1 . Whether you’re attending a dinner party or spending a few nights with a family member or friend, knowing and following proper manners for guests is necessary.

    1    . If you receive the invitation in writing, follow up with a reply in writing. A verbal invitation can be answered either with a note or phone call. Get in touch with the host as soon as possible.

It’s always a good idea to arrive within 10 to 15 minutes of the appointed time on the invitation. If you get there too early, you might be in the way during party preparations. Conversely, if you get there an hour late, you might miss something important.     2    , such as a concert, wedding, funeral or graduation.

Respect your host’s personal space. This means you should never break into a room with a closed door or interrupt a conversation. Don’t expect your host to want to spend the entire day with you.     3    . And that includes your generous host.

All parties, personal visits, and overnight stays should end while you’re still having a nice time. Therefore, you should know to leave. Besides, you should always send a thank-you note after a party, long visit, or overnight stay. Do this as soon as you get home. Thank the host, make a positive comment about some aspect of the visit, and end with a note about looking forward to seeing him or her again.     4    .

Being a guest with good manners means much more than just showing up and being the life of the party.     5    , so you need to show your appreciation by being kind and polite.

A．Everyone needs a little time alone

B．The host tries to invite and entertain you

C．You should always respond to an invitation

D．Awkward situations happen from time to time

E．You might even offer an invitation to your home

F．Always be thoughtful and keep your host in mind

G．There are times when it’s necessary to be on time

3 . Being a leader in any environment earns you trust among peers and helps you get things done, whatever the task is. Let us show you how to develop leadership skills.

Assess yourself.     1     It’s about looking at yourself objectively, seeing your behaviors and attitudes from the outside, and observing how you may come across to other people. For instance, you may know your intentions are good, but perhaps your delivery doesn't quite translate that.

Address areas of improvement. Be open to testing new ideas and trying new ways of doing things, especially if it seems your old ways of doing things don’t work.     2     If you struggle to see yourself objectively enough to figure out which areas need improvement, a leadership coach may be able to help.

Be a good problem-solver.     3     So being quick on your feet and decisive in how you deal with problems will put you ahead of the game as a leader.

    4     You don’t have to agree with everything someone says, but you must be willing to receive feedback about your own performance, as well as opinions on other important issues. Being flexible and curious about the wants, needs, and ideas of others will develop a much more respectful, effective, and positive environment for everyone.

Encourage others. Building leadership skills requires knowing how to work well with people. Staying in the know about what goes on in your community is important, but responding to that information with enthusiasm is equally critical.     5    

A．Accept responsibility.

B．Be open to the opinions of others.

C．Building leadership skills requires plenty of self-awareness.

D．Unexpected challenges will arise often and at lightning speed.

E．Let go of the need to stick to your plan and be flexible instead.

F．Recognizing the past can't be changed helps you make wiser choices in the future.

G．So be a source of positivity and support others in working toward their own goals.

5 . Even the kindest, most considerate people complain, and complaining doesn’t always have a negative impact.     1     So, how do you get a person complaining frequently to reduce it, for the benefit of your health and his?

·Change the subject. Some complainers will switch to another topic if you shift the conversation in a direction that interests them. If your neighbor is complaining about the phone company, tell her about an unexpected call from an old friend. If your coworker is dissatisfied with your boss, ask whether he met the new employee.    2    

·Be honest. When you have things to do, tell the complainer that you must cut the conversation short.       3     You can simply be honest, even saying you need to move on so the conversation doesn’t bring you down —especially if it’s someone who’s complained to you many times before.

·    4       When it is someone very close to you who stresses you out with lots of negativity, it’s important to talk about the problem. Otherwise, if you bottle up your feelings and continue listening to repeated complaints, you may grow annoyed or start avoiding the person.

· Challenge the person to act.    5       This isn’t the usual direction a conversation with annoyance takes, but it may help end his anger. Typically, it’s not about how to fix it –people just want to keep talking about it. If you break that pattern, it puts them off guard, and people usually stop.

A．Have a heart -to -heart talk.

B．Show your interest in listening.

C．The problems start when complaining becomes regular.

D．In a word, get people off the complaint that they are recently making.

E．An excuse such as a work deadline isn’t needed to stop the complaint.

F．Sometimes, complaining can change an unfavorable situation into a more desirable one.

G．When a complainer tells you about his latest problems, encourage him to go to improve them.

7 . Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, while most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold wind of criticism, we are somehow reluctant to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise.

Why-when one word can bring such pleasure? A friend of mine who travels widely always tries to learn a little of the language of any place she visits. She's not much of a linguist, but she does know how to say one word-"beautiful"-in several languages.     1     . The ability has earned her friends all over the world.

It's strange how chary we are about praising.     2     . Instead, we are embarrassed and shrug off the words we are really so glad to hear. Because of this defensive reaction, direct compliments are surprisingly difficult to give. That's why some of the most valued pats on the back are those which come to us indirectly, in a letter or passed on by a friend. When one thinks of the speed with which spiteful remarks are conveyed, it seems a pity that there isn’t more effort to relay pleasing and flattering comments.

    3     . An artist gets compliment for a glorious picture, a cook for a perfect meal. But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are done just right? Do you ever praise your paper boy for getting the paper to you on time 365 days a year?

To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment`s thought and a moment's effort-     4     . It is such a small investment-and yet consider the results it may produce. “I can live for two months on a good compliment," said Mark Twain.

So, let's be alert to the small excellences around us-and comment on them. We will not only bring joy into other people's lives, but also, very often, add happiness into our own.

A．Praise is particularly appreciated by those doing routine jobs.

B．Comment is often made about activities which are relatively easy and satisfying, like arranging flowers; but not about jobs which are hard and dirty, like scrubbing floors.

C．It's especially rewarding to give praise in areas in which effort generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned.

D．Perhaps a quick phone call to pass on a compliment, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative letter.

E．She can use it to a mother holding her baby, or to a lonely salesman fishing out pictures of his family.

F．Perhaps it's because few of us know how to accept compliments gracefully.

10 . We’ve all been there－accidently distanced a new co-worker with a bad joke, or failed to impress the new boss with our first task. You might have been off your game because of a recent failure, but your new co-workers are likely to think that your poor performance is one of your basic characteristics. However, it’s not impossible to change how others view you.

Your co-workers may have built up a certain impression of you－that you’re not leadership material because you’re too quiet, for example. You can’t expect to overturn that thinking with small actions. You need to do something unexpected. If you’ve made them think you’re quiet and never speak up, it won’t be enough to talk once in a meeting. Instead, make a point of being the first person to speak. If your co-workers have to ask themselves, “What got into him?” then you’re on the way to beginning to change their views.

My first impression of Matthew, an employee of mine, was that he was a bit lazy at work. Realizing that I was increasingly unimpressed with him, he made a move. He suggested that we get to know each other better by going to a rock climbing gym－an activity at which he was very experienced, and I was a beginner. His great skills showed me a different side to his abilities.

Sometimes the bad impression your co-workers may have formed has nothing to do with you. Ten years ago, I met a woman at a meeting. Today, we’re close friends. But, she said that she hadn’t liked me at first. She thought I seemed “too positive”－and therefore somewhat fake. It was only after knowing me for years that she realized that was in fact how I was. If you’re patient and continue to act in ways you’re proud of, most people will finally come around.

It’s unfair when we feel misunderstood. But while first impressions are likely to stick, they can－with time and effort－be changed, so that your true talents can be appreciated.

1. What does the underlined phrase “off your game” in the first paragraph probably mean?

A．Beaten in a sport.	B．Lost in your computer game.
C．Unwilling to accept a new friend.	D．Unable to work as well as usual.

2. How can we change others’ impressions of us according to paragraph 2?

A．By surprising them.	B．By keeping quiet.
C．By questioning them.	D．By organizing meetings.

3. Why did Matthew ask the author to go rock climbing with him?

A．To explore new job chances.

B．To show off his climbing skills.

C．To get the author to know him better.

D．To push the author to exercise more.

4. What did the woman think of the author at first?

A．Brave.

B．Insincere.

C．Friendly.

D．Impatient.