1 . Even with wonderful friends, family and a partner, I don't always want to be surrounded by people. “Table for one? Or will someone else be joining you?” A dinner reservation for one person never fails to raise a few eyebrows. I actively choose to spend time alone when possible. But not everyone has the luxury of choosing to be alone, of course, many are forced into one-on-one time because they have no one.
But for those of us who spend our days surrounded by colleagues in the workplace, our evenings and weekends with family, friends and partners, all the while being constantly bombarded by WhatsApp,social media and email, time to ourselves can be a rare treat. Time to yourself not only gives you the chance to do practical things you don't normally get round to but also the activities your pals don't want to do. In a less real way, spending time alone also allows-or perhaps forces- you to sit with your own thoughts, to think about things that might normally be drowned out by conversation and the noise of companionship. When you're alone you get time to think without purpose.
It is worth noting that I'm a real introvert(性格内向者）,so perhaps sitting alone with my thoughts-refilling my energy reserves-might just be indulging personality traits that others don't have. But I believe more people could benefit from it.
Given this constant social conditioning since childhood that we should be surrounded by people , it's no wonder many hesitate to press forward at the idea of spending time alone-a sign we've failed at climbing that social ladder. And if you're an extrovert who gets their energy from other people, this must be even harder. But as someone who has come to love spending time alone, even when there are many wonderful souls in my life I can spend time with, I wish more people would give solo a go.
Reservation for one, please.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The author wants to be alone all the time. |
| B．The author feels bored with family and friends. |
| C．Surrounded by people, the author still feels lonely. |
| D．Reserving a table for one will draw disapproving looks. |
| A．The benefits of alone time. |
| B．The weaknesses of social media. |
| C．The definition of being alone. |
| D．The ways of spending time alone. |
| A．By eating delicious food. |
| B．By reflecting on their own thoughts. |
| C．By socializing with others. |
| D．By reading their favourite books. |
| A．quote others' words |
| B．answer the waiter's question |
| C．excite the readers' appetite |
| D．stress the author's determination |
2 . A new study, published in The Journal of Experimental Psychology found that communication interactions that included voice, like a phone call or video chat, created stronger social bonds than communication through typing, like text messaging or email.
In the study, researchers used various experiments to gauge connectedness. In one, they asked 200 people to make predictions about what it would be like to reconnect with an old friend by email or by phone and then assigned people at random to do one or the other. Although people anticipated that a phone call would be more awkward, hearing someone's voice actually made the experience better. However, people who participated in the experiment reported that they did form a significantly stronger bond with their old friend on the phone versus email, and they did not feel more awkward.
In another experiment, the researchers had strangers connected by either texting, talking over video chat, or talking using only audio. They found that both forms of voice communication — whether video or audio only — made the strangers feel significantly more connected than when they communicated via text.
Sabrina Romanoff, a Harvard trained clinical psychologist based in New York City, says people tend to text or email instead of calling because of convenience, as they see it as a controlled form of communication where they can "correspond information exactly in the way they intend without unexpected additions by the other person."
Romanoff says that in reality, texting can make it hard to determine the true meaning behind a conversation. A phone call is actually more convenient when considering the net effects of the message. Each party is more present, and therefore, able to gauge the meaning behind the content without ruminating on the endless possible meanings behind words and punctuation.
1. What is the purpose of the study?| A．To encourage people to let their fingers do the talking. |
| B．To introduce the effects of verbal and non-verbal communications. |
| C．To demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of making phone calls. |
| D．To compare connectedness of communication through voice and typing. |
| A．Typing a letter. | B．Sending an email. |
| C．Having a video chat. | D．Texting a message. |
| A．A way to talk about controlled topics. | B．A way to communicate without time limit. |
| C．A way to explain something without delay. | D．A way to express thoughts without being disturbed. |
| A．Being more formal. | B．Being less awkward. |
| C．Being more straightforward. | D．Being less expensive |
3 . “Communication is the most essential and sociable of all human behaviors”, which is absolutely true as for human community. Communication is the majority of everyone’s social life. “Without communication, life would be as cold as a rock.”
To start good communication, we can make certain adequate preparations, especially some relative questions.
The most important part of communication is to listen.
| A．Enjoy good communication, being friends with them. |
| B．It is usually said that eyes are windows to the soul. |
| C．It would make others feel uneasy and unwilling to continue talking. |
| D．They believe they wanna know and even convince us. |
| E．We should concentrate on others’ saying and think in their shoes. |
| F．It is considered to be fairly comfortable to be asked fine questions. |
| G．Furthermore, good communication is an interesting attraction in our daily life. |
4 . Claire Wyatt, a 24-year-old British volunteer, led eight Cambodians living with disabilities on a 155-mile bike ride from Phnom Penh, the nation’s capital, to Siem Reap to raise money and deliver supplies to those in need in the coronavirus pandemic(新冠病毒大流行).
“Leading this trip was an incredibly special experience for me,” said Claire. “Not only was I encouraged by the determination of each and every rider, but also the team taught me every day not to focus on their disability.”
When she was first asked to lead the trip, Claire admitted, she was feeling nervous about her team traveling such a distance in just a few days because cycling with a disability can come with added physical and emotional challenges.
One team member named Dy, who lost an arm in an accident, biked using just one arm to balance. Another named Vulta could only pedal on one side due to polio(小儿麻痹). Despite all the difficulties, Claire realized quickly that she didn’t have to worry about her team. She saw them deal with rough area that she had seen abled cyclists give up on before.
The volunteers covered the distance in just four days, not only helping so many people across the country, but also overcoming huge difficulties to get there.
“The best thing about this ride is that the riders have all volunteered their time to do this. They are so enthusiastic about Cambodia and raising money for others in need,” said Claire. “The money raised will feed 99 families in Siem Reap.”
Claire recalled her favorite moment of the experience, when one of the cyclists pushed an exhausted teammate up a hill for 2 miles. “One moment that stood out for me was when Naret, our only female rider, was feeling tired,” she said. “Her fellow rider gently put his hand on her back and pushed her for 2 miles! They were encouraging each other to push through the tiredness.”
1. Why did Claire and eight Cambodians cycle 155 miles?| A．To challenge themselves. | B．To help out needy people. |
| C．To take part in a competition. | D．To raise money for the disabled. |
| A．She might be injured on the road. | B．She would be unable to lead the team. |
| C．Her team might be looked down on. | D．Her team couldn’t finish the route. |
| A．Confident, calm and friendly. | B．Honest, patient and open-minded. |
| C．Strong-minded, brave and caring. | D．Curious, creative and experienced. |
| A．It could have taken less time. |
| B．It was amazing and inspiring. |
| C．It changed her idea about human nature. |
| D．It was more difficult than she had expected. |
5 . Small talk has a reputation for being uninteresting, and for good reason. Pointing out the fact that it’s raining seems as ridiculous as pointing out the fact that you have a head—you’re fully aware of both things, and don’t require an outsider to confirm them. But despite being evident and often painfully dull, small talk has an important role to fulfil, enabling us to leap over a number of social obstacles towards improved, meaningful interaction.
Humans can be sensitive souls. We each have our boundaries and lists of potential upsets, which when broken, cause us to either gently back away to an alternative position in the room, or become cross at the person. Small talk is first a way to test the waters with an unfamiliar person, so that you may better understand their personality. When finding yourself positioned closely to a person who you know little about, it’s much safer to point out the rainy sky than to share your political views on a sensitive topic. Until you know the person better, heavier topics should probably be kept under wraps, so you won’t find yourself on the receiving end of a cold stare.
Though insignificant, small talk still has great power. When talking with fellow humans, much of our soul is exposed through non-verbal communication. A response to “how was your weekend” can unveil much about the person’s character. The length of their response might indicate their level of self-confidence; the tone of speaking might show how agreeable a person is; their slightly lowered head, as if protecting themselves from attack, a possible sign of a regrettable history of bullying.
As more of a person’s character is revealed, we have the insight needed to determine whether to broach more significant topics—the things that we actually want to talk about. Conversation is a great educator, and deep conversation establish lasting bonds with our fellow humans, forming precious friendships that paint our lives with vibrant colors. Such friendships begin with small talk.
1. What is described in the first paragraph?| A．The first stage of human interaction. |
| B．Ridiculous human behavior in communication. |
| C．Absence of communication between strangers. |
| D．The difficulty of having deep conversations. |
| A．Because they are fond of heavy subjects. |
| B．Because they are enthusiastic about politics. |
| C．Because they are too sensitive about topics. |
| D．Because they fail to manage interpersonal distance. |
| A．The length of the answer. | B．The quality of the voice. |
| C．The position of the head. | D．The distance between speakers. |
| A．Reputation of Small Talk | B．Ways of Understanding Personality |
| C．Significance of Small Talk | D．Challenges of Deep Conversation |
6 . One-year-old Tallulah turned purple and stopped moving after the sweet became stuck in her throat. Her mum Leigh-Anne said the drama began during a visit to her grandma’s house when her grandparents gave her older kids some sweets.
“Then at about 4:45 pm, Tallulah started to choke—we all went into a panic.”
“It seemed like it went on for ages. Not one of us knew what to do.”
“I rang an ambulance while my grandma and granddad tried to get the sweet to come up.”
“Tallulah was panicking at first but then she started to go purple—she almost had no oxygen left in her.”
With her daughter limp (无力的) and time running out, Leigh—Anne knew she couldn’t afford to wait for the ambulance to arrive.
“The only thing I could think was to go out into the street.” She said.
“I rushed out and screamed for someone to help while my grandma rushed out crying with Tallulah.”
At exactly the moment, Caitlin, who is studying public services at Redcar College, was passing by Queen Street. She said, “I was waiting to go to work when I heard someone screaming for help, so I ran straight over.”
The 17-year-old girl added, “Something just clicked and I went into auto mode. The little girl was completely limp, so I checked her airways and tilted (使倾斜) her over and started hitting her back. I turned her round and tapped on her chest, then after what felt like forever she coughed up the sweet and spat it out.
As soon as she started crying I felt a huge relief. I was just so pleased I was able to help.”
Caitlin was taught her lifesaving skills when she joined the Army Cadets four years ago.
1. When did Tallulah get choked?| A．While eating sweets. | B．While enjoying a drama. |
| C．While having a meal. | D．While taking some medicine. |
| A．To buy some needed tools. | B．To search for timely help. |
| C．To get a breath of fresh air. | D．To wait for the ambulance to arrive. |
| A．Brave and selfless. | B．Kind and energetic. |
| C．Determined and generous. | D．Quick-thinking and helpful. |
| A．First aid skill sounds important. | B．Screaming for help makes sense. |
| C．Eating sweets endangers baby girl. | D．Heroic teenager saves baby girl’s life. |
7 . We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t
even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. ＂Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,＂ he explains. ＂The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.＂
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. ＂It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,＂ says Dunn. ＂But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.＂
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. ＂Small talk is the basis of good manners,＂ he says.
1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?| A．Addiction to smartphones. |
| B．Inappropriate behaviours in public places. |
| C．Absence of communication between strangers. |
| D．Impatience with slow service. |
| A．Showing good manners. | B．Relating to other people. |
| C．Focusing on a topic. | D．Making business deals. |
| A．It improves family relationships. | B．It raises people’s confidence. |
| C．It matters as much as a formal talk. | D．It makes people feel good. |
| A．Conversation Counts | B．Ways of Making Small Talk |
| C．Benefits of Small Talk | D．Uncomfortable Silence |
