1 . We have most friends at the age of 26 after having spent the first quarter of our lives building up our friendship circle, a new research has claimed.

The research into friends hip shows that our social circle peaks at 26 years and 7 months, at which we typically have five close friends. Women are most popular at 25 years and 10 months, with men hitting the highest friendship point a little later at 27 years and 3 months.

The research, by Forever Friends, shows that about a third of adults meet their closest friends when at school, with about a fifth saying they meet them at work.

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter now also play a major role in building new friendship. The research points out that 25 to 34-year-olds make 22 friends via Facebook, compared to 18 to 24-year-olds who make 12, and 35 to 44-year-olds who make just 4.

Forever Friends’ relationship coach Sam Owen says, “It is no coincidence that over a third of us meet our best friends at school. It is a key time in our lives when friendship is growing through sharing notes, giving gifts, seeing each other regularly and laughing a lot. As adults we can often forget how powerful these small things are and how the little things can make a difference.”

Later in life we find ourselves losing friends. Over half of us lose friendship through moving, while 36% say that over time they grow apart from close pals. Having children also causes 19% to drift away from childhood friends.

With growing pressures being put on friendship these days, it’s important to make time for our friendship.

1. How many friends can a 20-year-old college student make via Facebook?

A．4.

B．12.

C．18.

D．22.

2. In Paragraph 5, the author is trying to tell the readers ________.

A．how important making friends is

B．that friendship is not easy to keep

C．how much has been done to keep friendship

D．that friendship at school is important

3. The underlined phrase “drift away from” in Paragraph 6 means “________”.

A．make sense of

B．lose contact with

C．feel sorry for

D．make up with

4. This passage is most probably taken from ________.

A．Facebook or Twitter	B．an advertisement
C．a textbook	D．a newspaper

2 . How to Fix a Relationship

If you’re having a problem in your relationship, you’re not alone. Most people have trouble in relationships at one point or another.     1     However, you can make it work out if you decide to work together to fix it, starting with trying to understand what’s gone wrong in your relationship.

Recognize the problems. Any number of problems could do harm to your relationship. You should look for signs and symptoms of the problems you’re facing. Listening attentively is the key, which can help you understand what he or she is feeling.     2     Actually think about what the person is saying, and maybe try to understand what is behind the words as well. You also have a right to discuss what you’re feeling and thinking . The key is to keep a calm head.

    3     Once you’re figured out what some of your problems are together, have a conversation to find ways to solve them. How can you solve the problems in a way that both of you can live with?     4     Start with the place you both agree on. Maybe you can both agree on the problem at least, or maybe you can agree on the first step to the solution. For instance, maybe you agree that you are feeling disconnected. Maybe you can take it one step further and agree that you need to spend more time together.

Make a plan together. Once you’re agreed to solutions, it’s time to put them into concrete terms. For instance, if you both agree you need to spend more time together, then maybe the agreement will be that you should make a date at least once a week.

Find ways to compromise(妥协). The key to any relationship is learning to compromise.     5     Compromising is about finding common ground, and both of you giving in a little on the issue.

A．Talk about solutions together.

B．Spend time connecting.

C．Don’t just let the words pass over you.

D．You can’t just expect to win every argument, as relationships need to give and take.

E．In other words, you need to look for common ground.

F．Most people have trouble with relationships at one point or another.

G．Whatever you need to do, take a few minutes to calm down before continuing the discussion.

3 . 语法填空

When someone has     1     (deep) hurt you, it can be very difficult to let go of your anger. But forgiveness is possible and it can be surprisingly     2     (benefit) to your physical, and mental health. So far research     3     (show) that people who forgive can have more energy, better appetite and better sleep. “People who forgive show     4     (little) anger and more hopefulness,” says Dr. Frederic Luskin, who wrote the book Forgive for Good. “So it can help reduce the tiredness out of the immune system and allow people to feel more energetic.”

So when someone has hurt you, cool down first. Take a couple of breaths and think of something     5     gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love. Don’t wait for them     6     (apologize). “Many times the person who hurt you may never think of apologizing.” says Dr. Luskin. “They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don’t see things in     7     same way. So if you wait for people to say sorry, you could be waiting a very long time.”

Next, keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean     8     (accept) the action of the person who upsets you. Instead, learn to look for the love, beauty and     9    (kind) around you.Finally, try to see things from the other person’s perspective (视角). You may realize that he or she was acting out of ignorance. To gain perspective, you may want to write a letter    10     yourself from that person’s point of view.

4 . When you set a foot outside of your door to drop trash, go to a social event or go for a walk, thoughts like “I hope I don’t see anyone I know” or “please don’t talk to me” may run through your mind. I’ve also said such things to myself. Sometimes the last thing you want to do is to talk with someone, especially someone new.

Why do we go out of our ways to avoid people? Do we think meeting new people is a waste of time? Or are we just lazy, thinking that meeting someone new really is a trouble?

Communication is the key to life. We have been told that many times. Take the past generations, like our parents, for example. They seem to take full advantage of that whole “communication” idea because they grew up talking face to face while Generation-Y grew up staring at screens. We spend hours of our days sitting on Facebook. We send messages to our friends and think about all of the things we want to say to certain people that we don’t have the courage to do in reality.

Nowadays, we are so caught up in our little circle of friends—our comfort zone. We love it that they laugh at our jokes, understand our feelings and can read our minds. Most importantly, they know when we want to be alone. They just get us.

Holding a conversation with someone new means agreeing with things that you don’t really believe and being someone you think they want you to be—it is, as I said before, a trouble. It takes up so much energy, and at some point or another, it is too tiring.

But meeting new people is important. Life is too short, so meet all the people you can meet, make the effort to go out and laugh. Remember, every “hello” leads to a smile—and a smile is worth a lot.

1. What do we learn about the author?

A．He likes to meet someone new.	B．He feels stressed out lately.
C．He’s active in attending social events.	D．He used to be afraid of talking to others.

2. What’s the problem of Generation-Y in the author’s eyes?

A．They rely on the Internet to socialize.	B．They are less confident in themselves.
C．They have difficulty in communicating.	D．They are unwilling to make new friends.

3. Why do many young people avoid meeting new people?

A．They think it troublesome.	B．They are busy with their study.
C．They fear to disappoint their friends.	D．They want to do meaningful work.

4. Why does the author write the text?

A．To stress the importance of friends.

B．To give tips on how to meet new people.

C．To encourage people to meet new people.

D．To display the disadvantages of Generation-Y.

5 . 语法填空

Every culture has its own way to show friendship. On     1     islands of Hawaii, friendship is part of the “aloha spirit”. In the language of the Hawaiians who first     2     (settle) on the islands long ago, aloha has a very special meaning: to be with happiness. Hawaiians believe that once somebody loves the land, they are ready to love their people or community. This is one of the     3    ( important ) signs of friendship . It is called lokahi in the Hawaiian language,which means oneness(和谐)with all people.     4    (enjoy)the land,you should not be selfish. The land is     5     everyone who lives on it. Today many different peoples call Hawaii their home. Indeed, Hawaii is a place     6     people make one big community from many smaller     7     ( community ) . Each person gives kokua ( help ) to other people so that all feel stronger. It is believed that the islands can be a paradise(天堂)when people live peacefully. People are told that their actions should be as gentle as the wind that blows from the sea. When problems happen, people     8    (ask) to solve them with understanding. So when the people of Hawaii talk about family, they are     9     (actual) talking about all those     10    (live)on the islands.

6 . Good relationship are definitely good sources of happiness in life. We all want happy relationships but if we do not keep that relationship alive, it can also be one of the most distraught things in life. There may be no hard and fast rules in making good relationships, as each of us has different preferences and points of view as to what is a great relationship. The following are some major key players in making relationships work.

It is often said that building good relationship is all about communication. Good communication indeed governs a good relationship—knowing the right thing to say, when to say it, how to say it, and accepting some things that are better left unsaid. I personally think communication must be broadened because relationships involve more decisions to make. From study to work, from money to entertainment and even in things about yourself or about your friends that you do not know, communication is necessary in these aspects of the relationships.

Of course, being with someone is not saying that you totally agree with him or her all the time. You and your friends come from different family backgrounds, raised in different environment so there may be disagreement here and there. However, it is important in making relationship work to express disagreements without pushing the relationship to end. Again, good communication and learning to compromise(妥协) at times are necessary.

As relationships last longer, you may also discover things about you and your friends that you may not have known before. Therefore supporting each other on both your “hidden selves” can also make a good relationship.

Love is an important aspect of building relationships and for me, I always believe that love needs open communication, respect, support and understanding each other in making relationships work.

1. The underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 1 probably means _________.

A．interesting

B．surprising

C．funny

D．upset

2. To communicate well with people, you should know that _________.

A．supporting each other in anything helps build a good relationship

B．a white lie is necessary sometimes

C．compromises are necessary at any time

D．your friends need to have the same backgrounds with you

3. According to the text, which of the following are NOT important for a good relationship?

A．Communication.	B．Support.
C．Hidden selves.	D．Love.

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

A．Forbidden Rules in Building Good Relationships.

B．Keys to Making Relationships Work.

C．Different Opinions on Good Relationships.

D．The Importance to Express Disagreements.

8 . Everyone can benefit from better communication.     1    . Of course, we know that isn’t true, but this shouldn’t stop you improving you communication skills. Here are a few tips to help you become a better communicator.

    2    

Verbal language is only one aspect of the communication—body language is another aspect. If you ever wanted to know how to tell if someone is lying, body language is the answer. Your body language tells other people what you aren’t verbally saying, such as if you are anxious, confident, confused, angry or any other type of emotion or state of mind. If you become great at reading body language,it will help you become a better communicator.

Listen to others

Before you ever begin to speak, take a minute to see if anyone else has something to say.     3     Listening to others has many benefits, such as allowing you to learn new things or get information that you may later need.

Think before you speak

You parents probably told you this as a child, but many people still do not take a moment to think about the words they are about to say.     4    . There is a time and place for all words and tones of voice.

    5    You will have to practice your communication skills before you can ever become an excellent communicator.

A．This is not and over-night thing.

B．Singing a song for them is good.

C．Become fluent in body language

D．Don’t try to make the conversation go your way.

E．You should decide what you want to get in any conversation before you choose your words.

F．If you are too anxious, you can’t find the right body language to use in the communication.

G．In fact, if everybody were excellent communicators, the world would be a much better place.

9 . Eyes can speak

Much meaning can be conveyed, clearly, with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.     1    In a bus you may look at a stranger, but not for too long. And if he senses that you are staring at him, he may feel uncomfortable.

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.     2    Eyes do speak, right?

Looking too long at someone may seem to be rude and aggressive.     3    If a man stares at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to look away from her, his intentions are obvious. He wishes to attract her attention and let her know that he is admiring her.

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.     4    If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking as if trying to control you, you will feel awkward. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim. He wrongly believes that looking straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication.     5    

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.

10 . Ways to make a great first impression

Here are some easy ways for you to impress your classmates or teachers.

●     1    

Before you shake hands with somebody, make sure that your hands are clean. The handshake should not be too strong or weak. Most people use their right hands, unless they have a reason to use the left. However, don’t have your left hand in your pocket because this appears impolite.

●     2    

When meeting someone for the first time, arriving on time is as important as breathing. You may have an excuse, but that will leave the person who hardly knows you with a bad impression. As a general rule, plan to arrive about 30 minutes early. It’s better to be hanging around the place than be stuck in traffic.

●    3    

Make sure you properly introduce yourself. Ask for their name in a polite way. Repeat the name and use it later in conversation. This will increase the chances of their remembering your name in the future.

●Make good conversations.

To get the most out of your discussion, try to find something common between the two of you. It could be a similar taste in clothes or a common hobby.

A. Be on time.
B. Speak fluently.
C. Have a proper handshake.
D. Introduce yourself and ask for names.