1 . Behavioral scientists have found that good listening is one of the most important things we can do to improve our relationships.
In addition to actively attending to a speaker’s words, good listeners also use questions and body language that indicate their understanding and their desire to understand. This might feel awkward at first, and what’s most effective might depend on your relationship with the speaker.
These might seem like small changes, but together they make a big difference. And when people feel heard, they report more satisfaction, trust, and connection in their relationships.
A.Finally, don’t be afraid of silence. |
B.So, what can we do to become better listeners? |
C.It’s possible to know what truly excellent listening looks like. |
D.But with time and practice, you can internalize these basic behaviors |
E.There’s no universally agreed-upon definition of high-quality listening. |
F.Researchers have found that smiling and nodding at set intervals doesn’t quite work. |
G.So try to stay present and if you lose focus, don’t be shy about asking the speaker to repeat what you missed. |
2 . Most people can think of a time when they were in a bad mood after a long day at work and a shop assistant gave them a warm smile. Or maybe they overheard their bus-mate speaking German and ended up filling the morning commute(通勤)with a stimulating conversation about an upcoming trip.
Nicholas Epley, a psychologist at the University of Chicago conducted a study. Participants speaking to strangers on public transportation during their morning commutes reported having a more enjoyable commute.
Epley shared why speaking to strangers may have such a mood boosting impact. Loneliness, Epley explained, is one of the most dangerous social stressors and is even more physically harmful than obesity(肥胖). “It’s larger than air pollution, which we spend an awful lot of time worrying about.” Making connections with those around us can reduce loneliness and its harmful impacts.
Despite all the benefits of conversing with strangers, there are some factors that hold people back from new social connections.
Psychologist Gillian Sandstrom thinks that people don’t talk with strangers, simply because most people don’t have the skills or confidence to do so. To address this, she ran London-based events to help people gain confidence in initiating conversations with strangers. Sandstrom said, “By the end, those participants don’t want to stop talking.”
Sandstrom wanted to take this success a step further and she started hosting events where people were forced to talk with strangers. For example, using the app GooseChase, Sandstrom made a campaign that required participants to talk to people with a variety of characteristics. This event was also successful with four fifths of participants sharing that they learned something new, and nearly half hoping to keep in touch with a new-found friend.
People spend so much of our day around strangers, such as in line at the store, on public transportation, and in the office. Why not take advantage of being around people you don’t know? Flash a smile or start up a conversation, and you will make two people’s day nicer.
1. Why does Nicholas Epley mention air pollution?A.To show the strong impact of loneliness on mood. |
B.To highlight the significance of making connections. |
C.To introduce the benefits of conversing with strangers. |
D.To prove the necessity of creating a good environment. |
A.They provide new job opportunities. |
B.They are highly enjoyed by the participants. |
C.They boost people’s confidence in society. |
D.They explore why people don’t talk to strangers. |
A.By referring to quotes. | B.By listing examples. |
C.By making comparisons. | D.By showing statistics. |
A.To urge people to interact with strangers. |
B.To relieve commuters from awkwardness. |
C.To help people improve communication skills. |
D.To remind people to pay attention to their surroundings. |
1. 社交能力的重要性;
2. 提高学生社交能力的建议。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为80个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Enhancing Social Skills in Students
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . How many times have you found yourself in conversations with friends, family members or loved ones and discovered that you had completely tuned out to what they were saying? How much of our attention are we truly giving to the people who are supposed to be important to us?
According to research cited by Wright State University, while most people believe they are good listeners who don’t need to improve their listening skills, the average person only listens at about 25 percent efficiency.
So why aren’t we better listeners? As a society, we may be growing more narcissistic (自我陶醉的). A 2007 study found a rise in self-centeredness and narcissism among college students. If we, as a culture, are becoming more self-centered, how can we, as individuals, work to become more caring and compassionate communicators?
We can begin by changing our attitudes toward conversations. As Stephen R. Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand but to reply.” A dialogue is an opportunity to learn, to see things from a new perspective, to open your eyes to new information and possibilities. Yet, too often we engage in conversation as if it’s a debate. We speak to hear our own voices — our own pre-existing opinions. In doing so, we tend to space out when spoken to. We wait, perhaps even patiently or politely, for the other person to finish, so we can say something we feel is of value.
Playwright Wilson Mizner said, “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while, he knows something.” Listening doesn’t just expand our knowledge on an intellectual level; it enables us to have a more personal, in-depth understanding of our closest friends. Relationships are truly enriched by an equal back-and-forth exchange in communication. When these dynamics become more one-sided, we tend to lose interest and create distance in our friendships, with less trust established, less honesty exchanged.
Thankfully, we can all improve our listening skills. Maybe we aren’t as good a listener as we believe. Do we tend to focus too much on ourselves — both in positive and negative ways? Do we get distracted by an inner coach, rather than living in the moment and really engaging in what’s being said? As we learn to quiet that inner voice in our minds, we can start to open ourselves up to others, becoming better listeners, thinkers, lovers and friends.
1. What is the author’s purpose in showing the social phenomena in Paragraph 1?A.To show most people are confident about their listening skills. |
B.To express his concerns about people’s lack of attention when talking. |
C.To introduce the fact that people have low efficiency of listening in life. |
D.To provide some information about how people behave in conversation. |
A.To prove college students have become more self-cenfered and narcissistic over time. |
B.To show the belief in people’s listening skills is outdated and needs to be updated. |
C.To provide an example of how society’s narcissism affects personal relationships. |
D.To support the argument that society is becoming more self-centered and narcissistic. |
A.People should listen to learn and see things from a new perspective. |
B.A good listener is popular but does not necessarily know everything. |
C.Most people listen with the intention to understand, not to reply. |
D.We should speak to hear our own voices and pre-existing opinions. |
A.Become focused. | B.Feel confused. |
C.Be absent-minded. | D.Remain anxious. |
A.The Decline of Listening in Modern Society |
B.Improving Listening Skills for Better Relationships |
C.The Impact of Narcissism on Social Communication |
D.Why We Should Listen More and Speak Less |
5 . Conflict in communities is usually about the task or the person. Of course, sometimes it’s hard to separate one from the other.
Task conflict happens when people have different ideas of what needs to be done. It points to potential differences in opinion about everything you can imagine that is essential for a group: mission, priorities of tasks, compensation mechanism (机制), decision-making mechanisms, etc. Task conflict is not a problem when people realize the source of the conflict is the task and not the people. Community members must resolve tension inclusively with everyone’s voice being heard and acknowledged. However, this does not mean that the solution must include everyone’s opinion. After the conversation, everyone should feel that they had a fair chance to express their opinion and that it was taken seriously by others and not brushed aside.
Conflict between people is tricky because it’s attacking a person’s essence and self-worth. Often this form of conflict, relationship conflict, happens when two conditions are met: First, people have different values or are holding different assumptions, and secondly, neither party can see beyond their own biases. With relationship conflict, the person is perceived to be the problem and is being attacked by others. Each party assumes that most people are on their side and that the other person is acting out of self-interest. This eventually leads to people disagreeing with each other, not for the task’s sake but to prove the other person is wrong.
Sometimes conflict originates in a task. People might prefer different tools or different approaches. If this initial controversy is ignored or not dealt with appropriately, the relatively easy task conflict turns into a more complex relationship conflict. When relationship conflict occurs, a lot of things are reactive rather than reflective. People stop thinking and act impulsively (冲动地).
All in all, remember that every culture has its own way of handling conflict. Some people consider it dishonest if an argument is not addressed openly, while in other cultures, such a discussion will not be acceptable. It comes down to “Don’t assume everyone thinks like you”.
1. What does the underlined phrase “brushed aside” in Paragraph 2 mean?A.Approved. | B.Ignored. | C.Swept. | D.Denied. |
A.Eric has a quarrel with his girlfriend in shopping mall. |
B.Group members are debating which approaches to be used. |
C.Tom is criticized by his best friend for being irresponsible. |
D.Two neighbors have a big argument over community health issues. |
A.Relationship conflict originates from task conflict. |
B.Task conflict is easier to resolve than relationship conflict. |
C.Conflict in communities causes people to make impulsive decisions. |
D.Task conflict can be sometimes transformed into relationship conflict. |
A.Give a warning. | B.Offer a suggestion. |
C.Make an assumption. | D.List a misconception. |
6 . There’s no doubt that loneliness hurts. Functional MRIs show that the area of the brain triggered by social rejection is the same area that’s triggered by physical pain. To understand why loneliness hurts, let’s take a closer look at friendship through the eyes of two heavyweight philosophers.
In one corner we have Aristotle, who wrote that without friends, there’s no reason to live. The Greek great believed that friendships are based on the virtues of the friend.
So as a sharp counterpunch to Aristotle, let’s turn to the renowned Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, who said that all people have value regardless of their virtues. Since we view our true friends with this kind of unconditional love and respect, we can assume they view us the same way.
A.This may sound fine at first. |
B.They last through thick and thin. |
C.This tells us why loneliness hurts. |
D.These acts may not make you a lifelong friend. |
E.The more friends you have, the happier you’ll be. |
F.We feel like we’re not accepted by the people around us. |
G.Thus, the cure for loneliness can be found in other people. |
7 . Feeling like what you do is worthwhile is arguably a significant key to a happy life. But what this means is different for each person. These strategies can help you find your purpose so you can begin living a more meaningful life.
Donate time, money, or talent
Listen to feedback (反馈)
It can be hard to recognize the things you feel passionate about sometimes. After all, the things you love to do may have become so ingrained (固化) in your life that you don’t realize how important they are.
Start conversations with new people
It’s easy to surf social media while you’re alone on the subway. Resist that urge.
Are you regularly sharing articles about climate change? Are there pictures of you engaging in a particular activity over and over, such as gardening or performing? Consider the conversations you enjoy holding with people the most when you’re meeting face to face. Do you like talking about history? Or do you prefer sharing the latest money-saving tips you discovered?
A.Explore your interests |
B.Otherwise, it may drag you down |
C.Spread sunshine to people through your smile |
D.Instead, take the time to talk to the people around you |
E.You can develop helpful habits in your search for purpose |
F.The things you enjoy sharing may reveal your purpose in life |
G.Fortunately, other people might be able to give you some insights |
8 . Initial conversations can have a huge impact on how relationships develop over time. People are often stuck in the impressions they think they might have made the minute they finish speaking with someone for the first time: “Did they like me or were they just being polite?” “Were they deep in thought or deeply bored?”
To find out whether these worries are necessary, we have conducted nearly 10 years of research. In our studies, participants in the UK talked with someone they had never met before. Afterward, they were asked how much they liked their conversation partner and how much they believed that their conversation partner liked them. This allowed us to compare how much people believed they were liked to how much they were actually liked.
Time and time again, we found that people left their conversations with negative feelings about the impression they made. That is, people systematically underestimate how much their conversation partners like them and enjoy their company — a false belief we call the “liking gap”.
This bias (偏见) may seem like something that would occur only in initial interactions, but its effects extend far beyond a first impression. Surprisingly, the liking gap can constantly affect a variety of relationships, including interactions with coworkers, long after the initial conversations have taken place. Having a larger liking gap is associated with being less willing to ask workmates for help, less willing to provide workmates with open and honest feedback, and less willing to work on another project together.
There are numerous strategies to minimize your biased feelings. One place to start is shifting your focus of attention. Try to direct your attention to your conversation partner, be genuinely curious about them, ask them more questions, and really listen to their answers. The more you’re zeroed in on the other person, and the less you’re focused on yourself, the better your conversation will be and the less your mind will turn to all the things you think you didn’t do well.
1. Why did the author carry out 10 years of research?A.To dismiss national concerns. | B.To check out a potential bias. |
C.To enhance human communication. | D.To develop harmonious relationships. |
A.Fewer chances of new projects. | B.Underestimation of their ability. |
C.Bad relationships with people around. | D.Low willingness to interact with others. |
A.Restate opinions. | B.Deliver warnings. | C.Give suggestions. | D.Make a summary. |
A.Liking Gap May Influence Work Performances |
B.First Impressions Rely On Initial Conversations |
C.People Probably Like You More Than You Think |
D.How People Like You Matters Less Than You Assume |
9 . Being vulnerable (脆弱的) is not a choice. In our life it is a
Vulnerability
When some people claim that they have no vulnerability, they are
Indeed, it’s not easy for us to admit our vulnerability in front of others. In order to protect ourselves, we tend to
A.goal | B.trick | C.secret | D.reality |
A.open | B.decorate | C.close | D.design |
A.turns out | B.consists of | C.refers to | D.relies on |
A.habits | B.faith | C.rights | D.nature |
A.approach | B.option | C.experience | D.reason |
A.follow | B.analyse | C.remove | D.acknowledge |
A.eager | B.tired | C.difficult | D.excited |
A.hesitating | B.complaining | C.cheating | D.waiting |
A.motivated | B.unwilling | C.puzzled | D.unafraid |
A.friendship | B.wealth | C.performance | D.thought |
A.deal | B.meet | C.agree | D.struggle |
A.obviously | B.cautiously | C.safely | D.gratefully |
A.preference | B.decision | C.emotion | D.bravery |
A.affected | B.impressed | C.occupied | D.touched |
A.characteristic | B.relationship | C.action | D.standard |
10 . African grey parrots help their peers complete tasks despite no immediate benefit to themselves, researchers have found in the first study to show that birds display such apparently “selfless” behaviour.
Writing in the journal Current Biology, Brucks and colleagues report how they tested African grey parrots in a task that involved the birds passing a token, in the form of a metal ring, through a hole in their section to a neighbouring bird of the same species. This token could then be passed by the second bird to a human, via another hole, who would exchange it for a piece of nut.
The team found African grey parrots helped their neighbours by passing tokens to their neighbour when a human held out their hand, allowing the second bird to drop it through-the hole and receive a tasty treat.
The same behaviour was seen when the roles of the birds were reversed (颠倒). The more tokens a bird had previously given, the more they received in return.
However, the team stress previously the birds did not know that their favour would be rewarded, suggesting it is something of a “selfless” act.
The team say it may be due to African grey parrots gathering in huge flocks at night but splitting into smaller groups during the day to forage (觅食). Brucks said such behaviour is thought to require strong social cognitive abilities, adding that being helpful might help the birds gain a good reputation with their peers, making it more likely that they would team up for foraging and other tasks.
Dr Manon Schweinfurth, an expert in animal behaviour, said evidence of reciprocal (互惠的) behaviour in African grey parrots is quite interesting. “It has been thought that it is so cognitively demanding that only humans can show it. But we now get more and more evidence from other animals that they are able to show reciprocity,” she said.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?A.The methods of observation. | B.The comparison of the species. |
C.One feeding behaviour of parrots. | D.One example of Brucks’ experiments. |
A.A strong survival instinct. | B.A desire for food. |
C.The need for social cognitive abilities. | D.Curiosity towards other species. |
A.Only African grey parrots are capable of exhibiting reciprocal behavior. |
B.Reciprocal behavior is the only demonstration of cognitive abilities. |
C.Other animals may possess similar social cognitive abilities to African grey parrots. |
D.The reciprocal behavior of African grey parrots is learned through experience. |
A.Unclear. | B.Admiring. | C.Indifferent. | D.Surprised. |