1 . When I was seven, my parents explained to me that my sister would be different.
Throughout our lives, my sister has often got stared at because she has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征), which makes her appear abnormal. There were times when I had to struggle with her.
I had this in mind when I was traveling alone recently and saw a mother and a son with special needs at the airport gate.
Some people gave the son and mother strange looks, the same kind of looks my sister and I would sometimes get.
To be honest. I didn’t even really regard what I did as something different or good.
| A．They had got off another plane. |
| B．People would stare at us even more. |
| C．I don’t know what I should do to help. |
| D．But I went up and asked if I could lend a hand. |
| E．I just consider it as the only choice in that situation. |
| F．I was so angry that I shouted loudly at the strangers. |
| G．I had no idea what impact she would have on my daily life. |
2 . One recent night， while I was leafing through its pages of an old journal， my eyes met a quote by the British writer Graham Greene that I had marked， “A prejudice had something in common with an ideal.”In other words， ideals—general descriptions of people's expectations of themselves and others—can often lead us to unreasonable ideas.It got me thinking about how we often allow ourselves to generalize about groups of people.We like to stereotype people by the color of their skin， the year of their birth or any other related factors.
I grew up in a multi-racial corner of America.The different groups were often subject to narrow stereotypes：Jewish people were“greedy”， Mexicans were“poorly educated”， and Asians were“good at math”.These labels were taught to us from a young age.They wormed their way into our belief systems， harming how we came to see others.It made me sad growing up to see people repeat these stereotypes as if they were true.The rush-to judgment of people breeds a culture of discrimination.
You can also see these over-generalized descriptions being made against today's Chinese people.Whether it be a lack of interest or worry among mile millennial being described as “monkish”， or“dad-fashion”which has given the“greasy middle-aged men”tag.stereotypes always seem to gain a foothold in the consciousness of our society.But these generalizations do real harm as these myths may become part of the wider population.
It's about time that we， as a society， walked away from generalizations and stereotypes.I leave you with the words of Martin Luther King Jr.from his famous“I Have a Dream”speech：“T look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin， but by the content of their character.”By reserving judgment and really getting to know the individual you might just find your irrational ideas have no foundation.
1. According to the passage， how do people tend to judge others?| A．By describing people's personalities. |
| B．By truly getting to know those around. |
| C．By observing their noticeable features. |
| D．By following Martin Luther King's speech. |
| A．generalizations have unfavorable position in society |
| B．generalizations have a negative influence on our society |
| C．generalizations are found peculiar to the middle-age Chinese |
| D．generalizations make today's Chinese people lack interest or worry |
| A．the common prejudice |
| B．people's expectation of themselves |
| C．the groundless worries |
| D．the famous speech of Martin Luther King Jr. |
3 . 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 |
