1 . Bad judgments are meant to feed our own personal ego (自我意识) and put others down, which is not the healthiest thing to do. Here are five reasons why you should stop it now.
You start finding faults in everyone. Judging quickly moves on to more private areas of your life.
Judging becomes a habit. If you judge people, sooner or later, it becomes a habit, and you start judging everyone around you for the tiniest of things.
People begin to distrust you. If you pass judgments about other people in front of your audience, you will lose their trust. As they will begin to feel that if you can judge others in front of them, you can talk about them behind their back.
Judgment is a sign of unhappiness. If you are 100% happy with who you are, you are a lot less likely to feel the need to judge others. If you are self-assured, you will not feel the need to cast a downward glance at others.
| A．You are viewed positively by people. |
| B．You start taking yourself too seriously. |
| C．Hence, seeing others positively shows we are positive people. |
| D．You judge their clothing, actions, success, values, and everything. |
| E．Likewise, you also judge because you feel you are better than others. |
| F．You start judging your close ones; friends, family members, partner, etc. |
| G．And no one wants to make friends with someone often talking unkindly about others. |
2 . It is so easy to just go home and shut your door without getting to know your neighbors. But being an active neighbor will turn your living place into a kinder and more caring neighborhood.
Then get out of your comfort zone and make efforts to know more about your neighbors.
Another way to show your neighbors that you care is by making your small acts of kindness a regular practice. This can be cleaning up the litter or even cleaning up after the pets have made a mess on your block.
Remind yourself that being connected feels good and boosts your mood in the long run. If you take the first step, your small acts of kindness can encourage others to pay that kindness forward.
| A．Or if you have an amazing garden |
| B．Remember, every small gesture counts |
| C．If you want to be respected and cared by your neighbors |
| D．For example, ask for their names and learn what they do for work |
| E．Your attitudes towards your friends also set an example for your kids |
| F．It doesn’t take a lot of money or a generous gesture to be an active neighbor |
| G．In the end, more and more people in the neighborhood will feel much better |
3 . Eyes can speak
Much meaning can be conveyed, clearly, with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.
The same is true in our daily life. If you are stared at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you.
Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive.
However, when two people are engaged in a conversation, the speaker will only look into the listener’s eyes from time to time to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking.
Actually, eye contact should be made based on specific relationships and situations.
| A．That’s what normal eye contact is all about. |
| B．But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex |
| C．Therefore, continuous eye contact is limited to lovers only. |
| D．On the contrary, it will give him away. |
| E．After all, nobody likes to be stared at for quite a long time. |
| F．Do you have such kind of experience? |
| G．If nothing goes wrong, you will feel annoyed at being stared at that way. |
4 . When someone you care about has suffered a serious health event or is dealing with a life-threatening illness, it can be difficult to know what to say or do.
Offer your support. Your friend or loved one may be unwilling to ask for help, but it’s support from people like you that can make all the difference in their recovery. Offer to help with a specific task, even if it’s simply to sit with them during or after treatment.
Listen. When you talk to someone with a serious illness, it’s natural to feel awkward or not know what to say.
Stay connected.
| A．Encourage your loved one to keep calm. |
| B．Some illnesses can involve long-term treatment. |
| C．But often what really counts is to listen to the person. |
| D．Educate yourself about the illness but don’t give advice. |
| E．All you need to do is to present your determined attitude. |
| F．Your loved one is likely to experience some painful feelings. |
| G．Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is to be there. |
Introduce Yourself
It’s not necessary to be clever when you introduce yourself. Simply focus on being genuine and sincere. When you approach the other person to start the conversation, give him a warm smile and clearly state your name.
Begin the Conversation
Continue the Conversation
If you are building a rapport(关系), feel free to move on to a bit more personal topics to continue the conversation.
When you have run out of things to say or need to move on to do something else, prepare your exit strategy. You may say that you need to use the bathroom or catch up with someone else. Let the other person know how much you enjoyed talking to her.
| A．End the Conversation. |
| B．Bring up a general topic to begin the conversation. |
| C．This will help keep the conversation flowing freely. |
| D．If appropriate, make plans to talk again at a later date. |
| E．Your conversational partner will feel valued and appreciated. |
| F．Explain who you are and why you want to have the conversation. |
| G．You may want to ask about his favourite hobby, his career, his classes or upcoming events. |
6 . What keeps us healthy and happy as we go through life? The clearest message that we got from a 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.
The first is that social connections are really good for us, and that loneliness kills. It turns out that people who are more socially connected to others are happier.
And we know that you can be lonely in a crowd and you can be lonely in a marriage. So the second big lesson that we learned is that it’s not just the number of friends you have, and it’s not whether or not you’re in a committed relationship, but it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.
And the third big lesson that we learned about relationships is that good relationships don’t just protect our bodies, they protect our brains. It turns out that being in a securely attached relationship is protective. Many people are in relationships where they can get help from the other persons in times of need.
So, good and close relationships are good for our health and well-being.
| A．These people’s memories stay sharper and longer. |
| B．We’ve learned three big lessons about relationships. |
| C．That is to say, the good life is built with good relationships. |
| D．What’s more, they’re physically healthier, and they live longer. |
| E．It turns out that living in the conflict is really bad for our health. |
| F．They will surprisingly find that this relationship cause mental decline. |
| G．People living in loneliness are either in sorrow or terrible health condition. |
7 . As a young child, I was painfully shy. I’d watch other children play in the park, wishing I could join them, but I was too scared to approach. Eventually, my mother would come to the rescue. She’d ask the other kids if I could play, too. Today, I feel comfortable giving public lectures in large halls and having conversations in small groups, but I still tend to avoid situations in which I’m expected to spend time with a roomful of strangers.
There could be many reasons. For one thing, I might be carrying some childhood fear of rejection. But beyond that possibility, one likely element is that I tend to underestimate how much people like me after I meet them, as most of us do.
A new research paper reports that the common concern that new people may not like us, or that they may not enjoy our company, is largely unfounded.
Erica Boothby of Cornell University and her colleagues conducted a series of studies to find out what our conversation partners really think of us. In doing so, they discovered a new cognitive illusion (认知错觉) they call “the liking gap”: our failure to realize how much strangers appreciate our company after a bit of conversation.
The researchers observed the gap in a variety of situations: strangers getting acquainted in the research laboratory, first-year college students getting to know their dormitory mates over the course of many months, and community members meeting fellow participants in personal development workshops. In each circumstance, people consistently underestimated how much others liked them. For much of the academic year, as dormitory mates got to know each other and even started to develop enduring friendships, the liking gap persisted.
The data also revealed some of the potential reasons for the illusion: we are often more severe with ourselves than with others, and our inner critic prevents us from appreciating how positively other people evaluate us. Not knowing what our conversation partners really think of us, we use our own thoughts as a proxy (代理人). This is a mistake, because our thoughts tend to be more negative than reality.
1. Why does the author mention his childhood experience?| A．To show how his character changed. |
| B．To explain what he was like when he was young. |
| C．To show an example of why people are shy of communication. |
| D．To emphasize the important role of a mother in one’s childhood. |
| A．Careless. | B．Baseless. | C．Selfless. | D．Meaningless. |
| A．It indicates what strangers really think of us. |
| B．It begins and ends quickly among strangers. |
| C．It disappears when strangers get to know each other. |
| D．It states our misunderstanding of how much others like us. |
| A．People Like You More than You Know |
| B．How to Get Along Well with Strangers |
| C．The Way to Know What Others Think of Us |
| D．Having Conversations with Strangers Benefits Us |
8 . Why Do We Find It Hard to Say “No”?
As we all know, saying “no” to others is not easy at all. But sometimes we have to learn to say “no”.
●
●Afraid of being rude. I was brought up under the idea that saying “no”, especially to people who are older, is rude. This thinking is common in Asian culture, where face saving is important.
●Wanting to be agreeable. You don’t want to alienate (疏远) yourself from the group because you’re not in agreement. So you agree to others’ requests.
●Fear of conflict.
●
| A．Wanting to help others. |
| B．Fear of losing chances. |
| C．Wanting to keep a good relationship. |
| D．I slowly realized I needed to learn to say “no”. |
| E．You are afraid the person might be angry if you refuse him/her. |
| F．It means not making others look bad or lose face. |
| G．To learn to say “no”, we have to first understand what’s stopping us from it. |
9 . Women cry 4,680 times over their adult lifetime — more than twice as much as men, a study has found. Sad TV shows or books, tiredness and arguments their partner mean the average woman will cry six times a month. In comparison, men will shed a tear just three times a month.
But the study found men are less embarrassed (难为情) about crying in front of others, with four in 10 saying they wouldn’t be bothered about shedding a tear in public compared to just a third of women. Psychologist Emma Kenny said, “While women are usually associated with crying, the results of this study actually show that men are now feeling that it’s acceptable to show their emotions through crying. And, different from what is usually believed, the results actually suggest that women feel embarrassed when they let their emotions show.”
The study of 2,000 adults found 51% of women admit to being a big crier — crying often or at little things. But far from shying away from it, three in 10 men are also happy to admit they often shed a tear.
A sad TV show, movie or book is most likely to leave women watery-eyed, while men tear up at sad moments or memories. Other reasons for crying include funerals, grief and anxiety. But women are more likely to cry happy tears, with 40%admitting to shedding a tear for a good reason, something just 24%of men do. And while 64% of women admit to crying for no reason, just three in 10 men can say the same.
The study also found an emotional 44% of men have cried in public, along with a huge 80% of women. Crying in front of people you work with would leave many feeling most embarrassed, followed by their boss, strangers and acquaintances. But almost one in 10 admit they would be left red-faced if they shed a tear in front of their family members.
1. What is a common belief about women according to Paragraph 2?| A．They cry when in depression. |
| B．They seldom cry for no reason. |
| C．They express emotions through crying. |
| D．They won’t feel embarrassed when crying |
| A．husbands | B．friends | C．workmates | D．strangers |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By giving typical examples. |
| C．By using the experts’ words. | D．By offering facts and opinions. |
| A．Men Also Cry In Front Of Others |
| B．Women Cry Much More Than Men |
| C．Women Are More Likely To Cry in Public |
| D．Women And Men Cry in Difficult Situations |
10 . Many people find when they are overly familiar with their routines, their excitement will be replaced with boredom quickly. A study shows that finding unusual ways to interact with familiar people, places and things can make everyday experiences feel exciting.
While you are working
Spending too much time in the same environment can keep us from achieving “flow”— being immersed in an activity with full energy and enjoyment.
“Boredom is an emotional state and happens when couples stop taking the opportunity to grow and deeply connect with each other,” says Venus Nicolino, host of Reality Stars. Look for new challenges to take on together. Try mixing up different sets of friends to do something creative, such as a group cooking lesson, or an old-fashioned tea party.
With other people we care about
Instead of “How was your day”, try asking “What are you looking forward to today?” Our curiosity can remind people that we’re interested in who they are, and that’s the key to maintaining intimacy (亲密关系).
During your commute
If you walk or use public transportation, greet a stranger or put away your phone and do some people watching. “Simply observing one’s surroundings may seem boring.
| A．With your significant other |
| B．With people you are familiar with |
| C．Changes don’t have to be big to make an impact |
| D．Interacting with other people often brings you much fun |
| E．In other words, sometimes you’ve just got to shake things up |
| F．Sometimes being curious about others can make us more pleasant to be around too |
| G．However, if done mindfully, it can become interesting and even more meaningful |
