1 . As each semester begins, my colleague greets his students wearing a jacket and tie.
“You make only one first impression, " he says. So, while the rest of the semester he teaches class in his usual, more casual clothes, the first week he presents a different image.
His thought is that students will remember their encounter positively and more readily think highly of him as the semester goes on because that favorable first impression has an influence on them. The big influence of first impressions is related to the halo effect, where the perception of the positive qualities in one thing or part gives rise to the perception of similar qualities in related things or in the whole.
Here is an example: You meet a friendly person at a party and later are asked to collect money for a worthy cause. You call that person because you think she will make a contribution. In reality, there is no connection between being pleasant and being generous. Yet the halo effect leads you to think that the two are related.
The halo effect is powerful, but is it questionable whether it matters much in long-term relationships, such as that between teachers and students? While dressing up may make students think the teacher must know his subject matter because he creates a professional first impression, the effect wears thin if the person turns out to be a poor teacher after all.
First impressions matter but they don't have the final word. Facts speak louder. If you had never seen or heard of Einstein, the first time you saw him your impression would most likely be negative. Now his face is connected with genius, not madness because he is the person who has come to define what genius is.
The problem is that few of us are Einstein and we often don't get the chance to change a negative first impression.
1. In the author's eyes, the halo effect_________.| A．is surprisingly powerful | B．may affect our judgment of others |
| C．matters more in the long run | D．makes some teachers irresponsible |
| A．appearance | B．impressions | C．truth | D．fairness |
| A．to mind their first impressions | B．not to judge a book by its cover |
| C．not to follow others’ judgment | D．to pay no attention to the halo effect |
With busy life, it can be hard to find time to volunteer.However, volunteering brings you lots of benefits.The more you volunteer, the more benefits you will gain.Of course, volunteering does not have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy days.Giving in simple ways can not only help those in need but also improve your health all happiness.
One of the better-known benefits of volunteering is that it allows you to connect to your community, boast your social skills and make it a better place.Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people, animals and organizations in need.And volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the others you choose to help.
Volunteering provides many benefits to both mental and physical health.Almost everyone has to fight against stress, anger and anxiety.The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being.Nothing relieves stress better than a meaningful connection to another person.Working with pest and other animal has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety.
Volunteering can also advance your career.If you are considering a new career, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field.Even if you are not planning on changing careers, volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management and organization.You might feel more comfortable stretching your wings at work once you have developed these skills in a volunteer position first.
3 . Small talk has a reputation for being uninteresting, and for good reason. Pointing out the fact that it’s raining seems as ridiculous as pointing out the fact that you have a head—you’re fully aware of both things, and don’t require an outsider to confirm them. But despite being evident and often painfully dull, small talk has an important role to fulfil, enabling us to leap over a number of social obstacles towards improved, meaningful interaction.
Humans can be sensitive souls. We each have our boundaries and lists of potential upsets, which when broken, cause us to either gently back away to an alternative position in the room, or become cross at the person. Small talk is first a way to test the waters with an unfamiliar person, so that you may better understand their personality. When finding yourself positioned closely to a person who you know little about, it’s much safer to point out the rainy sky than to share your political views on a sensitive topic. Until you know the person better, heavier topics should probably be kept under wraps, so you won’t find yourself on the receiving end of a cold stare.
Though insignificant, small talk still has great power. When talking with fellow humans, much of our soul is exposed through non-verbal communication. A response to “how was your weekend” can unveil much about the person’s character. The length of their response might indicate their level of self-confidence; the tone of speaking might show how agreeable a person is; their slightly lowered head, as if protecting themselves from attack, a possible sign of a regrettable history of bullying.
As more of a person’s character is revealed, we have the insight needed to determine whether to broach more significant topics—the things that we actually want to talk about. Conversation is a great educator, and deep conversation establish lasting bonds with our fellow humans, forming precious friendships that paint our lives with vibrant colors. Such friendships begin with small talk.
1. What is described in the first paragraph?| A．The first stage of human interaction. |
| B．Ridiculous human behavior in communication. |
| C．Absence of communication between strangers. |
| D．The difficulty of having deep conversations. |
| A．Because they are fond of heavy subjects. |
| B．Because they are enthusiastic about politics. |
| C．Because they are too sensitive about topics. |
| D．Because they fail to manage interpersonal distance. |
| A．The length of the answer. | B．The quality of the voice. |
| C．The position of the head. | D．The distance between speakers. |
| A．Reputation of Small Talk | B．Ways of Understanding Personality |
| C．Significance of Small Talk | D．Challenges of Deep Conversation |
4 . There is a lot of losing in sports. Only one team can win at a time, and only one champion escapes the season without tears. But that doesn’t stop Americans from spending nearly $56 billion a year on sporting events. Is fandom(运动迷) worth it?
At first glance, the evidence isn’t encouraging. Following a loss, fans are more likely than usual to eat unhealthy food, be unproductive at work, and –in the case of the Super Bowl-die from heart disease. What about fans of the winning team? Well, they are more likely than other fans to suffer a postgame traffic fatality(死亡) if the score is close.
Rival(竞争的) fans’treatment of one another is hardly more encouraging. A recent study found that fans experienced greater pleasure when watching a rival team fail. Fans in another study reported schadenfreude, a feeling of satisfaction, when reading about the injury of a rival team’s player, and gluckschmerz or unhappiness when later reading about the player’s unexpectedly speedy recovery.
Yet a great deal of research shows that being a fan can also have positive effects. It can prevent depression and build a sense of belonging and self-worth---in case that the object of one’s devotion is a local team. Much of this is due to social bonds among fans, but not all--- sports worship also provides fans with a number of skills at dealing with life’s emotional challenges. A landmark 1976 study found that after a win,fans were more likely than usual to wear clothes connected with the winning teams, and to claim credit for the team’s success by describing the team as “we” instead of “they” in conversation.
Along with schadenfreude and gluckschmerz, being a fan seems more than anything else to be a matter of managing responses to things that cannot control. Sports fans tend to respond to reminders of death with optimism, and to remember victories much more clearly than defeats.
1. Which of the following statement is especially true as for the winning side’s fans?| A．They might die from heart disease. |
| B．They tend to live an unhealthy life. |
| C．They can have good work efficiency. |
| D．They might have a traffic accident. |
| A．Rival fans usually hold bad or even extreme attitude to each other. |
| B．Rival fans often fight with each other. |
| C．Fans can face their rival team bravely. |
| D．Fans never lose heart when facing their rival team. |
| A．Being a fan could show great devotion to study. |
| B．Being a fan could create a sense of belonging. |
| C．Being a fan could develop a spirit of optimism. |
| D．Being a fan could test social bonds. |
| A．How to be a fan |
| B．What it’s like to be fan |
| C．Being a fan can be good for you |
| D．A fan’s emotional challenges |
5 . When people from different cultures get to know each other well, the differences between them become less important because they recognize more and more things they have in common. People begin to see each other as an individual, rather than just as a representative of a particular culture. This can happen quickly when people are working or studying together.
However, problems can appear in situations where people from different cultures are put together but remain strangers. This often occurs in everyday life, for example, on public transport. Here, people may have different expectations of how to behave and often criticize the actions of people from other cultures that they do not understand very well.
Monica Sung, a sociologist, has been researching public attitudes to the televisions which are now put on many buses in Hong Kong, showing programmes and advertising for passengers to watch. Monica’s research shows that some people find this a “disturbance” because their expectations of bus travel are different, while other passengers like to have something to enjoy during their journey. “A Westerner wrote a letter to the newspaper, complaining about the noise of the televisions and saying that buses in his home country were more pleasant because they did not have televisions,” said Monica. “A Chinese person wrote a reply, telling the foreigner he should go back home if he preferred the buses there.”
Monica points out that both types of reaction are stupid. “Not all foreign people want quiet buses, and not all Chinese people want to watch television on buses!” she said. “People often take it for granted that every member of a particular cultural group shares the same values and opinions.”
1. What does the underlined words “an individual” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．A new comer considered as an outsider. |
| B．A close friend who shares the same values. |
| C．A single person considered separately from a culture. |
| D．A stranger who has become used to a new culture. |
| A．Taking a bus is what people do in everyday life. |
| B．Passengers are usually unkind to each other. |
| C．There are passengers from different cultures. |
| D．People have different expectations of bus service. |
| A．He prefers buses without televisions. |
| B．He is in favor of televisions on buses. |
| C．He dislikes complaining to newspapers. |
| D．He enjoys taking buses with foreigners. |
| A．People from different cultures should learn from each other. |
| B．People from different cultures should be polite to each other. |
| C．People from different cultures should not regard each other as strangers. |
| D．People should not criticize another culture only for what one from it does. |
The expression,“ everybody’s doing it,” is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a strong influence of a group, especially of children, on members of that group to behave as everybody else does. It can be positive or negative. Most people experience it in some way during their lives.
People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly surprising that part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct (天性) is why the approval of peers, or the fear of disapproval, is such a powerful force in many people’s lives. It is the same instinct that drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer “fine” when a stranger asks“ how are you?” even if it is not necessarily true. There is a practical aspect to this: it helps society to function efficiently, and encourages a general level of self-discipline that simplifies day-to-day interaction.
For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes like an addiction; in order to satisfy the desire, they may go so far as to abandon their sense of right and wrong. Teens and young adults may feel forced to use drugs, or join gangs that encourage criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel pressured to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can’t afford in an effort to“ keep up with the Joneses”.
However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at academics may be urged to study harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of influence can also get a friend off drugs, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one. Study groups and class projects are examples of positive peer groups that encourage people to better themselves.
Schools try to teach kids about the dangers of negative peer pressure. They teach kids to stand up and be themselves, and encourage them to politely decline to do things that they believe are wrong. Similarly, it can be helpful to encourage children to greet the beneficial influence of positive peer groups.
What is Peer Pressure
| Concept of peer pressure | Peer pressure refer to the strong |
| It works in nearly everyone of us, and | |
| A | Being social creature, people expect the approval from their fellow members |
| People around will affect how one lives | |
| Peer pressure helps society function efficiently. | |
| Influences of peer pressure on | The desire to be socially accepted by one’s peers is like a drug. |
| Negative influences include lack of | |
| Positive influences are good grades , team | |
| To avoid the danger of negative peer pressure, kids should learn to be |
7 . When my roommates and I left campus for spring break, we told each other we’d be back soon. Little did we
Ever since the corona-virus outbreak
Just before midnight on April 8, we
After glued to our screens for 36 hours and building a website from scratch, we posted the
Give Essential started as an idea, and snowballed into a
| A．decide | B．know | C．agree | D．promise |
| A．urge | B．research | C．pity | D．relief |
| A．confident | B．excited | C．unsure | D．scared |
| A．turned | B．left | C．hit | D．waited |
| A．touched | B．tired | C．amused | D．frightened |
| A．ability | B．access | C．right | D．idea |
| A．Fortunately | B．Suddenly | C．Easily | D．Obviously |
| A．adapted | B．arose | C．heard | D．differed |
| A．gave way to | B．put up with | C．came up with | D．went back to |
| A．positions | B．plans | C．suggestions | D．items |
| A．experts | B．customers | C．viewers | D．donors |
| A．matches | B．clubs | C．accounts | D．tasks |
| A．role | B．link | C．letter | D．job |
| A．employed | B．changed | C．reached | D．dismissed |
| A．refused | B．regretted | C．pretended | D．offered |
| A．skipping | B．sharing | C．flowing | D．ranging |
| A．group | B．trap | C．store | D．hole |
| A．depressed | B．thrilled | C．ashamed | D．satisfied |
| A．invited | B．advised | C．controlled | D．trained |
| A．shock | B．warn | C．remind | D．surprise |
8 . Why do people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work?
Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer. Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved. For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to expand their range of experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. If volunteer positions do not meet these needs, people may not wish to participate. To select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.
People also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor to an external factor. When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future. People must be sensitive to this possibility when they make volunteer activities a must.
Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them-to remain in their positions over time? To answer this question, researchers have conducted follow-up studies in which they track volunteers over time. For instance, one study followed 238 volunteers in Florida over a year. One of the most important factors that influenced their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. Although this result may not surprise you, it leads to important practical advice. The researchers note that attention should be given to “training methods that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problem they do experience”.
Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work. Participants indicated the degree to which the social role mattered by responding to statements such as “Volunteering in hospital is an important part of who I am.” Consistent with the researchers’ expectations, they found a positive correlation (正相关) between the strength of role identity and the length of time people continued to volunteer. These results, once again, result in concrete advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity... Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity.”
1. People volunteer mainly out of ________.| A．school requirements | B．social expectations |
| C．financial rewards | D．internal needs |
| A．People who participate in volunteer programs in schools are sensitive. |
| B．External factors are more important than internal factors in volunteer work. |
| C．Being required to be volunteers may make people reluctant to do volunteer work. |
| D．Volunteer programs in school can encourage people to do more volunteer work in future. |
| A．Follow-up studies should last-for one year. |
| B．Volunteers should get mentally prepared. |
| C．Strategy training is a must in research. |
| D．Volunteers are provided with concrete advice. |
| A．Individual differences in role identity. |
| B．Practical advice from researchers. |
| C．Role identity as a volunteer. |
| D．Publicly identifiable volunteer T-shirts. |
9 . The old romantic saying is a cute one, but according to recent studies, opposites don't necessarily attract.
Research shows that people tend to seek out relationships with—and eventually marry — partners who have similar defining characteristics, such as age, political orientation, religion, education, and income.
“ Generally speaking, when we think about opposites attracting or not, we're thinking in terms of personality rather than these big key factors," says Vinita Mehta, a clinical psychologist and writer based in Washington, D. C.
One big factor as to why this may be is simply your stage of life: where you live, what lifestyle you have, and what kind of people you're exposed to.
“ If you’re on a college campus, by and large，you’re going to find people who are in your age group,'' Mehta says. "You're going to find people who at least eventually become part of the same general income strata. ”
Researchers from the University of Kansas made a courageous claim. A study released earlier this year analyzed real-world relationships and asked couples (romantic partners, friends, and acquaintances) about attitudes, behaviors, values, prejudices, and personality characteristics that were important to them. The pairs that had closer and more intimate relationships were not necessarily more similar than newly formed pairs, and people shared similarities on almost every personal issue that was measured.
The lead psychologists on this study believe this doesn't happen by chance ； it's so common and widespread that seeking out like-minded people may be our psychological default when we make new friends or romantic partners. We certainly get the most out of these relationships. They make us more comfortable and trusting of the other person, and that makes it easier to cooperate and achieve goals.
As far personalities go, connecting on major characteristics, like levels of neuroticism (神经质)and conscientiousness, generally lead to happier couples. But that doesn't mean you and your significant other need to agree on everything. Having different habits——fewer defining parts of your personality, like your favorite sport or foods---can introduce you to new activities and ways of thinking, which can make you a more well-rounded person.
1. What does the underlined word " strata" in Paragraph 5 probably mean?| A．Factors. | B．Levels. | C．Resources. | D．Taxes. |
| A．the phenomenon takes place accidentally |
| B．the subjects have almost everything in common |
| C．the participants were asked questions about their partners |
| D．the similarity between partners may not change with closer relationship |
| A．have some differences |
| B．have everything in common |
| C．share the same personalities |
| D．result from the conflict in thinking |
| A．To find out what stage of life we are in. |
| B．To prove we are attracted to what is familiar. |
| C．To show what kind of people we should make friends with. |
| D．To introduce the advantages like-minded people can bring to us. |
10 . How to Level up Your Self-Control
By definition, self-control is the ability to do something that benefits your long-term goals, instead of something that might satisfy your immediate desires.
Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, says allocating resources between your present self and future self is an ongoing struggle. For example, exhibiting self-control over spending time on video games and social media, two of the most common temptations（诱惑）of the current era, means battling against age-old mechanisms in your brain.
If you're willing to look deeply into your tendencies and weak points, you can recognize the handful of problems that you need to work on.
The problem of looking at your cell phone too often, say, can be solved by putting it on mute or, better yet, sticking it in your bag until lunch.
Finally, Duckworth advises laying a foundation of self-control that you can build of in the future.
| A．One place to start would be the office |
| B．What problems do you need to work on |
| C．We've all experienced unproductive workdays |
| D．But for many of us, short-term satisfactions are irresistible |
| E．Why is exercising proper self-control so tricky for some, and how to do better |
| F．If you can resist resigning you may achieve more on your overall self-control |
| G．Removing the temptation from sight is key to ensuring you're faithful to your mission |
