1 . How to Deal with a Colleague who Keeps Challenging Your Views
It can be difficult to develop an environment of teamwork when you continually run up against a colleague who challenges your views.
If a co-worker habitually challenges your ideas in a group discussion in a confrontational manner, don’t engage him or get into an argument. Pause for a moment, look the colleague in the eye.
There’s a time and place for everything, including professional disagreements. If a colleague interrupts you or talks over you in an effort to contradict your point or insert (插入) his own opinion, gently remind him that you still have the floor. If the colleague is challenging something you say before you have a chance to address the point, note that as well.
Agree to respect each other.If a particular colleague has a long history of disagreeing with you, you might be able to anticipate his arguments or objections. Prepare rebuttals to address anything your colleague might throw at you.
| A．Hold your ground. |
| B．Ask for peace-making. |
| C．This will help you support your own arguments. |
| D．And ask him in a calm voice to repeat what he said. |
| E．Here are the ways to deal with colleagues of this kind. |
| F．Just find ways to make peace and communicate with your colleague. |
| G．The bottom line is, colleagues are not going to agree with each other all the time. |
2 . Do you have a hard time saying“no”? If “yes” rules your life and “no” doesn’t exist, here are some tips for you to say “no” without feeling bad.
Switch out “no” for “later”If you’re just starting out, you don’t have to jump straight to “no”.
Sometimes, invites or requests happen naturally and in person, requiring an answer immediately.
Offering an excuse may seem polite to decline a request, but it sets you up for an awkward situation. No matter what excuse you offer, people who are determined to get you to say “yes” will come up with a way to reel (卷轴) you in.
If the person asking you for something is someone who you want to maintain a positive relationship with, you can decrease the impact of your “no” by offering an alternative.
| A．Don’t offer an explanation |
| B．Don’t say “yes” to others easily |
| C．Saying “no”at once can be tough |
| D．But noisy places with many people aren’t your choices |
| E．So it would be useful to rehearse your “no” in advance |
| F．Being frank with people by saying “no” doesn’t mean rude |
| G．The goal is to find a common ground and reach an agreement |
3 . The term “social distancing” has been at the center of public conversation for a while.But it’s not “social” distance we are trying to promote. It’s physical separation. In fact, preserving social ties -- even at a distance -- is essential for both mental and physical health.The results of an analytic review published in 2017 indicate that a lack of social support is on a par with smoking cigarettes as a risk factor for health.
Given this fact, how might we best stay connected with others while maintaining physical distance? Would we be better off e-mailing a friend? Making a phone call? Having a video chat? In our study, Nick Epley and I tested whether the media through which people interact affects their sense of connection and how expectations of certain technologies impact the communication media they choose to use.
In our experiment, we asked participants to reconnect with someone that they hadn’t interacted with recently, either by e-mail or over the phone.Participants first made predictions about what it would be like to get in touch if they connected in these two ways. They generally believed that they’d feel more connected when interacting over the phone than by e-mail.But they also predicted that talking on the phone could be more uncomfortable than sending an e-mail. Although these participants believed that talking encouraged stronger bonds, most of them said they’d rather send an e-mail than call the person up. It seemed that fears about awkwardness pushed individuals towards text-based methods for communicating.
In the next part of the experiment, we had participants use one randomly determined mode of communication to actually reconnect and then tracked them after they had done so.We found that people did form meaningfully stronger bonds when interacting over the phone than by e-mail. Importantly, though, there was no difference in the amount of discomfort when they were reconnecting over the phone.
The next time you think about how best to connect, consider calling or having a video chat.Feelings of social connection are preferably facilitated by voice rather than a keyboard.
1. How does the author support the view of the importance of maintaining social ties?| A．By sharing public opinions. |
| B．By citing a published report. |
| C．By stating a deep-rooted tradition. |
| D．By presenting official documents. |
| A．Maintaining. | B．Abandoning. |
| C．Disturbing. | D．Revealing. |
| A．They had no reference value. |
| B．They provided insights into future studies. |
| C．They confirmed researchers’ expectations. |
| D．They contradicted participants’ predictions partly. |
| A．For stronger bonds, talk instead of typing. |
| B．Keeping in touch is key to a lasting friendship. |
| C．Think twice before you consider contacting an old friend. |
| D．Text-based methods for communication cause discomfort. |
A young woman was waiting for her flight at an airport. She was leaving for London because she got a new job there. It was said that her new boss was a typical English gentleman — polite, modest, humorous and considerate. She was excited as well as a little nervous about her new life.
With several long hours before her flight, the woman hunted for a book in the airport shops, bought a packet of cookies and found a place to sit. She took out a book and started to read. Although she was absorbed in her book, she happened to see that the man sitting beside her, as bold as he could be, grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between them. Educated to be well-mannered, she tried to ignore it to avoid an argument. But to show that she was the owner, she started to take cookies from that bag too. Unfortunately, the man didn’t get that hint, since he didn’t stop grabbing the cookies.
“How annoying!” she thought. As the greedy cookie thief kept eating, the woman munched (用力咀嚼) some cookies and watched the clock.
She was getting angrier as the minutes went by, thinking, “If I weren’t so nice, I would blacken his eyes.” With each cookie she took, he took one, too; when only one was left, she wondered what he would do.
With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half. He offered her a half, and ate the other. She grabbed it from him, glared at him and thought, “Oh, brother. This guy has some nerve and he is so rude! Why didn’t he even show any gratefulness?”
She had never known when she had been so angry, and sighed in relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate quickly, refusing to look back at the rude thief. She boarded the plane, sank in her seat, and looked for her book, which was almost complete.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped (喘气) with surprise.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Surprisingly, she found the man sitting just behind her.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Four Top Skills I’ve Learned From My Kids
In my journey as an entrepreneur (企业家), one of the best sources of leadership development is parenthood. There’s one thing that being a parent and being a business leader have in common.
Give up control
As a parent, I’ve learned that there’s only so much control you can really have over your kids. They need to make their own decisions — and mistakes — and learn from them. You can try to control your kids when they are young.
Become more flexible (灵活)
We all make mistakes, and it can be tempting to hide those mistakes, especially from people you want to look up to you. But since we teach our kids to admit when they’ve made a mistake and apologize if they hurt someone, it’s important that we do the same when we make a mistake that hurts them.
Become more understanding and empathetic (共情的)
Emotional intelligence is one of the most important skills for effective leadership. And there’s nothing like being a parent to help you better understand people’s emotions and motivations.
| A．Admit your mistakes |
| B．Kids come with unknown risks |
| C．It’s that there’s a lot to be learned |
| D．As they grow up, you should let go |
| E．You’d better stick to your perfect plan |
| F．That can help you develop your empathy |
| G．Correct the mistakes as soon as possible |
6 . Knowing how to get the conversation started is important; however, keeping it going is even more important. Here are some conversation skills that make people like you.
●
The most important conversation skill is to invite people to talk about their lives. Almost everyone enjoys talking about themselves. Show an interest in learning about a person’s history, family, ideas, or goals and it will likely get the conversation going right away.
●Ask open-ended(开放式的)questions.
Open-ended questions require more than just a yes-or-no answer. Ask open-ended questions that encourage other people to start discussing a topic in detail.
●Wait for your turn to talk.
●Request advice.
Asking for advice shows that you value someone else’s opinion. Just because you ask for advice doesn’t mean you have to follow it.
| A．Invite people to share their lives. |
| B．Don’t interrupt no matter what you do. |
| C．For example, ask “How did you like living in Hawaii?” |
| D．You can ask for advice on both simple and serious things in life. |
| E．This shows that you are listening and helps understand what you have heard. |
| F．Change the subject if a person appears uncomfortable sharing something personal. |
| G．Ask for an explanation if someone is talking about something you don’t understand. |
7 . Being a good listener is important for a number of reasons. When you are at work, it can make you better understand your tasks and what your boss expects from you.
However, the fact is that most people aren’t really listening to another person.
• Give the speaker your full attention,
• Don’t cut in. Many people have a habit of cutting in and giving out quick opinions before people finish what they are speaking. That’s impolite.
•
It takes time to be a good listener. You can’t be perfect at one night. Keep trying every day to put the above advice into practice.
| A．Turn off the TV, your phone or computer. |
| B．It can also help you open your ears and minds. |
| C．Let the speaker know you are listening patiently. |
| D．Don’t change the subject unless the discussion is finished. |
| E．Listen and save your words until the speaker finishes speaking. |
| F．Instead, they are actually thinking about what they should say in reply. |
| G．Mind your words. |
8 . One way to prevent anxiety from getting out of control is to recognise its benefits. It is a mistake to think that we’d make better decisions if only we keep our feelings under control. Instead, a mix of feelings like anxiety and logical thinking leads to sound decision-making. It’s true that there is plenty of research showing that higher levels of anxiety can make us more likely to avoid risks in our decision-making. There is also evidence that anxiety can increase the attention you pay to relevant information.
Recent studies have shown that people who are anxious about their relationships (for example, they fear to be abandoned) tend to be better at recognising people who tell lies and are more likely to raise the alarm when danger is present.
In the real world though, it’s worth realising that feeling anxious once in a while is extremely common. It communicates to others that you care, and what’s more, it’s probably a sign that you are intelligent. At least two published studies have identified that people who score higher on measures of anxiety also tend to perform better on intelligence tests. This seems reasonable: if you’re a thinker, you are sure to be always thinking about the future and imagine possible plots, including bad ones.
The important thing, if you are a worrywart (杞人忧天者), is not to let your fear destroy your dreams. And don’t bury your head in the sand. Instead, act on your fears—do the research as well as preparation, so rather than walking blindly into that which you fear, you meet the challenge in full readiness.
When anxiety beats you, or casts a shadow over your life, this is a serious problem. No one is denying that. But like everyday anxiety of this kind that you feel before a presentation or an interview, you needn’t see it as your enemy. Anxiety is an important feeling, developed through evolution. As for people who are fairly anxious by nature, there is reason for cheer, too. Your nerves are a sign of your watchfulness. Listen to them and act on them. Then you can turn your nervousness into your advantage.
1. What is the theme of the passage?| A．Effective ways to prevent anxiety. |
| B．Unexpected benefits of anxiety. |
| C．Tips on how to keep a good mood. |
| D．Common misunderstandings about anxiety. |
| A．It can enable us to be more focused. |
| B．It can stop us from thinking logically. |
| C．It can make us more willing to take risks. |
| D．It can be the only reason for all bad decisions. |
| A．Anxious people are less sensitive to danger. |
| B．Anxious people have difficulty discovering liars. |
| C．Feeling anxious is more likely to put people at risk. |
| D．Feeling anxious occasionally is a sign of intelligence. |
| A．Regard it as our enemy. |
| B．Take action to control it. |
| C．Avoid being defeated by it. |
| D．Treat it as a minor feeling. |
9 . I heard a story recently about a friend’s former boss. When employees would go into this person’s office to discuss something like a pay rise or promotion, the boss had a habit of greeting their request with silence. Quiet, tense seconds went slowly by, and they’d often leave, willing to take a pay cut or demotion (降职) — anything to end the terrible silence.
Embarrassing silences can be unbearable. In 2017, a study found that silence in a talk starts to be unbearable after about four seconds. There’s so much uncertainty in the air as those silent seconds went slowly by. Did I say something wrong? Does this person hate me? Am I going to get fired? But it’s worth remembering that if you don’t know what to say or do, there is always the choice to do nothing. Uncomfortable silences aren’t necessarily a bad thing, depending on how you use them.
For example, Katie Donovan is a supporter of the awkward-silence negotiating (谈判) technique. As she said, “The first step is to be silent or shut up!” If, for example, you are offered a starting salary of $40,000 when you know that the median salary for this position is $48,000, you can say something like this, “Thank you for the offer. I’m a little surprised about the salary, though. Based on my research I would have expected it to be in the $50,000 range.”
It’s a good start; there is no phrase more quietly deadly in the business world than “I’m a little surprised”. But it only works if you say this — and then say nothing. During this pause, Donovan explains, the hiring manager is likely to try to work out how serious you are and how much more to offer. “Remember,” Donovan writes, “the hiring manager most likely will increase the salary during the meeting.”
1. What would the employees often do when they met with the boss’s silence?| A．Keep silent. | B．Get angry. | C．Fight back. | D．Give in. |
| A．It is a basic part of communication. |
| B．It gives people time for themselves. |
| C．You don’t have to break it all the time. |
| D．The meaning of it varies among people. |
| A．Average. | B．Highest. |
| C．Final. | D．Starting. |
| A．Give up your request. | B．Keep silent for a while. |
| C．Avoid making eye contact. | D．Continue to give your reasons. |
10 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
“Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication,” says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,” he explains. “The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2021 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; he other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral(外围的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,” he says.
1. What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?| A．Showing good manners. |
| B．Relating to other people. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. |
| D．Making business deals. |
| A．It improves family relationships. |
| B．It raises people’s confidence. |
| C．It matters as much as a formal talk. |
| D．It makes people feel good. |
| A．Conversation Counts |
| B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Benefits of Small Talk |
| D．Uncomfortable Silence |
| A．Addiction to smartphones. |
| B．Inappropriate behaviours in public places. |
| C．Absence of communication between strangers. |
| D．Impatience with slow service. |
