1 . 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

3 . Every year, thousands of teenagers participate in programs at their local art museums. But do any of them remember their time at museum events later in life? A new report suggests that the answer is yes — and finds that arts-based museum programs are credited with changing the course of alumni’s (毕业生的) lives, even years after the fact.

The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles recently asked researchers to conduct a study to find out how effective their long-standing teen art programs really are. They involved over 300 former participants of four programs for teens that have been in existence since the 1990s. Alumni, whose current ages range from 18 to 36, were invited to find out how they viewed their participation years after the fact.

Among the alumni surveyed, 75 percent of them thought the teen art program experience had the most favorable impact on their own lives, beating the family, school and their neighborhoods. Nearly 55 percent thought that it was one of the most important experiences they had ever had, regardless of age. And two-thirds said that they were often in situations where their experience in museums affected their actions or thoughts.

It turns out that participating in art programs also helps keep teens keen about culture even after they reach adulthood: Ninety-six percent of participants had visited an art museum within the last two years, and 68 percent had visited an art museum five or more times within the last two years. Thirty-two percent of alumni work in the arts as adults.

Though the study is the first of its kind to explore the impact of teen-specific art programs in museums, it reflects other research on the important benefits of engaging with the arts. A decade of surveys by the National Endowment for the Arts found that the childhood experience with the arts is significantly associated with people’s income and educational achievements as adults. Other studies have linked arts education to everything from lower dropout rates to improvement in critical thinking skills.

1. What is the main function of paragraph 1?

A．To make a comparison.	B．To propose a definition.
C．To provide the background.	D．To present the subject.

2. Why were the researchers asked to conduct the study?

A．To change the course of alumni’s lives.

B．To introduce the art museums.

C．To explore the impact of teen art programs.

D．To invite people to participate in the art programs.

3. What do the figures in Paragraph 3 show?

A．Students are more influenced by the family and school.

B．Teen art programs in museums are highly beneficial.

C．Many teens fail to realize the great value of art programs.

D．Most experiences in museums are boring for today’s teens.

4. What does Paragraph 4 tell us about art programs?

A．They are intended to attract more adults.

B．They are designed to support art museums.

C．They create adults who are culturally aware.

D．They provide many job opportunities for adults.

5. What do the studies mentioned in the last paragraph have in common?

A．All prove the good effects of art education.

B．All suggest the need to improve museum programs.

C．All show the growing popularity of art programs.

D．All focus on the link between art and education.

4 . For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practise how to behave in an interview or how to find all internships(实习). In some countries, schools have programmes to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programmes are still few and far between.

Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years.The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.

In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.

But in America, education reform programmes focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education School professor Robert Schwartz has criticised education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country’s most vulnerable(易受影响的)kids with no jobs and no skills.

Schwartz believed that the best career programmes encourage kids to go for higher education while also teaching them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example, encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job experience in those fields while they’re still at high school.

However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is daunting. In the US, unemployment rates for 16 to 19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.

“The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job,” said Michael, a researcher in the US.

1. In the author’s opinion, American high school leavers      .

A．have enough career-related courses	B．need more career advice from their schools
C．perform better in exams than German students	D．can get higher earnings in later years

2. According to Robert Schwartz,      .

A．there is no need for kids to go for higher education in the US

B．students should get contact with the working world at high school

C．education reform should focus on students’ performance in exams

D．teenagers in the US can’t miss out on the summer job experience

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Unemployment rates for US teenagers remain high at the moment.

B．Students with career-based courses never have problems finding a job.

C．US companies work with schools to prepare young people for future employment.

D．High school leavers with no practical skills can’t find a job absolutely.

5 . Are you happy with your appearance?     1    

“Almost all the girls with single-fold eyelids (单眼皮) in our class have had double eyelid operations,” Zeng, a Senior 2 student from Chengdu, told Xinhua. Zeng had the same surgery done this summer.     2    

From popular photo-editing apps to plastic surgery (整形手术), it seems that large eyes, pale skin and a skinny body are the only standard for beauty these days. But can following this standard really make us feel good about ourselves?

    3     . According to Huxiu News, over six in ten girls choose not to take part in certain daily activities, such as attending school, because they feel bad about their looks. As much as 31 percent of teenagers avoid speaking up in class because they worry that others will notice their looks.

“Many teenagers are upset about their appearance because they believe in unrealistic standards of beauty,” experts say.       4     Seeing all these things can make anyone believe that they’re too dark, too fat, too short, or too tall.

However, trying to live up to strict standards can make us feel anxious. What troubles us is not just our “imperfect” looks, but the fact that we criticize ourselves too much.

    5     Plus-size models are being featured in some fashion shows. All of us should be just as confident as they are.

A．Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

B．Body image anxiety is common among teenagers.

C．Guys care just as much as girls do about their body image.

D．Some teenagers might feel negative about their appearance.

E．It’s common for teenagers to feel confident about their appearance.

F．She and many of her classmates believe bigger eyes look more beautiful.

G．Perfect faces and bodies are everywhere in advertising, TV shows and social media.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

From London’s Trafalgar Square to major cities across Britain, tens of thousands of British people have joined Chinese communities    1     (welcome) the arrival of the Chinese New Year.

In Manchester there was a Dragon Parade,    2     (lead) by a very breathtaking 54-meter long dragon, ending in Chinatown    3    people could enjoy a wide range of Chinese food and enjoy a spectacular fireworks show.    4     (celebrate) also took place in Liverpool, Birmingham, Lake District, Durham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle.

Academic Dr. Wu Kegang said, “ The Chinese New Year event in Britain is now     5    (impress) than ever and it is growing every year”.

On arrival in Britain 26 years ago from Guangdong, south China,    6     first thing Wu noticed was that Chinese New Year was celebrated    7    (main) in towns and cities with big Chinese communities. “You would go to London Chinatown and join your countrymen to celebrate,    8     to Chinatowns in places like Liverpool and Manchester for events almost only held for Chinese people,” Wu recalled.

“    9     is different now, is that we are seeing local communities all over the country taking part alongside their own Chinese populations,” he said. “ It is clear to me that the event will continue to grow in Britain where Chinese New Year    10    (earn) its place in the calendar of events so far.”