Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they’ll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It’s a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters—sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.
Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn’t. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.
Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he’s really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it’s time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you’re saying good-bye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, don’t keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they’ve known you half their life.
36. Asking questions might be a quite good and suitable way _______.
A. for you to make more and more new friends
B. to begin your business talks
C. to get the conversation going smoothly
D. for you to make a deep and lasting impression on others
37. After having asked somebody a question, it’ll be polite of you to _______.
A. make clear what kind of person he is
B. listen to his reply attentively
C. wait quietly and patiently for his answer
D. go on asking him more questions
38. Generally speaking, good talkers are persons who _______.
A. are good at making any topic interesting
B. never talk too much or too little
C. always speak in a gentle way
D. know how and when they should change the topic of the talk
39. If you really take delight in meeting someone again, _______.
A. you may take him as your lifelong trustworthy friend
B. it seems necessary for you to let him know it
C. it’s proper for you to give him a second handshake
D. it’ll be helpful for you to have further understanding of him
Doctors say anger can be an very harmful emotion unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that angry feelings can lead to heart disease， stomach problems， headaches， emotional problems and possibly cancer.
Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger， losing control of themselves. But other people repress their anger. They cannot or will not express it.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person’s health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry， the brain gives off the same hormones（激素）that are produced during tense situations. They speed the heart rate， raise blood pressure， or sugar into the blood and narrow the blood vessels（脉管）to the interstices（空隙）. In general， the person feels excited and ready to act.
Doctors said that repressing these feelings only makes the feelings continue. And this can lead to many medical problems. Doctors thought a person could prevent these problems by letting the anger out by expressing it freely. But recently some doctors held a different view. They said that people who express anger repeatedly and violently did become， in fact， more and not less angry.
They said this，too，can cause medical problems.
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease， and they believe that those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
Doctors say the solution is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger， and then decide if the cause is serious. If it is， they say： “Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably. ”What does the phrase repress anger mean？
| A．Forget one’s anger. |
| B．Express one’s anger openly. |
| C．Treat one’s anger calmly and reasonably. |
| D．Keep one’s anger inside. |
Repressing anger is considered to be dangerous because of all the following except that _____.
| A．the heart rate increases |
| B．the blood pressure rises |
| C．the blood contains sugar |
| D．some blood vessels become thinner |
When you get angry，which of the following should you do for the good of health？
| A．Repressing the anger. |
| B．Expressing the anger. |
| C．Learning how to make a deal. |
| D．Treating the anger properly. |
What is the central topic of this passage about？
| A．The different ways of dealing with anger. |
| B．The dangers of anger and the solution. |
| C．New medical discoveries. |
| D．The argument between the new and old views about anger. |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother‘s Day，on the second Sunday in May，and Father’s Day，on the third Sunday in June.These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents.They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens.They give love and care.These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers.More mothers now work outside the home.More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations（康乃馨）.A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home，as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents.These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important，but it is “the thought that counts.”Greeting card stores，florists，candy makers，bakeries，telephone companies，and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents？
| A．Parents bring up children |
| B．Parents give love and care to children |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up |
What do you know from the passage？
| A．Mother‘s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
On Mother‘s Day and Father’s Day，____ .
| A．people usually have family parties |
| B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery |
| C．children always go to parents’home |
| D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts |
What do you think “florists”do？
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make bread or pastry. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special clothes for Mother‘s Day and Father’s Day. |
Women consistently lie on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to make their lives appear more exciting, a survey has found.
Researchers found that at least one in four women exaggerated(夸大) or distorted(扭曲) what they are doing on social media once a month. The survey of 2000 women found they mostly pretended to be out on the town, when in fact they are home alone, and polished an exotic(异国的) holiday or their job.
The most common reasons for women to write “fibs” included worrying their lives would seem “boring”, envy at seeing other people’s more exciting posts and wanting to impress their friends and acquaintances.
Psychologists suggested that as people attempt to “stay connected” on social media, they can in fact “paradoxically(自相矛盾地)” be left “more isolated”. They also said that “the more we try to make our lives seem perfect, the less perfect we feel”.
According to the OnePoll survey, one third of women surveyed admitted to “dishonesty” on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter at some stage.
Almost one in four admitted to lying or exaggerating about key aspects of their life online between one and three times a month while almost one in 10 said they lied more than once a week.
Nearly 30 percent of women lied about “doing something when I am home alone”, almost a quarter overstated their alcohol consumption while one in five were not truthful about their holiday activities or their jobs. Almost one in five women even lied about their “relationship status”.
“We work very hard presenting ourselves to the world online, pretending and attempting to be happy all the time which is exhausting and eventually unfulfilling,” said Dr Michael Sinclair, a leading British consultant psychologist.
“Leaving out the less desirable imperfections of our lives from the conversations with our `friends` online leads to less opportunity to feel empathized with(与…产生共鸣), resulting in a greater sense of disconnection from others.”
The survey was conducted by Pencourage, a new anonymous (匿名的)“diary-style” social media website. Which of the words below is closest in meaning to the underlined word “fibs” in Para 3?
| A．life experiences | B．short stories |
| C．careful thoughts | D．insignificant lies |
A woman tends to tell a lie online when she__________.
| A．hopes to make more friends |
| B．envies other people’s exciting life |
| C．feels lonely at home |
| D．gets tired of the boring life |
A woman might pretend to be happier online than she actually is by __________.
| A．avoiding conversations with friends |
| B．describing her holiday activities |
| C．leaving out the imperfections in life |
| D．overstating her trouble at work |
According to Dr Michael Sinclair, constantly lying online may __________.
| A．eventually make one’s life more exciting |
| B．actually lead to a sense of isolation |
| C．really improve one’s sense of happiness |
| D．scarcely have any influence on relationships |
HANGZHOU, April 4 (Xinhua) —Another H7N9 bird flu case has been confirmed in east China's Zhejiang Province, the provincial health department said Thursday, bringing the country's total number of cases to 10.
The patient is a 64-year-old man from Huzhou City. He became ill on March 29 and was admitted to a hospital in Huzhou on March 31.
On Thursday, medical experts confirmed that he was infected with the H7N9 bird flu strain after the provincial center for disease control and prevention said late Wednesday that he tested positive for the virus.
An investigation has found that all 55 people who had close contact with the man have not showed any abnormal clinical symptoms, the department said.
So far, China has confirmed 10 H7N9 cases — four in Jiangsu Province, two in Shanghai Municipality, one in Anhui Province and three in Zhejiang. The two patients in Shanghai and one in Zhejiang have died.
Health authorities and hospitals in many Chinese provinces have been on high alert for H7N9 cases.
In Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province, which neighbors Zhejiang, five hospitals have been selected and ordered to be ready to treat H7N9 patients, though no cases have been reported there.
China's health authorities have promised transparency(透明) and cooperation to the World Health Organization (WHO) in regards to human infections of the new strain of bird flu.
On Wednesday afternoon, the National Health and Family Planning Commission distributed prevention and control plans and technique directives（指示）to health institutions nationwide. "So far, the sources of infection have not been clear, but based on past experiences and recent epidemiological (病理学的) studies, the sources could be poultry or the secretion and excrement from poultry," according to the plan.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that no human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been discovered and no epidemiological connection between these cases has been found. What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．China is on high alert for H7N9 cases. |
| B．The 10th H7N9 infection case has been confirmed in China. |
| C．China has promised transparency and cooperation to the WHO. |
| D．China distributed prevention and control plans. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Four H7N9 cases have been confirmed in Zhejiang including the old man. |
| B．People who had close contact with the man are infected with bird flu too. |
| C．So far three people have died of H7N9 bird flu. |
| D．China kept back the truth of human infections from the WHO. |
In which province have no H7N9 bird flu cases been reported so far?
| A．Jiangxi. | B．Anhui. |
| C．Zhejiang. | D．Jiangsu. |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
| A．H7N9 bird flu can spread from human to human. |
| B．Poultry are the sources of H7N9 bird flu. |
| C．All the cases confirmed are not connected. |
| D．Experts don’t definitely know the sources of H7N9 bird flu. |
So the evening turned to night, and the night turned to morning. And before I knew it , the SAT was before me. I wasn’t sure if I was ready, but I knew one thing: I wanted to get it over with.
SAT for the students is like tooth pulling. For those smart Asian kiddos, it’s like walking through the park: easy and carefree. For me, a Chinese American, …it’s: walking through the park and then tripping on a stone.
As I arrived outside of the dining hall, already a mob of students were sitting, talking, or standing silently waiting to get in. Jones students are lucky not only to have such a testing center at school, but also the feeling of their home school where it feels comfortable and familiar.
“ID, please,” my former math teacher asked at the door.
“Okay.” She looked over my ID, checked off my name on her list, and pointed towards the dining hall tables inside.
With hesitation, I picked up my feet and was directed to a large round table in the middle of the dinning hall. At least fourteen people could sit at this table but only four were allowed to take their test here.
“I’m glad it’s multiple choices.” I heard one student say. All the questions on the test have five choices except for one math section where they have only four. If you get an answer wrong, you don’t get any point, plus you get a penalty of a 1/4 point. If you don’t answer a question, you don’t get any point, nor penalties.
When everyone had a seat and the actual SAT I booklet in front of them, the proctor of the test called for our attentions. “In front of you, you should have a SAT I test and a scantron（答题卡）. Please do not open the test booklet until I say so.” He then went on to talk about the procedures, the amount of time, signature of honesty, etc. After thirty minutes of instruction reading, he gave us all a solemn expression before saying, “You may begin now. Good luck.”
I could hear a hundred booklets being opened and pencils scratching the surface. I looked to my right, I looked to my left, I did a quick prayer for whoever was in charge up in the heavens, and started my test. At least I wouldn’t know my score until summer time. How did the author feel before the test?
| A．Confident. | B．Carefree. |
| C．Confused. | D．Nervous. |
Jones students are lucky because __________.
| A．they can take the test in their home school |
| B．they can talk during the test |
| C．they can take the test in a dining hall |
| D．they have their math teacher supervising the test |
By the underlined sentence, the writer intends to say that_________.
| A．the test would be so difficult that she might not pass it |
| B．the test seemed easy but she still needed to be careful with it |
| C．the test would be much easier for her than for the other Asian students |
| D．she found herself not as smart as the other Asian students |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Fourteen students sat around a large round table, taking the test. |
| B．There were four math problems on the test. |
| C．You will lose more points if you get the answer wrong than if you give up the question. |
| D．The proctor announced the instructions as soon as the test began. |