She said little things ________ (要紧) to her that western men didn’t take seriously.
Smile is a very basic sense but humans have lost much of the ability to use it ________(恰当地).
China Eastern Airlines has an excellent ______ (安全) record. That is why many people prefer it.
Have all the _______ (乘客) got on the plane yet?
As is often the case, parents are very shocked to discover their children have lied to them for the first time. But new research has suggested many parents may not even notice many of the lies their children tell them.
Psychologists have discovered that most parents are over-confident in their children’s honesty and this may impair their ability to discover a lie.
The findings may help to explain why some parents seem to be willing to let their children get away with almost anything even in the face of the evidence (迹象). They say parents suffer from a “truth bias (偏见)” with their own teenagers, but when faced with lies from other people’s children, they have less difficulty telling if a statement is true or not.
Dr. Angela Evans, a psychologist at Brock University in Canada, said, “The close relationship that parents share with their own children may lead to parents failing to discover their children’s lies. Parents’ truth bias may result in parents being less doubtable of their children, allowing them to successfully cheat (欺骗) them.”
Most children are thought to start lying as early as two years old but start telling more believable lies at around the age of four years old. Learning how to lie is considered as a key part of cognitive (认知的) and social development in children. But many parents are shocked when their children start lying to them. In their study, Dr Evans and her colleagues filmed 108 children aged between 8 and 16 as they performed a test after being asked not to look at the answers. They were then asked afterwards if they had looked, with 50 truthfully denying (否认) looking, 49 lying about looking and 9 admitting (承认) to looking.
Videos of those denying looking were then shown to 152 parents of children aged 8 to 16, 80 of whom had children who had taken part in the test. The researchers found that the parents were less able to discover lies told by their own children than by other people’s children.
1.What does the underlined word “impair” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Show. B.Harm. C.Realize. D.Develop.
2.When lying to their parents, children can’t be easily found because ________.
A.their parents aren’t prepared for the lies
B.their parents can’t notice any of their lies
C.they are very good at telling lies
D.they know how to lie to their parents
3.What does Dr. Evans want to find about children’s lying?
A.What makes parents lose trust in their children.
B.What causes children to tell lies to their parents.
C.What makes parents fail to see their children’s lies.
D.What affects children’s relations with their parents.
4.What can be inferred from Dr. Evans’s study in the last two paragraphs?
A.Parents prefer to protect their own children.
B.Lying is a part of children’s development.
C.Children aged 8 to 16 are very likely to tell lies.
D.Parents can easily discover lies told by children of others.
We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, around by people who are, like us, deeply look at their smartphones or, worse, fighting with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s challenging, or we think it’s 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 advantages.
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, professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to look for an interaction (互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their waiter reported higher positive (积极的) 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 greater sense of belonging (归属感), a relationship 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’s the main idea of Paragraph 1?
A.Interest in smartphones. B.Unsuitable behaviours in public places.
C.Absence of communication between strangers. D.Impatience with slow service.
2.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.
3.What is the best title for the text?
A.Conversation Counts B.Advantages of Small Talk
C.Uncomfortable Silence D.Ways of Making Small Talk
