A conversation is not a business meeting at work or with your family. It is a personal or informal talk that takes place in the restaurant, in a car or walking on the street on your way to work.
It can make or break a relationship. It can make a career successful. It can make new friends. It can just brighten up another person’s life. It can change the world!
Here are some ways to make a conversation bring meaning to you and others.
Before starting a conversation, be clear about what you want to achieve. Knowing your purpose beforehand allows you to keep your conversation to the point and never get lost out of the way.
Start a topic that is very timely and appropriate. The starting point has to be depending on your relationship with the person you are talking to and the situation the person or both of you are going through. Starting the conversation with the right topic sets the tone that brings both sides at ease.
Come up with something that will make both of you interested. This allows the other person to be drawn more to speak up. Discovering common likes and dislikes opens up a bond (纽带) between two people.
Put yourself in the shoes of the other person. Think how the other person feels at that moment. Feeling how the other person feels helps you to be in his position.
One of the most difficult tasks to do in a conversation is really listening. Do not prepare for what to say while the other person is talking. Do not just keep quiet because you want to give the other person a time to talk. The proof that you really listen is to repeat your understanding of what was said in your own words.
After you have spoken, give the other person a time to talk. There are some people who like to talk about themselves. If you are one of them, try to be less selfish. A conversation is not a monologue (独角戏) or an interview.
Managing a conversation shows the kind of person you are. You do not have to wait for the other person to lead the discussion. You can do this. No matter who you are, if you lead a talk, you make a difference.
How to make meaningful conversations | |
Passage outline | Supporting details |
1._______ is a conversation? | A conversation is a personal or informal talk taking place in the 2. __________, in a car or walking on the street. |
What can a conversation do? | It can change the world by 3.__________ or breaking a relationship, making a career 4.___________, making new friends or brightening up another person’s life. |
How can you make a conversation 5. ________? | Talk with a purpose. Knowing your purpose in 6.____________ keeps your conversation to the point. |
Choose a good 7.___________. Starting the conversation with the right topic makes both of you feel easy. | |
Find common interests. Discovering common likes and dislikes opens up a bond between two people, allowing the other person to be drawn more to speak up. | |
Put yourself in the shoes of the other person. Feeling how the other person feels can 8. _________ you to be in his position. | |
9.__________ and repeat. Repeating your understanding of what was said in your own words proves that you are really listening. | |
Allow your listener to10._________. A conversation is not a monologue or an interview. | |
Mr. Laurence was not allowed to see Beth, and Meg felt unhappy writing letters to her mother saying nothing about Beth’s illness. Jo nursed Beth night and day, but the time came when Beth did not know her and called for her mother. Jo was frightened, and Meg begged to be allowed to write the truth, but Hannah said there was no danger yet. Then a letter came saying that Mr. March was worse and could not think of coming home for a long time.
How dark the days seemed. How sad and lonely. The sisters worked and waited as the shadow of death lay over the once happy home. It was then that Meg realized how rich she had been in the things which really mattered—love, peace, good health. And Jo, watching her little sister, thought about how unselfish Beth always was—living for others and trying to make home a happy place for all who came there. Amy, sad and lonely at Aunt March’s house, just wanted to come home so that she could do something to help Beth.
On the first day of December, the doctor came in the morning. He looked at Beth, then said quietly, ‘If Mrs. March can leave her husband, I think she should come home now.’
Jo threw on her coat and ran out into the snow to send a telegram. When she arrived back, Laurie came with a letter saying that Mr. March was getting better again. This was good news, but Jo’s face was so unhappy that Laurie asked, ‘What is it? Is Beth worse?’
‘I’ve sent for Mother,’ said Jo, beginning to cry. ‘Beth doesn’t know us any more.’
Laurie held her hand and whispered, ‘I’m here, Jo. Hold on to me. Your mother will be here soon, and then everything will be all right.’
1.Meg had to write to her mother because _________ at the moment.
A. her mother was away working in another town
B. her mother was looking after her father in hospital
C. she wanted to tell her about the illness of Beth
D. she knew that her mother was getting worse
2.Which of the following is NOT true about Beth?
A. She finally recovered from the illness.
B. She liked playing the piano very much.
C. She once almost drowned herself in the river.
D. She was shy but devoted to others.
3.Amy _______.
A. was at Aunt March’s house to help with the housework
B. was somewhat self-centered in the earlier part of the story
C. was much older than Beth and liked drawing very much
D. studied all by herself at home instead of going to school
4.From the story we know that _______.
A. Laurie helped Jo publish her story in a newspaper
B. Laurie had been taking care of Mr. March before Beth got ill
C. Laurie and Jo were very good friends to each other
D. Laurie and Jo got married in the end
Cloning is suggested as a means of bringing back a relative, usually a child, killed tragically. Some parents can understand that wish, but it must first be recognized that the copy would be a new baby and not the lost child. Here lies the difficulty, for the sad parents are seeking not a new baby but a return of the dead one. Since the original would be fondly remembered as having particular talents and interests, would not the parents expect the copy to be the same? It is possible, however, that the copy would develop quite differently. Is it fair for the new child to be placed in a family with such unnatural expectations?
Copying is also suggested as a means by which parents can have the child of their dreams. Couples might choose to have a copy of a film star, baseball player or scientist, depending on their interest. But because personality is only partly the result of genetic inheritance (基因遗传), conflicts would be sure to come up if the cloned child failed to develop the same interests as the original. What if the copy of Einstein shows no interest in science? Or the baseball player turns to acting? Success also depends upon fortune. What if the child does not live up to the hopes and dreams of the parents simply because of bad luck?
Every baby should be wanted for itself, as an individual. In making a copy of oneself or some famous person, a parent is carefully specifying (详细说明) the way he or she wishes that child to develop. In recent years, particularly in the United States, much importance has been placed on the right of individuals to reproduce in ways that they wish. So I suggest there is a greater need to consider the interest of the child and to refuse these suggested uses of cloning.
1.According to the author, in cloning a lost child parents ___________.
A. lose the talents of the lost child
B. expect too much from the copy
C. are sure to have an identical copy
D. are sure to have a baby of their dreams
2.What, in the author’s opinion, affects the success of parents’ dreams?
A. The efforts of the parents.
B. The cloned child’s personality.
C. The cloned child’s interest in Einstein.
D. The cloned child’s natural talent.
3.In the last paragraph, the author implies that ________.
A. the cloned child is viewed as independent
B. parents carefully protect the rights of the cloned child
C. parents are eager to wish the cloned child to be somebody.
D. the right of growing in his own way is taken away from the cloned child
As a boy growing up in India, I had wanted to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.
I have lively memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew. The flight was really smooth and very enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is otherwise scared of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河), it was simply an unforgettable experience. I was in a sombre mood on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me overseas, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today, I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general, for me, has always been a terrible and painful experience. Flying on Lufthansa, however, is something I always have and always will look forward to.
1.What made the author so interested in traveling abroad?
A. Growing up in India.
B. Once traveling to Canada with his father.
C. Once staying in Canada.
D. His father’s stories about his traveling experiences.
2.The underlined word “sombre” in the 4th paragraph probably means “________”.
A. happy B. excited
C. angry D. sad
3.Which of the following is TRUE about the author’s trip to Europe in 1998?
A. Both their going and return were by air.
B. They traveled in the spring that year.
C. The author traveled with one of his parents.
D. They stayed in Europe for nearly two months.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.
A. an airline company B. a city in India
C. a city in Europe D. a travel agency
Have you ever wanted to travel back through time and see what life was like at the beginning of man? Well, museums can make history come alive. And one museum in particular can take you on an exciting journey from the beginning of human culture to the present day.
It is the British Museum. Being one of the largest museums in the world, it is home to over 7 million objects from all the world’s continents. While most of us may not have the chance to visit London, we can catch a glance of the treasures it holds in Beijing. From December 10 to Februry 10, more than 100 cultural relics will be on show in the Palace Museum.
Named “Britain and the World”, a range of pencil sketches, watercolor paintings, sculptures and many other objects have traveled to China.
There are several Chinese objects on show. But “the British Museum got them before 1830 mainly by trade,” said Ma Jige, deputy director of the Exhibition Department of the Palace Museum.
In fact, there are more than 23,000 Chinese relics in the British Museum, including national treasures like gems, artwork and ancient bronze ware objects.
The museum is famous for its exquisite Chinese paintings. Picture of Lady Officials by Gu Kaizhi, a top painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420), is there. The British Museum also holds 13,700 Buddhist records from the Dunhuang Grottoes in Gansu Province.
1.Go to visit the British Museum, and you will ________.
A. travel back to the ancient times
B. make history come alive
C. learn more about human culture
D. have a visit to London
2.We can learn from the article that _________.
A. the British Museum is the largest museum in the world
B. the Palace Museum houses over 7 million objects from all over the world
C. part of the British Museum’s collection is available in the Palace Museum
D. the two museums will be combined into one
3.According to the article, _________ are shown in the exhibition.
A. its exquisite Chinese paintings
B. 13,700 Buddhist records from Dunhuang Grottoes
C. works of Gu Kaizhi, a top painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty,
D. a range of pencil sketches, water color paintings, sculptures and many other objects
4.How many Chinese relics are there in the British Museum?
A. Over 100. B. 13,700.
C. Over 23,000. D. Over 7 million.
Recently, my husband and I had the chance to do something good for two complete strangers. This us feel so good that I felt I had to share our experience.
We were traveling to Mexico for week with our family. I traveled a lot for work, we had enough frequent flier miles (累计飞行里程) and could upgrade (升级) our tickets to class seats. We were sitting in the very first two seats in the first row of first class, the plane to take off. I overheard one of the flight attendants (空乘) telling the others that there was a couple sitting in the of the plane who had just got married the previous day and were heading off on their . They had booked their flight eight months in advance , due to some schedule changes, they had not been able to get together. No one else on the plane was willing to move and the bride (新娘) was .
I turned to my husband and told him what I heard. We immediately and I called the flight attendant over to tell her that we would be happy to our seats to this couple. The flight attendant seemed and amazed and said, “Really? Are you sure” We said, “Of course!”
So we moved to the back of the . I sat in a middle seat part way back and my sat in the window seat in the last row of the plane.
The flight attendants were extremely thankful and good care of us even though we were no longer sitting in first class. We both made friends with the people around us and had a great flight. I had to go back to the front of the plane to pick up a forgotten bag at one point during the . I saw the newlyweds sitting very close together, enjoying champagne (香槟).
It didn’t just make my day—it made my whole Thanksgiving !
1.A. forced B. made C. got D. persuaded
2.A. Christmas B. New Year C. Thanksgiving D. Halloween
3.A. Since B. When C. While D. If
4.A. second B. last C. middle D. first
5.A. watching B. waiting for C. listening to D. observing
6.A. front B. beside C. back D. left
7.A. honeymoon B. holiday C. business D. dream
8.A. and B. or C. but D. therefore
9.A. bags B. seats C. tickets D. wishes
10.A. in tears B. in silence C. in surprise D. in comfort
11.A. agreed B. answered C. replied D. moved
12.A. give out B. give up C. give off D. give in
13.A. shocked B. interested C. tired D. disappointed
14.A. house B. car C. plane D. train
15.A. friend B. husband C. son D. daughter
16.A. made B. turned C. took D. looked
17.A. sitting B. standing C. walking D. talking
18.A. time B. flight C. space D. schedule
19.A. satisfactorily B. shamefully C. terribly D. happily
20.A. week B. day C. month D. year
