1 . The spotlight（聚光灯） effect refers to the tendency of individuals to overestimate the level of attention they believe they get. They think that they are noticed by everyone, everywhere, and at every point of time. This is surprisingly common, but not at all a fact.

Suppose it’s your friend’s birthday, and you have planned to give her a surprise. You are just about to burst into her house at midnight with a delicious cake and an exciting gift. But as your friend opens the door, she just asks you to get inside the house! How would you feel? Exactly that! You have been struck with the spotlight effect! That simply means that you think you did a great job, and people should value your genius ideas on “how to surprise your dear friend on her birthday”. Not really, as your friend was already expecting you to be there! So, your efforts didn’t get as much attention as you had probably expected.

It is often the case. For example, something like a social gaffe（失态）at a ceremony, a stupid error while making a speech, or having a stain on the clothes when facing a bunch of people. These events become unforgettable memories for us, but are often unnoticed by many. Of course, we still feel they are the biggest mistakes of our lives!

On the contrary, sometimes, it happens that actions like a well-prepared presentation, a brilliant argument in a discussion, or the best throw in a football match are extraordinary efforts for us, which just remain totally overlooked. And you think, “Did anyone just see what I did?” or “Was I the only one present there?” No point losing heart, because that was probably just your perception（认识）—— the spotlight effect.

2 . Have you ever felt the need to be alone for a while? I don’t mean situations when you should be alone, but occasions where you are with a group of people at a party or a restaurant. You get tired of jumping from conversation to conversation, and your mind starts to wander towards that interesting book you left halfway done, or that movie you have been meaning to watch.     1     Now before you rush to defense, please understand that being an introvert (内向的人)is completely normal.

A common misunderstanding about introverts is that they are loners or anti-social.     2     They have friends, probably not as many as extroverts (外向的人), but enough to suit their needs for human interaction. Scientifically, all humans fall somewhere between being an introvert and being an extrovert, and at least 25 percent of us are introverts.

    3     Therefore, the ability to network is extremely valuable. Of course, sometimes introverts might be as capable of talking with people as extroverts, but sometimes they have to force themselves to engage with others in order to “fit in”. While extroverts feel comfortable shaking hands and making jokes, introverts get increasingly exhausted.     4     For the introverted, to continue in this awkward situation could really end up bringing them harm, with individuals reporting to suffer from loss of sleep, panic attacks and depression.

    5     They form deep thoughts, conduct themselves carefully, and pay significant attention to detail. So, for the best results in a project involving group work, both introverts and extroverts are needed.

3 . Personality is one of the most interesting ways in which people are different from one another. But where does our personality come from? Are we ________ with it or does it change as we get older? A great deal of research into personality indicates that people’s personalities are more or less ________ before they are born. However, not everyone is ________. Psychologist Sanjay Srivastava and a team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, have just completed a large-scale study into personality. The researchers evaluated data from 132, 515 adults aged between 21 and 60. The team focused on five personality traits—what scientists call “The Big Five”. These are:

1. Conscientiousness—how careful, thorough and self-disciplined are you?

2.________ —how considerate and helpful are you?

3. Neuroticism—how self-conscious and tense are you?

4. Openness—how ________ , imaginative and open to new experiences are you?

5. Extraversion—how sociable and energetic are you?

What they found contradicted long-held assumptions about ________ personalities are set. Conscientiousness, a trait marked by organization and discipline and linked to success at work and in relationships, was found to increase through the age ranges studied, with the most ________ occurring in a person’s twenties. Similarly, agreeableness, a trait associated with being warm, generous and helpful, contradicted the theory that personalities don’t change after the age of 30.________, people in the study showed the most change in agreeableness during their thirties and continued to improve through their sixties.

The changes in these two traits revealed in the study seem to ________ the experiences that people tend to have at certain stages of their lives. Common sense tells us that people become more responsible and conscientious as they ________ and become better at managing their jobs and relationships. Similarly, agreeableness changes most in people’s thirties when many of them are raising a family and take on the role of ________. Openness showed small ________ in both men and women over time, a change that indicates less interest in forming new relationships, and reflects the tendency we have as we get older to spend more time with a small group of well-known relatives and friends, and less time going out and meeting ________ people.

The personality traits were ________ consistent between men and women, except for neuroticism and extraversion, with young women scoring higher than young men in both. However, the difference in neuroticism is only apparent in youth and young adulthood, and the gap between men and women in both neuroticism and extraversion ________ as people age.

4 . While working as a graduate student in New York City, Vanessa Bohns was given the much ________ job of collecting survey data in Penn Station as part of an academic research project. Each time she________ a passer-by, she thought she would hear them tell her how________they were. Yet the bad responses rarely came; many more people were________to answer the questionnaires than she had ________.

Was it possible, she wondered, that most of us are________about whether people want to respond to our requests? Over the following decade, she________ multiple studies that confirmed this was indeed the________: in many different situations, people are often far more likely to ________than we assume.

________, it seemed that the results provided a refreshingly________view of human nature. “It started as a positive thing, like, isn’t it ________that people are more likely to do things for you than you think?” However, with time going by and more reflection on the results, Bohns has come to________ that her results reflect a broader tendency that we usually ________ how much influence our words can have over others, whether we’re asking them to________actions that are good or bad. People often________to do what they are asked because they find it too awkward to say no, even when they feel________with our requests.

Knowing this can help us understand how our requests might________other people — particularly in the workplace — and help us adjust our requests________ , in ways that respect people’s ________ and without taking what they have done for us for granted.

My job is just one of the essential jobs, a sanitation（卫生系统）engineer, not a glamorous one, but is considered the alternative. Of course, I never regard it as an ashamed task to be in my position. About the second week of the lockdown because of the Covid-19, I was having trouble finding a sanitizing spray（消毒喷雾）for my truck. The next morning on my way to work at 4 a. m., I stopped at one of the few stores which were open that early, hoping to purchase some. However, it was only open for the police and medical personnel. “Look at my vest please,” I begged to the clerk, “I’m not just buying it for myself.” “I’m more than sorry, sir. But this is just the regulation, and I really can’t help.” replied the smiling girl. As I turned to head back to my car with disappointment, I nearly broke down.

Coming out of the store, my stomach began to call for energy support. I stopped at a 7/11 and ordered an everything bagel（硬面包）with cream cheese to satisfy my poor stomach and my empty heart. It was toasty warm, and I couldn’t wait to dig in. But as I left the store with a little joy coming sweetly from the bagel, I noticed a scene that an old man was sitting at the bus stop, in rags. Knowing that it would probably be his only warm meal of the day, I gave him the bagel without any hesitation. Just when I was ready to turn around for another same bagel, something warming my heart came into being. Another customer, a gentle lady, from the 7/11 offered me half of her bagel. “We everyone should be taken care of at some certain moment.” she said with a tender sweet voice as I smiled to thank her sincerely. I was delighted because I realized that in one way or another, we were all looked after.

注意：续写词数应为150左右。

8 . “I’m sorry” are two very important words that play a big part in daily life. You might apologize while squeezing through a crowd or using the last of the printer paper at work. It’s easy to say “I’m sorry”, but true apologies are a different story.    1     Or you may wonder how to properly demand an apology if the other person is at fault? With the following tips, you’ll find these are not hard.

Apologize sincerely. A genuine apology can help repair your relationship, and even your reputation—you’re showing that you can be trusted to do what’s right. But your relationship will remain tense if your apology seems casual.    2    

Apply specific principles. A meaningful apology comes down to the three R’s- regret, responsibility and remedy (补救办法). Firstly, communicate your regret. Show the other person you have recognized your error and can relate to his/her pain. Then take complete responsibility.    3     Lastly, show that you’re working to improve the situation. Offer to make up for the harm you caused or promise you wouldn’t repeat it again.

    4    If you’re the offended (冒犯) party, describe what’s changed in the relationship and your true feeling. For example, you could say, “Although there’s a disagreement between you and me, I want us to be friends again. But I’ve been hurt, and I’d like an apology. I need you to acknowledge what you’ve done.”

Don’t expect immediate forgiveness. Most people hope for immediate forgiveness while apologizing, but that may mean you don’t respect the others’ emotions and all you care about is yourself.    5    After all, they were hurt and it would take them a while to recover.

9 . When it comes to team assembly, people who are both trustworthy and competent are the most sought after. However, those who are friendly and trustworthy are more likely to be selected than those who are known for just their skill competence and personal reputation, according to a new research from Binghamton University.

“We assume that people are selected due to their knowledge, skills and abilities. However, this research suggests that people may often get picked because team members feel comfortable with them,” said Cynthia Maupin, assistant professor in Binghamton University’s School of Management. “People may be willing to sacrifice a bit in terms of performance in order to have a really positive team experience.”

Maupin and her colleagues focused on a group of MBA students to conduct their study. Students were randomly assigned to different teams to carry out class projects. Toward the end of the semester, they were asked to form their own teams and evaluate why they selected each member.

“To find out how the students signaled to others that they might be someone who would be good to team up with in the future, we studied their use of either challenging or supportive voice, Maupin said.

•Challenging voice: Communicating in a way that challenges the present situation and is focused on new ideas and efficiency.

•Supportive voice: Communicating in a way that strengthens social ties and trust.

The researchers found that students who exhibited both voices were the most in-demand people when it came to assembling teams. However, students who only used supportive voice to exhibit their friendliness and trustworthiness were more sought after than those who only signaled their competence through the use of challenging voice.

Maupin said the findings have major implications for the workplace. “People should realize the way they speak up can have a strong effect on informal teaming up at a later point and that supportive voice helps establish harmonious relationships and a sense of trust amongst individuals.”

10 . What Is Good Citizenship?

Good citizenship is generally defined as how a citizen performs a role to become a useful member of society. This involves duties and responsibilities that may be expressed through laws and regulations.     1    

Citizenship, in its general sense, is being part of a community.     2     The factors toward improving lives and relationship of a community include doing volunteer work, initiating community programs, and participating in economic affairs.

A good citizen is an important part of a progressive state. As covered by the social contract theory, a government is established to manage interaction among citizens, define an individual’s rights, enforce these rights, and make sure just compensation (补偿) is obtained when these rights are not obeyed.     3     The purpose of this social contract is to avoid chaos in a community, which is possible without good leadership. From this leadership arises good citizenship, allowing every citizen to expect others to respect for his or her legally demandable rights.

    4     The most basic characteristic is the moral duty to recognize the rights of others. Another important characteristic is the ability to listen to the views of others. These views may bring about solutions to problems of the community. A good citizen is also willing to adapt to new situations.     5     Based on these factors, good citizenship is said to be related to both the intellectual and social skills of a citizen.