1 . Part of me has always wanted to be the kind of person who breaks the ice with a stranger. When I witness that kind gregariousness (合群) in others, I feel_________; I assume their lack of reserve means they lead more exciting lives. How many tales of adventure began because someone had the_________to say hello? Talking to someone I don’t know_________low-level fear, and I avoid it entirely.

I’m not alone. In a 2022 study, Gillian Sandstrom, a psychologist, noted that people are “remarkably_________” about talking to strangers, despite research linking frequent social interactions with happiness. We tend to_________the potential for negative consequences in such encounters, and actively avoid them. As a countermeasure, she gave participants “missions” that involved initiating conversations with strangers who met certain_________(e.g., “Find someone who’s wearing a hat”). The results were_________Sandstrom s assumption: these interactions were far more pleasant than people expected them to be.

Eager to test her theory, I gave myself a week to reproduce Sandstrom’s assignment, which meant speaking to around 30 people. I had no_________not 10 try: I live in New York City and encounter hundreds of strangers.

One of my missions was to speak to someone who was eating. “Is that cream cheese?” I asked a guy on a park bench who was eating stuff. It_________a little more disrespectful than I intended, but once he realized that I wasn’t crazy, we had a(n)__________conversation. When I spoke to an attractive woman on crutches (拐杖) for my task of engaging someone who “looks sad,” I was worried she’d think of me as a pickup artist.__________, she humored me when I told her about my knee issues.

Here’s a tip: asking strangers about the bonuses of talking to strangers can be an effective strategy. I used this__________with people required to interact with the public as part of their job. Among the waiters I spoke with, a common response was that chatting with customers was one of the most enjoyable aspects of their day, providing a little burst of__________. A cafe worker told me that he was an expert at guessing a customer’s order based on their appearance—yoga clothes? black coffee—but felt a distinct joy whenever he got it wrong.

My__________didn’t transform me into a fearless extrovert (外向者). But it was a useful reminder that when it comes to keeping life interesting, it__________to make room for the occasional surprise.

1.

A．sacred

B．distressed

C．disapproving

D．envious

2.

A．nerve

B．willpower

C．sympathy

D．vision

3.

A．masks

B．eases

C．inspires

D．taps

4.

A．informed

B．pessimistic

C．expectant

D．confused

5.

A．overstate

B．demonstrate

C．exploit

D．suffer

6.

A．identification

B．resistance

C．profile

D．scale

7.

A．at the mercy of

B．in contrast to

C．for the sake of

D．in line with

8.

A．excuse

B．means

C．authority

D．regrets

9.

A．set about

B．came out

C．stood by

D．ended up

10.

A．delightful

B．awkward

C．one-sided

D．initial

11.

A．Likewise

B．Therefore

C．Plus

D．Instead

12.

A．bonus

B．receipt

C．approach

D．patent

13.

A．unpredictability

B．resolution

C．discrimination

D．inaccessibility

14.

A．persistence

B．ritual

C．experiment

D．convention

15.

A．turns out

B．pays off

C．goes on

D．falls short

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. alert                    B. connected             C. correspond             D. dismiss             E. embarrassed F. invaluable             G. judgement             H. piloted                    L. respectful             J. urge                    K. wellbeing

Are you listening? But are you really listening?

You’d think we’d be very good at listening, but do we deeply listen? Sometimes we quickly    1    another’s opinion if it doesn’t fit neatly with our own. The British Council has launched a project Crossing Divides aimed to train young people to listen and understand other people with very different perspectives.

Practicing deep listening means tuning into empathy(同理心), resisting the    2    to judge people who are distinct from oneself. It develops important skills that will make anyone a better listener: empathy, silence and becoming aware of our    3    .

The project was    4    in Lebanon, where it helped local people find common ground with each other, in a society divided by bitter years of conflict. People taking part in the project said they felt that they were being heard, helping them to feel recognized and understood, which opened communication between communities. All the participants greatly improved their listening skills, which proved    5    in their working and personal lives.

They have also had a chance to be listened to and heard, which research shows can improve    6    . This is because we all feel accepted, valued and more    7    to others when we sense that we are being truly listened to, and the person listening to us doesn’t have to agree with us for those benefits to be enjoyed.

The project is also an opportunity for participants to feel the benefit of stepping outside their own “echo chamber (回声室)”. Echo chambers are created by our natural tendency to seek out people and opinions, in person and online, that we agree with, so we mainly see and hear information and opinions that    8    to our own. Not surprisingly this leads us to think our views are definitively correct, so we become    9    or even angry when we encounter perspectives that our worldview suggests arc wrong, because they don’t agree with our own echo chamber.

So, training young people with deep listening skills can encourage many more people to take part in challenging and    10    conversations. Scott McDonald, the organization’s CEO said: “The deep listening training gets to the heart of what we do by providing opportunities for people to step out of their echo chambers, to cross divides, and build trust and understanding.”

3 . Most of us associate awe (敬畏) with something rare and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But people can waken awe too, and not just public heroes. Research shows that we can be awed by our nearest and dearest — the people sitting next to us on the couch, chatting on the other end of the phone, looking back at us over Zoom.     1    

Often, interpersonal awe is a response to life’s big, sweeping changes, such as witnessing a baby’s first steps.     2     John Bargh said he was “truly awestruck” — by his 5-year-old daughter while dining in a McDonald’s. When she heard another child crying, she grabbed the toy from her Happy Meal, walked over to the boy and handed it to him.

Though we can’t make someone else behave in a way that’s awesome, we can prepare ourselves to notice it when they do and boost the emotion’s positive effects.

Question your assumptions. Do you believe your partner is insensitive or your sibling is selfish? There may be a little truth to that, but it’s never the whole tale.     3     To increase your chances of feeling awed by the other person, ask yourself what’s going on in his or her life that you don’t know about.

Name awe when you see it. Speaking out “Wow, that was awesome!” is a simple way to help you identify and remember a special experience. Savor (品味) it in the moment and then tell others about it. This will reinforce your positive emotions.     4     Studies show that you will feel awe again simply by remembering an awe experience.

    5     This makes the other person feel good and can give your relationship a boost. And it will help you too: Studies show that people who practice gratitude have significantly higher levels of happiness and psychological well-being.

A．Thank the person who awed you.

B．And recall it or write about it later.

C．Psychologists call this interpersonal awe.

D．It’s easy to forget that it can be awesome too.

E．But interpersonal awe does happen in smaller moments.

F．Here’s why you should recognize those moments of interpersonal awe.

G．The story you tell yourself gets in the way of catching people at their best.

4 . Most people want to live a life that feels meaningful.     1    , especially if you’re young. By exploring yourself and your passions, you will figure out what matters to you and make your life significant. Here are a handful of ways to make your life matter.

•     2    

If you want to have a meaningful life, the first step is to understand your own life story. When have you felt strongest and happiest? How you interpret the events of your life impacts how you see yourself. There’s a lot of power in being able to construct your own sense of meaning and purpose.

• Living with compassion (共情)

Compassion is key to leading a meaningful life. If you want to influence those around you in a meaningful way, try to develop a sense of compassion for others. Pay attention to the body language of those around you.     3    .

• Connecting with the world

Try to build positive, meaningful relationships with people who support you and build you up, like your friends and family.     4    . Your life will feel more meaningful if you make an effort to express yourself and your emotions.

• Giving back

    5    . Try giving back to your community through service to organizations that are important to you. However, giving back does not just mean donating your time to charity. You should also work to be kind to those around you. This can help you feel your life matters as you’ll have a positive impact on friends and family members.

A．Making lifestyle changes

B．Figuring out who you are

C．It can be difficult to make it

D．This can give you insight into their emotions

E．Pay attention to the needs of those around you

F．Volunteering can be a great way to feel your life has meaning

G．Meanwhile, self-expression is a great way to interact with the world

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 . In this day and age, gadgets have become a significant part of our daily lives. While it does make people’s lives easier, there are disadvantages.    1    You might have noticed how everyone is constantly clicking their phones, iPad, and others portable devices. Disconnecting from gadgets might be challenging, but there are ways to spend time with your friends without using these gadgets.

Turn off Gadgets

    2    Turning off your gadgets could be the first step you can do. It could also be one of the house rules when you are together. However, you and your friends should agree on this matter before implementing it in your get-together to avoid any misunderstanding.

Start Playing with Classic Board Games

Before the trend of high-tech gadgets, board games had always been the source of entertainment when a group of friends wanted to have some fun. Meeting with your friends could be the best time to bring these classic board games back.    3    

Bond over Food

Eating together is a chance to bond, de-stress, and relax.    4    The same study also found out that eating together involves laughter and reminiscing. Laughter is known to trigger the endorphin system, which, in return, promotes primate and human social bonding.

Have a Heart-to-Heart Talk

Entertainment isn’t the only way to interact with your friends.    5    You don’t know what your friends are going through, and making room for a heart-to-heart talk might be what they need.

A．There are many different games you can search online.

B．One is how gadgets seem to be taking over people’s social relationships.

C．Evening meals are considered significantly more valuable for building friendships.

D．One study suggested social eating has evolved as a mechanism for improving social bonding.

E．If you want to spend quality time with each other, all of you need to sacrifice your screen time.

F．While it’s essential to enjoy your get-together, going into a purposeful conversation is also important.

G．Though they have digital equivalents, you may still get benefits when playing them in the traditional way.

7 . How to communicate effectively?

No matter your age or background, effective communication is a valuable skill. It’s also a skill that everyone can learn. Knowing how to communicate well comes in handy when it’s time for a heart-to-heart chat with a friend. Skillful communication can even turn a potential fight into a productive talk. The finest leaders have always been good communicators, whether in education, business or politics.    1    

Remove distraction.

Turn off the television, laptop and any other electronics that could distract from communication. If a call or text comes through on your cellphone when you are talking or listening to someone, turn it off without looking at it.    2     It can easily ruin your efforts to communicate.

    3    

Never try to be amusing at the expense of other people. Whether you mean to or not, disrespecting others will hurt the communication process. If you’re unsure if something is appropriate, you probably shouldn’t say it.

Communicate eye-to-eye.

Eye contact is the most important form of body language. It shows interest and helps convince people that you can be trusted. During a conversation, it is important to meet others’eyes, using just as much eye contact as feels natural.    4    Too much eye contact is seen as rude in certain cultures, and meeting eyes can cause some people who have autism to feel very uncomfortable.

Use “I” messages.

When raising concerns, try to start your sentences with “I” instead of “You”, stating clearly how you feel about the situation rather than blaming others. Instead of saying “You’re sloppy,” you might say, “I’m really uncomfortable surrounded by clutter like this. Is there something we can do to deal with it to keep it from being a problem?” “ I”messages improve the chances that listeners will consider your point of view.

Effective communication is a powerful tool that is useful in almost any situation.    5    

A．There are some exceptions, though.

B．Organize and clarify ideas in your mind.

C．Be respectful of other beliefs and cultures.

D．Interrupting a conversation shows a lack of respect.

E．With some practice, you can learn how to communicate well, too.

F．It’s important to choose a setting that makes everyone comfortable.

G．Developing this skill will improve your relationships everywhere you go.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does Miyako want to do?

A．Make a call.

B．Send a card.

C．Hold a party.

2. Why does Amada suggest getting together again?

A．To continue the talk.

B．To greet Miyako warmly.

C．To finish the talk.

9 . 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

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . “Shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life that you’d like to,” the Smiths once sang. However, research suggests that may not be the case when working as a team.

Researchers have found that when animals temper their personalities because of social rules, the efficiency of a group to undertake risky missions—such as foraging (觅食) for food—is boosted. “We see this phenomenon happening when we mix together a school of fish with wildly different personalities: the very fearless individuals and the very shy individuals tend to control what they would normally be doing when they stick with the rest of the group,” said Dr. Sean Rands, the lead author of the research at the University of Bristol.

Writing in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, the researchers reported how they built a computer model to investigate the impact of social conventions and animals’ personalities on the movement of individuals within a group. The model was based on an assumption in which a group of animals in a safe “home” set out to travel to a food foraging site some distance away.

The results revealed that when no social conventions were in place, their movements were governed by their personalities alone—in other words how fearless or shy they were determined how quickly they left home and arrived at the foraging site. However, when social conventions were introduced, so that the individuals had to keep an eye on each other and adjust their movements accordingly, the impact of personality reduced with less variation in how quickly they reached the destination. The team found where social conventions were present, the group foraged more efficiently than when individuals behaved independently. “We find that if individuals pay attention to the other members of the group, the group will tend to remain at the safe site for longer, but then travel faster towards the foraging site,” the team wrote.

Rands added that for many social animals, being part of a group can bring huge benefits, and these can outweigh the influence of personality.

1. Why are the Smiths’ words mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To give an example.

B．To make a comparison.

C．To lead in the topic.

D．To introduce the background.

2. What will individuals do while staying with a group?

A．Adjust their behavior.

B．Take on risky missions.

C．Ignore social rules.

D．Travel to a distant foraging site.

3. What can we infer from the results?

A．Personalities alone determine movements.

B．Individuals prefer to behave independently.

C．Group work increases exposure to potential risks.

D．Social conventions contribute to working efficiency.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Be Part of a Group

B．Stay True to Yourself

C．Get Rid of Your Shyness

D．Control Your Personalities