The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. “Bananas 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira.” He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 totals for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill. He didn’t have change, so I told him not to worry. He said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it’s not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What’s up?” I asked him.
“I…I don’t have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills. “Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. “Thank you, sir.” he said. “Thank you very much!”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for schoolbooks. What if he’s a cheat? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn’t know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive. When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face.
“Oh, gosh! Long time.”
“Are you in school now?” I asked.
He nodded.
“That’s good,” I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. “Here,” I held out a 500 naira bill. “Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “It’s a gift.”
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shone with sweat. He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you.”What was the author’s first impression of the boy?
| A.He seemed to be poor and greedy. |
| B.He seemed to have suffered a lot. |
| C.He seemed younger than his age. |
| D.He seemed good at bargaining. |
The second time the author met the boy, the boy ______.
| A.told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts |
| B.wanted to express his thanks |
| C.asked him for money for his schoolbooks |
| D.tried to take advantage of him |
Why did the author give his money to the boy?
| A.Because he had enough money to do that. |
| B.Because he had learnt to help others since childhood. |
| C.Because he held a higher position in the society. |
| D.Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so. |
Which of the following best describes the boy?
| A.Brave and polite. | B.Kind and smart. |
| C.Honest and thankful. | D.Shy and nervous. |
Betty and Harold have been married for years .But one thing still puzzles (困扰) old Harold .How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa ,talking ,go out to a ballgame ,come back three and a half hours later ,and they’re still sitting on the sofa ? Talking ?
What in the world ,Harold wonders ,do they have to talk about ?
Betty shrugs .Talk ? We’re friends .
Researching this matter called friendship ,psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two years interviewing more than two hundred women and men .No matter what their age ,their job ,their sex ,the results were completely clear :women have more friendships than men ,and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is “marked and unmistakable .”
More than two –thirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman .Yet three-quarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend ,and almost always it was a woman .More married men than women named their wife/husband as a best friend ,most trusted person ,or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress (感情危机).“Most women ,”says Rubin ,“identified (认定) at least one ,usually more ,trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment ,and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives .”
“In general,”writes Rubin in her new book ,“women’s friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support ,but men’s relationships are marked by shared activities.” For the most part ,Rubin says ,interactions (交往)between men are emotionally controlled –a good fit with the social requirements of “manly behavior .”
“Even when a man is said to be a best friend ,”Rubin writes ,“the two share little about their innermost feelings .Whereas a woman’s closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage ,it wasn’t unusual to hear a man say he didn’t know his friend’s marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa .”What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that.
| A.he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband |
| B.women have so much to share |
| C.women show little interest in ballgames |
| D.he finds his wife difficult to talk to |
Rubin’s study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to.
| A.a male friend | B.a female friend | C.her parents | D.her husband |
Which of the following statements is best supported by the last paragraph ?
| A.Men keep their innermost feelings to themselves. |
| B.Women are more serious than men about marriage. |
| C.Men often take sudden action to end their marriage. |
| D.Women depend on others in making decisions. |
The research done by psychologist Rubin centers around________ .
| A.happy and successful marriages |
| B.friendships of men and women |
| C.emotional problems in marriage |
| D.interactions between men and women . |
It seems that the Great Wall is the place to rock(摇滚). There will be two parties held on the Great Wall this month.
Great Wall Ⅰ
The latest Great Wall party is sponsored(主办) by the Club and Elektrobeat and held at Jinshanling. Local DJ Mark, as well as guests Slab from Australia, Usami and Bobby from Hong Kong will sing at the party. All drinks are priced at 20 yuan($ 2.4).
Tickets: 200yuan($ 24), including bus ride there and back plus entrance fee to the Great Wall. T/D: 8p.m. to 2 a.m., Sept. 20.
Pre-sale tickets are to be booked at: Public Space: 6416-0759; Neo Lounge: 6416-1077.
Buses: Leave at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20 from Neo Lounge, 99 Xinfuncun Zhonglu,
Sanlitun, Chaoyang District.
For more info: www. elektrobeat. com
Great wall Ⅱ
The other party at the end of this month at Jinshanling will be started with live performances by Askar, Brain Failure, Longkuan, Supermarket, Mr. Zhou, Beijing Talking and the Yi band.
Dance till dawn to the wonderful sounds of DJs Ben, Mickey Zhang, Will, Cheese, Gao Hu and Huang Weiwei.
T/D: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., Sept. 27.
Tickets: 350 yuan ($ 42) or 300 yuan ($ 36) for groups of 10 or more, 500 yuan ($ 60) at the door and VIP tickets 800 yuan ($ 72), transportation included.
Buses: Depart from the north gate of Wbrkers’ Stadium at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., Sept. 27.
For more info: contact Li Zhenhua at lah@msgp. Org or call 133-2119-1731.If you want to book tickets for Great Wall Ⅰ in advance, you can phone _________.
| A.6146-0759 | B.6146-1077 |
| C.6416-0759 | D.133-2119-1731 |
What day of the week is September 27?
| A.Saturday. | B.Sunday. | C.Weekday. | D.It can’t be known. |
A dozen people want to attend Great Wall Ⅱ. They should pay at least _______ for the tickets.
| A.$ 504 | B.$ 432 | C.$ 720 | D.$ 864 |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum (论坛) asking what "PK" meant.
"My family has been watching the 'Super Girl' singing competition TV programme. My little daughter asked me what 'PK' meant, but I had no idea," explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, "PK" is short for "Player Kill", in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the "Super Girl" singing competition, "PK" was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students' compositions using Internet jargons which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn't understand.
"My 'GG' came back this summer from college. He told me I've grown up to be a 'PLMM'. I loved to 'FB' with him together; he always took me to the 'KPM'," went one composition.
"GG" means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). "PLMM" refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl). "FB" means Fu Bai (corruption). "KPM" is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's.
Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language.
If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog, referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao! By writing the article, the writer tries to ________ .
| A.explain some Internet language |
| B.suggest common Internet language |
| C.laugh at the Beijing father |
| D.draw our attention to Internet language |
What does the writer think about the term "PK"?
| A.Fathers can't possibly know it. |
| B.The daughter should understand it. |
| C.Online game players may know it. |
| D."Super Girl" shouldn't have used it. |
The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargons________ .
| A.are used not only online |
| B.can be understood very well |
| C.are welcomed by all the people |
| D.cause trouble to our mother tongue |
The underlined word "jargons" means " ________ " in Chinese.
| A.行话 | B.粗口 | C.歌词 | D.趋势 |
The thing was a hot one! A farmer had shot two wolves on purpose. He had seen the wolves on his farm and decided to get them before they caused trouble. He knew wolves were a kind of protected animals. However, he also knew most of his neighbors would shoot wolves, too. Shortly after the farmer skinned(剥皮)the wolves, problems began. It seemed that someone didn’t like the idea of killing wolves after all. The officials had arrived. Out-of-town reporters got hold of the story. And now the farmer was on trial(审判)for his killing of the wolves.“The thing was a hot one!”means.
| A.“The thing makes people hot.” |
| B.“The thing draws much attention.” |
| C.“The thing was against the law.” |
| D.“The thing changes the weather.” |
The farmer did the thing because.
| A.he didn’t know about the law |
| B.his neighbor would do the same thing |
| C.he was afraid the wolves would cause trouble |
| D.the wolves entered his farm |
Wolves shouldaccording to this passage.
| A.be protected |
| B.not cause trouble |
| C.be killed if they cause trouble |
| D.not enter places where people live |
Which of the following is not true?
| A.The story was soon known in other places. |
| B.Someone didn’t want wolves to be killed so the farmer was on trial. |
| C.The farmer was guilty(有罪)of his killing. |
| D.The local government took measures for the thing. |
In the professional world, oral communication skills in the workplace, which is the art of using speech to convey information, thoughts and feeling to others, is important for the success of any organizations.
The 21st century has been considered to be an era of communication. The way we convey our thoughts is of great importance in building relationships. In the workplace, there are employees of diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. This makes team working on a difficult task, but with a clear understanding of the task to be achieved, all members work towards the same goal. Misunderstandings, conflicts and differences in opinions are easily managed when there is a clear flow of communication between team members.
With proper communication, a close relationship and trust build among the employees, therefore promoting excellent working conditions. An atmosphere of support and cooperation is promoted by properly conveying expectations of the management team to the employees and vice – versa (相反的情况). Therefore, developing oral communication skills is important to success in life ahead.
How to improve oral communication? In the business world, individuals are expected to be confident about their beliefs and ideas. Therefore, they must include words like “in my opinion”, “as far as I know”. While improving skills on oral communication, people in a workplace must learn the art of listening. In addition, one must also have a positive body language during conversations. A person with a smiling face and positive attitude can raise the spirits of everyone around him. When we’re talking to someone, we must give the other person an opportunity to talk as it improves our listening ability.
Communication is an art and it can be improved by working on it constantly. Since it is not an overnight work, one needs to learn it by observing people who are good at it.
| Title |
Oral communication skills in the workplace |
| The art of using speech to convey information, thoughts and feelings to others. |
|
Importance |
●The way we convey our thoughts plays a major ●Understanding the task ●A clear flow of communication can easily ●Good relationships and trust among the employees built with proper communication can ●Conveying expectations can promote support and cooperation. |
| ●Use words like “in my opinion” to show your ●Learn to be a good ●Avoid using a ●Smile and be positive to delight the people around you. ●Give the other person a chance to talk in a conversation. |
|
| Conclusion |
Communication can be improved with |