1 . When communicating with others, we often focus on what we should say.     1     Listening well means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding the emotions the speaker is trying to convey. The following are tips for becoming an active listener.

Focus fully on the speaker. You can’t listen in an active way if you’re constantly checking your phone.     2     You need to stay focused on the moment-to-moment experience in order to pick up the important nonverbal cues in a conversation. If you find it hard to concentrate on some speakers, try repeating their words over in your head-it’ll reinforce their message and help you stay focused.

Display your interest in what’s being said by using body language. Nod occasionally, smile at the person, and make sure your posture is open and inviting.     3    

Avoid interrupting or trying to redirect the conversation to your concerns by saying something like, “you think that’s bad, let me tell you what happened to me.”     4     You can’t concentrate on what someone’s saying if you’re forming what you’re going to say next. Often, the speaker can read your facial expressions and know that your mind’s elsewhere.

    5     In order to communicate effectively with someone, you don’t have to like them or agree with their ideas, values or opinions. However, you do need to set aside your judgement and hold back blame and criticism in order to fully understand them. The most difficult communication, when successfully performed, can often lead to an unlikely connection with someone.

A．Try to set aside judgement.

B．Be aware of individual differences.

C．It will make you feel more self-confident.

D．Listening is not the same as waiting for your turn to talk.

E．Encourage the speaker to continue with “yes”or “uh huh”.

F．Thinking about something else also implies you are not an active listener.

G．However, effective communication is less about talking and more about listening.

2 . 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

3 . How to Deal with a Colleague who Keeps Challenging Your Views

It can be difficult to develop an environment of teamwork when you continually run up against a colleague who challenges your views.     1    . This will ensure you respect one another, even when you disagree.

Handle unnecessary confrontation (对峙).

If a co-worker habitually challenges your ideas in a group discussion in a confrontational manner, don’t engage him or get into an argument. Pause for a moment, look the colleague in the eye.     2    . This will force the co-worker to either repeat his comment in front of everyone with the same level of confrontation, or soften his approach.

    3    .

There’s a time and place for everything, including professional disagreements. If a colleague interrupts you or talks over you in an effort to contradict your point or insert (插入) his own opinion, gently remind him that you still have the floor. If the colleague is challenging something you say before you have a chance to address the point, note that as well.

Agree to respect each other.

    4    . Constructive debate and brainstorming can strengthen the overall performance of the entire team. Speak to your colleague at a time when you are emotionally stable. For example, you might say, “Can we agree to a respectful and civil way to discuss matters when it’s clear there’s no one ‘right’ answer?”

Prepare rebuttals (反驳).

If a particular colleague has a long history of disagreeing with you, you might be able to anticipate his arguments or objections. Prepare rebuttals to address anything your colleague might throw at you.     5    . It also strengthens your points without being confrontational, and allows you to give him credit for his constructive comments when necessary.

A．Hold your ground.

B．Ask for peace-making.

C．This will help you support your own arguments.

D．And ask him in a calm voice to repeat what he said.

E．Here are the ways to deal with colleagues of this kind.

F．Just find ways to make peace and communicate with your colleague.

G．The bottom line is, colleagues are not going to agree with each other all the time.

5 . The most popular course at Yale is Psych 157: Psychology and the Good Life, covering the science of happiness and how to apply it. Since its launch in 2018 by Professor Laurie Santos, the course has been taken by a quarter of Yale students and more than 200,000 others in its online version.     1    

When chasing happiness, many of us are trying to be a little gentler with ourselves and assigning a priority to self-care. That’s a sensible strategy, Santos agrees. The trouble is how people understand self-care. We assume that self-care looks like a nice bubble bath - or even selfish pursuits.     2     We actually get more out of being more open, more social and more other-oriented (以他人为中心的) than spending money on ourselves.

Santos isn’t the only scientist insisting that you focus more on kindness to others than kindness to yourself. Research out of Oxford University confirms that even tiny acts of kindness can have significant effects on our happiness.     3     They boost mental well-being in the wider community. If you want to stay happy, focus less on self-indulgence (自我放纵) and more on kindness.

    4     Everyone has made a silly decision or two. I myself have lived and learned from more than a few. It’s not the mistakes that matter. It’s how we deal with them. What we can do is to learn from the poor choices, terrible ideas and bad decisions of the past and not repeat them. We can also learn from the mistakes of others and avoid them.     5     And we can make all the bumps and bruises (磕磕碰碰) count for something.

A．Apparently, we all have a thirst for happiness.

B．Self-care is the foundation for caring about others.

C．Finally, to pursue happiness, learn from mistakes.

D．Getting them down on paper will help us avoid mistakes.

E．And other studies show small acts of kindness can spread out.

F．Therefore, we can save the unavoidable pain in life for what’s worthwhile.

G．But data suggest the right way to treat ourselves would be to do nice things for others.

9 . Neighbors play an important role in our lives. Their lifestyle, friends, and social habits can have a strong influence on our lives.   So it's a good idea to get along well with neighbors and build a better relationship that will last for many years to come.   But how should you get along with your neighbors?

When you hear of a special need you can meet, do it, such as sitting with a sick child while your neighbor goes to work or taking an elderly parent to a doctor's appointment when their car won't start.

If you hear that someone close by is ill, has an accident, or is out of work, give him or her a hot meal or a fresh dessert. Your kindness will add a special feeling during a difficult time.   If your neighbor is cutting down a tree or building a doghouse, offer helping hands to him or her.   There is no better way to build relationships.   Besides, you never know when the favor might be returned.

Exchange holiday cards, gifts or traditions.   Invite your neighbors over for a cup of coffee or lunch.   A backyard barbecue can be a great way to share food and fun.   If they've watched your kids grow up or been concerned about your family events, they may want to share these special events.

Plan a party.   Invite all your neighbors to your party.   Planning and carrying out the activity helps everyone to know and understand each other. Your neighbors are like your family in many ways since you have to live with them, or near them for a long time.   Appreciate their strong points and ignore weak points, and everyone will get along well.

1. The purpose of the first paragraph is to ________.

A．introduce how you can get along well with your friends

B．explain the importance of getting along well with your neighbors

C．show how to make friends with your new neighbors

D．list the advantages of building strong family relationships

2. According to the passage, to build a good relationship with your neighbors, you should ________.

A．try to give them a helping hand

B．do housework for them when they are sick

C．give them a good job if they're out of work

D．lend them money when their parents are ill

3. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Tips on how to form a healthy lifestyle.

B．The best way to form good habits.

C．The importance of being helpful.

D．Tips on how to get along with your neighbors.

4. This passage most probably belongs to ________.

A．a physical science magazine

B．the travel news

C．a magazine of social life

D．the technology news