Security guard, truck driver, salesperson—year after year, these jobs appear on lists of the unhappiest careers. Although many factors can make a job unhappy, unusual hours, low pay, no chance for advancement — these three gigs stand out for another reason: a lack of small talk.

Psychologists have long said that connecting with others is central to well-being, but just how much conversation we require is under investigation. In one study, researchers eavesdropped(竊聽) on undergraduates for four days, then cataloged each overheard conversation as either small talk (What do you have there? Popcorn?(Yummy!) or serious (So did they get divorced soon after?). They found that the second type related with happiness—the happiest students had roughly twice as many serious talks as the unhappiest ones. Small talk, meanwhile, made up only 10 percent of their conversation, versus almost 30 percent of conversation among the least content students.

However, don't just consider chat worthless yet. Scientists believe that small talk could promote linking. Chatting with strangers could brighten your morning. In a series of experiments, psychologists gave Chicago travelers varying directions about whether to talk with fellow train passengers something they typically avoided. Those told to chat with others reported a more pleasant journey than those told to enjoy your being alone or to do whatever they normally would. None of the chatters reported being rejected. And the results held for introverts(內(nèi)向者) and extroverts(外向者) alike which makes sense, since acting extroverted has a positive effect on introverts.

Small talk can also help us feel connected to our surroundings. People who smiled at, made eye contact with, and briefly spoke with their Starbucks reported a greater sense of belonging than those who rushed through the business. Similarly, one not yet published paper found that when volunteers broke the silence of the Tate Modern to chat with gallery goers, the visitors felt happier and more connected to the exhibit than those who were not approached.

So go ahead, pry. Chitchat needn’t be idle. And nosiness isn’t all bad.

1.The author attributes the unhappiness felt by security guards, truck drivers and sales people to ________.

A. unusual hours and low pay

B. a lack of small talk

C. no chance for advancement

D. an absence of serious conversation

2.What was the conclusion of the study mentioned in the second paragraph?

A．Connecting with others is central to our well-being.

B．We require 30 minutes of conversation every day to be happy.

C．Serious conversation is linked to happiness.

D．Small talk cannot help make us feel happy.

3.The author used the Tate Modern example to demonstrate that ________.

A. connecting with others is key to our happiness

B. unserious conversation could promote bonding

C. small talk can help us feel connected to our surroundings

D. smiling can help people gain a great sense of belonging

4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學年江蘇南通中學高二12月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

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Some students get so nervous before a test, they do poorly even if they know the material. Sian Beilock has studied these highly anxious test-takers.

Sian Beilock: “They start worrying about the consequences. They might even start worrying about whether this exam is going to prevent them from getting into the college they want. And when we worry, it actually uses up attention and memory resources. I talk about it as your cognitive horsepower that you could otherwise be using to focus on the exam.”

Professor Beilock and another researcher, Gerardo Ramirez, have developed a possible solution. Just before an exam, highly anxious test-takers spend ten minutes writing about their worries about the test.

Sain Beilock: “What we think happens is when students put it down on paper, they think about the worst that could happen and they reappraise the situation. They might realize it’s not as bad as they might think it was before and, in truth, it prevents these thoughts from appearing suddenly when they’re actually taking a test.”

The researchers tested the idea on a group of twenty anxious college students. They gave them two short math tests. After the first one, they asked the students to either sit quietly or write about their feelings about the upcoming second test.

The researchers added to the pressure. They told the students that those who did well on the second test would get money. They also told them that their performance would affect other students as part of a team effort.

Professor Beilock says those who sat quietly scored an average of twelve percent worse on the second test. But the students who had written about their fears improved their performance by an average of five percent.

Next, the researchers used younger students in a biology class. They told them before final exams either to write about their feelings or to think about things unrelated to the test.

Professor Beilock says highly anxious students who did the writing got an average grade of B+, compared to a B- for those who did not.

Sain Beilock: “What we showed is that for students who are highly test-anxious, who’d done our writing intervention, all of a sudden there was no relationship between test anxiety and performance. Those students most prone to worry were performing just as well as their classmates who don’t normally get nervous in these testing situations.”

But what if students do not have a chance to write about their fears immediately before an exam or presentation? Professor Beilock says students can try it themselves at home or in the library and still improve their performance.

Title: Overcoming test 1.______________

Problem

Some students get nervous before a test, so they can’t do 2. __________ even if they know the material.

Reason

3.__________ about the consequences 4._________ them their attention and memory resources.

Solution

Write down their worries to 5.________ the negative thoughts appearing suddenly.

Results of the researches

College students: 6._______ with those sitting quietly, students writing about their fears improved their performance.

Younger students: highly anxious students who did the writing instead of 7._______ things unrelated to the test got 8. _______ grades.

9.___________ ways to solve the problem

If students have no 10.________ to write about their fears immediately, they can try it themselves at home or in the library.

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Long, long ago, there was a small village. This village had a(an) tradition. At the beginning of every year, any boy who had reached the age of majority (成年) was given land and money to build a home. The boy had to his home before winter. If his home failed to endure(忍耐) the cold weather in winter, the villagers could not him in any way.

One , Paul and Marc reached their majority. They their land and money and decided to search nearby villages for ideas on building their homes. In each village, they found the nicest and talked to the owners. Each owner gladly offered .

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Marc began building his home. He had several false starts, his home gradually rose from his land. By fall, Marc had finished his home. It wasn't perfect, but it was strong and he could it later. Paul enjoyed all the beautiful homes and with home owners. The first snow came and Paul, realizing he was running out of time, back to his land. He built the best home he could in the time he had, but it was . The first winter storm destroyed his home and he froze to .The villagers mourned for him.

Marc the winter. Each year, Marc searched for other good ideas he could use to make his own home look better. He became a leader in the village, a family, and lived a happy, content life.

We all build and improve our own mental homes. It's and fun for us to search for ideas from other mental home owners, but we only improve our own mental home if we actually the best ideas.

1.A. strange B. hopeful C. good D. reasonable

2.A. find B. run C. complete D. buy

3.A. help B. encourage C. scold D. persuade

4.A. winter B. summer C. autumn D. spring

5.A .exchanged B. received C. recognizedD. won

6.A. girls B. jobs C. houses D. presents

7.A. rooms B. drinks C. attention D. advice

8.A .expected B. gathered C. created D. understood

9.A. similarly B. finally C. however D. therefore

10.A. forget B. believe C. replace D. doubt

11.A. because B. although C. but D. so

12.A. repair B. rebuild C. sell D. improve

13.A. conversations B. achievements C. struggles D. arguments

14.A. drove B. rushed C. flew D. moved

15.A. weak B. funny C. small D. amazing

16.A. blindness B. death C. sadness D. disease

17.A. experienced B. hated C. survived D. spent

18.A. brought B. earned C. contacted D. raised

19.A. slow B. easy C. dangerous D. special

20.A. realize B. bring C. collect D. apply

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Everyone knows that good time management skills are important to students if they want to do well in school. _1.__ The skills listed below are quite important.

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_4.__ Some students like putting off things. This is a bad habit. You may end up with too many tasks one day. If you have a task, don’t wait to get started until the last week, because you may not know what to do at all if you have too many tasks and you may end up in crisis.

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B. You should keep your health in check.

C. You should avoid putting off your tasks.

D. Try your best to get rid of your bad habits.

E. It is very good for your time management.

F. Here are some tips to help you learn to say “no”.

G. But what skills are needed for good time management?

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Rolling, dark clouds covered much of the sky. The warm wind suddenly became cold and picked up wildly, sending some dead leaves flying ________ across the sky. A few drops of rain mixed with ice began to fall, then into heavy ________.

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“You go on, and I’ll ________ soon.” I replied.

Doug was ________ for a moment. Then he spoke, “Bud, do you remember the four pine trees at the side of the road? ________ we get there, we can rest a while and get warm. You just stick your hand down the back of my ________, keep your head down and hold on.”

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“Where are the trees?” I said, as the snow ________ up around me like a feather bed. Once again, Doug pulled me to my feet.

“Just a few more ________ and we’ll be home and warm,” he said.

As the darkness closed around us, we approached home, ________. I only heard a worried shouting not in the distance. Then someone took my hand and ________ me into a warm, bright light. And then I survived.

Now, I still think about the lesson learned from our winter ________ story: Never ________, no matter what will happen.

1.A. slowlyB. gentlyC. peacefullyD. fiercely

2.A. snowB. stormC. smogD. fog

3.A. cameB. brokeC. showedD. got

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5.A. difficultB. simpleC. availableD. likely

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7.A. surelyB. carefullyC. secretlyD. hardly

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12.A. BeforeB. UnlessC. AlthoughD. When

13.A. dressB. bootC. beltD. coat

14.A. slippedB. brokeC. separatedD. shook

15.A. wentB. clearedC. mixedD. folded

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17.A. discouragedB. dynamicC. unconsciousD. enthusiastic

18.A. persuadedB. followedC. forcedD. pulled

19.A. survivalB. travelC. explorationD. research

20.A. hold onB. took offC. give upD. set aside

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學年西藏林芝地區(qū)一中高二上期末考試英語卷（解析版） 題型：短文改錯

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句中最多有兩處.每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加:在缺詞處加一個漏字符號() 并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除:把多余的詞用斜線(\)劃掉。

修改:在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意:1.每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2.只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。

Sandy is seventeen years old. And she is much busy. She never has enough time for that she wants to do. Like many other girls about her age, she spends hours on the telephone, talks to her friends. She often goes out on the weekends, and she looks after children for other families to get some money. But, of course, during the school years she herself has a lot homework to do. During the football season, Sandy is more busier than usual. She and other pretty girls are cheer leaders. They jump up and down together, cheering when the team have played well. When the team is not playing so well, the girls try their best encourage the players. The cheers are usually not long, but it takes a long time to practice shout them together.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2016-2017學年山東棗莊八中東校區(qū)高二12月考英語試卷（解析版） 題型：語法填空

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Eric received training in computer for one year, ________ he found a job in a big company.

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