1 . We are often reminded of Oscar Wilde’s saying that “sarcasm (讽刺) is the lowest form of wit” while forgetting the following “but the highest form of intelligence”. Parents or teachers of teenagers, in particular, may find it hard to believe that it is actually a sign of a flexible and inventive mind.
Yet that is exactly what psychologists and neuroscientists have been arguing. They have found that sarcasm requires the brain to jump through numerous hoops (圈) to arrive at a correct interpretation, requiring more brainpower than literal statements.
If you’re still not convinced that your teen’s love of sarcasm is a thing worth celebrating, consider a recent experiment from Li Huang, a psychologist at Insead’s business school in Fontainebleau, France.
In the experiment, participants were presented with a candle, a pack of matches and a box of tacks (图钉). Their task was to find a way to attach the candle to the wall so that it could burn without dripping wax on the floor. The correct answer is to empty the box of tacks, pin it to the wall, and then place the candle inside a solution that will only come to mind if you are prepared to think about the functions of each object.
Before working on the problem, some participants were asked to recall a sarcastic interaction, while others remembered a sincere or neutral exchange. Quite amazingly, the sarcastic memories more than doubled the participants’ success rate, from around 30% to more than 60%.
It may initially feel like a shock when parents notice their children using sarcasm——a sign, perhaps, of a more adult-like cynicism (愤世嫉俗) that conflicts with their impressions of their children’s youthful innocence. Parents may feel particularly helpless when dealing with a teenager who uses it in almost all interactions, as if they struggle. to express any sincere emotions.
But should we blame teens for applying this handy tool? Perhaps it’s better seen as the useful practice of a vital ability. Penny Pexman, a psycholinguist at the University of Calgary agrees and it is for this reason that she has produced Sydney Gets Sarcastic, a storybook that provides multiple examples of sarcasm and the reasons it was used. In a recent experiment on 5-to 6-year-olds, she showed that children who read and discussed the story found it easier to detect sarcastic statements in a following test.
1. Why does the author refer to Oscar Wilde’s words at the beginning of the text?| A．To give a definition of sarcasm. |
| B．To stress the significance of sarcasm. |
| C．To express his concern about sarcasm. |
| D．To show the misunderstanding of sarcasm. |
| A．They tended to stay long with participants. |
| B．They offered clues to the problem to be solved. |
| C．They could force participants to face problems. |
| D．They contributed greatly to participant’s success. |
| A．It shows their innocence. |
| B．It helps them express emotions. |
| C．It is not appropriate for their age. |
| D．It allows them to behave like adults. |
| A．To urge parents to learn from their children’s sarcasm. |
| B．To teach parents how to respond to their children’s sarcasm. |
| C．To show parents the positive side of their children’s sarcasm. |
| D．To remind parents to teach their children to use words properly. |
2 . Suppose you are out shopping and come across an acquaintance who starts telling you a story that seems to be dragging on and on. You want to seem interested, so you offer the occasional “Oh” or “I see”. To your surprise, though, this person angrily stops in their tracks and says, “Sorry if I’m boring you!”
Where did this come from? Clearly, your body language must have betrayed you. The idea that verbal (口头的) and nonverbal messages can conflict was the inspiration for a recently published study from Yale University’s Lueylle Armentano. As part of her study of communication in relationships, Armentano’s research also examined communication channels in people meeting for the first time.
To test the role of verbal-nonverbal mismatch on emotional communication, Armentano and her partner created experimental conditions to see what happens when someone asks for help from strangers. The research team created videotapes of a fellow Yale student expressing nervousness in his words, bodily gestures, or both. The bodily gestures included running his hands through his hair, grabbing his arm, and facially expressing uneasiness. The key question was whether the other participants, another 82 Yale students, would believe the student and provide the help he was requesting. They needed to give their responses.
Turning to the findings, those nonverbal cues (提示) of nervousness had a greater impact on helping behavior than the verbal cues. Surprisingly, helping behavior was the highest when verbal expressions of nervousness were low but nonverbal cues were high.
Recognizing that your body language can outweigh your words means that you need to be mindful of what your body is doing when you’re interacting with others. Generally, when someone is speaking to you, you want to look like you’re interested. Not only should you maintain eye contact, but you should keep your body still and face toward the other person. If you’re not trying to look interested, it may be more polite to say you have to be somewhere else.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The obvious advantages of body language. |
| B．A situation where body language is a must. |
| C．An example of verbal-nonverbal mismatch. |
| D．The proper way to interact with old friends. |
| A．Express nervousness in their words. | B．Identify the types of body language. |
| C．Try to win the nervous student’s trust. | D．Respond to the nervous student’s request. |
| A．His sincere verbal expressions. | B．His bodily gestures of nervousness. |
| C．His positive attitude to nervousness. | D．His good manners in front of others. |
| A．Make a prediction. | B．Offer suggestions. |
| C．Present some facts. | D．Give some warnings. |
3 . They caused the first wound, but you are causing the rest; this is what not forgiving does. They got it started but you keep it going. Forgive and let it go, or it will eat you alive. You think they made you feel this way, but when you don’t forgive, you are the one creating the pain on yourself.
Whatever you do — don’t wait to forgive someone until they apologize, ask for your forgiveness or even admit they have harmed you. If you are waiting for someone to admit they have hurt you, you could be waiting forever and it puts them in the power position, where you need something from them to move forward in your own life.
Forgiveness has nothing to do with how wrong someone else was; no matter how wrong they are, when you forgive a person, you break the ties with their ill deeds that keep you in pain. Forgiving breaks the unhealthy bonds between you and the one who hurt you, and redefines you as an independent victor in your own life. Whether they accept their responsibility or not, you are no longer dependent on their participation for your healing (治愈). You can forgive them, and you can then move on. Boundaries are an essential part of forgiveness.
It is easy to hold a grudge (记仇). It is easy to blame. But these experiences are a lasting role of a powerless victim (受害者). When you hold grudges the victimization continues.
It takes emotional bravery to forgive. It takes a huge determination toward self-care to let go of painful past events and not let them identify your future. There is no self-love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without self-love. Forgiving others may be the ultimate act of self-love. Through forgiveness you can protect yourself from suffering from the lapses made by others.
1. According to the author, if you don’t forgive, you’ll _____.| A．suffer further | B．keep your pride |
| C．become stronger | D．receive an apology |
| A．It counts a great deal. | B．It is tied to you firmly. |
| C．It is nothing important. | D．It decides whether you forgive. |
| A．decisions | B．mistakes |
| C．contributions | D．apologies |
| A．To advise us not to blame others. |
| B．To tell us it is difficult to forgive others. |
| C．To tell us the importance of forgiving others. |
| D．To advise us to learn to forgive others for self-love. |
4 . When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal issues, they tend to employ their current feelings as fuel for a heated argument. But thinking about the future helps overcome relationship conflicts, according to a University of Waterloo study just published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Alex Huynh, a doctoral candidate in psychology is the lead author of the study, which he published with Igor Grossmann from the University of Waterloo, and Daniel Yang from Yale University.
Previous research has shown that third-perspective reasoning can be a positive strategy for reconciliation (调解) of interpersonal struggles. Huynh and his collaborators investigated whether similar benefit can be induced by simply thinking about the future. Study participants were instructed to reflect on a recent conflict with a romantic partner or a close friend. One group of participants were then asked to describe how they would feel about the conflict one year in the future, while another group was asked to describe how they feel in the present.
The team examined participants’ written responses through a text-analysis program for their use of pronouns — such as I, me, she, he. These choices of pronouns were used to capture participants’ focus on the feelings and behaviour of those involved in the conflict. Written responses were also examined for forgiveness and reinterpreting the conflict more positively, both of which implied the participants’ use of reasoning strategies.
The researchers found that envisioning future relationship affected both participants’ focus on their feelings, and their reasoning strategies. As a result, participants reported more positivity about their relationship altogether, especially when study participants extended their thinking about the relationship a year into the future.
“Our study demonstrates that adopting a future-oriented perspective in the context of a relationship conflict — reflecting on how one might feel a year from now — may be a valuable coping tool for one’s psychological happiness and relationship well-being,” said Huynh.
1. What do romantic partners do in face of most disagreements?| A．They lose faith in their future. | B．They focus on their present feelings. |
| C．They look forward to a fierce conflict. | D．They care more about financial problems. |
| A．Caused. | B．Explained. |
| C．Reduced. | D．Improved. |
| A．All the study participants described how they felt both in the present and in the future. |
| B．Study participants described their recent relationship with their romantic partners or friends. |
| C．A text-analysis program was employed to examine participants’ use of negative words. |
| D．The reasoning strategies in participants’ written responses were well worthy of note. |
| A．You have a year to solve your interpersonal problems! |
| B．Thinking about future is essential for relationship maintenance! |
| C．Your current feelings are the real cause of your heated arguments! |
| D．Beneficial reasoning is a positive strategy for reconciliation! |
5 . Helping others is not only good for them but a good thing to do. It also makes us happier and healthier too. Giving also connects us to others, creating stronger communities and helping to build a happier society for everyone. So if you want to feel good, do good!
Doing things for others-whether small, unplanned acts or regular volunteering—is a powerful way to increase our own happiness as well of those around us. The people we help may be strangers, family, friends, colleagues or neighbors. They can be old or young, nearby or far away.
Giving isn’t just about money, so you don’t need to be rich. Giving to others can be as simple as a single kind word, smile or a thoughtful gesture. It can include giving time, energy, care, skills, thought or attention. Sometimes these mean as much, if not more, than financial gifts.
Scientific studies show that helping others boosts happiness. It increases life satisfaction, provides a sense of meaning, increases feelings of ability, improves our mood and reduces stress. It can help to take our minds off our own troubles too.
Kindness towards others is the glue which connects individual happiness with wider community and social wellbeing. Giving to others helps us connect with people and meets one of our basic human needs-relatedness.
Kindness seems to be contagious (传染性的). When we see someone do something kind or thoughtful, or we are on the receiving end of kindness, it inspires us to be kinder ourselves. In this way, kindness spreads from one person to the next, influencing the behavior of people who never saw the original act. Kindness really is the key to creating a happier, more trusting local community.
1. Why can giving help to build a happier society?| A．It can bring confidence. | B．It can connect us to others. |
| C．It can make us healthy. | D．It can make us rich. |
| A．Helping others makes our trouble disappear forever. |
| B．We feel more content with life by helping others. |
| C．Helping others removes a sense of meaning. |
| D．We feel no stress by helping others. |
| A．Kindness. | B．Health. | C．Happiness. | D．Wealth. |
| A．Helping others is good for ourselves. | B．We should learn to give. |
| C．Helping others matters. | D．Kindness is a good virtue. |
6 . I'm a Russian. In my native country, people believe that those who always keep big smiles on their faces, if they don't have a real reason to do so, are not genuine（真诚的）. For the last five years, I've lived in Kansas. What brought me to this country was my American husband, John. I work in a department store, where my coworkers show big smiles to me and pronounce my Russian name so sweetly. Every time I hear it, I feel as though my mom is embracing（拥抱）me.
Last year John encouraged me to go to see my mom back in Russia, and my manager even gave me a month of for the trip. When you live an ocean apart from your family, you need at least a month to visit them. I bought a plane ticket and packed my suitcase. Then came Covid-19. My mood became grey as I realized I couldn't go to see my mom.
A couple of weeks later, my sweet coworker Miss Donna asked me, “So what's happening with your trip to Russia?” I told her I had to cancel it and I wouldn't be able to see my mom this year.
Miss Dona didn't say anything at first. Then she put on a big smile and said, “Well, you can come to my home and see my mom!" “Oh my Lord!" I was at a loss for words. Imagine a mom for loan（借出）!I honestly don't know whether I would offer the same to someone in need of a mother's warmth, but my new people surely would do it for me.
I know that because of the virus, you shouldn't hug friends, but you can still embrace someone's heart. That's how my heart felt at that moment: hugged. So, yes, believe me, big smiles with no reason can be genuine.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?| A．The author believes big smiles are false. | B．The author works together with her husband. |
| C．The author seldom wears big smiles in Russia. | D．The author gets along well with her coworkers. |
| A．Because her mother's home was too far away. | B．Because the manager didn't allow her to leave. |
| C．Because Covid-19 broke out unexpectedly. | D．Because she was invited to Miss Donna's home. |
| A．She was happy. | B．She was touched. | C．She was confused. | D．She was uncertain. |
| A．A Canceled Trip | B．Imagine a Mother for Loan |
| C．The Outbreak of Covid-19 | D．Big Smiles Embrace My Heart |
7 . Humans, by nature, have always lived in groups and social interaction is fundamental for every part of our health. Lack of it can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. A strong support network and solid community bonds promote our emotional and physical health, and are critical components of a balanced adult life. However, just as with many other aspects of our lives, there seems to be a limit to how large our personal networks can grow.
Back in 1992, a British scholar named Robin Dunbar came up with a hypothetical (假设的) number defining the maximum sum of meaningful human relationships a person can have. The number, which was later named after him, was discovered accidentally while he was studying the cleaning and brushing tendencies — a social behavior —of non-human primates (灵长类动物). Around that time, researchers had discovered that the large brain of these primates was a result of their socially complex societies. The relevance was that the larger the brain, the larger the animal's social group was likely to be. Scientists could then theoretically use an animal's brain size to calculate how many members could make up this group. Dunbar applied this theory to humans, and the resulting number was roughly 150.
Dunbar's Number, however, only refers to the limit of meaningful contacts within our social network. It does not account for other relationships. Human social relationships tend to have numerous layers, and extend outward from the individual in circles with the same centre. The innermost circle contains five people: our loved ones. The next circle holds of our good friends. The third circle is reserved for people we consider friends, and the fourth is where the limit of 150 can be found. Nowadays, with various forms of electronic communication, such as websites for social networking and microblogging people find it very convenient to create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other contents. Consequently, it is possible for a human to get into the fifth (500acquainitances) circle, an impressive breakthrough that was difficult to achieve in the past.
1. What can be learned about Dunbar's Number in Paragraph 2?| A．It is confirmed by the social reality. |
| B．It serves as an accurate measurement. |
| C．It is backed by a certain theoretical basis. |
| D．It establishes links between health and network. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Human brains are becoming bigger and bigger. |
| B．Social media have contributed to the phenomenon. |
| C．Meaningful contacts grow significantly with age. |
| D．People are eager to improve every aspect of their lives. |
| A．Group Living: A Solution to Health Problems |
| B．Dunbar's Theory: A Ladder to Career Success |
| C．Social Network: A Soured of Endless Pleasure |
| D．Dunbar's Number: A Measure of Social Relations |
8 . Almost everyone gossips. And a new study finds that people spend about 52 minutes per day, on average, talking to someone about others who are not present
But here’s the surprise: Despite the assumption that most gossip is trash talk, the study finds the majority of gossip is nonjudgmental chat.
“People love to talk about others,” says Jeremy Cone, a psychologist at Williams College. “Think about your own conversations with a family member or friend: You talk about everyday things that keep you connected. You share your daughter got her driver’s license or your uncle has a kidney stone. Much of it is just documenting facts.”
Of course, the study also finds that some gossip is negative or mean-spirited. About 15% of the gossip included some type of negative judgement.
But even negative gossip can serve a purpose, as more research has found.
“I think gossiping can be a smart thing to do,” says Elena Martinescu who has studied gossip in the workplace. “It allows people to keep track of what’s going on and form social connection with other people.”
Research has shown that gossip can help build group cohesion (凝聚力) and cooperation. “When you gossip, you can keep track of who is contributing to the group and who's being selfish,” Martinescu explains. “And by sharing this information, you can exclude those group members who are social loafers (游手好闲的人).”
“We also found negative gossip makes people likely to repair the aspects of their behavior that they were criticized for,” Martinescu says.
So, say, for instance, you were criticized for always arriving at work late. Hearing that gossip about yourself may motivate you to want to be on time.
Of course, this isn’t a license to be loose lips or to repeat baseless claims that can damage someone’s reputation unfairly. But confiding (吐露个人隐私) in your friends and colleagues and sharing impressions about another person — even when they’re negative — may be helpful.
1. Why do people often gossip according to Jeremy Cone?| A．Because gossip can satisfy their curiosity. | B．Because they can share social information. |
| C．Because they want to correct others’ mistakes. | D．Because spreading negative facts is unavoidable. |
| A．People can be improved in an all-round way. | B．People can get rid of immoral behavior rapidly. |
| C．People can be kept informed of others' privacy. | D．People can change their behavior for the better.. |
| A．It is plain to see that people gossip all the time. |
| B．Based on the study, the majority of gossip is trash talk. |
| C．It’s advisable that we turn a deaf ear to negative gossip. |
| D．It’s likely that gossip helps us know more about one's quality. |
| A．Gossip is the last thing people could do. | B．Gossip should be advocated by the society. |
| C．Gossip may not be as harmful as it sounds. | D．Gossip is the best way to build social bonds. |
9 . There are several ways from which to choose for you to keep your kids safe in your neighborhood. But the first step to keep your child safe in your neighborhood is to know your neighbors.
Knowing your neighbors can save you a lot of worry. It lets you know that the car that has just driven down the street belongs to “the yellow house on the corner”, or the truck that has just driven by the playground looks unfamiliar, but the guy in the passenger seat lives two doors down. It’s these simple things that keep you from going out of your mind whenever you see someone driving by where children are playing.
But you shouldn’t just know what they look like. The next step is to know them well. What do they do? How do they act?You might be OK with them driving by the playground since they live in the neighborhood, but are you OK with them being on the playground?Knowing your neighbors helps with several things. First you find out what kind of people they are. This helps you know if you should let your child go out in an area that they gather. Let’s face it: you don’t want your child to play around people or people’s children that curse (咒骂) or hit each other. Sometimes you have to protect your child against your own neighbors.
Knowing them also makes them know you. Being neighbors is an interesting thing. You might not like them or have the same views as them, but we all usually protect those that we consider our own. If you know your neighbors, they know you. They will more probably look after the child of the nice lady down the street in the brick house, than the people in the house on the corner that no one ever sees.
1. This text is mainly to tell how to ________.| A．keep your child safe in the neighborhood |
| B．set a good example to your neighbors |
| C．get along with your neighbors |
| D．teach your child to protect himself |
| A．Becoming very excited. | B．Becoming very worried. |
| C．Becoming very sad. | D．Becoming very relaxed. |
| A．It is important for you to be polite to your neighbors. |
| B．People in the same neighborhood are quite different. |
| C．People like enjoying themselves on the playground. |
| D．Knowing your neighbors helps to keep your kids safe. |
| A．they are often encouraged | B．you are getting on well with them |
| C．you are the one nobody knows | D．they think you are a beautiful lady |
10 . You may not realize it, but you are doing much more than just studying when you are at school. School is also the place where you learn to get on well with people. But this is not always easy. What can you do if you just don't like one of your classmates?
If you discover that you have problems getting on with your classmates or friends, the most important thing to learn is tolerance. Tolerance is the ability to realize and respect the differences in others. We cannot change the way that other people do, so it is important to learn to live happily with them.
Tolerance will make everyone get on better with each other. Getting to know someone may help you understand why he does things differently. Something different does not exactly mean that it is bad. Tolerance teaches us to keep a temperate and open mind.
You need to remember an old saying, “Treat others how you want to be treated.” If you tolerate something, it does not mean that you have to like it. No one is asking you to change who you are or what you believe in. Tolerance just means that you should respect the differences in others and not try to make them change.
It is important to practice tolerance, because it will make everyone's life easier. Learn to accept people for their different abilities and interests. The world is very different, and practicing tolerance in your own school and city can help make a difference.
1. This passage is trying to tell us ________.| A．what's important for a student |
| B．what students should do at school |
| C．how to treat people different from us |
| D．how to get others to do things in the right way |
| A．it's easier for someone to hate others |
| B．getting along with others is not difficult |
| C．most students are getting on well with each other |
| D．students are learning other things besides studying |
| A．Accept people as they are. |
| B．Believe you are always right. |
| C．Expect everybody to be the same. |
| D．Change yourself to please other people. |
| A．tolerance can only be learnt at school |
| B．living with people of the same interests is easier |
| C．practicing tolerance at school can help make a better world |
| D．people in different countries have different interests and abilities |
