1 . A workable and pretty easy solution to improving your listening skills is that you begin to realize how much of your ability to be an effective listener is really about you, not the other person and how fascinating or boring they are.     1    

We tend to assume that listening is little more than showing up and paying attention to the other person.     2     It’s worth noticing how we instinctively (本能地) listen in conversation and whether or not that given listening mode is really what’s called for.

You need to identify your personal “hot spots”.     3     Whether it’s talking about climate change or Father’s Day, when you are not interested at all, you realize it is hard to concentrate. That kind of self-knowledge comes by having a scientific approach and observing yourself in action.

    4     For example, your surrounding environment, the topic at hand, or even particular company may affect your ability to listen. When you do this, you can more easily see what gets in the way of your ability to listen and understand. Thus that makes many of our work-related conversations much easier.

In a performance review or heated debate, you can remind yourself if you’re having an emotional response to feedback and are having trouble hearing the other person out. Observing and learning from your behavior, and noticing how you are affected by your surroundings help you uncover your unique needs for doing your best listening.     5    

A．Considering external factors is also important.

B．Besides, get curious about your conversation style.

C．In fact, if they’re boring, in some ways that is on you.

D．But it’s also deeply tied to paying attention to ourselves.

E．Effective listening is about creating the space for others to express themselves.

F．The topics are what uniquely set you off and emotionally inspire you in some ways.

G．Those are going to help everything from meetings to client presentations run smoothly.

2 . Your neighbors are probably the first line of defense in case of any problematic situation.     1     It gives you an assurance that you have people close by looking out for you. Here are easily applicable tips on creating stronger neighbor relationships.

The first step is introducing yourself when you move to a new neighborhood or when a newcomer moves in. Leave them a note under their door to introduce yourself.     2     It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune and opting for a potted plant or baked biscuits will do. These actions present excellent opportunities to connect with them.

Be respectful of your neighbors. It’s in poor taste to have regular insensitive parties at your place causing disturbances. Before your party, it’s good practice to notify your neighbors. Besides, avoid chatting them up for hours on end, which may be inconvenient, especially if you don’t know their schedules.     3     When you borrow anything, return it in due time. If you accidentally break their things, replace them without being asked to.

    4     You could offer to babysit your neighbors’ kids, help with snow removals or even keep an eye on their home when they’re away. Such acts of reaching out to your neighbors make for stronger relationships.

As Emma Seppälä put it, “social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop (圈) of social, emotional and physical well-being.” It feels so easy to just stay home without having to engage with your neighbors but connecting with them is worth the effort.     5    

A．Remember every small gesture counts.

B．A crisis is a test of communication skills.

C．It can actually boost your mood in the long run.

D．Slipping it in their mailbox further solidifies friendship.

E．It’s essential to ensure you maintain decent relationships with them.

F．Alternatively, you can give them a gift while making yourself known to them.

G．Only by establishing healthy boundaries will you achieve peaceful coexistence.

5 . How to Handle an Argument with Your Family Members

We’ve all been there. A relaxed evening with our family members. A lot of laughing. And then, as if someone had sat on the TV remote and changed the channel, the mood shifts. No more warmth. Suddenly there’s shouting, a ping-pong of accusations(指责), deadly stares, and hostility(敌意) streaming from eyes like red laser pointers. Having a conflict with your family members is frustrating, and you may feel sad and depressed.     1    

Do remember that as much as it might feel this way, you’re not in a court of law with your family members.     2     .It is to restore kindness and connection. Think of it this way —if somebody wins, both parties lose.

Do try to be an advocate of others’ feelings.     3     try to stand in the shoes of your family members. Try to understand their immature ways.

    4     .This might frighten your family members, making them feel accused and in turn, act defensively. Example: “I was on the phone with my sister and then suddenly you started acting like crazy out of the blue.” Talk about the way you felt instead. Example: “I was on the phone with my sister and then I suddenly felt scared when I saw you looking at me like I was in trouble.”

Don’t try to explain yourself. You often want to explain yourself when having conflicts with your family members, but you don’t have time. You’re being cut off and attacked again.     5     .The more you talk, the less your family members seem to understand and the further away you get from an agreement.

A．If you are looking for a new relationship

B．Don’t attempt to prove yourself in the face of your loved ones

C．The point of an argument isn’t to prove the others guilty or to win

D．Rather than going in circles about what you think and how you feel

E．Each accusation strikes deeper and deeper into your sense of justice

F．Don’t talk about what happened as though you’re simply stating the facts

G．Here are the do’s and don’ts when you are arguing with your family members

6 . How To Stop Bein g A People Pleaser

As a recovering people pleaser, I spent much of my life keeping others happy. Breaking this habit meant stepping on a few toes. However, I’ve become a happier person as a result. Here are some tips I used to stop being a people pleaser.

Identify your priorities. Take a moment to think about why you are trying to learn how to stop being a people pleaser.     1     Why do you feel the need to keep them happy? Answering these questions will help you set a goal that you can hold yourself accountable to.

Just say “no”. One reason why people pleasers say “yes” to everything is that they fear disappointing others.     2     If you are a people pleaser, you are likely to spend lots of energy trying to control how people feel about you. The best thing you can do is let them feel their feelings. It will feel liberating to free yourself from being responsible for someone else’s reaction.

    3     Saying “no” is a good way to set better boundaries in your important relationships. All healthy relationships have their own boundaries. If you haven’t set boundaries in your relationships, the odds are that at some point you will end up feeling pressured to do something you don’t want to do.

Accept yourself. Many people pleasers are insecure about who they are.     4     Check out our summary of Brené Brown’s the Gifts of Imperfection to learn how to accept your imperfections and love yourself.

Remember that you cannot please everyone. No matter what you do there will always be someone who is unhappy with your choices.     5    

A．Learn to set healthy boundaries.

B．Don’t mix up your boundaries with others’.

C．Who are the people that you feel the need to please?

D．Spend some time learning to love yourself for who you are.

E．So why bother trying to please everyone if it isn’t possible?

F．But saying “no” is the best way to take care of your own needs.

G．That is why the more you seek security, the less of it you have.

7 . Being a social butterfly just might change your brain: In people with a large network of friends and excellent social skills, certain brain regions are bigger and _______ connected than in people with fewer friends, a new study finds.

The research suggests a _______ between social interactions and brain structure. “We’re interested in how your brain is able to allow you to _______ the right way in complex social environments,” Mary Ann Noonan said, a neuroscientist (神经学家) at Oxford University. Studies in monkeys have shown that brain areas involved in face processing and in predicting the _______ of others are larger in animals living in large social groups than in ones living in smaller groups.

To investigate these brain _______ in humans, Noonan and her colleagues found 18 participants for a structural brain-imaging study. They asked people how many _______ they had experienced in the past month, in order to determine the size of their social networks. As was the case in monkeys, some brain areas were _______ and better connected in people with larger social networks. “These different brain regions are all singing _______ songs,” Noonan said. “ _______ areas are all singing the same song, and when they’re connected better, they’re singing more harmoniously with each other.”

The researchers also tested whether the size of a person’s social network was connected with ________ in white-matter pathways, the nerve fibers (纤维) that connect different brain regions. ________ , they found that white-matter pathways were better connected in people with bigger social networks. “The nerves were more like a Los Angeles freeway than a ________ road,” Noonan said.

The researchers couldn’t say whether social interaction ________ these changes in brain structure and connectivity, or whether the brain determined how social someone was. In the case of the monkeys, the researchers asked and wrote down the size of the animals’ social network, so they ________ that social-group size was causing the brain differences. It can be inferred that a similar process takes place in human brains, but to prove the ________ , long-term studies are needed, Noonan told Live Science.

1.

A．better

B．more directly

C．less closely

D．worse

2.

A．conflict

B．similarity

C．link

D．contrast

3.

A．tell

B．show

C．ask

D．find

4.

A．intentions

B．preferences

C．behaviors

D．habits

5.

A．structures

B．highlights

C．differences

D．origins

6.

A．academic difficulties

B．social interactions

C．personal problems

D．career advances

7.

A．removed

B．adapted

C．replaced

D．enlarged

8.

A．joyful

B．familiar

C．inspirational

D．distinct

9.

A．Networked

B．Remote

C．Respective

D．Functional

10.

A．positions

B．changes

C．roles

D．compositions

11.

A．However

B．Again

C．Therefore

D．Rather

12.

A．urban

B．smooth

C．twisty

D．country

13.

A．minimized

B．drove

C．eliminated

D．demonstrated

14.

A．assumed

B．rejected

C．concluded

D．announced

15.

A．causality

B．feasibility

C．productivity

D．effectiveness

8 . Being vulnerable (脆弱的) is not a choice. It’s a _________ in our life. What we do with vulnerability can either open doors to deeper connections, or build walls that _________ progress and fulfillment.

Vulnerability _________ the state of being exposed to the possibility of being harmed, either physically or emotionally. It’s part of human _________ because we are vulnerable in some way at all times. We are vulnerable to viruses, accidents, misunderstandings and _________ caused by whatever reasons. The only choice we really have is whether to _________ it or not.

When some people _________ that they have no vulnerability, they are hard to develop meaningful social connections with others. They are just _________. No one likes to spend much time with people who are dishonest or _________ to open up their feelings. Most of the time, a great friendship starts by __________ each other’s vulnerability.

Indeed, it’s not easy for us to admit our vulnerability in front of others. In order to protect ourselves, we tend to struggle with __________. But in fact, when we are vulnerable with people, we have signaled that they can also __________ share their anxieties. And we don’t have to worry too much about the results because a far more common reaction of people is to respect our __________ instead of laughing at us. Under this shared circumstance, we become less __________ by vulnerability and also we __________ a relationship.

1.

A．secret

B．reality

C．skill

D．purpose

2.

A．report

B．reveal

C．replace

D．prevent

3.

A．refers to

B．consists of

C．relies on

D．sticks to

4.

A．belief

B．error

C．rights

D．nature

5.

A．memories

B．lessons

C．experiences

D．pains

6.

A．follow

B．analyse

C．acknowledge

D．remove

7.

A．claim

B．doubt

C．celebrate

D．neglect

8.

A．hesitating

B．complaining

C．lying

D．waiting

9.

A．motivated

B．unwilling

C．desperate

D．unafraid

10.

A．blaming

B．spreading

C．teasing

D．exchanging

11.

A．criticism

B．fear

C．anger

D．hopelessness

12.

A．surprisingly

B．cautiously

C．safely

D．gratefully

13.

A．bravery

B．humor

C．ability

D．understanding

14.

A．impressed

B．affected

C．improved

D．reminded

15.

A．stand

B．request

C．strengthen

D．measure

9 . Social scientists have long understood that when people are smart and skilled, they’re likely to gain trust. To appear more capable — and therefore more trustworthy — many people tend to boast (吹嘘), according to another longstanding theory that researchers call impression management. But a new paper suggests that the common method people use to gain trust could have the opposite effect.

“If you consider yourself a highly capable individual, have a good education, are successful in life, then don’t talk too proudly about it when presenting yourself to others or managing impressions about what you can do,” said Martin Reimann, the paper’s lead author. “It can backfire, and people might become distrusting.”

“Since impression management is so widespread, we wondered how it impacts the well-known effect of ability on trust,” Reimann said.

To answer the question, the researchers designed seven online experiments concerning participants’ trust. In one experiment, for example, participants shopped for a TV in an online marketplace, similar to Amazon, with third-party vendors (销售商). Customer reviews with star ratings told participants how capable or competent vendors were, and each vendor’s ad either did or did not include a boastful statement of self-promotion.

Designing seven studies, Reimann said, allowed the researchers to reach more people and explore a range of variables that might affect someone’s willingness to trust. There were more than 106,000 participants across all seven studies.

The experiments showed that participants were more likely, unsurprisingly, to trust people or companies that appeared more capable. But every study also showed that highly capable people or companies were viewed as less trustworthy if they also boastfully promoted themselves.

“We see trust as a central concept that holds together society,” Reimann added. “If we don’t trust each other, then a lot of processes could come to a standstill. It’s important to understand what it is in the first place that leads people to trust each other, and how we can encourage that at different levels of society. That’s what we want to further uncover.”

1. According to the text, what do many people do by impression management?

A．Make themselves seem more important.	B．Remind others that boasting will lose trust.
C．Show what their impression of someone is.	D．Prove that they have become more capable.

2. Which of the following in the experiment was connected with boasting?

A．A TV.

B．Participants.

C．Vendors.

D．Customer reviews.

3. What will the researchers’ future study focus on?

A．The bad effects of boasting.	B．People’s views on boasting.
C．Promotion of trust among people.	D．Different levels of trust in society.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．People need to be able to trust each other.	B．Boasting could make people trust you less.
C．People’s trust depends on how honest you are.	D．Being good at your job helps you to gain trust.

10 . Five Tips to Develop Leadership Qualities

●Know about yourself to develop your self-awareness. A good leader is in tune not only with their team members but with themselves as well.     1     Think about how your personality will affect your team members.

●Learn as much as you can about your field.     2     Knowing what you’re talking about will build your confidence and earn your team’s trust. While it’s impossible to know everything, your team might doubt your abilities if you say “I don’t know” to every question they ask.

●Find a consultant who can teach you new skills. There’s always room to grow, even if you’re in a top leadership position.     3     Ask them to chat over coffee or lunch, or see if they’re open to being a long-term mentor. When you meet, ask them things like, “What qualities do you look for in a leader?” “How do you gain people’s respect?” and “What’s the most challenging part about being a leader?” and see what they have to say. Look for role models who’ve overcome challenges and reached goals similar to your own.

●    4     A good leader is able to resolve conflicts between others at work without taking sides. If there’s a heated disagreement between team members, work with them to identify the root of the issue and listen to both sides of the story. After that, open up a dialogue to begin looking for a solution that will benefit both parties.

●Go into things with a positive mindset. Positivity is great for boosting your team’s morale (士气), increasing productivity, and forming healthy relationships between team members. Discouraging gossip (流言蜚语) amongst team members can go a long way towards creating a more positive environment.     5    

A．Learn how to manage conflicts.

B．Take every opportunity to increase your knowledge.

C．Reach out to others you admire who have strong leadership skills.

D．Let others know you disapprove of gossip if they try to bring it up.

E．It’s wrong to think that spreading gossip will help make you stand out.

F．Being a consultant requires special skills and a desire to constantly learn.

G．Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses to figure out what kind of leader you are.