How to Make Small Talk
Meeting new people is hard! Small talk is a great way to break the ice when you're talking to someone you don't know well.Being able to make small talk will in many situations lead to more productive conversations and open you to new friendships and relationships.1.
Give a friendly greeting.
If you're seeing someone you already know，just say hello and greet her by her name：“Hi，Jen，it's good to see you.” This is simple and direct and lets the person know you're excited to talk.2. Just say，“Hi，I'm Marla，what's your name？” Repeat the person's name when she tells it to you，and she'll feel more special.
3.
Conversations are just as much about an exchange of energy as an exchange of information.To make great conversation and great small talk，you should keep things light，fun，and positive.If you're optimistic，get ready to smile at a moment's notice，and laugh over things that aren't that funny.4.
Open up but not too much.
By the end of the conversation，you could reveal something more about yourself，however small，whether it's your obsession with your cat，your passion for yoga，or just your thoughts on your favorite band's new album.5. It could make you connect on a deeper level.And this makes the person think you weren't just shooting the breeze.
A．Keep things light and positive.
B．Follow up with a question or statement.
C．Then you'll make the other person want to keep talking to you.
D．You'd better have the person walk away knowing something about you.
E．If you don't know the person，introduce yourself first so you feel more confident.
F．With the following practice，you can become comfortable making small talk with anyone.
G．There's nothing more annoying than talking to a person constantly checking their cellphone.
In 1960，Douglas McGregor developed a leadership theory about organization and management in which he represented two opposing perceptions(看法)about people.He referred to these two perceptions as Theory X and Theory Y．Douglas then arrived at the conclusion that the style of leadership depends on the manager's perception of people.
In Theory X，Douglas summarizes the traditional view of management in a number of characteristic assumptions in which authoritarian(专制的)leadership style，close supervision and the hierarchical principle are the key elements.Theory X starts from the assumption that people are naturally lazy，want to avoid work as much as possible，have no ambition and prefer to be supervised.The authoritarian leadership style is therefore the most appropriate leadership style.The system of rewards and punishments works best for employees.
Douglas starts from the assumption in Theory Y that people have different needs.Theory Y assumes that people are inherently happy to work，they want to exert themselves and they are motivated to pursue objectives.There is no need for the system that involves rewards and punishments.People are prepared to take responsibility for everything they do.People want to use their creativity and they like to take a creative problem solving approach.
The central principle of Theory Y is that of integration：individuals can achieve their own goals by also focusing their efforts on the objectives of the organization they work for.They want to get the most out of their work through satisfaction，appreciation and motivation.Theory Y therefore assumes that control，rewards and punishments are not the only ways to stimulate people.
A democratic leadership style arises on the basis of Theory Y which allows the employees to have a greater say.Encouragement and rewards are used rather than control and supervision.Employees are given an opportunity to develop themselves and put their capabilities to good use.When an organization does not respond to this，employees will start looking for possibilities to explore their skills outside their work.
1.According to Douglas，what mainly determines a manager's working style?
A.What he expects to achieve in work.
B.What his own personality is.
C.What he thinks employees are like.
D.What he is in charge of in a company.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to Theory Y?
A.Employees have the motivation to work and achieve.
B.Rewards should never be involved in work place.
C.Responsible people are always well prepared for work.
D.Creativity will encourage employees to solve problems.
3.What is the biggest difference between the two theories?
A.To control or encourage. B.To reward or punish.
C.To suspect or respect. D.To instruct or follow.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Douglas，Thinker of Management
B.How to Manage Your Employees
C.Douglas' X Y Theory of Management
D.The Roles of Managers and Employees
Athletes who can run several marathons in just months might seem unstoppable.The biggest obstacle，it turns out，is their own bodies.A new study find out for the first time a “ceiling” for endurance activities such as longdistance running and biking.
“Physiologists and athletes alike have long been interested in just how far the human body can push itself.When exercising over a few hours，a wealth of evidence suggests most people max out at about five times their basal metabolic(代谢的)rate(BMR)．How humans use energy during longer endurance activities is another question entirely，”says Herman Pontzer，an evolutionary theorist at Duke University，North Carolina.
Pontzer saw an opportunity to answer that question when Bryce Carlson，an endurance athlete and former biochemist at Purdue University，organized the Race Across the USA in 2015.Runners covered 4，957 kilometers over the course of 20 weeks in a series of marathons stretching from Los Angeles，California，to Washington，D.C.
To find out how many calories the athletes in the study burned，Pontzer，Carlson，and colleagues replaced the normal hydrogen and oxygen in their drinking water with harmless，uncommon isotopes(同位素)of those elements.By chemically tracing how these isotopes flush out in urine，sweat，and breath，scientists can calculate how much carbon dioxide an athlete produces — a measure that directly relates to how many calories they burn.
Pontzer's team then collected energy consumption data over the course of the race to see how many calories they burned per day.They found that whatever the event is，energy consumption leveled off after about 20 days，eventually staying at a steady level at about 2.5 times an athlete's BMR.At that point，the body is burning calories more quickly than it can absorb food and turn it into energy，representing a biologically determined ceiling on human performance.
“It was just one of those moments of discovery that as a scientist you just live for，” Pontzer said.“We ended up plotting out the very limits of human endurance，the envelope for what humans can do.”
1.What does the underlined word “ceiling” in the first paragraph refer to?
A.The weakness of human bodies.
B.The effect of lasting exercise.
C.The way humans use energy.
D.The limit of human endurance.
2.Which of the following is a direct measure of an athlete's energy consumption?
A.The hydrogen and oxygen in their drinking water.
B.The carbon dioxide their bodies create.
C.The amount of their urine，sweat and breath.
D.The remaining isotopes in their body.
3.What is the purpose of Pontzer's study?
A.To confirm that an athlete's physical extreme is mainly determined by his BMR.
B.To compare human limits in common exercise with those in endurance activities.
C.To find out where the highest energy consumption of an athlete lies.
D.To set a reasonable standard for researches concerned with human body
4.How did Pontzer feel when their study results came out?
A.Excited. B.Regretful.
C.Surprised. D.Hopeful.
I've had many wonderful holidays，but my favorite memory is that of a few summer weeks spent in Italy when I was about 13.My mom had to go to a clinic there for treatment，and we all went together as a family and took the opportunity to have a beautiful vacation as well.It was the first time abroad for me and it was a vacation that broadened my perspective，taught me a lot，and helped shape a bit of who I am today.
Although we did visit many famous places in northern Italy，we stayed mostly in a little town where some friends of my parents lived.Nothing helped me understand Italian culture better than my stay in this picturesque，almost magical town that many haven't even heard of.
Thanks to the holiday spent in Italy，I，quite a shallow girl，also discovered my passion for music，which stayed alive in me to this day and will probably stay forever.My parents' friends had a son，Ricardo，who was a pianist.Dad had repeatedly but unsuccessfully tried to make me study an instrument and stick to it.However，when I heard Ricardo play，I instantly fell in love with music and felt a great desire to learn it.Ricardo taught me the first song I ever played on the piano，a silly，playful little tune that I still know by heart.
We took a short trip to the Italian Alps at some point.I had never seen such majestic beauty before! The snowcovered peaks，the intimidating rocks，the fresh，harsh air — what an experience! And what I remember impressed me the most was the fact that，although this was a popular touristic area，the region was incredibly clean，still “natural”，with places that seemed to never have been touched by humans.Then，the shallow teen that I was learned what a real treasure nature is and how important it is to protect it.
1.What was the main purpose for the author and her family to go to Italy?
A.To cure the author's mother of her illness.
B.To have a family reunion while travelling.
C.To broaden and shape the author's perspective.
D.To experience and learn from another culture.
2.What contributed to the author's passion for music?
A.Her father's instructions.
B.Ricardo's performance.
C.The piano she played on.
D.The local music culture.
3.The trip to the Italian Alps helped the author learn to ________．
A.stick to her own passion
B.balance between cultures
C.get rid of her shallowness
D.cherish and protect nature
4.What would be the best title of the text?
A.My Favorite Holiday Memory
B.A Trip Shaping My Personality
C.Lessons from a Foreign Culture
D.My Passion for Music and Nature
Airport Duty Manager Wanted
Salary：$61，016.28－$103，727.52 Annually
Location：TX 78216，TX
Job Type：FullTime
Department：Aviation
Closing：9/30/2018 11：59 PM Central
Job Requirements：
• Bachelor's Degree from an officially approved college or university.
• Five years of professional experience in the operations of commercial service airports，airport security，or related experience，including three years of supervisory experience.
• Valid Class “C” Texas Driver's License.
• Must maintain federally required security clearance to work at an airport at all times.
Applicant Information：
• If selected for this position，official transcripts，diplomas，certifications and licenses must be submitted at the time of processing.
• If selected for this position，information concerning employment history related to the qualifications of the position will be needed for employment confirmation.
• Unless otherwise stated，applicants are permitted to replace one year of higher education with two years of related fulltime experience in order to meet the minimum requirements of the job.
• Applicants selected for this position must receive satisfactory results from preemployment drug testing and background checks.
Benefits：
The City of San Antonio(CoSA)aims to provide a competitive compensation and benefit package to attract and keep a highly skilled workforce.To accomplish this，CoSA offers free health care benefits for active and retired employees，paid disability benefits，paid life insurance，as well as automatic participation in a pension program.
For more detailed information，please contact us.
Address：Human Resources Department，San Antonio，Texas，78205
Phone：2102078705
Website：http：∥www.sanantonio.gov/HR/CareerCenter.aspx
1.Which of the following is NOT a requirement for the applicants?
A.Bachelor's Degree.
B.Commercial talent.
C.Driver's License.
D.Security clearance.
2.Which requirement for the selected applicants is flexible?
A.Official documents confirming one's personal information.
B.Employment history related to required qualifications.
C.Education level that is required for the position.
D.Preemployment drug testing and background checks.
3.What can we know about CoSA's employee benefits policy?
A.Only highly skilled employees are provided with benefits.
B.Disability benefits and life insurance are offered for free.
C.Retired workers still enjoy free health care benefits.
D.Employees get benefits based on their working experience.
假定你是李华，你的英国笔友Bob在英语学习上给了你很多帮助。他上周发来电子邮件，询问你现在的英语学习情况。请你用英文给他写一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 感谢帮助；
2. 英语学习的进步；
3. 目前面临的问题。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Bob,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
