2 . Emma and Ryan, a married couple, were driving to a friend’s house when Emma turned to Ryan and asked, “Would you like to stop for lunch?”

Ryan replied, “No, I’m not hungry yet,” and continued driving. Meanwhile, Emma sat quietly fuming (十分恼火) in the passenger seat. Ryan could not understand why Emma was unhappy. He had thought she was asking if he was hungry, but in reality, Emma was telling him that she was hungry and wanted to stop for lunch.

Misunderstandings like this often occur between men and women, even among people from the same culture. Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University in the United States, has studied conversational rules.

In Emma and Ryan’s situation, Emma was making a request in the form of a question. Her style of talking is common for women. She needed Ryan to agree they were both hungry. So, Emma asked Ryan what he wanted. She was really telling Ryan what she wanted; however, Ryan did not understand this. If he had been hungry, he would have said something more direct, such as, “I’m hungry. Let’s have lunch.”

Tannen believes that most women grow up in a world where talk is used to express feelings. However, most men are raised differently and they tend to keep their feelings to themselves.

Tannen says, for men, talk is often used as a situation used outside the home to gain respect, to entertain and get attention, or to exchange information. This is why men communicate by making each other laugh, or talking about sport and work. These men do not always feel it is necessary to talk to feel close or to express their feelings. Women, on the other hand, are encouraged to speak about their feelings since this is a way to build relationships.

1. What can be inferred from Emma and Ryan’s story?

A．Emma didn’t like Ryan.

B．Ryan didn’t want to talk to Emma.

C．Ryan didn’t want to eat with Emma.

D．Emma wasn’t pleased with Ryan’s answer.

2. According to Deborah Tannen, what causes the misunderstanding?

A．Different cultures.

B．Different characteristics.

C．Different ways of communicating.

D．Different educational background.

3. Compared with women, men _______.

A．talk less about feelings

B．communicate more with others

C．are more likely to become angry

D．are better at building relationships

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．Why women like to express feelings

B．How men and women communicate

C．Different ways of supporting a child

D．Misunderstandings in social communication

3 . How to Be a Great Best Friend

Everyone wants to be a great best friend but doesn’t know how or where to start that perfect friendship. The following will help you.

Be your own best friend first.     1     If you can’t respect yourself, then you can’t respect others. Understand what values are important to you and stick to them. Seek out others who honor those values because you’ll only end up hurting yourself and possibly others if those people don’t have the same values as you.

Trust each other.     2     All you have to do really is make sure you can both trust each other. Don’t try to trick or use your friend to your advantage; you need to make them know they can trust you.

Learn to listen. Nobody likes a best friend who just talks and talks, but never listens. If you’re a chatterbox, try to develop good listening skills. Whenever your best friend says something, listen carefully and say something.     3     If they ask for advice, listen carefully and give them the best advice you can.

Care for your best friend. If your best friend is upset, ask them what’s wrong, They might not tell you straight away, but they should in the end.     4     Understand that certain things are private, and trust that they’d be just as patient with you if you were in their shoes.

Let your friend have other friends, too. If your best friend picks another friend over you, try to be friends with their friend too.     5     Everyone is always looking for new friends. But never leave the old one; your loyalty(忠诚) is what the other person expects and counts on every day.

A．Learn how to respect yourself.

B．Maybe you guys can be a group of friends!

C．Don’t interrupt while they’re talking to you.

D．Best friends are the most valuable friends you have.

E．If they don’t tell you, don’t get angry at them.

F．To be a great best friend really doesn’t take much.

G．Take time out of your day to appreciate the funny things in life.