We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,”he explains. “The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,”he says.
1.What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?
A. Addiction to smartphones.
B. Impatience with slow service.
C. Inappropriate behaviours in public places.
D. Absence of communication between strangers.
2.What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?
A. Showing good manners. B. Focusing on a topic.
C. Relating to other people. D. Making business deals.
3.What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?
A. It improves family relationships. B. It makes people feel good.
C. It matters as much as a formal talk. D. It raises people’s confidence.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Benefits of Small Talk B. Ways of Making Small Talk
C. Conversation Counts D. Uncomfortable Silence
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
We’ve all been there: in a lift, in line at the bank or on an airplane, surrounded by people who are, like us, deeply focused on their smartphones or, worse, struggling with the uncomfortable silence.
What’s the problem? It’s possible that we all have compromised conversational intelligence. It’s more likely that none of us start a conversation because it’s awkward and challenging, or we think it’s annoying and unnecessary. But the next time you find yourself among strangers, consider that small talk is worth the trouble. Experts say it’s an invaluable social practice that results in big benefits.
Dismissing small talk as unimportant is easy, but we can’t forget that deep relationships wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for casual conversation. Small talk is the grease(润滑剂) for social communication, says Bernardo Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast. “Almost every great love story and each big business deal begins with small talk,”he explains. “The key to successful small talk is learning how to connect with others, not just communicate with them.”
In a 2014 study, Elizabeth Dunn, associate professor of psychology at UBC, invited people on their way into a coffee shop. One group was asked to seek out an interaction(互动) with its waiter; the other, to speak only when necessary. The results showed that those who chatted with their server reported significantly higher positive feelings and a better coffee shop experience. “It’s not that talking to the waiter is better than talking to your husband,” says Dunn. “But interactions with peripheral(边缘的) members of our social network matter for our well-being also.”
Dunn believes that people who reach out to strangers feel a significantly greater sense of belonging, a bond with others. Carducci believes developing such a sense of belonging starts with small talk. “Small talk is the basis of good manners,”he says.
1.What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?
A. Addiction to smartphones.
B. Impatience with slow service.
C. Inappropriate behaviours in public places.
D. Absence of communication between strangers.
2.What is important for successful small talk according to Carducci?
A. Showing good manners. B. Focusing on a topic.
C. Relating to other people. D. Making business deals.
3.What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk?
A. It improves family relationships. B. It makes people feel good.
C. It matters as much as a formal talk. D. It raises people’s confidence.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Benefits of Small Talk B. Ways of Making Small Talk
C. Conversation Counts D. Uncomfortable Silence
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
We’ve all been there - when lining up at the supermarket checkout counter, the lines next to us always seem to be moving faster than the one we are standing in. Recently a report by The New York Times looked into the math and psychology of queuing. 1., either in a supermarket, a bank or anywhere else.
Study the customers
It’s important to know who the customers are. For example, if they are elderly people, they are more likely to move slower. 2.. For example, four bottles of the same milk will go faster than four different items.
3.
US mathematician Dan Meyer believes that a cart full of items doesn’t tell the whole story. “Every person needs a fixed amount of time to say hello, pay, say goodbye and leave,” he said. And that amount of time is about 4l seconds per person. 4..
This means if there are five people ahead of you, each with 10 items in their carts, the waiting time will be 355 seconds. But if there is only one person ahead of you, with 50 items in the cart, the waiting time is 191 seconds. You do the math.
Go left
According to US science writer Robert Samuel, around 90 percent of people are right-handed. 5. So heading to the left will give you a better chance of finding a faster line.
A. Be patient
B. Pick someone with a full cart
C. The items in their carts are also important
D. Each item in the cart only takes 3 seconds
E. It also gave tips on how to pick the fastest line
F. That means they will naturally choose lines on the right
G. How many people are ahead of you is one thing, and who they are is another
高二英语七选五简单题查看答案及解析
"Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you?" asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh. "There is certainly a lot of energy in waves," he said.
Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity. Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. "The wind starts out by making little ripples (涟漪), but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves," Taylor said. "Waves are one of nature's ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey."
When waves come toward the shore, people can set up darns to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮机). The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity.
"The resource is huge," said Janet Swain of the World-watch Institute. "We will never run out of wave power." Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal. Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth's surface - that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.
Swain said that wave power still costs too much money. She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown. What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic.
Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out. "Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world," Swain said. In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
1. The writer uses the two questions at the beginning of the passage to ______.
A. test the readers' knowledge about waves B. draw the readers' attention to the topic
C. show Jamie Taylor's importance D. invite the readers to answer them
2. The underlined phrase "picking up" (Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to ______.
A. starting again B. speeding up C. gathering D. improving
3. We can make better use of wave energy if we ______.
A. shorten its journey to thousands of homes
B. build more small power stations on the oceans
C. reduce the cost of turning it into electric power
D. quicken the steps of producing electricity
4. It can be inferred(推论) that some day we might not worry about ______.
A. air pollution B. our boat traffic C. our power supply D. our supply of sea fish
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
The workers in Australian Air Line had been on strike for two weeks. At last they had their pay _______.
A. raised B. raising C. risen D. rising
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
We have been driving in fog all morning, but the fog is lifting now. The little seaside villages are _______, one by one. “There is my grandmother’s house,” I say, _______ across the bay to a shabby old house.
I am in Nova Scotia on a pilgrimage(朝圣) with Lisa, my granddaughter, seeking roots for her, retracing(追溯) _______ memory for me. Lisa was one of the mobile children, _______ from house to house in childhood. She longs for a sense of _______, and so we have come to Nova Scotia where my husband and I were born and where our ancestors _______ for 200 years.
We soon _______ by the house and I tell her what it was like here, the memories _______ back, swift as the tide (潮水).
Suddenly, I long to walk again in the _______ where I was once so gloriously a child. It still ________ a member of the family, but has not been lived in for a while. We cannot go into the house, but I can still walk ________ the rooms in memory. Here, my mother ________ in her bedroom window and wrote in her diary. I can still see the enthusiastic family ________ into and out of the house. I could never have enough of being ________ them. However, that was long after those childhood days. Lisa ________ attentively as I talk and then says, “So this is where I ________; where I belong.”
She has ________ her roots. To know where I come from is one of the great longings of the human ________. To be rooted is “to have an origin”. We need ________ origin. Looking backward, we discover what is unique in us; learn the ________ of “I”. We must all go home again—in reality or memory.
1.A. appearing B. moving C. exposing D. expanding
2.A. referring B. travelling C. pointing D. coming
3.A. shared B. short C. fresh D. treasured
4.A. passed B. raised C. moved D. sent
5.A. home B. duty C. reality D. relief
6.A. built B. lived C. remained D. explored
7.A. catch up B. pull up C. live on D. settle down
8.A. falling B. turning C. rushing D. taking
9.A. yard B. village C. room D. house
10.A. adapts to B. appeals to C. belongs to D. occurs to
11.A. across B. through C. along D. past
12.A. lay B. played C. stood D. sat
13.A. marching B. looking C. breaking D. pouring
14.A. between B. with C. near D. behind
15.A. wonders B. listens C. reacts D. agrees
16.A. began B. grew C. studied D. stayed
17.A. deepened B. recognized C. accepted D. found
18.A. heart B. rights C. interest D. behaviors
19.A. one B. its C. that D. every
20.A. meaning B. expression C. connection D. background
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
We have been driving in fog all morning, but the fog is lifting now. The little seaside villages are , one by one. “There is my grandmother's house,” I say, pointing across the bay to a old house.
I am in Nova Scotia on a pilgrimage (朝圣) with Lise, my granddaughter, seeking roots for her and retracing (追溯) memory for me. Lise was one of the children, moved from house to house in childhood. She longs for a sense of , and so we have come to Nova Scotia where my husband and I were born and where our ancestors for 200 years.
We soon by the house and I tell her what it was like here, the memories rushing back, swift as the tide.
Suddenly, I long to walk again in the where I was once so gloriously a child. It is still owned by a member of the family, but has not been lived in for a while. We cannot go into the house, but I can still walk through the rooms in memory. Here, my mother in her bedroom window and wrote in her diary. I can still see the enthusiastic family into and out of the house. I could never have enough of being with them. However, that was long after those childhood days. Lise attentively as I talk and then says, “So this is where I began; where I belong.”
She has her roots. To know where I come from is one of the great longings of the human . To be rooted is “to have an origin”. We need that origin. Looking backward, we discover what is unique in us; learn the of “I”. We must all go home again—in reality or .
1.A. appearing B. moving C. exposing D. expanding
2.A. haunted B. shabby C. fancy D. modern
3.A. shared B. short C. fresh D. treasured
4.A. gossip B. flexible C. mobile D. skillful
5.A. home B. duty C. reality D. relief
6.A. built B. lived C. remained D. explored
7.A. catch up B. pull up C. step down D. come down
8.A. yard B. village C. room D. house
9.A. lay B. played C. sat D. stood
10.A. marching B. looking C. breaking D. pouring
11.A. wonders B. listens C. reacts D. agrees
12.A. deepened B. recognized C. accepted D. found
13.A. heart B. rights C. interest D. behaviors
14.A. meaning B. expression C. connection D. background
15.A. theory B. dream C. memory D. fiction
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Standing in line for the latest iPhone at the Apple store, queueing for tickets to Wimbledon or even just waiting at the post office might just have got a lot easier. Japanese car-maker Nissan (尼桑)claims to have just the thing to relieve the sore(酸痛的) legs of tired queuers.
The new system of “self-driving” chairs is designed to detect when someone at the front of the queue is called, and automatically move everyone else one step forward in line. The new invention is shown off in a company video, which shows a busy restaurant with customers waiting outside.
In the video, diners are sitting in a row of chairs, but will not have to stand when the next hungry diner is called to a table. Instead, the chairs, equipped with autonomous technology that detects the seat ahead, move along a path toward the front of the line. When the person at the front of the queue is called, the empty chair at the front can sense it is empty and so moves out of pole position. Cameras on the remaining chairs then sense the movement and follow automatically.
The system, which is similar to the kind used in Nissan’s autonomous vehicle technology, will be tested at selected restaurants in Japan this year. Nissan said. “It appeals to anyone who has queued for hours outside a crowded restaurant: it eliminates the boredom and physical pain of standing in line,” Nissan added.
Although Tokyo has some 160,000 restaurants, long queues are not uncommon. Chosen restaurants that meet the criteria will be able to show the chairs outside their restaurant next year. Nissan also released a short video showing the chairs being used in an art gallery, moving slowly in front of the various paintings to let viewers appreciate the art without the need to stand up.
1.What can we know about the “self-driving” chairs from the text?
A. They are in hot demand like iPhone.
B. They are intended for queueing diners.
C. They are the invention of a car company.
D. They are completely different from vehicle technology.
2.What enables the chairs to detect the seat ahead?
A. Pole position. B. Autonomous technology.
C. Cameras equipped on them. D. Sensors equipped along the path.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “eliminates” in Paragraph 4?
A. Steals. B. Reduces. C. Removes. D. Hides.
4.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A. Queueing is a rare scene outside Japanese restaurants.
B. “Self-driving” chairs are the most useful in art galleries.
C. Japanese people prefer eating in restaurants to at home.
D. “Self-driving” chairs haven’t been in official use in restaurants.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Standing in line is a pain. At the post office. At the box office. At a restaurant. But on Black Friday, it’s an experience.
The first spot outside some Best Buy stores is usually claimed weeks before Black Friday, often by a person in a tent. Shoppers at Walmart will print out maps of the store, with circles around their primary targets. Someone, somewhere, will try to cut in line at a Target, arousing the anger of the people who played it fair.
At risk are both bargains and bragging rights, turning what would otherwise be a miserable experience into an adventure.
“These queues are quite different than the usual annoying ones we encounter day to day at the A.T.M. or in the subway,”said Richard Larson, a professor at M.I.T. who has spent years studying line behavior.
Professor Larson, whose nickname in academic circles is Dr. Queue, said he would never wait in a line on Black Friday himself. The lines, he said, are“once a year, they’re exciting. They’re the kind you might tell your grandchildren about.”
Lines test patience, personal space and principles of fairness and rationality, especially on Black Friday, when the crowds can be overwhelming. Still, the promise of a once-a-year score draws shoppers to queues that start before sunrise—or in some cases, the night before.
J. Jeffrey Inman, a veteran of Black Friday lines and president of the Society for Consumer Psychology, said that many families treat the hours long experience as a bonding ritual and a cherished tradition.
“It’s not something unimportant,”said Mr. Inman, who is also a professor of marketing at the University of Pittsburgh.“And there’s this layer of competition to it, with people edging forward, because there are only so many of those big screen TVs inside the door.”
People may actually gravitate toward longer lines, so they can feel a greater sense of accomplishment once they finally make a purchase. Professor Larson said,“Even if they don’t know what the line is for, they reason that whatever’s at the end of it must be fantastically valuable.”
1.From the second paragraph, we can learn that _______.
A.people in Target are most likely to cut in line
B.shops will hand out store maps to shoppers
C.shoppers dislike queuing well in advance
D.queuing for Black Friday is common
2.Which of the following statements is J. Jeffrey Inman most likely to agree with?
A.Shoppers stand in line to enjoy the pleasure of bargaining with salespeople.
B.People feel like winning if they get something after queuing for some time.
C.Standing in line on Black Friday is not an exciting experience for some people.
D.Grandchildren like hearing grandparents talking about their experience of queuing.
3.The phrase“gravitate toward”is closest in meaning to ______.
A.turn a blind eye to B.be attracted by
C.pick up bargains in D.be cheated by
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.Why Stand in Line on Black Friday?
B.Fairness: Key to Consumer Psychology
C.Standing in Line Is a Pain, Says Professors
D.Black Friday is Getting Increasingly Valuable
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I’m not going to put myself _____ the bank.
A. at the mercy of B. apart from
C. all the time D. in the history of
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
A few weeks ago I was at the comer store, and there stood an old lady in front of me in line. She seemed very ______ when the cashier asked her to pay $ 38.00. She had about $ 5.00 in her wallet, and she began to ______. The cashier became very ______, telling her that she cannot buy these ______ because she didn’t have enough money. So, I told the cashier not to ______ it, and that I would ______ the difference. The cashier gave me a funny look,______ I really felt for this woman.
Anyway, I paid for my groceries and ______ the store. When I got outside, I saw the lady standing there. I asked her what was ______. She said that she could not remember where she lived, and she began to cry again. I said some names of the ______ around the area but she had no clue (线索). Just then, a car ______ and a woman jumped out of the car. It was this lady’s daughter. I ______ that her mother couldn’t find her way home. The daughter told me that she had Alzheimer’s disease (阿尔茨海默病) and that she had been ______ off a lot lately. Then the daughter ______ that her mother had 3 - bags of groceries and wondered ______ she got the money to pay for them. I was not ______ if I should tell her that I paid for them, but I did.
The daughter wanted to pay me back, but I ______. The daughter said “Thank you” and I said “Good bye”.
I felt so ______ and happy right through the day, because making others feel ______ makes me feel good. I know that if this ______ happened again, I would do the same thing.
1.A. excited B. puzzled C. disappointed D. convinced
2.A. cry B. bargain C. argue D. interrupt
3.A. unfair B. uncomfortable C. impatient D. impossible
4.A. diets B. programmes C. details D. items
5.A. ask for B. worry about C. charge D. order
6.A. make B. judge C. pay D. measure
7.A. so B. and C. therefore D. but
8.A. entered B. searched C. left D. closed
9.A. wrong B. matter C. happened D. problem
10.A. goods B. streets C. suggestions D. solutions
11.A. drove out B. pulled down C. drove off D. pulled up
12.A. responded B. explained C. described D. recommended
13.A. travelling B. racing C. wandering D. wondering
14.A. watched B. noticed C. collected D. returned
15.A. why B. where C. when D. whether
16.A. doubtful B. urgent C. jealous D. sure
17.A. refused B. appreciated C. denied D. ignored
18.A. anxious B. pleased C. interested D. relaxed
19.A. well B. content C. good D. proud
20.A. situation B. condition C. surrounding D. experience
高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析