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.
In addition, 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.
Last but not least, 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. Which of the following is NOT the reason why good talkers ask questions?
| A．To get the conversation going smoothly. |
| B．To continue the conversation with other matters. |
| C．To make more new friends. |
| D．To know how far the conversation can go. |
How many skills does the author give us to be good talkers?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
In general, good talkers are persons who __________.
| A．can keep the conversation interesting |
| B．never talk too much or too little |
| C．always keep the conversation a secret |
| D．can change the topic of the conversation properly |
If you are willing to meet someone again, __________.
| A．you’d better let him know it |
| B．you’d better shake his hand firmly |
| C．you’d better keep it a secret |
| D．you’d better understand him further |
The casual Friday concept (星期五便装日的概念) was one of the first signs that strict dress rules for offices were starting to relax. The principle of casual Fridays seems to have appeared around the 1950s. It was probably in response (回应) to the changing attitudes towards workplaces. Over time, some offices have relaxed their dress rules even more by using a "business casual" dress rule.
On casual Fridays, employees (员工) may wear clothes which are considered to be "business casual", meaning they still obey certain standards (标准). Clothes must be clean and in good condition, with no spots. Men are generally allowed to wear casual trousers and bright-colored clothes, and in some offices they may be allowed to wear button-down shirts or polo shirts, with or without a tie. Women often wear neat skirts or dresses; casual trousers are common and generally allowed to wear, except in very formal workplaces.
As a general rule, extremely casual clothes, like jeans, shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, and so on, are not encouraged on casual Fridays. Employees are still expected to make an effort to look professional, out of respect for their offices and their customers.
Many people feel that casual Fridays are good for employees’mood because they encourage employees to express their individuality (个性) and feel more comfortable in the offices. Others feel that business casual clothing and the concept of casual Fridays don’t show respect for the workplaces. Casual Fridays are dealt with differently, depending on the industry and the nation. The technology industry, for example, is well known for casual clothes in general, while major financial companies still dislike casual clothes.We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．the casual Friday concept has been out of fashion |
| B．people were required to wear formal clothes in offices before casual Fridays concept appeared |
| C．the casual Friday concept had appeared before the 1950s |
| D．employees who wear formal clothes lack individuality |
In general, on casual Fridays, as an employee in a company you can wear ________.
| A．jeans | B．tank tops | C．shorts | D．polo shirts |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The casual Friday concept changes people’s responsibility at work. |
| B．Button-down shirts are allowed to wear in any formal workplace. |
| C．In general, leading financial companies don’t prefer casual clothing. |
| D．The technology industry requires employees to wear formal clothing. |
What does the last paragraph tell us?
| A．Different kinds of casual clothes. |
| B．The development of the casual Friday concept. |
| C．People’s different opinions on casual Fridays. |
| D．The rules that employees must obey in companies. |
You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother’s Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it —those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother’s Day. But there’s more about the story.
The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations were held during spring in Ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants (仆人) were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.
In the U.S., Mother’s Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words of the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn’t really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign (运动) to honor her own mother. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The U.S. isn’t alone in devoting a day to its mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also celebrate their Mother’s Day in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.
Learning more about Mother’s Day and celebrating Mother’s Day is important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that should certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The reason why people celebrate Mother’s Day. |
| B．How people honor mothers. |
| C．The history of Mother’s Day. |
| D．Mother’s Day in different countries. |
Where was the earliest Mother’s Day celebrated?
| A．In Ancient Greece. | B．In the U.S. |
| C．In England. | D．In Italy. |
According to the third paragraph, we know that _____.
| A．Julia Ward Howe composed a song about Mother’s Day |
| B．American people started to celebrate Mother’s Day in 1907 |
| C．Anna Jarvis attached great importance to mothers |
| D．Mother’s Day celebrations are held in different times in the U.S. every year |
The last paragraph tells us that ______.
| A．all the people should celebrate Mother’s Day |
| B．only mothers are honored on Mother’s Day |
| C．understanding mothers’work is more important than just celebrating Mother’s Day |
| D．people should make every day a Mother’s Day |
When Cathleen Gardiner’s twins were born 17 years ago, doctors told her that they were a pair in a million. One had Down syndrome(低能综合症), while the other did not. Here, Cathleen tells their touching story.
Since Sean was born 17 years ago, I have always thought that he is just as wonderful as his brother and sister. Though he had a disability(残疾), we have never viewed him as a burden. He has always been a blessing. The doctors explained that though they were twins, they came from two different eggs. Lisa could walk at 11 months old, while Sean didn’t take his first steps till he was three. By two, Lisa was talking a lot, but Sean wasn’t able to speak until he was nearly four.
For the first five years of his life, Sean needed a great deal of care. Looking after him was my full-time job, though I also worked as a technical adviser in a computing company. We never treated them differently. We gave them the same toys and spoke to them in the same way. We encouraged Sean to keep up with Lisa, even though he never could, and we would help him develop his abilities. We sent them to the same primary school even after doctors advised us that Sean should go to a school for the disabled.
We had to explain to Lisa that he wouldn’t learn as quickly as she would. She told us that she’d help him with his school work. Having a non-disabled twin has really helped Sean develop. The love they share has given him a great deal of support. Now Sean and Lisa are both about to finish high school. I don’t think he would have done nearly as well today without Lisa’s help.At least how many children does Mrs. Gardiner have?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．One. |
Mrs. Gardiner and her husband regarded Sean as _______.
| A．a boy making others touched | B．a normal child without disabilities |
| C．a special gift | D．a burden of their family |
The third paragraph mainly tells us that _______.
| A．the couple treated the twins equally |
| B．Cathleen did all she could to look after Sean |
| C．the couple didn’t follow the doctor’s advice |
| D．the couple encouraged Sean to grow up |
This passage tells us that _________.
| A．love can do wonders | B．nobody is foolish or clever |
| C．being stupid doesn’t matter | D．all men are born equal |
Carrot juice, because of its many healthy benefits, is commonly called the "magic juice". It has been found that adding carrot juice to people’s diets greatly improves their health. And its delicious taste makes it popular with all members of the family as a beverage.
Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A that can be used in the daily diet. Lack (缺乏) of vitamin A can cause dryness and damage to the skin, nails and hair. Drinking carrot juice to increase the vitamin A in the diet is said to be good for many parts of the body, including the bones and teeth.
Drinking carrot juice is thought to be extremely helpful to the liver (肝脏), because vitamin A helps to clean the liver and reduce fat in it. And it is suggested that drinking carrot juice should be done regularly, rather than just from time to time.
Drinking carrot juice is also thought to improve the eyesight because of the vitamin A in the juice. Lack of vitamin A can lead to night blindness, which can be very dangerous, especially when the person is driving a car. An easy way to find out if you are lacking in vitamin A is to walk from a bright room into a dark room. Your eyes may have some trouble in getting used to the change of light if you are lacking in vitamin A.
How can you make carrot juice? Wash some carrots well in cold water. Scrape (刮) them lightly, but do not peel them, as this will take away valuable vitamins and minerals that lie close to the skin. Lack of vitamin A can lead to _____.
| A．skin dryness | B．broken bones |
| C．complete blindness | D．liver cancer |
According to the passage, carrot juice ______.
| A．is popular because it is a magic cure for many diseases |
| B．does a lot of good to the teeth and other parts of the body |
| C．can wash away the waste from the body |
| D．may be harmful to the body if it’s drunk too much |
We can learn from the fourth paragraph that _____.
| A．drinking carrot juice helps to protect your eyesight |
| B．driving cars at night may lead to night blindness |
| C．walking from a bright room into a dark room may lead to night blindness |
| D．you will find it easy to get used to the change of light if you lack vitamin A |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Tips on How to Make Carrot Juice |
| B．The Way to Keep Good Health |
| C．The Great Benefits of Carrot Juice |
| D．A Healthy Diet for Patients |
In March 1987, I started a new magazine called Creating Excellence. It was a very proud moment for me. I’d worked hard for over a year to create it, and the premiere issue (首次发刊) was a real success.
Shortly after we mailed 25,000 copies, I received one in the mail. But this one wasn’t as beautiful as the ones we’d sent out. It was marked in red ink correcting the grammatical errors (语法错误) in it. A talented editor had read the issue carefully and found more errors than I could have imagined.
I felt abashed. A magazine called Creating Excellence should be perfect in its content (内容). The stories were good, but the errors this woman had found showed that we were far from being excellent.
At first, I was upset with my editor for not having caught more mistakes, and also upset with the woman who seemed to have taken pleasure in pointing them out. Later, I was upset with myself for not having employed a better editor.
Then I realized that I had to face up to my mistakes. I called the woman who had shown me that we were not so excellent. I thanked her for taking the time to read our magazine so carefully. As painful as it was, I accepted responsibility for it.
Then I offered her the job of editing our publication. The result was a great improvement in it; we could now be very proud of our magazine.
From this I learnt that an upsetting moment could be an opportunity to see the truth, and accepting responsibility could help to prevent one making the same mistakes for a second time, and to make "excellence" a reality.From the first paragraph we learn that _____.
| A．the author put little effort into his first magazine |
| B．the author’s job was selling magazines |
| C．the author was very satisfied with his work |
| D．the author experienced a total failure |
What does the underlined word "abashed" mean?
| A．excited. | B．embarrassed. | C．interested. | D．exhausted. |
What do we learn about the woman who had found the errors in the magazine?
| A．She was causing trouble on purpose. |
| B．She liked pointing out the errors of others. |
| C．She contributed a lot to the success of the premiere issue. |
| D．She ended up joining the magazine. |
What do we learn from this passage?
| A．Pride is the biggest enemy of success. |
| B．Success is behind many failures. |
| C．Picking holes in something can help you find a job. |
| D．Accepting responsibility for one’s errors can lead to real excellence. |