1 . How to Feel Connected

It's easy to feel disconnected from what is going on around you in today's fast-paced world.     1     You can get in touch and feel connected, however, by following the tips below:

Consider why you feel disconnected. Knowing what is making you feel disconnected can help you choose the best ways to address it.     2     Ask yourself these questions: Are you keeping yourself occupied with work too much? Do you rely on electronic communication instead of face-to-face communication? Do you lack friendships that are satisfying?

Interact with people in person. Technology is a great way to stay in touch, but sometimes you need to spend time with other people in person.     3     You can also take steps to feel more connected by making small-talk with strangers who are sharing parts of your day.

    4     Your loved ones could feel shy, so you may never know how to improve your relationship unless you ask the right questions. Asking them to open the doors can give you some insight on what you can do. Learning this information can help to strengthen your bond.

Show appreciation.     5     Unfortunately, it is something that people who are close often take for granted. Telling someone you appreciate their time, love, and efforts can strengthen your bond and help you to become more connected.

A．Ask others what they need from you.

B．A simple “thank you” goes a very long way.

C．Feeling connected gives people great confidence.

D．A gift should be delivered to friends on special occasions.

E．Sometimes you can feel isolated and distant from the ones you love.

F．Attending family events can help strengthen your relationship and keep it strong.

G．Targeting your efforts toward those issues allows you to close that distance more effectively.

2 . Last year, Americans spent over $30 billion at retail (零售) stores in the month of December alone. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can create ambivalent feelings in gift-givers. Many believe that gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds with intended receivers. At the same time, many worry that their purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended receivers.

Anthropologists (人类学家) describe gift-giving as a positive social process, serving various political, religious, and psychological functions. Economists, however, offer a less favorable view. They think that gift-giving represents an objective waste of resources. People buy gifts that receivers would not choose to buy on their own, or at least not spend as much money to purchase. Givers are likely to spend $100 to purchase a gift that receivers would spend only $80 to buy themselves.

What is surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-receivers, but still tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift. In the present research, psychologists find a unique explanation for this overspending problem — gift-givers equate (等同) how much they spend with how much receivers will appreciate the gift. Although a link between gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem relevant to gift-givers, such an assumption may be unfounded. Indeed, we find that gift-receivers will be less willing to base their feelings of appreciation on the gift price than givers assume.

The thoughts of gift-givers and gift-receivers being unable to account for the other party’s perspective (立场) seems puzzling because people slip in and out of these roles every day. Yet, despite the extensive experience that people have as both givers and receivers, they often struggle to transfer information gained from one role and apply it in another.

1. What does the underlined word “ambivalent” in Paragraph1 probably mean?

A．Concerned.	B．Positive.
C．Unrealistic.	D．Conflicting.

2. What do the economists think of gift-giving?

A．It strengthens the bonds between people.

B．It is economically beneficial to the receiver.

C．It is actually a process of wasting resources.

D．It increases the financial burden to the giver.

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Personal preferences are the least to be considered.

B．Gift-givers tend to link the gift cost to gift-receivers’ appreciation.

C．More gift-receiving experience helps prevent overspending.

D．The assumption made by gift-givers turned out to be correct.

4. According to the author, the different thoughts between the gift-givers and receivers are caused by _________.

A．a trend of overspending

B．an inability to change perspectives

C．a growing opposition to gift-giving

D．a misunderstanding of gift-receivers’ tastes