1 . “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. |
| A．Adjust their behavior. |
| B．Take on risky missions. |
| C．Ignore social rules. |
| D．Travel to a distant foraging site. |
| 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. |
| A．Be Part of a Group |
| B．Stay True to Yourself |
| C．Get Rid of Your Shyness |
| D．Control Your Personalities |
2 . How to deal with silent treatment?
Is someone you know giving you the silent treatment? Maybe you did something wrong: you embarrassed or humiliated the other person; You let them down or failed to give them your support when they needed it.
Be clear about what happened
You probably already know what it was that you said or did.
Explain that you know what happened between you wasn’t good and that you’d like to be friends again. Ask them what their thoughts and feelings are now about what happened. Acknowledge what they say about how they feel, and then say how you feel. For example, “ I understand why you are upset and that you are angry. I feel sad/upset/bad about what happened, and I’d like to put things right. ”
Take responsibility and apologize
This doesn’t mean taking all the blame.
Try only once
| A．But if not, ask. |
| B．Share your past experiences. |
| C．Ask about thoughts and feelings. |
| D．It also means that we should keep it to ourselves. |
| E．No matter what it is, here’s a handful of ways that will set you in the right direction. |
| F．If the other person refuses to restart talking to you, there’s nothing else you can do. |
| G．It simply means admitting your part in any wrongdoing and expressing that you’re sorry. |
3 . I moved into my house at the end of last year. I
About a week ago, my next door neighbor came and properly introduced himself. He then asked if he could
| A．feared | B．noticed | C．believed | D．admitted |
| A．forgot | B．discovered | C．decided | D．assumed |
| A．at random | B．worst still | C．most important | D．sure enough |
| A．constantly | B．temporarily | C．eventually | D．similarly |
| A．confused | B．excited | C．disappointed | D．annoyed |
| A．break up | B．tear down | C．pick up | D．make for |
| A．encouraged | B．warned | C．advised | D．declined |
| A．previous | B．punctual | C．transparent | D．voluntary |
| A．friction | B．power | C．gesture | D．competence |
| A．taught | B．warned | C．invited | D．reminded |
4 . Each April Thais celebrate their “Thai New Year” with a great water fight on the streets. People throw water at everyone passing by and even block the road so they can enter buses and “paint the faces” of all the passengers. But there are a few people who don’t wish to participate in the fun. When I first experienced this celebration, I was one of them.
The first time our bus was stopped, 4 people coming into the bus intended to paint everyone’s face. I slowly shook my head to say “No, thank you.”, but a man came from behind me and quickly painted my face. Then the other three felt inspired and added a little more “paint” to my face. I didn’t actively stop them for fear that if I did, they would become more aggressive (好斗的) and throw even more water at me and possibly my backpack, which would damage whatever was inside.
Even though it happened only once, emotionally it was very frightening because I felt so powerless. The experience caused me to think a lot about respect and moral autonomy or individual judgment vs “permission” from the authorities. On this day, people of Thailand, including the police, give “permission” for these activities. So what about respect for the individual? If someone does not want to be painted, is it OK to do it anyhow because the majority is having a good time and sincerely believes it is harmless fun, or because the police allow it?
In my opinion, if someone does not want to have something done to them, then you’re supposed to respect their decision. You can’t rely on the authorities or some group to tell you if something is right or wrong or if you should or shouldn’t do something. I believe this is a much healthier way of living with one another in this world.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By raising a question. | B．By making an assumption. |
| C．By providing a comparison. | D．By supporting a celebration. |
| A．He was afraid of causing conflict. | B．He wanted to protect things in his backpack. |
| C．The activity got official permission. | D．The majority were in favor of the behavior. |
| A．It was unpleasant. | B．It was invaluable. |
| C．It was informative. | D．It was acceptable. |
| A．Do as you would be done by. |
| B．Fear always springs from ignorance. |
| C．When in Rome do as the Romans do. |
| D．Respect matters in interpersonal communication. |
Living with other people can be difficult, especially when each person comes from a different background and has their own ideas about how they want to live. Though having a roommate can be challenging at times, it can also be enjoyable and fun.
You can discuss your expectations ahead of time. Get together before or on the first day you move in together and talk about what each of you needs and wants from the other.
You should agree to respect each other’s privacy. This is especially important.
You can also be considerate of your roommate in your life. Understand what’s going on in your roommate’s life. You should aim to be flexible and accommodating. Your roommate may have a big test coming up.
| A．You can discuss each of your preferences for privacy. |
| B．Spending time with your roommate is also important. |
| C．This is your best chance to set boundaries with your roommate. |
| D．Make sure that everyone is clear on the rules and responsibilities. |
| E．This is what you should know to respect your roommate’s privacy. |
| F．Then in this case you should probably be quiet and let them study. |
| G．The following steps will help you live in harmony with your roommate. |
6 . Apologizing for a mistake might seem difficult, but it will help you repair and improve your relationships with others after that offense (冒犯).
Acknowledge the offense. This is an essential element of a good apology.
Express regret.
Tell them how you’ll change. Let them know how you’ll change and what you’d do to make that possible. For instance, if you’ve been late once again, instead of just apologizing, share how you’d keep an early alarm to be on time!
| A．Provide a proper explanation. |
| B．Express your intention clearly. |
| C．But many apologies don’t do this enough. |
| D．When you hurt someone, it’s natural to feel shame or regret. |
| E．A true apology is one where you promise it won’t be repeated again. |
| F．This might show that you aren’t taking full ownership for what happened. |
| G．This will enable you to know what means the most to the offended person. |
7 . Look up how to increase your life expectancy (预期寿命), and you will probably see plenty of results recommending that you have a healthy diet, get sufficient sleep, work out and cut out tobacco and too much alcohol consumption. But what many of us don’t know is that our relationships also affect our life expectancy. Social integration is associated with greater life satisfaction, better health and increased life expectancy. People with wide social networks are more likely to be happy, experience fewer health issues, enjoy better mental health and to live a lot longer.
Now this doesn’t mean that we should dive head first into a relationship whenever we’re lonely in order to avoid dying young. Harmful relationships can be as isolating as being alone, so who we choose to break bread with is absolutely vital to our overall health.
Have you ever wondered why some people are single and happy, while others are drowning in suffering? Or why some married couples exist in a consistent state of bliss, while others are practically enemies?
Research shows that marriage has greater benefits for men than it does for women. Being coupled allows men to receive the essential emotional support that they would lack if they were single. They also get the added benefit of being physically taken care of thanks to the gender roles society still subscribes to.
Women, on the other hand, don’t have as much luck when it comes to being coupled. A woman in a harmful relationship is likely to experience the mental, emotional and physical consequences that come with that. On the contrary, a woman in a healthy relationship is likely to live well. Research shows that the women who are happily married tend to be coupled with partners who take on their fair share of household responsibilities.
But that’s not all, age gaps also need to be factored in to determine relationship satisfaction. Couples with wider age gaps are more likely to be harmonious compared to their peers.
1. What does the writer intend to emphasize in Paragraph 1?| A．Some health problems. |
| B．Ways to increase life expectancy. |
| C．The effect of sleep on people’s health. |
| D．The importance of human relationships. |
| A．Happiness. | B．Kindness. |
| C．Loneliness. | D．Friendliness. |
| A．Marriage benefits men and women equally. |
| B．Women benefit more from marriage than men. |
| C．Men are better taken care of because of the gender roles. |
| D．Good relationship can effectively prevent people from dying lonely. |
| A．The influence of a harmonious marriage. |
| B．Relationship satisfaction for older couples. |
| C．Gender differences in marriage satisfaction. |
| D．The benefits of wider age gaps in marriage. |
8 . Researchers set up an experiment in which 5-year-olds were tested with their fellows under different circumstances of transparency (透明) and different audiences. They set up a sticker machine that in some settings was transparent, and other settings in which only the giver of stickers knew how many stickers he could give. They had children give out stickers in both settings. The results were striking: children were consistently generous only when the receiver and audience of the stickers were fully aware of the donation options. Children were notably ungenerous when the receiver of stickers couldn’t see the options.
The researchers said, “Children only showed consistently pro-social behavior in our study in the condition when they could see the receiver and their allocations (分配物) were fully visible; in all other conditions, children were statistically ungenerous, giving the receiver the smaller amount of stickers.”
They made the conclusions that at a very early age, children are learning how to position themselves socially. Well before they apprehend the sociology of their networks and what social reputation really means, they think strategically about giving as a function of how they can gain a reputation with a peer as a generous citizen or pro-social agent when the receiver observes them.
Children change their behavior in response to having an audience. Help children give to others in full view, delivering meals to families, and in private, dropping off treats or surprises for those who need support without signing their names. Also, children should be reminded that thank-you notes are lovely but unnecessary to receive. When we give gifts or lend help to others, try to help children remember why—to provide something for another. It really doesn’t have to be recognized. When a thank-you card doesn’t come, it doesn’t make a gift any less valuable or meaningful for those who were lucky enough to receive.
1. What did the researchers discover?| A．The givers’ behavior greatly inspired the receivers to help in return. |
| B．The children gave out an equal number of stickers in both settings. |
| C．The presence of an audience affected children’s decisions to give. |
| D．Donating helped children to become more generous in the future. |
| A．Observing the givers. | B．Donating more stickers. |
| C．Gaining a reputation. | D．Receiving more allocations. |
| A．Share. | B．Predict. | C．Confirm. | D．Understand. |
| A．To suggest recognizing others’ kindness. | B．To acknowledge the giver’s contribution. |
| C．To confirm the benefits of being grateful. | D．To advise inspiring generosity in children. |
| A．The woman is wasting his time. |
| B．The woman should use her time wisely. |
| C．He is eager to know the answer. |
| D．The woman does not need to hurry. |
10 . Having a good sense of humor makes you more enjoyable to be around.
●Surround Yourself with Humor
You learn more effectively when you fully expose yourself to a subject. Similarly, you can improve your sense of humor by surrounding yourself with humor. Watch stand-up comedians. Listen to programs that amuse you.Read humorous books.
●Learn What Amuses You
●Think About Timing and Audience
You don’t have to be funny all the time, so don’t expect that of yourself. When you catch yourself trying to be funny, slow down. Simply speak slower so you’re not as likely to stop and repeat yourself. Try speaking at 60-70 % of your usual rate.
●
You don’t need to seize every single opportunity to be funny. If you’re in the middle of a bad joke, just end it. “You know what, now that I’m telling it, it’s not as funny as it sounded in my head,” can be a bit of an awkward end and hurt your pride a little bit, but it saves everyone time and patience. In the long run, they’ll respect your taste.
| A．Be Creative, Not Silly |
| B．Pause in between sentences |
| C．There’s a lot of fun out there |
| D．You might also do better at work |
| E．Know When to Pull the Plug on Yourself |
| F．You can also try your hand in the real world |
| G．A lot of times, we say things purely to please others |
