Small Talk Might Get You Big Rewards
In many culture, small talk is a big deal. Although it may seem like a pointless conversation to pass the time or avoid awkward silence, it is actually very important for communicating and bonding with others.
According to US inspirational speaker Melissa Wadsworth, “Small talk is about tapping into possibility.” Having good small talk skills is the best way to meet new people, which can lead to friendships, jobs, or other goals. 1.
If small talk is so important, how do you do it? What’s the best way to break the ice and start talking to people? Well, some of the most common topics include the weather, hobbies, work, family and travel.2. It’s easy for people to talk about them.
3. For example, you can talk to your schoolmates about your classes or that teacher who drives everyone crazy. 4. If you’re lucky, you might have a friend introducing you to others firstly to help you start a conversation.
Sometimes, it may seem a bit difficult to start a conversation with someone you don’t know. That’s OK! 5. Wadsworth has the best advice for this: “approach the conversation excited about the friendship, the good laugh, the fascinating story, the job opportunity, the date, the joy or the sense-of-belonging potential inherent (内在的) in this shared experience.”
Small talk might just be the first step to something much bigger.
A. Everyone has this problem sometimes.
B. Another way to start small talk is to comment on your surroundings.
C. These topics are great for small talk because they are valuable.
D. Small talk can also be used for striking up a conversation.
E. Not only that, small talk is shown to boost brainpower by encouraging empathy, making you consider what another person feels or thinks.
F. Nobody would doubt the values of small talk.
G. If you’re at a party, you might comment on the snacks, music, or the number of people there of video games.
The world’s top automakers are increasingly offering more electric vehicle models. This growth is expected to continue, with more people choosing to hit the road with clean-running electric cars.
Environmentalists have praised the automakers for taking major steps to limit harmful pollutants linked to worldwide climate change. But electric vehicles are also known for not producing another kind of pollution - noise. They run on batteries instead of fuel, and can operate in silence.
While many people might consider this a good thing, quiet cars can also cause problems. The main danger is that people around electric vehicles face a greater risk of being hit if they cannot hear the cars coming.
Governments in the United States and Europe have recognized this problem. So, they have set requirements for manufacturers to add warning sounds to electric vehicles.
The U.S.Department of Transportation finalized its rules a year ago. The rules require electric and hybrid (混和能源) vehicles to be equipped with some warning sounds when moving at speeds up to 30 kilometers per hour. The rules are aimed at preventing injuries among people walking or riding bicycles and to protect the blind.
So what kinds of sounds can we expect to hear from the next generation of electric vehicles? One of the easiest solutions would be for carmakers to reproduce the sound a traditional car running on fuel. But many industry officials believe this would be a mistake. They say this would not support the electric vehicle’s true identity.
Frank Welsch, the head of technical development at Volkswagen, said that finding the perfect sound mix is not an easy process. He said. “It cannot be too annoying. It cannot sound like anything we had in the past.”
An official from Mercedes-Benz said the sound was designed to provide a safe warning without annoying passengers inside the vehicle. He said the goal was to create a car that remains completely quiet inside.
It might seem strange to think that part of our automotive future is currently being developed in the same kinds of recording studios used by musicians. But that is exactly what is happening.
1.What’s the main advantages of the electric cars over the traditional cars?
A.Fast and clean.
B.Smart and modern.
C.Inexpensive and fashionable.
D.Limited pollution and no noise.
2.What’s the author’s purpose to write the first two paragraphs?
A.To provide some facts about electric cars.
B.To introduce the topic of the passage.
C.To list the advantages of automobiles.
D.To stress the importance of saving energy.
3.Sounds are added to electric cars to _________.
A.limit pollutants
B.prevent injuries
C.increase sales
D.make cars smarter
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Electric Cars Need Creative Sounds to Replace Engine Noise.
B.Electric Car Sounds Promote Sales to a Large Degree.
C.Recording Studios Will Create Sounds for All Electric cars.
D.Governments Call on People to Design Electric Car Sounds.
In this digital age, people measure their popularity by the number of likes and followers they get on social media. But as it turns out, people are happiest when their friends are high quality - not high quantity.
Scientists from the University of Leeds, UK, studied data from two online surveys of nearly 1,500 people. Those who took the survey gave details about their age, social interactions, and how satisfied they were with their social lives. The researchers found that those who had a small number of close friends generally tended to be happier than those who had a large number of superficial (关系浅表的) friends.
“Loneliness has less to do with the number of friends you have, and more to do with how you feel about your friends,” said Wandi Bruine de Bruin, one of the researchers.
Bruine de Bruin found that older people tended to have smaller social circles than young people, but the people in these circles tended to be closer to them.
Younger people, on the other hand, tended to have bigger circles that were made up of “peripheral (次要的) others” - people who are not true friends, but just people they know. These people had no influence on the happiness of the younger surveyed.
The results of the study show that the prejudice society has about old people being sad and lonely might not be accurate.
“The research shows that older adults’ smaller networks didn’t undermine (破坏) social satisfaction and well-being. In fact, older adults tend to report better well-being than younger adults,” said Bruine de Bruin.
1.According to the study, people are likely to be happier when they .
A.have a lot of followers on social media
B.are satisfied with their work and lives
C.make friends with people who are older
D.have a small circle of people who understand them well
2.What do we know from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
A.Older people’s friends seem to be of higher quality.
B.Young people don't need to make peripheral friends.
C.Older people's happiness has nothing to do with their friends.
D.Both old and young people find it hard to make close friends.
3.Which word might Bruine de Bruin use to describe older adults?
A.Superficial. B.Happy.
C.Lonely. D.Sad.
4.What is the main topic of the passage?
A.Different types of friends.
B.Changes in people's happiness levels.
C.The relationship between happiness and number of friends.
D.Interactions between old and young people.
Scientific research depends on far-sighted people who can think outside the box. Such research is key to our understanding of the universe, the development of physical science, and our ability to enjoy world-changing technology products.
One such far-sighted people is John B. Goodenough, now 97, who developed the lithium-ion battery (锂离子电池) in the 1970s. Now, decades after his important breakthrough, Goodenough enters history as the winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry of 2019. He shares the award with Akira Yoshino, 71, and M Stanley Whittingham, 77, who co-created the battery with Goodenough at the University of Oxford.
“Through their work, they have created the right conditions for wireless and fossil fuel-free society, and brought the greatest benefit to humankind,” said the Nobel Foundation.
Yet despite this rechargeable battery benefiting billions of people around the world every day, we too often take science for granted.
Indeed, the Nobel Committee - and even Goodenough himself - hadn’t seemed to appreciate the impact his research would have on future generation. “At the time we developed the battery, it was just something to do,” Goodenough told the Times Newspaper earlier this year. “I didn’t know what electrical engineers would do with the battery. I really didn’t anticipate cellphones, camera and everything else.”
As many have agreed - and Goodenough shows - the science of today is the technology of tomorrow. Goodenough’s invention is evidence of imagination being put to work for the greater good. For that, his research is good enough at last.
1.Why does Goodenough enter history?
A.Because he is the oldest man in the world.
B.Because he is a famous scientist.
C.Because he has won the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
D.Because he worked with other scientists.
2.The underlined word “anticipate” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to _________.
A.show B.instruct C.expect D.invent
3.What can we learn from the text?
A.Goodenough’s invention has benefited human beings a lot.
B.Most people don’t take science for granted.
C.Goodenough discovered the lithium-ion battery in the1970s.
D.The Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2019 is awarded to Goodenough alone.
4.What would this passage most probably be?
A.story. B.An advertisement. C.A biography. D.A news report.
Tutors Wanted: Math/ Science/Humanities +Test Prep
Job Posted: 2 days ago
Wage: $27-30 per hour
Job Type: Part time
Schedule: Afternoons, evenings, weekdays, weekends
Job Description:
We’re looking for tutors to join us before the next school year starts.
Our ideal candidate (候选人) will be able to assist middle and high school students with test preparation and academic work in math, science and or humanities.
We’ll pay for your training before this fall and can also offer flexible summer tutoring opportunities .
Once our fall semester starts on August 21, we’ll have even higher demand for tutoring sessions on Sundays from 12-8 pm as well as from 3-9 pm Monday-Thursday.
What we offer:
* Flexible scheduling. Tutors work from 15 to 30+hours per week depending on availability and student demand.
* Free Sunday dinners during the academic year.
* Health insurance reimbursement(报销) for staff working over 30 hours per week.
* We are five minutes’ walking distance from the Menlo Park Caltrain station.
Applicants must:
* Be able to show mastery of the subjects they tutor.
* Be willing to tutor students through the full academic year.
Application instructions:
* Email us your resume.
* Tell us why you want to join Academic trainers and describe your experience of tutoring students (if you have any).
* Tell us which of the subjects you are able to tutor-Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities, or Foreign Language.
1.Which period of time needs the most tutors during the academic year?
A.Sunday afternoons and evenings. B.Weekday mornings.
C.Friday afternoons and evenings. D.Saturday and Sunday mornings.
2.A tutor who works more than 30 hours per week can enjoy _________.
A.free job training while working
B.free lunches and dinners during the academic year
C.health insurance reimbursement
D.a house near Menlo Park Caltratrain station
3.According to the text, the ideal candidate _________.
A.will work every evening throughout the academic year
B.is good at one of the academic subjects mentioned
C.has the opportunity to become a full-time tutor
D.must have previous tutoring experience
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友 Peter 在中国留学，邀请你下周去他们学校参加俱乐部文化交流活动，但你因故不得不谢绝。请根据下面要点用英语写一封信，内容包括：
1. 谢绝邀请及理由；
2. 推荐朋友李明参加，并说明原因。
注意：
1. 词数 100 左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Peter,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
