1 . Byrd is in her eighth year of teaching at Wilder Elementary in Mansfield. She has taught fifth grader Fisher Croney every year since he was in kindergarten. Fisher
Byrd also
Byrd was in the hospital for
Today, both women are doing well. They are turning their
A.gives out | B.stands out | C.looks about | D.sits about |
A.learned | B.met | C.taught | D.knew |
A.family | B.behavior | C.communication | D.health |
A.functioning | B.growing | C.forming | D.beating |
A.miss | B.ache | C.fail | D.improve |
A.schedule | B.issue | C.offer | D.opportunity |
A.intended | B.allowed | C.persuaded | D.urged |
A.respond | B.hesitate | C.confirm | D.attend |
A.encounter | B.relative | C.neighbor | D.match |
A.excited | B.embarrassed | C.surprised | D.relieved |
A.surgery | B.practice | C.recovery | D.training |
A.curious | B.nervous | C.certain | D.frank |
A.normal | B.casual | C.strange | D.dependent |
A.back | B.faith | C.attention | D.respect |
A.in favor of | B.in memory of | C.in recognition of | D.in need of |
2 . Have you ever found yourself waiting at the stop for your bus to arrive and have a stranger ask a commonplace (普通的) question? Or have you stood in line waiting for a coffee and feel the need to just look over to the person next to you and ask about the weather?
This is small talk, and despite the name, it’s actually a big part of daily life.
“Small talk may seem trivial (微不足道的), but it’s a natural way for people to connect. It may seem like a waste of time. But it serves a vital role in our social interactions (交往). Big relationships are built on small talk,” Lindy Pegler, who has a master’s degree in psychology, wrote on Medium.
In fact, we spend a lot of our time making small talk. Often, we find ourselves making small talk with the same people on a regular basis. Coming up with small conversations is the foundation (基础) of these relationships.
The benefits of such conversations can actually contribute to our happiness and benefit our lives as a whole. In a study cited by The New York Times, researchers found that having a healthy number of acquaintances (相识的人) and maintaining these relationships contribute to one’s sense of belonging to a community.
So how does one start making small talk? It can be as simple as complimenting (称赞) one’s shirt, asking about their day or commenting on the traffic. “First and foremost, small talk is an act of politeness,” Pegler noted. “Our small talk at our first meeting is our chance to show who we are,” she added.
Who knows where this can lead? Nowadays, the small connections we make can lead to big results. You might find someone who has a common interest, or maybe even someone who turns out to be a close friend. There is one thing for sure: making small talk can brighten our day – even if it’s just a nice comment or a thoughtful question.
So the next time you find yourself waiting for the bus or checking your watch while you wait in a line, take the opportunity to look up and talk to someone around you. After all, it takes a small connection to lead to a larger one.
1. What does the writer intend to do by asking questions in paragraph one?A.To show his confusion on the theme | B.To argue over the seriousness of talking |
C.To attach importance to talking | D.To lead to the topic of the passage |
A.It is a pointless conversation. | B.It wastes too much time. |
C.It is connected with your social status. | D.It contributes to good relationships. |
A.They help people develop communication skills. |
B.They bring people happiness and a sense of belonging. |
C.They allow people to improve their manners. |
D.They help people find out who they are. |
A.Start with casual topics | B.Start with serious topics |
C.Make it important and deep. | D.Choose pleasant surroundings. |
3 . Lizzy Brown, a 42-year-old mother of three from East Riding, Yorkshire, was diagnosed with cancer when she was 14 years old. Ms Brown received the diagnosis having woken up frightened on her 14th birthday. She was admitted to a hospital in Cambridge in 1989, where she was told that she shouldn’t expect to survive into adulthood.
While being monitored (监护) at the hospital, Ms Brown was looked after by a kind nurse called Debbie Bye. Ms Brown has never forgotten the good care that Ms Bye provided during her time of need. “My prognosis (预断) was very poor,”' Ms Brown said. “I wasn’t expected to live more than five years, but now I’m 42 with three children and there’s not a wheelchair in sight. She might have thought she was doing her job but it went above and beyond that. I remember watching Debbie work and being so inspired by the way that she did things. She showed me that children are children no matter what is wrong with them and she treated us all the same.”
The childhood cancer survivor always wondered what had happened to the nurse over the years,which is why she decided to put a call out on Twitter. Ms Brown tweeted an appeal to find Ms Bye, with her tweet being shared more than 1,000 times. Her action proved successful, as the two women were eventually able to make contact (取得联系) thanks to the power of social media.
“To be there when Lizzy was given her prognosis was something I will never forget,’’ said Ms Bye, who has since retired (退休) from hospital work and now works part-time in a school. “She was a teenager in denial and over the years I have often wondered what happened to her and came to the only conclusion I could and thought she had passed away. I am blown away.”
1. What do we know about Ms Bye?A.She is in poor health now. |
B.She still works in the same hospital. |
C.She forgot about Lizzy Brown’s situation. |
D.She once worked whole-heartedly as a nurse. |
A.She turned to the Internet. |
B.She visited quite a few places. |
C.She asked many relatives for help. |
D.She made a public appeal in local papers. |
A.scared | B.excited | C.pitiful | D.nervous |
A.To report a moving reunion. |
B.To warn us of the danger of cancer. |
C.To show us how to live a healthy life. |
D.To give advice on how to treat nurses. |
4 . Teens love to argue their viewpoints.
Look at the person. You need to be in person and face-to-face for this to work well, no texting or social media.
Say “I understand how you feel". This starts the discussion off on a positive note. Be sincere in your desire to come to agreement, and admit the other person's right to an opinion.
Tell why you feel differently. Get your “ducks in a row", which means get everything properly organized and under control.
Give a reason. Be sure your reasons are sensible and you can support them with facts.
Listen to the other person attentively. Give the other person time to present his or her view.
Say “thank you for listening”. Sometimes you get what you want, and sometimes you don't, but at least you've had a chance to give your opinion and hear the other person's thoughts, too.
Make sure to practice several times before your child actually needs to use the skill. Over time, you'll find this skill calms things down in your house and equips your teens to navigate differences of opinion wherever they may be —— and that's a win-win for everyone!
A.Use a pleasant voice. |
B.Don't act before thinking. |
C.And always think before you speak. |
D.However, listen attentively at first. |
E.Don't interrupt, look bored or argue. |
F.Teach your teens to disagree properly! |
G.Instead, wait till everyone has cooled down and is ready to listen. |
5 . I never forget the single act of kindness that changed my life over 25 years ago. During a vacation trip, I needed to find my
I
At one point, I asked him why he
A.connection | B.entrance | C.way | D.route |
A.poor | B.lucky | C.wealthy | D.talented |
A.forgot | B.failed | C.agreed | D.managed |
A.valuable | B.expensive | C.reasonable | D.special |
A.paper | B.email | C.Internet | D.phone |
A.difficulties | B.support | C.market | D.system |
A.admiring | B.doubting | C.wondering | D.knowing |
A.upset | B.excited | C.hurt | D.crazy |
A.speech | B.introduction | C.conversation | D.connection |
A.spent | B.demanded | C.offered | D.charged |
A.actually | B.easily | C.certainly | D.clearly |
A.covered | B.included | C.involved | D.provided |
A.Unfortunately | B.Thankfully | C.Surprisingly | D.Delightedly |
A.secretly | B.in person | C.privately | D.in a hurry |
A.wonderful | B.strange | C.ordinary | D.brave |
Nowadays, more and more people have chances to travel, study, work or even live abroad. It is necessary for you to keep in mind these general
If you
Don’t leave
One morning, I was waiting at the bus stop, worried about being late for school. There were many people
One of the main reasons for telling a white lie is
1. What activity does the man want to attend?
A.Volunteer activity. |
B.Out-of-class activity. |
C.Community activity. |
A.They live an unhappy life. |
B.They lack care and attention. |
C.They are not confident. |
A.Singing and dancing with them weekly. |
B.Chatting with them regularly. |
C.Playing games with them happily. |
10 . Concerts should be a fun and enjoyable occasion for everyone attending them,including the musicians.No matter what type of concert one is attending,he is still expected to follow the rules concert etiquette(礼仪).
Classical music concerts are often events where concert etiquette is considered to be very important.One should generally arrive a few minutes before the show starts,so he can be in his seat at the beginning of the first musical performance.If he arrives late,it may be considered rude to walk in and take his seat in the middle of a musical performance.
Rock and heavy metal concert etiquette is very relaxed.
A.This will usually be announced before the concert begins. |
B.Instead,he should wait for one song to end before taking his seat. |
C.Rock concert goers,on the other hand,can usually get a little louder. |
D.People are not usually discouraged from talking at these types of concerts. |
E.In large groups of people like this,it is not unusual to touch others at times. |
F.Concert etiquette for other types of concerts is usually a little more relaxed. |
G.And the concert etiquette can be different,depending on what type of concert it is. |