1 . 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. |
2 . Throughout history — and probably in your own life — you’ve seen examples of good and bad leaders. They can lift you up or drag you down, praise a group effort or promote themselves.
Leadership is said to be an art.
Be transparent with your team
The higher up you go, the more secrecy there is.
Being a leader isn’t just about checking off tasks and evaluating your team’s performance. Leaders should also make it their job to understand their teams as a whole, understand the people on their team as individuals, and put them in the right positions.
Seek guidance
A.Add value to your team |
B.Study how your team works |
C.But you can break that cycle of secrecy |
D.It’s not something everyone can do well |
E.Most leaders are not trained to be leaders |
F.Put yourself in the position to do the kind of work you love |
G.In short, leaders are often the difference between a great job and a terrible one |
3 . How do you express gratitude in your everyday life? For me, it sometimes feels worrying: hand-writing hundreds of thank you cards after an anniversary, or making sure to eat every last bite on my plate so my grandma wouldn’t think I was ungrateful for the meal.
Start a gratitude journal or write a letter. Make it a habit to put down the things that you’re thankful for.
Bear in mind the difference between saying “thanks to” and “thanks for”. Being grateful “for” something can be a little unclear or general.
A.Stretch your gratitude muscle. |
B.Notice the world surrounding you. |
C.Better still, deliver it in person and read it to them. |
D.A habitual gratitude journal will certainly benefit us. |
E.But experts say it doesn’t have to be that complicated. |
F.In fact, this habit reduces materialism and enhances generosity. |
G.Being grateful “to” something or someone implies a direct relationship. |
4 . A is for always getting to work on time.
B is for being extremely busy.
C is for the conscientious(勤勤恳恳的)way you do your job.
You may be all these things at the office, and more. But when it comes to getting
Dale Carnegie suggested many years ago: Hard work alone doesn’t
“People take it for granted that office politics
In fact, today, experts
“The first thing people are usually
Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office.
Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion.
1.A.along | B.ahead | C.across | D.up |
A.suggest | B.contribute | C.foresee | D.ensure |
A.rewards | B.burdens | C.reputation | D.psychology |
A.intends | B.concludes | C.involves | D.sacrifice |
A.So | B.Then | C.But | D.Though |
A.in general | B.by contrast | C.for instance | D.in return |
A.define | B.extend | C.motivate | D.adapt |
A.evidences | B.cases | C.offices | D.surroundings |
A.relied | B.counted | C.judged | D.instructed |
A.candidates | B.interviewees | C.employers | D.champions |
A.normal | B.academic | C.natural | D.similar |
A.action | B.nature | C.personality | D.potential |
A.Few | B.All | C.No | D.Some |
A.isolate | B.combine | C.separate | D.associate |
A.pretend | B.agree | C.appear | D.refuse |
5 . Asking for or accepting help can bring up a wide range of complicated emotions, like there’s the fear of being seen as needy or weak. Although accepting help from others is difficult, giving and receiving is a necessary part of life.
Sometimes these unnoticed requests are a result of neglect or because parents are too busy to notice. Maybe they were undertaking some jobs to make ends meet or didn’t have additional family support to spare.
How do you get better at accepting help? One way to get better at accepting help is to start with small requests, such as asking for directions.
Helping others feels good. Although asking for help is hard, one way to make it a little easier is to focus on how it feels when you help others.
A.Start small and make it a habit |
B.It can feel like a burden to ask for help |
C.Whatever the cause is, it may affect you |
D.Having needs ignored can make asking for help difficult |
E.We grow up in situations where help comes with duties attached |
F.And remember that the same thing applies when others are helping you |
G.Another way to get better at accepting help is to listen to your internal reactions |
6 . Awe (敬畏) is that feeling we get when something is so vast that it stops us in our tracks. Often, it expands our thinking, increases positive emotions and brings overall satisfaction in life.
Most of us associate awe with something rare and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But people can trigger awe too, and not just famous people, such as athletes or astronauts.
Often, this interpersonal awe is a response to life’s big, sweeping charges, such as witnessing a baby’s first steps. For Lynn Heady, a retired educator, it’s watching a friend fight cancer and still embrace life.
Blurting (脱口而出) out “Wow, that was awesome!” is a simple way to help you identify and remember a special experience.
A.Below are some useful tips. |
B.This will enhance your positive emotions. |
C.But interpersonal awe happens in smaller moments, too. |
D.An awe experience can make us feel small in the vast universe. |
E.We can be awed by our nearest and dearest-the people around us. |
F.Unfortunately, we can’t make someone else behave in a way that’s awesome. |
G.It can also help our relationships, making us more understanding and supportive. |
7 . Healthy relationships with your partner and family members can improve your life and make everyone feel good about themselves.
People in healthy relationships love and support each other.
People who are in a healthy relationship talk to each other regularly and listen to each other too. Misunderstandings can happen.
Building healthy relationships with partners, friends and family is good for you.
A.They don’t just happen though. |
B.Continuing them is also important. |
C.It is best to be clear about what you want to say. |
D.It is important that you both accept your differences. |
E.They help each other practically as well as emotionally. |
F.There are other things to consider besides having common interests. |
G.People who have healthy relationships are more likely to feel happier. |
8 . Meeting strangers is probably one of most people’s biggest fears, only second to speaking in front of a crowd. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be an experience as scary as you might think.
Go out alone. Don’t always go to events with a friend or family member.
Don’t be embarrassed if you’re visibly nervous. If your voice cracks or your handshake is sweaty, laugh it off. If you’re an amateur comedian and can make it into a joke, point it out and get people laughing with you. If it’s something that makes you feel less confident, just ignore it. Everyone gets nervous sometimes, so push past and continue on with the conversation.
A.Start by introducing yourself. |
B.Encourage people to talk about themselves. |
C.People can come to you when you’re alone. |
D.By going alone, you’re forced to meet other people. |
E.Don’t let it embarrass you enough that you have to walk away. |
F.These few easy tips will help you talk with strangers more comfortably. |
G.If you get someone talking about their interests, eventually you’ll see their true personalities come out. |
1. What does the woman probably want the man to do?
A.Do some cleaning. | B.Be careful in his job. | C.Take out the trash in turn. |
A.Mother and son. | B.Brother and sister. | C.Manager and new worker. |
10 . Think about that. If you are anything like me, you struggle to ask for help when you need it. It’s something a lot of humans battle with. You don’t want to be a burden on others. You are afraid to speak up, or want to prove that you can do it yourself.
You don’t ask for help when you don’t know how to do something or can’t manage it on your own, because you might be afraid of looking stupid or incompetent. You might pretend like you know what you’re doing when you’re really drowning. Perhaps you think asking for help is a sign of weakness; that if you ask for help you’re admitting you’re inadequate in some way; that you lack knowledge, skill or experience to do something yourself. You don’t want anyone to see that you’re struggling and you want people to think that you’re in control and can handle things.
There are tons of reason you won’t ask for help, but not to do so can be a mistake. You get in your own way if you make asking for help mean something negative about you when it doesn’t. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re stupid or inadequate. It simply means you need help with something specific for a time.
Confident people often ask others for help. They do so not only because they’re secure enough to let it be known they need help, but they know that trying to do everything themselves is not always the best use of their time, skills or energy. They recognize it can leave them feeling overwhelmed and stressed and then they can’t do things properly. Confident people find someone who’s good at what they need to learn or get done and then ask for their help and guidance. They know that asking, “Can you help me?” shows respect for the other person’s knowledge and abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn’t ask.
1. What is the author’s personality like?A.He shows great love to others. | B.He hesitates to ask others for help. |
C.He looks down upon other people. | D.He dislikes those who pretend to know. |
A.Indifferent. | B.Unqualified. | C.Determined. | D.Devoted. |
A.offer help to other people | B.respect others’ abilities |
C.promote their abilities | D.turn to others for help |
A.advise us to learn more knowledge | B.encourage us to bravely ask for help |
C.show our respect to the people around us | D.encourage us to be more confident in our life |