2 . 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.

4 . How to Communicate With a Deaf Person

Communicating with a deaf person doesn’t have to be as difficult as it might seem. The trick is to be patient, straightforward, and to remember that deaf people communicate visually.

Method1:Starting Your Conversation

    1     You can do this by moving into the person’s field of vision and waving from a polite distance, or by tapping the person gently on the shoulder.

Position yourself carefully. Make sure that the light in the room is shining directly onto your face, and that you’re not standing with your back to a light.    2    

Find out how the person prefers to communicate. Some deaf people are better lip-readers than others. Some deaf people may prefer to write back and forth or to use an interpreter. Man interactions between the deaf and the hearing require a combination of these methods.    3    

Method2:Communicating Through Lip-reading.

Keep your sentences simple and use plain language.    4     The more complex your phrasing and vocabulary, the more likely your deaf companion is to miss something.

When someone else is speaking, don’t turn away from the deaf person in your group.    5     You don’t have to look at the deaf person while someone else is talking, but try to make sure your face is visible.

A．Get the person’s attention.

B．It’s important not to talk too quickly.

C．Or, they’ll miss parts of the conversation.

D．If so, it’ll make them feel left out of the conversation.

E．Stand directly in front of the person,at a normal distance.

F．The best way to know which methods are most effective is to ask.

G．Try not to be too difficult when using your words in the beginning.

5 . 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 2021 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; he 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(外围的) 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 is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?

A．Showing good manners.

B．Relating to other people.

C．Focusing on a topic.

D．Making business deals.

2. What does the coffee shop study suggest about small talk?

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.

3. What is the best title for the text?

A．Conversation Counts

B．Ways of Making Small Talk

C．Benefits of Small Talk

D．Uncomfortable Silence

4. 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.

6 . When I re-entered the full-time workforce a few years ago after a decade of lonely self-employment, there was one thing I was looking forward to the most: the opportunity to have work friends once again. It wasn’t until I entered the corporate world that I realized, for me at least, being friends with colleagues didn’t emerge as a thing on the list at all. This is surprising when you consider the current common emphasis by scholars and trainers and managers on the importance of cultivating close interpersonal relationships at work. So much research has been done to explore the way in which collegial ties can help overcome a range of work place-issues affecting productivity and the quality of work output such as team-based conflict, jealousy, undermining, anger, and more.

Perhaps my expectations of lunches, watercooler’ gossip and caring, deep and meaningful conversations were a legacy of the last time I was in that kind of office environment-Whereas now, as I near the end of my fourth decade, I realize work can be fully functional and entirely fulfilling without needing to be best mates with the people sitting next to you or form a close bond with them.

In an academic analysis just published in the profoundly-respected Journal of Management, researchers have looked-at the concept of “indifferent relationships ”. It’s a simple term that illustrates the fact that relationships at work can reasonably be not close, not important, not sensible and even, dare I say it, disposable or replaceable.

Indifferent relationships are neither positive nor negative. The limited research conducted thus far indicates they’ re especially dominant among those who value independence over cooperation, and harmony over conflict. Indifference is also the preferred option among those who are socially lazy. Maintaining relationships over the long term takes effort. For some of us, too much effort, actually.

As noted above, indifferent relationships may not always be the most helpful approach in resolving some of the issues that pop up at work. But there are nonetheless several proven benefits. One of those is efficiency. Less time chatting and socializing means more time working and yielding (产出).

The other is self-esteem. As human beings, we’re prepared to compare ourselves to each other in what is an anxiety-provoking phenomenon. Apparently, we look down on acquaintances more so than close friends. Since the former is most common among those more likely involved in indifferent relationships, their predominance can boost individuals’ sense of self-worth.

Ego aside, a third advantage is that the emotional neutrality of indifferent relationships has been found to enhance critical evaluation, to strengthen one’s focus on task resolution, and to gain greater access to valuable information. None of that might be as fun as after-work socializing but, hey, I’ll take it anyway

1. What did the author realize when he re-entered the corporate world?

A．Making hew mends with this workmates was not as easy as he had thought.

B．Cultivating positive interpersonal relationships helped him shake off lonely feelings.

C．Building close relationships with his colleagues was not as important as he had expected.

D．Working in the corporate world requires more interpersonal skills than self-employment.

2. What be inferred about relationships at work from an academic analysis?

A．They should be cultivated.

B．They are actual irrelevant.

C．They are vital to corporate culture.

D．They should be reasonably intimate.

3. What does the author say about people who are socially lazy?

A．They feel uncomfortable when engaging in social interactions.

B．They often find themselves in confrontation with their colleagues.

C．They lack basic communication skills in dealing with interpersonal issues.

D．They are unwilling to make efforts to maintain workplace relationships.

4. What is one of the benefits of indifferent relationships?

A．They provide fun at work.

B．They improve work efficiency.

C．They help resolve differences.

D．They help control emotions.

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 . Though to forgive is a virtue, no one regards it as an easy thing. If you are deeply hurt by someone, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. According to a recent research, people who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness.

    1     Try the following steps.

Never wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don’t see things the same way.     2     Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

Calm yourself.     3     You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

Take the control away from your offender. Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who caused you pain. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

    4     If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender’s point of view.

Don’t forget to forgive yourself.     5     But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don’t do it.

A．Why do you have to forgive?

B．How should you start to forgive?

C．Recognize the benefits of forgiveness.

D．Try to see things from your offender’s angle.

E．For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge.

F．To make your anger die away, try a simple stress management technique.

G．If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.