Many of us spend part of each day surrounded by strangers, whether on our daily commute (上下班往返), or sitting in park or cafe. But most of them remain just that-strangers. However, new evidence has shown that plucking up (鼓起) the courage to strike up conversation might be good for our health.
Nicholas Epley from the University of Chicago and Juliana Schroeder from the University of California are behavioural scientists. They wanted to know whether solitude is a more positive experience than interacting with strangers, or if people misunderstand the consequences of distant social connections. They found that many people feel uncomfortable and frightened talking to others and their research suggested that when we make an initial conversation “we consistently underestimate (低估) how much a new person likes us.” It seems we think that all the things could go wrong and why someone wouldn’t want to talk with us.
Their research involved an experiment with a group of Chicago commuters and found that “every participant in our experiment who actually tried to talk to a stranger found the person sitting next to them was happy to chat.” From this and other research, the conclusion is that connecting with strangers is surprisingly pleasant and it has a positive impact on our wellbeing. It’s true that talking can make you feel happier and happiness can lead to better mental health.
However, if you’re’ an introvert (性格内向者), the thought of speaking to someone new might make you anxious. But the American research found “both extroverts (性格外向者) and introverts are happier when they are asked to behave in an extroverted manner.” So maybe, if you’re a loner, it’s time to come out of your shell and make some small talk with a stranger-it could be the beginning of a new friendship.
1.What does the underlined word“solitude”in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Being calm. B.Being pleasant. C.Being alone. D.Being healthy.
2.Why might we not want to speak to a stranger?
A.Because we don’t trust a new person.
B.Because we can’t find a common topic.
C.Because we like distant social connections.
D.Because we carry a negative voice in our head.
3.What could help start a new friendship?
A.Making a small talk. B.Sitting next to a stranger.
C.Sharing personal details. D.Behaving in polite manner.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A.How to be an extrovert. B.Talking to strangers.
C.How to speak to strangers. D.Making new friends.
Growing up in Venezuela, there was never really much cause to learn English. For years I knew nothing but “hello,” until I started high school. For five years, I spent two hours a week in understanding the verb “to be”, numbers, colors and the difference between saying “good evening” and “good night”.
I thought two hours a week was enough time to invest in learning a foreign language. I would always get top marks, and my teachers would regularly praise me. Even as an adult, I still thought I spoke the language, just by understanding English menus or translating common phrases.
Yep, that used to be me, walking like a queen among everyday Spanish speakers.
“Bring it on, life,” I said. “I can handle whatever you’ve got; I’m a rock star.” But when I moved to Canada, life hit me so hard that it knocked me down. Years later, I am still recovering. Living in a new land, with different people, new rules, new weather, a new culture and language, I was no long a queen.
Did I speak English? No, not at all.
So, I went back to school, thinking that it was a challenge would conquer. But the reality was different. English was more like a solid wall in my path. Even after getting job, it took all my courage to stop myself from hiding in the washroom during my lunch break, crying, completely overwhelmed (不知所措的) and scared Learning English, speaking, listening-it hurt me. Not the language. Not the unkind people, it hurt because I wasn’t good, despite my efforts.
Now, after almost seven years in Canada I’ve decided not to apologize for my accent, grammar mistakes, or pronunciation. I’m going to chase my dreams and enjoy beautiful, rich, and fascinating language without being ashamed. Don’t get me wrong, my brain still screams “Give a break!” from time to time, but that’s completely natural. I know it’s going to take a while, but at least now I accept the person I am-not the perfect person I thought I was.
1.What do we learn about learning English in Venezuela?
A.Everyone invested a lot of time in it. B.It didn’t cost students much efforts.
C.The standard was very high in high school. D.It could bring lot of benefits to students.
2.What happened after the author moved to Canada?
A.She adjusted to the new environment. B.She regretted not working hard in English.
C.She put her language talent to use. D.She expected to improve her English.
3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.The author has a realistic understanding of herself.
B.The author has conquered English eventually.
C.The author now can pass as a native speaker.
D.The author is disappointed with her English.
Towers Worth Visiting in Sanya
The sightseeing tower in East Coast Wetland Park in Sanya, South China’s Hainan province, boasts six floors and is 21 meters high, which is able to provide visitors a bird’s-eye view of the park. The tower’s walls are full of holes of various sizes, allowing visitors to enjoy different views of landscapes as they climb the staircase to the top of the tower.
The watchtower on the mountaintop of Linchunling Forest Park is an ideal place to get a bird’s-eye view of Sanya. It has five floors and is 195.6 meters high. Modeled like an ancient pavilion (亭), the tower is painted in red and has been praised for its beauty.
The Tower of the Silk Road in the fishing port in Sanya’s Yazhou district is the tallest lighthouse in China, with a height of 95 meters. Sanya had been an important part of the ancient Maritime (海洋) Silk Road. The tower was built in the shape of Zun, type of Chinese wine cup.
Built during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng (831-1861), Yingwang Tower in Sanya has seven floors and is about 15 meters high. Its name bears the meaning of talents thriving due to prosperous education. Located at the bank of the Ningyuan River,the tower is the only surviving ancient tower in the city.
1.Which tower provides the whole view of Sanya?
A.The tower in East Coast Wetland Park.
B.The Tower of the Silk Road.
C.The watchtower in Linchunling Forest Park.
D.Yingwang Tower.
2.What is special about The Tower of the Silk Road?
A.The tallest tower in Sanya. B.The function as lighthouse.
C.The only surviving ancient tower. D.The bird’s-eye view of the port.
3.Where is the text probably from?
A.A guidebook. B.A dictionary. C.A news report. D.A book review.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold. Try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.
Ever since his father passed away three years ago, the family of five could only live on his mother’s small wage.
What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. Bobby had three sisters to undertake all the household. All the sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.
It was Christmas Eve already and he had nothing. Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn’t easy being six without a father, especially when he needed man to talk to.
Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. He knew it was time to head home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun’s rays reflecting off of something along the road. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime (10美分). Never before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment. As he held his new found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw.
His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime. He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother’s Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cent offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby’s shoulder and said to him, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.” leaving him waiting alone and afraid.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下画线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下画线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
In a while, out came the shop owner.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Just then, the shop keeper’s wife appeared.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假设你是李华，你的外国朋友Bill初到中国，他看到中国人聚会时常会喝酒，对中国酒文化很感兴趣，写信给你，希望你给他介绍一下。请给他写一封回信，内容包括：
1. 写信目的；
2. 介绍中国的酒文化；
3. 你的建议：饮酒要适量。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Bill,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
In a couple of hours my son Daniel was flying out to France and to spend at least a year learning French in a different culture. It was a ________ for him.
When we were to say goodbye, I looked ________ at his face, attempting to give him good advice. But no sound came over my ________. I stood motionless and silent.
I knew that this wasn’t the ________ time I had let such an opportunity pass me by. On Daniel’s first day in preschool, I followed him to the bus. I hadn’t said a word before he ________ the bus and disappeared. Some ten ________ later, his mother and I drove Daniel to his university. He was ill in bed ________ I wanted to say goodbye. Again the ________ let me down. I only ________ words like “I hope you’re better. Dan.” Then I ________ and left.
Among all those________ there was one I didn’t miss, however. One day, I ________ Dan that he could have traveled around the ________ because I believed that was the best way to ________ a deeper insight into life. Dan thought about it and chose Paris. The night before his ________ for Paris, I lay twisting and turning in bed, ________ what to tell him. But in vain. Maybe, I thought, it wasn’t really ________ after all.
But when I stood ________ Dan, I knew that it really did mean something. My mouth was dry. “Dan,” finally stammered out (结结巴巴地说), “If I had the ________ myself, would have chosen you.” That was all I could say, ________ and commonplace. It was nothing, and yet it was everything.
1.A.holiday B.talent C.milestone D.risk
2.A.closely B.seriously C.elegantly D.dreadfully
3.A.head B.ears C.lips D.mind
4.A.last B.first C.right D.precise
5.A.missed B.braked C.dropped D.boarded
6.A.decades B.years C.days D.hours
7.A.when B.while C.because D.and
8.A.sounds B.words C.comfort D.advice
9.A.declared B.shouted C.interpreted D.uttered
10.A.came to B.rang off C.paid off D.turned around
11.A.opportunities B.assessments C.profits D.outcomes
12.A.reminded B.contradicted C.told D.informed
13.A.city B.world C.country D.countryside
14.A.obtain B.adore C.restore D.resist
15.A.decision B.application C.arrangement D.departure
16.A.leaving alone B.objecting to C.puzzling about D.adjusting to
17.A.practical B.messy C.disgusting D.necessary
18.A.in favor of B.in terms of C.in front of D.in need of
19.A.choice B.money C.status D.privilege
20.A.pure B.clumsy C.fulfilling D.fateful
