1 . Most people enjoy variety. We like to eat different foods from meal to meal. We wear different clothes. We like to try new activities and visit new places. We become bored when there is little variety. Nevertheless, there’s one place where we tend to dislike variety, and that’s in each other. We often feel uncomfortable with people who practise different habits, or hold beliefs or values that we do not share.

There are reasons for this. When we are exposed to new and different things, our brain works a bit harder than usual. When we’re learning, our nerve cells require more resources, such as water, salt, and various other chemicals. This extra metabolic (新陈代谢的) activity can feel unsettling and unpleasant. And it can feel worse if our nervous system is already under pressure, like in the midst of the pandemic.

This sort of variation may be uncomfortable for individuals, but it’s critical to the survival of any species. If all finches (雀科鸣鸟) were identical, for example, and their environment changed in some significant, harmful ways, like an increase in the temperature or a decrease in water, all of them would be equally affected and the species might become extinct. This insight into variation comes from Charles Darwin, and it’s known as population thinking. Most people associate Darwin with his evolutionary theory of natural selection, but population thinking may be an even greater scientific achievement. The idea of “survival of the fittest” implies that individuals must vary. Some are more suited than others for a given environment, making it easier for them to survive, grow, and reproduce. Variation is therefore a prerequisite for natural selection to work.

Dealing with the vast variety of humankind can be demanding and even annoying at times, but it’s a good investment, sort of like exercise for your brain. When you meet someone who looks different or thinks differently from you, treat your discomfort as a cue to be curious and learn instead of a signal of a problem. Don’t hold the view that the other person should be silenced. Ultimately, this mindset can make you more flexible in adapting to challenging situations, and more adaptable to change.

1. Which of the following might make people feel uncomfortable?

A．Having an adventure in the wild.

B．Taking a trip to a foreign country.

C．Sharing traveling experiences with others.

D．Socializing with people from diverse cultures.

2. What does the second paragraph focus on?

A．People’s unwillingness to deal with new things.

B．The significance of learning new things in our life.

C．The biological explanations for people’s discomfort.

D．The role of the nervous system in learning new things.

3. What does the underlined word “prerequisite” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Requirement.

B．Substitute.

C．Motivation.

D．Challenge.

4. What does the writer mainly want to convey?

A．Why we tend to chase and enjoy variation.

B．How we can benefit from seeking variation.

C．How we should treat the differences we find in others.

D．Why we should get along with people different from us.

2 . In this day and age, gadgets have become a significant part of our daily lives. While it does make people’s lives easier, there are disadvantages.    1    You might have noticed how everyone is constantly clicking their phones, iPad, and others portable devices. Disconnecting from gadgets might be challenging, but there are ways to spend time with your friends without using these gadgets.

Turn off Gadgets

    2    Turning off your gadgets could be the first step you can do. It could also be one of the house rules when you are together. However, you and your friends should agree on this matter before implementing it in your get-together to avoid any misunderstanding.

Start Playing with Classic Board Games

Before the trend of high-tech gadgets, board games had always been the source of entertainment when a group of friends wanted to have some fun. Meeting with your friends could be the best time to bring these classic board games back.    3    

Bond over Food

Eating together is a chance to bond, de-stress, and relax.    4    The same study also found out that eating together involves laughter and reminiscing. Laughter is known to trigger the endorphin system, which, in return, promotes primate and human social bonding.

Have a Heart-to-Heart Talk

Entertainment isn’t the only way to interact with your friends.    5    You don’t know what your friends are going through, and making room for a heart-to-heart talk might be what they need.

A．There are many different games you can search online.

B．One is how gadgets seem to be taking over people’s social relationships.

C．Evening meals are considered significantly more valuable for building friendships.

D．One study suggested social eating has evolved as a mechanism for improving social bonding.

E．If you want to spend quality time with each other, all of you need to sacrifice your screen time.

F．While it’s essential to enjoy your get-together, going into a purposeful conversation is also important.

G．Though they have digital equivalents, you may still get benefits when playing them in the traditional way.

3 . How to communicate effectively?

No matter your age or background, effective communication is a valuable skill. It’s also a skill that everyone can learn. Knowing how to communicate well comes in handy when it’s time for a heart-to-heart chat with a friend. Skillful communication can even turn a potential fight into a productive talk. The finest leaders have always been good communicators, whether in education, business or politics.    1    

Remove distraction.

Turn off the television, laptop and any other electronics that could distract from communication. If a call or text comes through on your cellphone when you are talking or listening to someone, turn it off without looking at it.    2     It can easily ruin your efforts to communicate.

    3    

Never try to be amusing at the expense of other people. Whether you mean to or not, disrespecting others will hurt the communication process. If you’re unsure if something is appropriate, you probably shouldn’t say it.

Communicate eye-to-eye.

Eye contact is the most important form of body language. It shows interest and helps convince people that you can be trusted. During a conversation, it is important to meet others’eyes, using just as much eye contact as feels natural.    4    Too much eye contact is seen as rude in certain cultures, and meeting eyes can cause some people who have autism to feel very uncomfortable.

Use “I” messages.

When raising concerns, try to start your sentences with “I” instead of “You”, stating clearly how you feel about the situation rather than blaming others. Instead of saying “You’re sloppy,” you might say, “I’m really uncomfortable surrounded by clutter like this. Is there something we can do to deal with it to keep it from being a problem?” “ I”messages improve the chances that listeners will consider your point of view.

Effective communication is a powerful tool that is useful in almost any situation.    5    

A．There are some exceptions, though.

B．Organize and clarify ideas in your mind.

C．Be respectful of other beliefs and cultures.

D．Interrupting a conversation shows a lack of respect.

E．With some practice, you can learn how to communicate well, too.

F．It’s important to choose a setting that makes everyone comfortable.

G．Developing this skill will improve your relationships everywhere you go.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does Miyako want to do?

A．Make a call.

B．Send a card.

C．Hold a party.

2. Why does Amada suggest getting together again?

A．To continue the talk.

B．To greet Miyako warmly.

C．To finish the talk.

5 . 假定你是李华，最近你的班级就学生在学习和生活中面临的问题对班上的同学进行了调查。请根据图表，用英语写一篇短文向学校英文报投稿。内容包括：
1.学生面临困难的状况描述；
2.简单评论；
3.你的建议。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.稿件标题已给出，不计入总词数。

What Trouble We Have

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6 . “Shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life that you’d like to,” the Smiths once sang. However, research suggests that may not be the case when working as a team.

Researchers have found that when animals temper their personalities because of social rules, the efficiency of a group to undertake risky missions—such as foraging (觅食) for food—is boosted. “We see this phenomenon happening when we mix together a school of fish with wildly different personalities: the very fearless individuals and the very shy individuals tend to control what they would normally be doing when they stick with the rest of the group,” said Dr. Sean Rands, the lead author of the research at the University of Bristol.

Writing in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, the researchers reported how they built a computer model to investigate the impact of social conventions and animals’ personalities on the movement of individuals within a group. The model was based on an assumption in which a group of animals in a safe “home” set out to travel to a food foraging site some distance away.

The results revealed that when no social conventions were in place, their movements were governed by their personalities alone—in other words how fearless or shy they were determined how quickly they left home and arrived at the foraging site. However, when social conventions were introduced, so that the individuals had to keep an eye on each other and adjust their movements accordingly, the impact of personality reduced with less variation in how quickly they reached the destination. The team found where social conventions were present, the group foraged more efficiently than when individuals behaved independently. “We find that if individuals pay attention to the other members of the group, the group will tend to remain at the safe site for longer, but then travel faster towards the foraging site,” the team wrote.

Rands added that for many social animals, being part of a group can bring huge benefits, and these can outweigh the influence of personality.

1. Why are the Smiths’ words mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To give an example.

B．To make a comparison.

C．To lead in the topic.

D．To introduce the background.

2. What will individuals do while staying with a group?

A．Adjust their behavior.

B．Take on risky missions.

C．Ignore social rules.

D．Travel to a distant foraging site.

3. What can we infer from the results?

A．Personalities alone determine movements.

B．Individuals prefer to behave independently.

C．Group work increases exposure to potential risks.

D．Social conventions contribute to working efficiency.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Be Part of a Group

B．Stay True to Yourself

C．Get Rid of Your Shyness

D．Control Your Personalities

7 . How to deal with silent treatment?

Is someone you know giving you the silent treatment? Maybe you did something wrong: you embarrassed or humiliated the other person; You let them down or failed to give them your support when they needed it.    1    .

Be clear about what happened

You probably already know what it was that you said or did.    2    . You could say, “ I feel like there’s a problem between us and that you might be upset with me.” If you do know what happened between you to cause this gap, ask if you can talk.

    3    

Explain that you know what happened between you wasn’t good and that you’d like to be friends again. Ask them what their thoughts and feelings are now about what happened. Acknowledge what they say about how they feel, and then say how you feel. For example, “ I understand why you are upset and that you are angry. I feel sad/upset/bad about what happened, and I’d like to put things right. ”

Take responsibility and apologize

This doesn’t mean taking all the blame.    4    . For example, “ I know you wanted our situation to be kept private and I’ve really upset you by telling other people about it. I’m sorry I did that. I thought that talking about it to others would help me make sense of what was going on.”

Try only once

    5    . You’ve done your best. Now, it is up to them. They may need more time to process what happened between you, so give them some space.

A．But if not, ask.

B．Share your past experiences.

C．Ask about thoughts and feelings.

D．It also means that we should keep it to ourselves.

E．No matter what it is, here’s a handful of ways that will set you in the right direction.

F．If the other person refuses to restart talking to you, there’s nothing else you can do.

G．It simply means admitting your part in any wrongdoing and expressing that you’re sorry.

8 . I moved into my house at the end of last year. I _______ that there was a tree in the front yard. My partner told me they _______ it was a fig (无花果) tree and _______, as the months went by, the tree grew huge leaves and _______ came to fruition. Figs the size of my fist! My partner and I were _______ but we didn’t know what to do with all the figs.

About a week ago, my next door neighbor came and properly introduced himself. He then asked if he could _______ some figs from my tree. Immediately, I _______ him to take as many as he liked. He told me that 12 years ago, the _______ owner of the house I live in now used to be very good friends with him and they planted this very fig tree way back then. I came home one day, to find a fruit box outside my front door. This _______ filled my heart with happiness and gratitude. It ________ me that there are still lively people in the world who want to do something nice for their neighbors.

1.

A．feared

B．noticed

C．believed

D．admitted

2.

A．forgot

B．discovered

C．decided

D．assumed

3.

A．at random

B．worst still

C．most important

D．sure enough

4.

A．constantly

B．temporarily

C．eventually

D．similarly

5.

A．confused

B．excited

C．disappointed

D．annoyed

6.

A．break up

B．tear down

C．pick up

D．make for

7.

A．encouraged

B．warned

C．advised

D．declined

8.

A．previous

B．punctual

C．transparent

D．voluntary

9.

A．friction

B．power

C．gesture

D．competence

10.

A．taught

B．warned

C．invited

D．reminded

9 . Why Talking to Strangers Is Good for You, Them and All of Us

In childhood, we’re told: “Don’t talk to strangers.” But this is short-sighted advice because after we finish high school and move out into the world, everyone we encounter is a stranger. And we’re a social species, which means we need each other.     1     Furthermore, we need to get good at interacting with them, both to get help when we need it and to be of use to them.

Let’s start with actual strangers-like the people you pass on the street. When you look right through someone as if they aren’t there, they feel a little bad.     2     When you give someone eye contact and a smile, it makes them feel good. And you feel good too when they do it back to you.

What about the humans you interact with regularly yet don’t really know, like the e servers at your coffee shop, the clerks at your grocery store, your postal carrier and so on? Show them that they matter by saying “How’s your day going?”     3     When you’re kind to someone, you, they and everyone who observes your interaction will get a lift from your act of kindness.

    4     For years, although it’s hard for me to admit this, I’d drive home after work each day and realize that I didn’t even know my neighbors. So I formed a monthly writing group with some of them in order to experience the real connections that form from hearing each others’ stories.     5     You have the power to make your community stronger like this, and meanwhile, it is good for you, it’s good for them, and it’s good for all of us.

A．The opposite is also true.

B．So we should not avoid strangers.

C．Then there are those like neighbors.

D．Not everyone can make eye contact or smile.

E．Learn their name so next time you can say, “Hey, Breonna. How’s your day going?”

F．But keep in mind that they came to work today and their work makes your life easier.

G．After doing this, we’ve been more able to do what neighbors do, like borrowing sugar or collecting mail when someone’s away.

10 . Each April Thais celebrate their “Thai New Year” with a great water fight on the streets. People throw water at everyone passing by and even block the road so they can enter buses and “paint the faces” of all the passengers. But there are a few people who don’t wish to participate in the fun. When I first experienced this celebration, I was one of them.

The first time our bus was stopped, 4 people coming into the bus intended to paint everyone’s face. I slowly shook my head to say “No, thank you.”, but a man came from behind me and quickly painted my face. Then the other three felt inspired and added a little more “paint” to my face. I didn’t actively stop them for fear that if I did, they would become more aggressive (好斗的) and throw even more water at me and possibly my backpack, which would damage whatever was inside.

Even though it happened only once, emotionally it was very frightening because I felt so powerless. The experience caused me to think a lot about respect and moral autonomy or individual judgment vs “permission” from the authorities. On this day, people of Thailand, including the police, give “permission” for these activities. So what about respect for the individual? If someone does not want to be painted, is it OK to do it anyhow because the majority is having a good time and sincerely believes it is harmless fun, or because the police allow it?

In my opinion, if someone does not want to have something done to them, then you’re supposed to respect their decision. You can’t rely on the authorities or some group to tell you if something is right or wrong or if you should or shouldn’t do something. I believe this is a much healthier way of living with one another in this world.

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A．By raising a question.	B．By making an assumption.
C．By providing a comparison.	D．By supporting a celebration.

2. Why did the author inactively resist being painted?

A．He was afraid of causing conflict.	B．He wanted to protect things in his backpack.
C．The activity got official permission.	D．The majority were in favor of the behavior.

3. What did the author think of the experience?

A．It was unpleasant.	B．It was invaluable.
C．It was informative.	D．It was acceptable.

4. What is mainly conveyed in the last paragraph?

A．Do as you would be done by.

B．Fear always springs from ignorance.

C．When in Rome do as the Romans do.

D．Respect matters in interpersonal communication.