1 . 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. cultivate       B. apparently       C. essential       D. significance       E. pick       F. differently        G. suitable       H. actually       I. relationship        J. ends   K. care

Berlin: At nine most mornings the same scene is repeated in office buildings around the world. An employee walks into the elevator with his boss and apart from a mumbled “good morning” the junior is lost for other words. That’s an opportunity missed, says experts, who believe that such an     1     dull 30-second conversation can be invaluable for those who want to climb the career ladder.

“Small talk can help establish a     2    upon which you can build,” says Dusseldorf communication advisor Thorsten Knobble, whose company customize curriculum vitas and job references.

As a matter of fact, the     3     of small talk goes far beyond the relationship to one’s boss. People who fail the art of speaking a lot without     4     saying anything find it harder to     5     relationships in the workplace, believes Ulrich Goldschmidt, director of the senior management association VDF Essen“Small talk is an     6     part of networking,” he says.

Virtually every conversation begins and     7     with small talk, according to Wolf Lasko, who has written a book on the topic and its bearing on career prospects.

Not everyone is good at small talk. It takes skill to     8     the right moment and the right topic with which to start a conversation. There are plenty of topics although some are not     9     for informal chat. “Anything to do with sex is taboo,” cautions Knobble. “    10     is needed with politics, religion, money and health.” Safe topics include the holidays, the movies, or sports.

2 . In the past, many people regarded people living around them as their close friends and even relatives. And there was a need to _______ one’s neighbors. But nowadays, people do not _______ with those who live close to them as they did decades ago. _______, these people are now living lonelier lives and they are living in a neighborhood of _________.

To begin with, there are several reasons for this _________,which may help the understanding of why this is _______. Firstly, people’s lives are generally _______ today than in the past, as they have much more work to do, which leads to interacting with their _______ instead of their neighbors. Secondly,the lives of the general public are more mobile these days. _______ frequently causes them to develop a more superficial(表面的) relationship with local residents. Lastly, in some ________, there may be cultural differences between neighbors, which makes communication almost non-existent.

________ these reasons, there are also a number of ________, which may help deal with this problem. First of all, the local council(委员会) could ________ community events, to improve relations between local people. Moreover, people should ________ themselves and invite their neighbors to dinner or a casual barbecue, in order to ________ a relationship with each other. Finally, ________ people ought to attend local council meetings so that ________ of the community have the opportunity to communicate with each other.

________, many different solutions are available to help start introductions and communication among ________ such as community events, social gatherings in one’s home and council meetings. And it is in my opinion that it is up to the ________ to do something first. What about spending next weekend with your neighbors in your backyard?

1.

A．spy on

B．look for

C．give up

D．rely on

2.

A．play

B．compete

C．communicate

D．shop

3.

A．Consequently

B．Suddenly

C．Interestingly

D．Surprisingly

4.

A．problems

B．challenges

C．strangers

D．enemies

5.

A．custom

B．attitude

C．issue

D．accident

6.

A．occurring

B．increasing

C．spreading

D．recovering

7.

A．quieter

B．busier

C．nicer

D．healthier

8.

A．colleagues

B．schoolmates

C．instructors

D．assistants

9.

A．Traveling

B．Appearing

C．Quarreling

D．Moving

10.

A．steps

B．cases

C．methods

D．fields

11.

A．Despite

B．Besides

C．Without

D．Beyond

12.

A．tools

B．conditions

C．decisions

D．solutions

13.

A．choose

B．organize

C．change

D．discover

14.

A．introduce

B．help

C．entertain

D．forgive

15.

A．describe

B．show

C．start

D．understand

16.

A．foreign

B．local

C．old

D．smart

17.

A．stars

B．workers

C．members

D．leaders

18.

A．At best

B．On purpose

C．For example

D．In conclusion

19.

A．friends

B．neighbors

C．guests

D．relatives

20.

A．family

B．community

C．government

D．individual

3 . At some point, everyone has the desire（渴望）to fit into a group. If you're interested in sports, you might hang out with those who like sports.     1     You feel comfortable when you are part of that group.

But what if people in your group start doing things that are wrong, hurtful, or even against the law? And what if these people are your friends?

    2     It is the pressure（压力）to follow the behaviors, attitudes, and personal habits of the group. In marry cases, there are serious risks involved（涉及）.

You need to think about the risks ahead of time.     3     Could this harm me physically? Could this harm someone else? ls this against the law?

Now, let's lighten up. You can also use peer（同辈）pressure to your advantage.     4    

For example, if you're active in sports, your teammates probably pressure you to be the best you can be. If you're working hard for good grades, you compare your scores to those at the top of the list. If you're in the band, and there are musicians better than you, you are pressured into trying to be the best musician you can be.

    5     When faced with group invitations, think about the risks ahead of time. If you are uncomfortable doing something, don't be afraid to turn down the invitation with a "no, thanks." The choice is yours.

A．Think of it as competitive peer pressure.

B．This is what we refer to as peer pressure.

C．Most people have followed others in their teenage lives.

D．Consider these questions before you make up your mind.

E．Now is your chance to believe in yourself and to stand alone.

F．You often hear your friend say, "Come on! Everyone's doing it."

G．If you're interested in music, you spend time with others who enjoy music.

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。

The first thing people notice about other people is the way they look like. And whether we like it or not, how we look like leaves an     1     (impress) on others. If you look neat and clean, people     2     (feel) that you're the kind of person that is well-organized. A nice appearance shows that you value yourself.    3    , it doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money     4     clothes for a nice appearance. A man can look messy in an expensive suit if he doesn't brush his hair or clean his clothes     5     (regular). Showing that you take care of your appearance is     6     (important) than what you wear or how expensive your haircut is. In addition to     7     (take) care of your appearance,    8    , of course, is important, you should also consider the situation. You may look lovely in your party clothes and feel confident in your business suit, but these would look out of place in a more casual setting such as at a picnic or at the movies. So     9     (think) about what the majority of people will be wearing in the situation and wear something that suits and makes     10     (you) feel comfortable.

5 . Being a leader in any environment earns you trust among peers and helps you get things done, whatever the task is. Let us show you how to develop leadership skills.

Assess yourself.     1     It’s about looking at yourself objectively, seeing your behaviors and attitudes from the outside, and observing how you may come across to other people. For instance, you may know your intentions are good, but perhaps your delivery doesn't quite translate that.

Address areas of improvement. Be open to testing new ideas and trying new ways of doing things, especially if it seems your old ways of doing things don’t work.     2     If you struggle to see yourself objectively enough to figure out which areas need improvement, a leadership coach may be able to help.

Be a good problem-solver.     3     So being quick on your feet and decisive in how you deal with problems will put you ahead of the game as a leader.

    4     You don’t have to agree with everything someone says, but you must be willing to receive feedback about your own performance, as well as opinions on other important issues. Being flexible and curious about the wants, needs, and ideas of others will develop a much more respectful, effective, and positive environment for everyone.

Encourage others. Building leadership skills requires knowing how to work well with people. Staying in the know about what goes on in your community is important, but responding to that information with enthusiasm is equally critical.     5    

A．Accept responsibility.

B．Be open to the opinions of others.

C．Building leadership skills requires plenty of self-awareness.

D．Unexpected challenges will arise often and at lightning speed.

E．Let go of the need to stick to your plan and be flexible instead.

F．Recognizing the past can't be changed helps you make wiser choices in the future.

G．So be a source of positivity and support others in working toward their own goals.

6 . Like the rest of us, scientists have long suspected the healing capacity (修复能力) of a good hug. Unlike the rest of us, they’ve gone about trying to prove it.

“Laboratory studies suggest that things like hugs help us feel safer. They can also make us less sensitive to physical pain and less reactive when we’re faced with threatening experiences,” says Michael Murphy. He is a research professor in the department of psychological sciences at Texas Tech University. “This lab work has shown that hugs and other touch behavior are related to stress. The more stress we have, the more our heart rates and blood pressure go up. At this time, hugs and other forms of personal touch may give off all sorts of feel-good chemicals, so that stress can be reduced.”

“There’s a lot that we still need to learn, and there’s a lot we don’t know,” Murphy says. “However, what seems to be rising up is that hugs, as well as other forms of loving and gentle touch, are really powerful. They remind people that they’ re cared about and that they have someone in their corner.”

We expect touch. When we were born, we were placed in our mothers’ arms almost immediately. In that first year of our life, we spend a lot of time being held by other people. And as we grow up, we seek out hugs and touch as a way of connection. I think what we have lost in the past few years are these really easy opportunities to be reminded of connection.”

While he was at Carnegie Mellon, Murphy was the lead author of a hug-centered 2018 article in the scientific journal PLOS One. In a series of interviews with 404 adults over a two-week period, the researchers found that receiving a hug is associated with the attenuation of negative emotions that occur on days with interpersonal conflicts. That is to say, generally, hugs help to reduce the negative impacts that personal conflicts may cause in our daily lives.

1. What can we infer about hugs from the laboratory studies?

A．They show people’s good social relationships.

B．They can cure us of our mental disease.

C．They can put much pressure on people.

D．They make us feel calm and at ease.

2. Why do people seek out hugs and touch as they grow up?

A．To recall childhood memories.

B．To keep connected with others.

C．To solve relationship problems.

D．To express their social politeness.

3. What does the underlined word “attenuation” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Expression.	B．Influence.
C．Suffering.	D．Reduction.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Power of Hugs

B．How to Reduce Stress

C．How to Care for Others

D．The Importance of Interpersonal Relations

7 . Even the kindest, most considerate people complain, and complaining doesn’t always have a negative impact.     1     So, how do you get a person complaining frequently to reduce it, for the benefit of your health and his?

·Change the subject. Some complainers will switch to another topic if you shift the conversation in a direction that interests them. If your neighbor is complaining about the phone company, tell her about an unexpected call from an old friend. If your coworker is dissatisfied with your boss, ask whether he met the new employee.    2    

·Be honest. When you have things to do, tell the complainer that you must cut the conversation short.       3     You can simply be honest, even saying you need to move on so the conversation doesn’t bring you down —especially if it’s someone who’s complained to you many times before.

·    4       When it is someone very close to you who stresses you out with lots of negativity, it’s important to talk about the problem. Otherwise, if you bottle up your feelings and continue listening to repeated complaints, you may grow annoyed or start avoiding the person.

· Challenge the person to act.    5       This isn’t the usual direction a conversation with annoyance takes, but it may help end his anger. Typically, it’s not about how to fix it –people just want to keep talking about it. If you break that pattern, it puts them off guard, and people usually stop.

A．Have a heart -to -heart talk.

B．Show your interest in listening.

C．The problems start when complaining becomes regular.

D．In a word, get people off the complaint that they are recently making.

E．An excuse such as a work deadline isn’t needed to stop the complaint.

F．Sometimes, complaining can change an unfavorable situation into a more desirable one.

G．When a complainer tells you about his latest problems, encourage him to go to improve them.

8 . Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, while most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow reluctant to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.

Why-when one word can bring such pleasure? A friend of mine who travels widely always tries to learn a little of the language of any place she visits. She's not much of a linguist, but she does know how to say one word-"beautiful"-in several languages.     1     . The ability has earned her friends all over the world.

It's strange how chary we are about praising.     2     . Instead, we are embarrassed and shrug off the words we are really so glad to hear. Because of this defensive reaction, direct compliments are surprisingly difficult to give. That's why some of the most valued pats on the back are those which come to us indirectly, in a letter or passed on by a friend. When one thinks of the speed with which spiteful remarks are conveyed, it seems a pity that there isn’t more effort to relay pleasing and flattering comments.

    3     . An artist gets compliment for a glorious picture, a cook for a perfect meal. But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are done just right? Do you ever praise your paper boy for getting the paper to you on time 365 days a year?

To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment`s thought and a moment's effort-     4     . It is such a small investment-and yet consider the results it may produce. “I can live for two months on a good compliment," said Mark Twain.

So, let's be alert to the small excellences around us-and comment on them. We will not only bring joy into other people's lives, but also, very often, add happiness into our own.

A．Praise is particularly appreciated by those doing routine jobs.

B．Comment is often made about activities which are relatively easy and satisfying, like arranging flowers; but not about jobs which are hard and dirty, like scrubbing floors.

C．It's especially rewarding to give praise in areas in which effort generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned.

D．Perhaps a quick phone call to pass on a compliment, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative letter.

E．She can use it to a mother holding her baby, or to a lonely salesman fishing out pictures of his family.

F．Perhaps it's because few of us know how to accept compliments gracefully.

9 . How to make conversation with a group of strangers

One of the most common fears is speaking to strangers. While most people don’t naturally enjoy talking to strangers, it is an art that you can learn. When you learn how to make conversation with a group of strangers, you never have to stand by yourself at a party again.

    1    Say hi and tell the group your name. Don’t focus on how boring you think you sound. Remember that others in the group are probably just as self-conscious as you are. Doing so to a group of strangers may result in making others feel comfortable enough to open up. They may secretly be glad that you made the first move.

Practice talking to as many strangers as possible throughout the day.     2    Soon it will be second nature for you to walk up to a group of strangers and introduce yourself.

Make a comment about something interesting in the environment. This may be something as simple as the decorations for the party or the band providing the entertainment.     3    

Ask for an opinion. People enjoy giving their opinion on any subject.     4    Asking for an opinion works immediately to break the ice and encourages the entire group to talk with you.

Learn to listen. Making conversation is about more than trying to find the right words to say.     5    And then find out the next thing you should say. Make sure that your response invites another response.

A．Introduce yourself.

B．Try to catch strangers’ attention.

C．Ask about book ideas, gift ideas or dining ideas.

D．Each time you do this, you will feel more confident.

E．Develop the habit of listening to others carefully to understand them.

F．A comment like this gives the group something in common to discuss.

G．Ask the group to share what they do for a living or whether they enjoy their work.

10 . Rules for proper gift giving

When you are planning to give a gift, it is important to think about the receiver. As the gift is for the other person, it should be suitable for his or her particular personality. Is he or she a family member or a close friend?    1    These are valuable things to keep in mind when choosing the right gift for someone.

At a dinner party, it is usually proper to show up with some sort of gratitude(感谢) for the host.     2     This type of gift does not have to be expensive. It just needs to be something that can serve as a sign of appreciation. This can be done in the form of flowers or a bottle of wine.

When someone gives you a gift, you generally want to give one in return.     3     There are situations where people give gifts and do not expect anything in return. This occurs when you are celebrating your birthday or graduation. If you receive gifts from your friends, then just a thank-you note will be enough.

When in a situation where you have received something expensive and are expected to give one in return, many people feel pressured to give a gift of greater or equal value to the one that was gifted to them. However, it is important to distance yourself from these assumptions.     4    

Well, what should you do when you have forgotten to send a gift? It happens to all of us. Whether it is a family member’s birthday or a friend’s graduation ceremony, forgetting to give a gift is awkward. So, it can be difficult to find the right way to make up for forgetfulness. However, before you begin to panic, know that a late gift is better than no gift.     5    

A．However, this is not always the case.

B．Do you have to give a gift to your friends?

C．Gifts should be tied to meaning instead of dollar value.

D．In Eastern cultures, gifts are given before the guest leaves.

E．Does he or she enjoy big gifts or prefer a bunch of flowers?

F．So, send your gift with an apologetic note and all should be forgiven.

G．They have invited you over to their home and that should be acknowledged.