Question

When a friend is sad about a tragedy(悲剧)，it’s hard to know how to comfort(安慰) him/ her. But the worst thing you can do is say nothing. It could mean that you don’t care. You don’t have to say much.. A single supportive phrase doesn’t require absolutely perfect words to break the ice. Here are some conversation starters when life difficult situations have your tongue tied.

1. A friend loses his baby.

Don’t say: “Don’t worry. You’re so young. You’ll have another baby.” Do say: “ I’m so sorry. I can’t begin to imagine what you are going through, but if you want to talk about it, call me anytime.”

2. A guy deserts（抛弃）your friend.

Don’t say: “I never liked that rat bastard (坏蛋) anyway!” ( If the couple winds up reconciling (和解)， you could end up losing your friend.) Do say: “Breaking up is always hard to deal with, but I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

3. A friend has a death in the family.

Don’t say: “It’s God’s will.” or “I know exactly how you feel.” Do say: “I’m sorry about your loss. What can I do to help?”

4. A friend loses a job suddenly.

Don’t say: “Work is always boring. Those bosses didn’t suit you!” Do say: “I’m sorry for that, but I know there’s an even better job waiting for you there. Let’s think about possibilities.”

5. Someone’s pet dies.

Don’t say: “Gee! It was only a cat!” or “My roommate doesn’t like her dog and she is getting rid of her dog. Do you want it?” Do say: “I’m sorry, she was such a great cat. How long did you have it?”

1.Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined part “have your tongue tied”?

A．make your tongue shut	B．tie your tongue in order not to say.
C．have no suitable words to say.	D．say what you want freely.

2.As a whole, what’s the suitable way to comfort your friend troubled with a tragedy?

A．To show your sorrow and offer your help.

B．To try to make the tragedy less serious.

C．To tell your friend not to think about it any more.

D．To do your best to make him/her cheerful again.

3.Though your friend is deserted, you’d better not say dirty words about her/ his friend because _______________________ .

A．they might get along well again and you might be deserted

B．your friend might not like you to say that against her / his friend

C．it may be a sign that you don’t care for your friend

D．your friend might hate you in the future

4.Which of the following might be suitable words when your friend’s dog dies?

A．Don’t worry too much. I’ll give you a good one.

B．I’m sorry to hear that. It was such a good dog.

C．I’ m sorry you lost your dog. But it was at its ripe age.

D．You must be sad about it. That’s enough.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.A

4.B

【解析】文章讲述的是当朋友遇见了困难的时候，你该如何安慰他/她、文章给出了5种情况。

1.C 猜测句意题。Here are some conversation starters when life difficult situations have your tongue tied.横线前面是difficult situations指遇见的一些生活中的可能的困难情况，这些情况让你无话可说。很难找出合适的词来表达自己的意思。

2.A 推理题。根据文章中提到的5种情况，可知都要表现出自己的同情。故A正确。

3.A 细节题。根据Don’t say: “I never liked that rat bastard (坏蛋) anyway!” ( If the couple winds up reconciling (和解)， you could end up losing your friend.)可知你的朋友可能和她的朋友和好，所以A正确。

4.B 细节题。根据第5中情况中的Do say: “I’m sorry, she was such a great cat. How long did you have it?”说明B正确。