1 . Passive-aggressive (消极抗拒) behaviour can feel “normal”—especially if it’s how we’ve grown up seeing others around us deal with relationship issues. Whether done verbally (言语上) or nonverbally, passive aggression is meant to avoid hurting someone else’s feelings, escape conflict, or show disagreement without being outspoken in it.

It’s a more common way of dealing with things than you might think. But why are we passive-aggressive? What are the signs we can look out for to recognize being passive-aggressive? And how does it affect us?

There are many reasons why someone might display passive-aggressive behaviour, including insecurity or fear of losing control, as well as using it as a way to handle feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression. It can also be a way to try to deal with rejection or conflict, because of feelings of under-appreciation, or due to worry that any natural feelings of anger aren’t the right response, and so it becomes an attempt to sugarcoat things.

We almost all exhibit signs of passive aggression from time to time, but when it becomes a habit within our relationships, it can become upsetting for the other person involved, causing a divide. And for the person exhibiting this behaviour, their inability to say what is wrong clearly can often worsen the issue as it isn’t being dealt with directly. Ultimately, passive aggression prevents change and growth, leading to more negative behaviour, the breakdown of trust, and further relationship problems.

Admitting that you have a problem and need to change is not just good for your relationship, but also a huge help in your life. If you’re struggling and aren’t sure where to begin, ask yourself “Could I unintentionally (or intentionally) be hurting my relationship? Is it worth saving my relationship, or do I want to risk things getting worse? Would I be happy if my partner acted the way I’ve been acting?”

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but, with time and effort, you can find new, healthier ways of communicating how you are feeling, and start to strengthen the bonds within your relationship.

1. What is the possible passive-aggressive response to displeasure?

A．Turning to rude languages.	B．Displaying violent behavior.
C．Hiding his true inner feelings.	D．Coming into conflict with others.

2. What can we learn about passive-aggressive people?

A．They are sometimes overconfident in themselves.

B．They believe conflicts should be resolved directly.

C．Their passive-aggressive behavior doesn’t last long.

D．Their behaviour likely leads to more negative results.

3. What do the underlined words “the issue” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The behavior.

B．The divide.

C．The inability.

D．The habit.

4. What should you do to make a change?

A．Start with a self-reflection.	B．Apologize to the other side.
C．Copy how the partner acts.	D．Let time cure everything.

2 . Only about 20% of U.S.adults say they have a best friend at work.Should the other 80% start looking for one?Yes and no.    1     ,says psychologist Catherine Heaney. That support can come from a coworker who has become a close friend,but it doesn’t have to;interactions with managers and friendly acquaintances can also boost your well-being, Heaney notes.

    2    : having friends in the workplace can improve wellness.It’s linked to a lower risk of burnout,better mental health,and maybe even a longer lifespan.Meanwhile,research is equally clear that loneliness is bad for your health.    3     , given its links to various health problems.

But if becoming best friends with your coworkers feels too daunting (使人气馁的),or just not your style,you can still benefit from social support.When most people hear “social support”,they think of emotional support,like venting (发泄) to a coworker over coffee, Heaney says.    4     :when someone steps in to help you on a busy day,for instance,or shares advice.Even relatively minor interactions,like a manager allowing you to leave early to pick up your sick child,can buffer (缓解) the negative effects of stress, Heaney explains.    5    —although it is great if you do—but rather to promote “a sense of being in the right place” by becoming part of a community.

A．But it comes in many forms

B．Research on the topic is clear

C．The goal isn’t necessarily to make lifelong friends

D．It’s easy to talk yourself out of making these gestures

E．It s often considered equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day

F．That could mean seeking input from people at all levels of the company

G．There’s no doubt that social support in the workplace is important for your health

3 . Building Up Your Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and emotionally engage with others. It is viewed as the fundamental social glue and main psychological mechanism, which enables us to relate to each other, maintain social relations and create a more sympathetic world.     1    . It is a skill that can be developed and strengthened over time. Here are some tips on how to build up your empathy.

Practice active listening 

Listening is one of the most effective ways you can demonstrate empathy to other people. Active listening requires three things. To begin with, paraphrase what the person said to show that you understood the content.     2    , because it helps the person better understand and regulate their own emotions. Finally, indicate how your response makes you want to behave, because again you are demonstrating that you understand their emotional state and helping them figure out a behavior to move forward with.

Challenge your prejudices and assumptions        

Ask yourself why you think that all poor people are lazy, or all people with mental health issues are dangerous. A lot of assumptions and prejudices are based on misinformation that has become widespread.     3    .   

Treat people as being important

Recognize that you aren’t the only one living in this world and that you aren’t some superior being.     4    . Don’t lump (合并) them into stereotypical (刻板印象的) groups with erroneous one-size-fits-all labels. Each person is an individual and comes with a set of flaws and strengths.

    5    

This means getting a direct experience of another person’s life, the “walk a mile in another person’s shoes” proverb. You don’t have to go quite that far, but consider taking on all the things that your mother does in a day for an entire week. You’ll discover how difficult it is to manage both the home and work, and you’ll have a better appreciation for how much work she has to do. You may even decide to pitch in a bit more.

In conclusion, building up your empathy takes time and effort, but it is worth it. So start practicing today and make a positive impact on the world around you.

A．Practice experiential empathy

B．Leave each person as they are

C．Practice gratitude and appreciation

D．Take each person as they come

E．Reflect on your emotional reaction as well

F．However, empathy is not something we are born with

G．Educate yourself and listen to the groups that are affected by this misinformation

4 . Young children are always watching-including when people swap spit through actions like food sharing. Such behavior helps babies infer who is in close relationships with one another, a study suggests.

Typically, people are more likely to engage in activities that can lead to an exchange of saliva (唾液), such as kissing or sharing an ice cream, with family members or close friends than with an acquaintance. So saliva sharing can be a marker of “thick relationships, “ or people with strong attachments, says MIT developmental psychologist Ashley Thomas.

To see if young children might use saliva sharing as a social cue for close bonds, Thomas and colleagues ran experiments of people engaging with puppets(木偶). When shown a puppet seemingly crying, kids of 8 months old were more likely to look at an adult who had previously shared saliva with the puppet than an adult who hadn’t, the team reports.

Scientists, of course, can’t know exactly babies’ thought. But tracking where they look offers hints. The team used where the kids looked first when a puppet showed distress as an indicator of their understanding of the relationship.

In some experiments, the team showed 8- to 10-month-olds or 16- to 18-month-olds videos of a woman sharing an orange slice with a puppet. A second video depicted another woman and the puppet playing with a ball. During a final video, which showed the puppet crying while seated between the two women, the kids’ eyes were more often drawn to the woman who had shared the orange.

The team saw similar results in another experiment. One woman stuck her finger in her mouth and then in one puppet’s mouth to share saliva. For the other, she touched only her forehead and then the puppet’s forehead. After the woman showed distress, kids spent more time looking at the puppet that had seemingly swapped saliva.

It’s unclear how the findings relate to children’s daily lives. Future studies could switch out actresses for family members to better understand the role saliva may play in distinguishing relationships. Other cues, such as hugging, may also play a role, Thomas says.

1. What is the main finding of the study?

A．Saliva-sharing behavior is a cultural phenomenon.

B．Saliva-sharing is an indicator of trust between individuals.

C．Saliva-sharing can help children distinguish close relationship.

D．Children can understand relationships through saliva-sharing behavior.

2. What does Ashley Thomas think of saliva sharing?

A．It is a natural behavior for young children.

B．It can be an indicator of strong attachments between people.

C．It is a cultural behavior young children learn from their parents.

D．It is a result of the development of young children’s social skills.

3. Which method do the scientists apply when conducting the experiments?

A．Comparison.

B．Reference.

C．Inference.

D．Description.

4. What may be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．The limitations of the current study.

B．The importance of saliva in social relationships.

C．The role of other cues in distinguishing relationships.

D．Saliva sharing can affect children’s social development.

5 . Most people enjoy variety. We like to eat different foods from meal to meal. We wear different clothes. We like to try new activities and visit new places. We become bored when there is little variety. Nevertheless, there’s one place where we tend to dislike variety, and that’s in each other. We often feel uncomfortable with people who practise different habits, or hold beliefs or values that we do not share.

There are reasons for this. When we are exposed to new and different things, our brain works a bit harder than usual. When we’re learning, our nerve cells require more resources, such as water, salt, and various other chemicals. This extra metabolic (新陈代谢的) activity can feel unsettling and unpleasant. And it can feel worse if our nervous system is already under pressure, like in the midst of the pandemic.

This sort of variation may be uncomfortable for individuals, but it’s critical to the survival of any species. If all finches (雀科鸣鸟) were identical, for example, and their environment changed in some significant, harmful ways, like an increase in the temperature or a decrease in water, all of them would be equally affected and the species might become extinct. This insight into variation comes from Charles Darwin, and it’s known as population thinking. Most people associate Darwin with his evolutionary theory of natural selection, but population thinking may be an even greater scientific achievement. The idea of “survival of the fittest” implies that individuals must vary. Some are more suited than others for a given environment, making it easier for them to survive, grow, and reproduce. Variation is therefore a prerequisite for natural selection to work.

Dealing with the vast variety of humankind can be demanding and even annoying at times, but it’s a good investment, sort of like exercise for your brain. When you meet someone who looks different or thinks differently from you, treat your discomfort as a cue to be curious and learn instead of a signal of a problem. Don’t hold the view that the other person should be silenced. Ultimately, this mindset can make you more flexible in adapting to challenging situations, and more adaptable to change.

1. Which of the following might make people feel uncomfortable?

A．Having an adventure in the wild.

B．Taking a trip to a foreign country.

C．Sharing traveling experiences with others.

D．Socializing with people from diverse cultures.

2. What does the second paragraph focus on?

A．People’s unwillingness to deal with new things.

B．The significance of learning new things in our life.

C．The biological explanations for people’s discomfort.

D．The role of the nervous system in learning new things.

3. What does the underlined word “prerequisite” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Requirement.

B．Substitute.

C．Motivation.

D．Challenge.

4. What does the writer mainly want to convey?

A．Why we tend to chase and enjoy variation.

B．How we can benefit from seeking variation.

C．How we should treat the differences we find in others.

D．Why we should get along with people different from us.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers discussing?

A．A lecture.

B．A product.

C．A university.

2. What does the woman say about Mr Cobb?

A．He founded a start-up firm.

B．He is well known for his lectures.

C．He has contributed a lot to the field of electronics.

3. What does the man ask the woman to do?

A．Contact a department of the university.

B．Conduct an interview with Mr Cobb.

C．Buy tickets for employees.

7 . Many people find when they are overly familiar with their routines, their excitement will be replaced with boredom quickly. A study shows that finding unusual ways to interact with familiar people, places and things can make everyday experiences feel exciting.    1    . Need some fresh ideas for keeping life fresh? Read on.

While you are working

Spending too much time in the same environment can keep us from achieving “flow”— being immersed in an activity with full energy and enjoyment.    2    . Move your home office to the library or a coffee shop a few days a week. If you are charged with leading a Monday meeting, try starting it with meditation or a non-work discussion.

    3    

“Boredom is an emotional state and happens when couples stop taking the opportunity to grow and deeply connect with each other,” says Venus Nicolino, host of Reality Stars. Look for new challenges to take on together. Try mixing up different sets of friends to do something creative, such as a group cooking lesson, or an old-fashioned tea party.

With other people we care about

Instead of “How was your day”, try asking “What are you looking forward to today?” Our curiosity can remind people that we’re interested in who they are, and that’s the key to maintaining intimacy (亲密关系).    4    .

During your commute

If you walk or use public transportation, greet a stranger or put away your phone and do some people watching. “Simply observing one’s surroundings may seem boring.    5    ,” says Tim Lomas, a lecturer at the University of East London. Just remember, whatever you do to relieve boredom today, try something different tomorrow.

A．With your significant other

B．With people you are familiar with

C．Changes don’t have to be big to make an impact

D．Interacting with other people often brings you much fun

E．In other words, sometimes you’ve just got to shake things up

F．Sometimes being curious about others can make us more pleasant to be around too

G．However, if done mindfully, it can become interesting and even more meaningful

8 . When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal issues, they tend to employ their current feelings as fuel for a heated argument. But thinking about the future helps overcome relationship conflicts, according to a University of Waterloo study just published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Alex Huynh, a doctoral candidate in psychology is the lead author of the study, which he published with Igor Grossmann from the University of Waterloo, and Daniel Yang from Yale University.

Previous research has shown that third-perspective reasoning can be a positive strategy for reconciliation (调解) of interpersonal struggles. Huynh and his collaborators investigated whether similar benefit can be induced by simply thinking about the future. Study participants were instructed to reflect on a recent conflict with a romantic partner or a close friend. One group of participants were then asked to describe how they would feel about the conflict one year in the future, while another group was asked to describe how they feel in the present.

The team examined participants’ written responses through a text-analysis program for their use of pronouns — such as I, me, she, he. These choices of pronouns were used to capture participants’ focus on the feelings and behaviour of those involved in the conflict. Written responses were also examined for forgiveness and reinterpreting the conflict more positively, both of which implied the participants’ use of reasoning strategies.

The researchers found that envisioning future relationship affected both participants’ focus on their feelings, and their reasoning strategies. As a result, participants reported more positivity about their relationship altogether, especially when study participants extended their thinking about the relationship a year into the future.

“Our study demonstrates that adopting a future-oriented perspective in the context of a relationship conflict — reflecting on how one might feel a year from now — may be a valuable coping tool for one’s psychological happiness and relationship well-being,” said Huynh.

1. What do romantic partners do in face of most disagreements?

A．They lose faith in their future.	B．They focus on their present feelings.
C．They look forward to a fierce conflict.	D．They care more about financial problems.

2. What does the underlined word “induced” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean？

A．Caused.	B．Explained.
C．Reduced.	D．Improved.

3. What do we know about the study?

A．All the study participants described how they felt both in the present and in the future.

B．Study participants described their recent relationship with their romantic partners or friends.

C．A text-analysis program was employed to examine participants’ use of negative words.

D．The reasoning strategies in participants’ written responses were well worthy of note.

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

A．You have a year to solve your interpersonal problems!

B．Thinking about future is essential for relationship maintenance!

C．Your current feelings are the real cause of your heated arguments!

D．Beneficial reasoning is a positive strategy for reconciliation!

9 . Individuals with social intelligence can sense how other people feel, know clearly what to say in social situations and appear confident even in a larger crowd. You might think of these folks as having “people skills”, but what they truly possess is social intelligence.

People who are socially intelligent display core traits (核心、特质) that help them communicate and connect with others.    1     A person who possesses social intelligence doesn’t listen merely to respond but truly pays attention to what another person is saying. The other folks in the conversation walk away feeling like they were understood and that they made a connection.     2     Someone with social intelligence understands that arguing or proving a point by making another person feel bad isn’t the right thing to do.     3     Instead, they tend to listen to him/her with an open mind — even when it’s not an idea that they personally agree with.

Some people may seem to develop social intelligence without really trying.     4     Luckily, certain strategies, such as practicing active listening and respecting cultural differences, can help a person build social skills. Studying social situations is also an effective way to develop social skills. Pay attention to what people are doing well and the mistakes you want to avoid. Afterward, think about what you want to do differently in the next social situation you are in.

    5     If it were, there wouldn’t ever be another awkward conversation at a party. However, working toward a strong social intelligence can lead to a richer life — or, at least, an easier time making a few new friends.

A．They are usually effective listeners.

B．Social intelligence isn’t easy to master.

C．But others have to work to develop it.

D．They don’t directly reject another person’s ideas.

E．And remember that you can mess up sometimes.

F．Develop your social intelligence by working on your communication skills.

G．Lack of arguing is another important trait that people with social intelligence exhibit.

10 . Video conferencing has been around for more than 20 years. Until the Covid-19 pandemic, though, you would find that many people needing to attend a meeting remotely would be calling from a real conference room full of their teammates. Today, we're routinely holding video conferences that are 100% virtual (虚拟).And this is creating a problem that technology can't fix.

The problem is us, specifically the fact that we haven't evolved socially to the point where we can bear much separation. So much of our well-being and work productivity is decided on how close we are physically. The removal of that for any period of time can be severely damaging. One surprising victim of social distancing is laughter

Normally people laugh about 18 times per day. And 97% of that time we're laughing with others - we are 30 times more likely to laugh with others than to laugh alone. Think about it: how often when you and your friends laugh at something, is that something actually funny? Research shows that 80% of what people laugh at is really not that funny.

So why do people laugh? They laugh in order to laugh with others. Just as everyone starts yawning (打哈欠) when just one person yawns, most people can't help but laugh when those around them do. This is why TV comedy shows often use prerecorded laugh tracks.

Laughing in response to other people's laughing is not just a behavioral phenomenon. When we laugh, our body produces two key chemicals: endorphin which helps relieve pain and sets off feelings of pleasure, and dopamine which can improve learning, motivation and attention. In fact, studies show that people can stand 15% more pain simply by laughing for a few minutes beforehand. Laughter is also associated with higher motivation and productivity at work.

In today's home-alone, virtual-team world, this is exactly what you as a team leader should be doing: for your team members to stay healthy and productive, you need to get them to laugh more and stress less.

1. What is the problem mentioned at the start of the text?

A．Physical weakness.	B．Lack of technology.
C．Social distancing.	D．Reliance or virtual conference.

2. The underlined word “This” in paragraph 4 refers to the fact that

A．laugh tracks are popular	B．laughing is uncontrollable
C．laughing starts with yawning	D．laughing comes more easily in groups

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Why laughing is important to work.

B．How laughing keeps us physically healthy.

C．Whether laughing is a behavioral phenomenon.

D．What chemicals our body produces when we laugh

4. What would the author most probably discuss next?

A．Concrete steps to produce laughter in a team.

B．Other factors that may influence a team's health.

C．Ways to tell the real world from the virtual world.

D．The importance of maintaining work productivity.