Shyness equals (等于) losing opportunities, less pleasure and fewer social connections, but there are ways to make it a thing of the past.
When I was fifteen, I was shy. I remember an attractive girl trying to talk with me. My shyness made me focus on me instead of her. I heard my own voice but not hers and I thought about what I was trying to say instead of what she was trying to say.
To overcome shyness you need to learn to relax. This gives you the space to practice certain conversational skills. Relaxed socializing (社交) is so pleasurable. To start reducing your own shyness, I want you to absorb the following tips and ideas and start to put them into practice.
Focus your attention away from yourself. Notice what other people are wearing and make a mental note, listen to their conversation, imagine where they might live, and make a point of remembering names. Not only does this give you more to talk about, it also reduces social anxiety, leaving you feeling calmer.
Ask people open questions. Many people like to talk about themselves and will find you interesting if you find them interesting. Ask questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” response such as “What do you like about this place?’ rather than “Do you like this place?” Once they have answered, you can use add-on (追加) questions connected with the first such as “What other places do you like in this city?” Next you can express your views. This is a great way to get the conversation going.
Now I love meeting new people and suspect that my current social confidence would be unrecognizable to my fifteen-year-old self.
1. The author didn’t pay attention to what the girl was saying because .
A. her voice was very low
B. he was shy and nervous
C. he was attracted by her appearance
D. he wasn’t interested in her topic
2.To get rid of your shyness, you should .
A. pay much attention to yourself
B. find a beautiful girl to talk with
C. learn to talk to others in a relaxed way
D. ask people some interesting questions
3.It can be inferred from the text that .
A. people will notice our appearance if we focus on their looks
B. shy people will have no friends unless they change themselves
C. shy people may suffer a great deal and may be less happy
D. girls like to show off their voices in front of boys
4.Which of the following questions will the author probably advise us to ask?
A. What a lovely day, isn’t it?
B. Do you like playing basketball?
C. Do you think he will pass the exam?
D. Why do you find that English is hard to learn?
People with many different relationships use small talk. The most common types of people to use small talk are those who do not know each other at all. It is also common for people who are only acquaintances (熟人), often called a “friend of a friend”, to use small talk.
There are certain “safe” topics that people usually make small talk about. The weather is probably the number one thing. Sometimes even friends and family members discuss the weather when they meet or start a conversation. Another topic that is generally “safe” is current events, such as sports news and entertainment news. If there is something that you and the other speaker have in common, that may also be acceptable to talk about. Negative comments about another person not involved in the conversation are not acceptable because you cannot be sure who his friends are when you do not know a person well.
People make small talk just about anywhere. Most often, small talk happens in places where people are waiting for something. For example, you might chat with another person who is waiting for the bus to arrive. Some social events (such as a party) require small talk among guests who do not know each other very well.
The most common time for small talk to happen is the first time you see or meet someone. However, the next time you see each other, you might just smile and say nothing. Do not interrupt two people in order to discuss something unimportant, such as the weather. If someone is reading a book or writing a letter in a waiting room, it is not proper to initiate a conversation either.
1. The third paragraph mainly tells us .
A. how people make small talk
B. people like making small talk
C. why people make small talk
D. where people make small talk
2.What can we learn about small talk according to the text?
A. Small talk only happens between strangers.
B. When people feel lonely, they will start small talk.
C. Unpleasant comments about another person aren’t a “safe” topic.
D. Small talk only happens when people want to make friends.
3.The underlined word “initiate” in the last paragraph probably means “ ”.
A. end B. start C. control D. Avoid
书面表达
假设你是李华，是怀宁中学高二（11）班的学生，将参加学校举行的以“说普通话，写规范字”为主题的演讲比赛。请写一篇演讲稿交给语文老师。
注意：1.须重点突出“说普通话，写规范字”的必要性；
2.词数100左右；
3.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
4.开头已给出，但不计入总词数。
参考词汇：speak Putonghua use correct characters
Boys & girls,
May I have your attention please? My name is Lihua.
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Huaining Middle School, locating in the north of Gaohe town, holds a sports meeting in every one May. We all looked forward to it, for it is a time for us students to reduce stress and it always brings us lots of unforgettable memories. It usually lasts for three days, during whose time we have no classes. All the students go to the playground to watch or joining in games. The part I like most is the relay race. With race going on, our excitement grows. All of them yell out "come on" to the athletes, watching them competing aggressive. The most breathtaking moment is that the athletes are getting to the finishing line. Somebody can tell who is the winner until the last minute.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
The eye doctor instructed her patient to read a chart on the wall. He looked at it and read, “A, B, F, N, L and G．” The doctor turned the light back on and wrote in her notebook.
“How'd I do，Doc？” the patient__1.__(wonder)．
She replied, “Let's put it this way—they're numbers.”
“_2.__Doc，” he argued, “this is the way I see it！”
Much of my happiness or unhappiness is a result of my habit. “This is the way I see it，” I tell_3.__(me)．
I see some problems as challenges that encourage me__4.__(take) action and others as obstacles that stop further progress. It's just the way I see it.
And sometimes I see new situations as fun, and other times I see them as fearful.
My life can be OK if I see it that way, or it can be a major source of stress. And an unexpected thing in my schedule can be a bother or, if I see it that way, __5._(possible) the most important thing I could do that day. Even __6.__embarrassing mistake can be the beginning of a new learning.
One of the greatest__7.__(secret) to my happiness is forgetting that it is not always about what is happening to me—it's __8.__(much) about the way I see it.
Like Marcel Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery__9._ (lie) not in seeking new landscapes, but__10.__having new eyes.” It's the way we see it.
完形填空
请认真阅读下面短文, 从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中, 选出最佳选项。
All things in their being are good for something. A handful of common sticky earth was in the river bank. But it had ______ thoughts of its own value, and wonderful dreams of the great place it was to ______ in the world when the time came for its virtues to be ______ .
But the hard journey was ______ , compared with the suffering after it. The earth was put into a container and mixed and beaten. It seemed almost ______ . But there was ______ in the thought that something very noble was ______ coming out of all this trouble. The earth felt sure that, if it could only wait long enough, a wonderful reward was ______ for it.
Then it was put upon a ______turning wheel, and turned around until it seemed as if it must fly into a thousand pieces. A strange power pressed and molded（塑造） it, and through all the dizziness(头昏眼花) and pain it felt that it was taking a new______ .
Then an unknown hand put it into an oven, and ______ fires were burning about it. But the earth held itself together, in the confidence of a great future.
At last the baking was finished. The clay was ______ upon a board，in the cool air. The suffering was passed. The reward was at hand.
Then the earth saw the reward of all its ______ and pain, – a common flower-pot, straight and ugly. It felt that it was not ______ for a king’s house, nor for a palace of art. Many days it passed in ______ .
But presently it was set in a greenhouse, where the sunlight fell warm upon it, and day by day as it waited, something was changing within it – a new hope. Still it was ______, not knowing what the new hope meant.
But one day the earth was carried into a great church. All the people looked towards it because it carried a royal lily(百合花) as white as snow, which was ______ in its heart. Now it knew what the hope is!
Then the clay was content, because, though an earthen pot, it held so great a treasure.
1.A. deep B. high C. blind D. free
2.A. need B. name C. know D. fill
3.A. discovered B. developed C. praised D. obtained
4.A. in B. over C. across D. through
5.A. satisfied B. thrilled C. discouraged D. confused
6.A. correct B. narrow C. rough D. straight
7.A. anything B. everything C. something D. nothing
8.A. unbearable B. unconvincing C. unavoidable D. unaccustomed
9.A. anxiety B. comfort C. sympathy D. despair
10.A. possibly B. certainly C. immediately D. easily
11.A. in use B. in time C. in store D. in need
12.A. swiftly B. steadily C. gently D. slowly
13.A. place B. direction C. function D. form
14.A. dangerous B. fierce C. evil D. destructive
15.A. set down B. set out C. set about D. set off
16.A. value B. patience C. trust D. complaint
17.A. intended B. qualified C. allowed D. presented
18.A. peace B. passion C. depression D. harmony
19.A. conscious B. optimistic C. innocent D. ignorant
20.A. mixed B. fixed C. rooted D. buried
