be fun and exciting early on

D．Your partner’s thoughts and feelings have value

E．Find activities that you can do together regularly

F．Find the things your partner does for you and say “thank you”

G．Recognize changes in your relationship are opportunities for new growth

4 . Being part of a club is such a great experience for people of all ages. Here are five benefits of joining a club.

You can meet new people.

Usually, the people you meet are easy to get along with because you both have something in common: your interest in the club.     1    That means you spend a lot of time with other members. Often, from my experience, members of the club become good friends with each other.

You can learn new skills.

Everyone in a club has a job to do. Your work might be something that you’re already great at or something that you don’t have much experience with.     2     I learned about how to communicate with other people. Some basic skills were also learned that can be used later on in life.

    3    

The idea of joining a club between work, school, friends and family may seem overwhelming (令人难以应对的). However, once you get used to your role in a club and learn to manage your time, you will find there is still enough time left for other things that need to be done daily.

You can gain experience for the future.

The skills you learn will not only allow you to succeed in that profession but will also look great on a resume (简历) if you join a club that is similar to the career you want to enter! If you dream of becoming a lawyer, for example, you will be thankful for the practice you got from being part of such a club.     4    

You can improve confidence.

Joining a club requires courage.     5     But the more you practice your club function (功能), the better you’re going to be at it. Normally, the more time you spend in a club, the more you’ll be relaxed and confident.

A．You can stick to your plan.

B．A confident person is popular.

C．There is something to learn either way.

D．You can get better at time management.

E．At first you may not be sure if you will ft in.

F．As they say, teamwork makes the dream work.

G．Many clubs have monthly meetings or meet a few times a week.

5 . How to Deal with Nosy People

They can come in the form of friends, relatives or strangers. The thing about nosy people is that they don’t understand personal space. Things can get confusing when your family members or friends become nosy. You don’t want to hurt them, but you may not want to share everything, either.     1    

Respond. Do not react.

When someone starts asking personal questions one after the other, you might get confused as to why he or she is asking all those questions and what you should do. This confusion can then turn into discomfort. When you are in this situation, remind yourself to slow down.     2     Instead, be mindful of the situation and try to respond consciously.

Answer them reasonably without revealing too much.

One great strategy is to give a satisfactory answer without giving away too many details. You will satisfy their curiosity and maintain your personal boundaries at the same time.     3     For instance, your loved one might ask, “Hey! I heard you had a fight with your husband. What happened?” In response, you could say, “Oh, nothing serious. We are fine.” This will let them know you are doing fine.

    4    

Sometimes, you just don’t feel like answering the other person’s questions. It could be because they have no business knowing the details or because the question annoys you. So, if someone asks you a personal question, you could politely decline to answer.

Show a lack of enthusiasm.

    5     It tells the other person whether you are interested in talking to them. So, if you want to communicate that you don’t appreciate them being nosy, you can do so with your body language. How do you do this? Just show a lack of enthusiasm.

A．Give detailed answers.

B．Politely decline to answer.

C．There is no need to feel rushed at all!

D．Your body language tells a lot about you.

E．Here are tips on how you can deal with nosy people.

F．Use this strategy when the other person is a loved one.

G．It shows them you are not interested in the conversation.

6 . Kindness May Keep You Healthy

If you are driving in the United States, you may see a common bumper (汽车保险杠) sticker on passing vehicles that reads:     1     The saying is meant to urge people to behave in a gentle, caring, and helpful way towards others without thinking or planning ahead.

    2     In one experiment, Brian are, an anthropologist (人类学家) at Duke University, asked a group of people to perform three acts of generosity for other individuals each week. These acts could be small, like opening a door for someone. The people who were caring, gentle and friendly towards others reported experiencing contentment, satisfaction and happiness.

However, being kind is not just emotionally beneficial. Lyubomirsky studied a group of people with the disease Multiple Sclerosis (多发性硬化).     3     Her research also pointed out that people showing kindness to others had less inflammation (炎症) in their bodies. And in other studies, Lyubomirsky said more anti-viral genes were found in people who extended a helping hand to other people

    4     In one study, researchers gave people a list of values — such as kindness, creativity, ambition, tradition, security, seeking social justice, and seeking power. When asked to pick the most important, kindness won.

“The basic reason why people are kind,” Oliver Curry, explained, the research director at Kind-lab that is a non-profit organization, “is that we are social animals. Kindness is as much a part of us as our anger, grief or desire.”    5    

A．Perform random acts of kindness

B．Acts of kindness are very powerful

C．In other words, we are designed to be kind.

D．She found that they felt better physically when helping others.

E．Research shows that doing kind things can make us feel better

F．He found that being kind makes people feel better emotionally,

G．Other research has shown that many people prize kindness above other values

7 . It can be a wonderful and satisfying experience to have roommates to share a home with. Living with others can often help you develop close relationships and learn some life skills along the way.     1    .

Honest communication

In order to solve any problems that may arise, effective communication is necessary.     2    , where you feel free to voice worries, expectations and feedback. It is recommended to have house meetings on a regular basis where all important information is shared and addressed.

    3    

Nothing is more important than keeping your shared space clean and organized. Take the time to clean up shared areas like bathrooms and kitchens and respect each other’s standards of cleanliness.

Develop a sense of humor

    4    . Developing a sense of humor will help relieve tension and create a more lighthearted atmosphere, especially when you and your roommates have the same sense of humor.

Be considerate of your roommates’ needs

Being considerate of your roommates’ schedule, preferences and routines is part of living with them. A supportive living environment is created by small things, for example, offering to pick up groceries or helping with housework.     5    , especially when one of your roommates is studying or working or when anyone in the apartment is asleep.

A．Respect yourself

B．You can create an open-door policy

C．Keep shared space clean and organized

D．It is also wise to be mindful of noise levels

E．Here are practical tips on how to be a good roommate

F．Living with others can lead to disagreements and arguments

G．Being a good roommate is more than making your rent payments on time

8 . “How are you?” These are the three most useless words in the world of communication. The person asking doesn’t really want to know, and the person responding doesn’t tell the truth.     1    

But the key to making the most out of small talk, according to Harvard researchers, is, to simply ask the other person follow-up questions. In a series of experiments, researchers analyzed more than 300 online conversations and found that those who were asked more meaningful follow-up questions (a.k.a. questions that aren’t “how are you?” or “what do you do?”), found the other person much more likable.

So how do you move from tongue-tied to being an interesting person? It depends on questions you start with, and then you can focus on the stream of follow-up questions.     2    

    3    

Open your eyes before you open your mouth. Find something to focus on in your surroundings, like the piece of art on the wall, a family picture on their desk, a race car helmet, scattered coins from various countries and so on. There’s bound to be something that will spark small talk and help lead the conversation into unique follow-up questions.

Share some news (that actually happened).

If you have “news”, share it: “I adopted a pet over the weekend” or “My 6-year-old rode a bike for the first time yesterday”. Believe it or not, most people actually do want to know more about others, especially if they both work at the same company.

If you’re new to a company and leading a team, for example, start your first meeting by going around the room and asking each person to say one interesting thing that recently happened in their lives.     4    

It’s not just what you say.

No matter what or how much you say, your tone of voice, facial expression and eye contact will broadcast so much more. In person, look at the other person when you speak, not at the conference table or the wall.     5     It’s not just what you say, but how you say it, that will help others connect with you.

A．Avoid any small talk in our daily life.

B．Be in the moment and observe your surroundings.

C．It will also contribute to your success in your work.

D．On the phone, smile — it will make your voice sound warmer.

E．What follows is a meaningless exchange with zero connection.

F．Here are some strategies on having a meaningful conversation.

G．Due to the momentary sharing, you’ve allowed everyone to feel more personally and genuinely connected with each other.

9 . How To Stop Bein g A People Pleaser

As a recovering people pleaser, I spent much of my life keeping others happy. Breaking this habit meant stepping on a few toes. However, I’ve become a happier person as a result. Here are some tips I used to stop being a people pleaser.

Identify your priorities. Take a moment to think about why you are trying to learn how to stop being a people pleaser.     1     Why do you feel the need to keep them happy? Answering these questions will help you set a goal that you can hold yourself accountable to.

Just say “no”. One reason why people pleasers say “yes” to everything is that they fear disappointing others.     2     If you are a people pleaser, you are likely to spend lots of energy trying to control how people feel about you. The best thing you can do is let them feel their feelings. It will feel liberating to free yourself from being responsible for someone else’s reaction.

    3     Saying “no” is a good way to set better boundaries in your important relationships. All healthy relationships have their own boundaries. If you haven’t set boundaries in your relationships, the odds are that at some point you will end up feeling pressured to do something you don’t want to do.

Accept yourself. Many people pleasers are insecure about who they are.     4     Check out our summary of Brené Brown’s the Gifts of Imperfection to learn how to accept your imperfections and love yourself.

Remember that you cannot please everyone. No matter what you do there will always be someone who is unhappy with your choices.     5    

A．Learn to set healthy boundaries.

B．Don’t mix up your boundaries with others’.

C．Who are the people that you feel the need to please?

D．Spend some time learning to love yourself for who you are.

E．So why bother trying to please everyone if it isn’t possible?

F．But saying “no” is the best way to take care of your own needs.

G．That is why the more you seek security, the less of it you have.

10 . I came across some excellent tips on how to communicate better with others.    1     For that reason, it’s necessary that we all work on communicating as effectively (有效地) as possible. In order to help us communicate more effectively, I’m going to share the following tips.

Pause(停顿)before replying to others.    2     Sometimes just that 2-3 seconds’ break is just what you need to really understand what someone else has said or to come up with the thoughts you really want to pass on.

Be honest.    3     You don’t have to think about what you’re going to say wrong and you don’t have to worry about uncovering a secret. If you remain honest, you’ll have a much easier time communicating with others and others will be a lot more willing to communicate with you.

    4     Communication can be hard at times, which is why it’s so very important to be both patient and open-minded in communication. No matter what the situation is, there is a way to communicate. Sometimes it just takes time. Be patient and keep your mind open for new ways of sharing and understanding.

Ask for feedback（反馈）from others. When it’s all said and done, one of the best ways you can learn to communicate more effectively is to ask for feedback. Take some time to speak to those who you communicate with frequently to find out how you can improve on your communication with them.    5    

A．Be patient and open-minded.

B．Trust and hard work are valuable.

C．When you’re honest, communication becomes a lot easier.

D．I believe communication is key to living a good life.

E．It’s not always easy to ask for feedback, but it’s worth it!

F．You’ll be on the road to creating a better understanding with others.

G．Pause works wonders when it comes to communicating effectively with others.