Man and Society人與社會(huì) 社會(huì)服務(wù)與人際交往

閱讀理解

Passage 1

Every morning at 5 am when most people are asleep， a single figure would be busy in the kitchen， cooking meals for the needy folks of Singapore until the rest of the volunteers and the four full-time cooks arrive. Day in and day out， Mr Tony Tay and his team prepare， cook， pack and deliver the food to various parts of the island. This team of caring volunteers from all walks of life work tirelessly to bring a smile to the less privileged， bringing warmth and kindness into their lives.

During one of his visits to collect vegetables and distribute them to a less-privileged neighborhood， his wife noticed that the elderly folk did not take the vegetables. Upon asking for the reason， one replied that she could not cook and thus only ate the rice delivered to her. Mrs Tay then offered to cook for her， and that single meal initiated Willing Hearts， which has since served nearly 650，000 meals and counting.

Since the organization’s early days， volunteers have learned how to cook， interact with people from all walks of life， pick up different languages， gain greater knowledge about social issues， and most importantly， build strong bonds with one another. Through Willing Hearts， Mr Tay hopes to expose the younger generation to the country’s backyard， to allow them to see and experience firsthand what goes on behind closed doors. This is to encourage them to become more compassionate individuals who understand the importance of taking care of the elderly， and be inspired to promote unity （團(tuán)結(jié)） within their own families. His best gift during the course of this journey is seeing how younger volunteers help and feed the less privileged. One volunteer， he proudly tells us， has been inspired to start his own program to help the needy.

As a non-profit organization， Willing Hearts relies heavily on donations and food collections. Although the volunteers at Willing Hearts may be a small and irregular group， they are always on the lookout for the poor to extend their assistance to them.

1. What word best describes Mr Tay’s job according to Paragraph 1？

A. Professional. B. Demanding. C. Well-paid. D. Urgent.

2. What inspires Mr Tay to found Willing Hearts？

A. Visits to the neighborhood. B. Smiles from the less privileged.

C. Encouragement from his wife. D. One service to an old lady.

3. What does the underlined word “compassionate” in Paragraph 3 mean？

A. Qualified. B. Sympathetic. C. Wealthy. D. Dynamic.

4. What is the main purpose in setting up Willing Hearts？

A. To pick up different languages. B. To enhance unity within society.

C. To encourage youths to help the needy. D. To strengthen the bond between people.

Passage 2

Growing up in Kenya， Lesein Mutunkei， together with his family， always celebrated significant occasions by planting trees， which motivated him to protect the environment. It’s what the now 18-year-old soccer player treasures， especially since Kenya has an ongoing problem with deforestation （森林退化）.

Mutunkei follows in the footsteps of the late Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai who founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977. This initiative has resulted in the planting of over 51 million trees to date.

In 2018， Lesein decided to start a movement of his own. He started by planting one tree for every goal he scored during a football match. He called it Trees4Goals， and it has grown so much that he now plants 11 trees， one for each member of his team， every time he scores. Through this， he wants to inspire young people， specifically his fellow athletes， to follow in his footsteps， take nature conservation seriously， and promise to plant trees every time they score. As a result， some of them have adapted this practice for their sports. “Seeing that they’re taking that responsibility because of the project I started， for me， that is the biggest achievement，” he said.

The initiative has caught the attention of English football club Arsenal and Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry， which he now works with regularly and gets advice from.

Like Green Belt Movement， Trees4Goals， which has planted 5，500 trees so far， has made it. While Lesein has received some recognition for his initiative， he sets his sights on making it a worldwide phenomenon. “Football is a universal game， and climate change is a universal problem，” he explains. “It has the power to unite， educate and inspire my generation to create a safer and greener future.” This is why he wants to work with the world’s biggest football federation FIFA.

As for what others can do to fight deforestation or other environmental concerns， the teenager says it’s important to just get involved in some way， no matter how small.

1. What made Lesein get interested in environmental protection？

A. The influence of his family. B. Wangari Maathai’s huge assistance.

C. The demand of the football team. D. His fellow athletes’ encouragement.

2. Why did Lesein found Trees4Goals？

A. To gain Kenya’s support. B. To set an example for others.

C. To catch Arsenal’s attention. D. To show his achievements.

3. What is Lesein’s hope for the future of Trees4Goals？

A. Promoting football’s development. B. Going global with the help of FIFA.

C. Beating climate change completely. D. Getting beyond Green Belt Movement.

4. What can we learn from Lesein’s story？

A. Fame is a great thirst of the young.

B. A youth is to be regarded with respect.

C. Positive thinking and action result in success.

D. Success means getting personal desires satisfied.

Passage 3

I started a “question of the day” section in a family text group. We’d talk about everything from movies to politics. But despite several warnings from loved ones that some of my responses were judgmental and that I was too quick to attack an opinion， I all but killed that group text. It had a good 12 people in it. We’d shared laughs， encouragement， and funny memes （表情包）. It took only one conversation—which I was in the middle of—to end it.

I realized that I had a problem. The medium for my problem is the smartphone. Before smartphones enabled instant communication， people talked on the telephone. In person， you could cut in a “What do you mean by that？” to correct a misunderstanding before it got out of hand. Don’t get me wrong： I love a good group text. It makes me feel connected to people in a way that I just can’t seem to anymore， now that I have a wife and kids.

I’m learning， but I had a relapse （復(fù)發(fā)） recently. I joined a new text group. I introduced my “question of the day” feature. I fooled myself into thinking that I was encouraging a healthy debate on current events. No. Others in the group saw it as me trying to prove that my way was the right way. Then I made the mistake of sharing some personal information that one friend had told me during a phone conversation. I thought everyone knew. Then this friend started referring to me as a snitch—not terms of kind word. So I asked him about it—in person. That’s when he told me I’d shared sensitive information he hadn’t told anyone else. I apologized plentifully and came away from the conversation more determined to slow down my texts.

My new resolve seems to be working. You should be pleased to know that I have avoided making a few points that I was tempted to make in individual and group texts. In some cases， I didn’t even respond. I haven’t lost any more connections by doing this.

1. How does the author introduce the topic？

A. By making judgments on politics. B. By responding to some text messages.

C. By presenting a personal experience. D. By starting a funny conversation.

2. What problem does the author have in digital communication？

A. Ignoring the need to listen to others. B. Making quick and sharp responses.

C. Failing to express himself timely. D. Focusing on the issues of his own.

3. Why was the author attacked by his friend in the text group？

A. He gave away the privacy of his friend. B. He always made mistakes on current events.

C. He made a fool of himself in chatting. D. He liked asking for personal information.

4. What does the author learn from his experience？

A. Sharing information is a mistake. B. Understanding each other is vital.

C. Sometimes fast is just too fast. D. Trust is the bridge of communication.

Passage 4

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 （潤(rùn)滑劑） 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 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 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 （邊緣的） 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 behaviors 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. Relating to other people.

C. Focusing on a topic. D. Making business deals.

3. What does the coffee-shop study suggest about small talk？

A. It improves family relationships. B. It raises people’s confidence.

C. It matters as much as a formal talk. D. It makes people feel good.

4. What is the best title for the text？

A. Conversation Counts B. Ways of Making Small Talk

C. Benefits of Small Talk D. Uncomfortable Silence

閱讀七選五

Passage 1

Peer Pressure

Have you ever been forced to do anything？ Have you ever felt that you are in a tight corner because of someone’s comment？ 1 Peer pressure is the influence a social group has on him or her.

2 We all want to be part of a group and feel like we belong to our community. Peer pressure can happen when we are influenced to do something that we would not usually do because we want to be accepted by our peers. Children and young adults feel social pressure to be in line with the peer group.

Peer pressure can influence how people dress， how they talk， what music they listen to， what attitudes they adopt and how they behave. Teenagers want to be liked， to fit in and to be accepted. 3 People who are low in confidence and unsure of themselves may be more likely to seek their peers’ approval by going along with risky suggestions or choosing the “wrong” path.

Students can do a lot to avoid peer pressure. The most important thing is to build up self-confidence， so that it is easier to say “no” to the peer group. 4 It’s a good idea for teens to surround themselves with positive role models—people who don’t make fun of them， but accept them and are confident themselves. It’s also important for young people to think about the consequences of their actions. 5 If they stop and think about the consequences， they might make a different decision.

A. Why does peer pressure happen？

B. Teenagers can talk to a grown-up they trust.

C. Students can do this by choosing their friends wisely.

D. If they give in to peer pressure， what could be the result？

E. This means peer pressure can be powerful and hard to resist.

F. We’ve all experienced the situations like that—peer pressure.

G. We need to recognize when it is positive and when it is negative.

1. ___________ " 2. __________3. __________ " 4. __________" 5. __________

Passage 2

How do people respond when you have a talk with them？ Maybe they brush your emotions aside or never listen to you. 1 Some tips will help you gain respect by communicating more effectively.

Use confident body language. This type of body language can increase your self-respect and help you earn people’s respect. Confident body language can include good eye contact and appropriate postures （姿勢(shì)）. Keep your eyes forward instead of down. 2

Improve your listening skills. Good listeners often come across as sympathetic and caring， which are admirable qualities. A skilled listener can make others feel valued and appreciated. 3 To improve your listening skills， start by paying more attention to people during conversations. Put your phone away and focus on what they are saying rather than what you want to say in response. Give them plenty of time to speak.

Avoid oversharing. It’s common to talk too much and start rambling （瞎扯） when you get nervous or want to make a good impression. But to gain others’ respect， you can’t ramble or talk too much about yourself. 4 Get everyone involved and talk about shared interests or hobbies. That way， people will start valuing your input and what you say.

5 Sometimes you may have a difficult conversation or come into conflict with others. If you get cross， people won’t take you seriously because they’ll think you’re too emotional and unreasonable. In that case， you should have the conversation in private instead of making a scene in public. You can also do it sometime after you’ve cooled down.

A. Keep calm and your anger in check.

B. There’s no need to fill every silence.

C. Therefore， he may be respected in return.

D. Try to make your message as clear as possible.

E. You might feel that you just don’t matter to others.

F. Don’t leave your arms crossed or hands in your pockets.

G. Instead， you need to slow down and find some common ground.

1. __________" 2. __________ " 3. __________ " 4. __________ " 5. __________

完形填空

Passage 1

In 2017， Barbara and Jean decided to spread the holiday spirit with Christmas gifts. Little did they know that this simple act of 1 would develop into a heartwarming tradition and， 2 ， the creation of their non-profit organization， Resident’s Hope.

In their first year， they spent around $120 to provide Christmas gifts for 13 individuals at Nurses Helping Hands. The joy and 3 they witnessed inspired them to cut in a more ambitious mission—to bring the 4 of Christmas to as many nursing home residents as possible.

Fast forward to Christmas Day in 2022， and the dynamic two 5 an incredible milestone. Through their non-profit Resident’s Hope， they had the 6 of serving over 400 individuals across five different nursing home facilities. The sharp growth of their initiative was a 7 of their consistent commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of those often 8 during the holiday season.

This heartwarming success 9 Barbara and Jean to take their mission to the next level. In July 2023， they officially founded Resident’s Hope as a non-profit organization. Their 10 initiative， the Christmas Giving event， became the driving force behind their cause. “Our organization reaches out to nursing home facilities， shops for personalized 11 ， elegantly wraps them with their signature bow， and ensures 12 delivery so that residents can enjoy Christmas presents，” the founders 13 .

Resident’s Hope has become a 14 for seniors in nursing homes， offering not just gifts， but a sense of community and connection during the holiday season. The organization’s impact 15 to grow， and the founders are determined to make each Christmas brighter for those who may otherwise be forgotten.

1. A. kindness B. bravery C. wisdom D. politeness

2. A. probably B. ultimately C. entirely D. obviously

3. A. gratitude B. curiosity C. commitment D. sympathy

4. A. custom B. celebration C. routine D. magic

5. A. described B. searched C. achieved D. designed

6. A. habit B. opportunity C. impression D. risk

7. A. way B. demonstration C. chance D. challenge

8. A. deserted B. ignored C. stressed D. received

9. A. promised B. invited C. pushed D. forced

10. A. final B. temporary C. spiritual D. typical

11. A. tools B. medicines C. gifts D. services

12. A. urgent B. daily C. direct D. timely

13. A. remarked B. agreed C. assessed D. shared

14. A. need B. channel C. hope D. reason

15. A. continues B. stops C. waits D. intends

Passage 2

I was chatting with Henry， a colleague of mine， about how I was struggling with my shrinking social circle. At that moment， I realized just how lonely and 1 I had started to feel. He 2 something unexpected. He had joined a social rugby （橄欖球） club， and 3 that it was just what I needed. Seeing his determined look， on second thought， I 4 to go along for a training sometime.

When I finally got to my first training session， it was overwhelming. I was miles outside my 5 zone， with 100-meter dashes and passing drills. I felt so worn out that I was afraid I couldn’t go on. The team and coaches were 6 ， though.

Bit by bit， I found it easier to 7 my anxiety and turn up to training. There was something 8 about being around a bunch of people. Even when exercising in the rain， we all still managed to win and have fun. We faced tough losses and claimed hard-fought 9 together.

I currently have a network of 10 I can call on when I move house. Packing up and finding a new place used to put me in a vortex （旋渦） of 11 . However， I have 15 teammates happy to help me now. They don’t expect anything in return， and are there 12 to be supportive. I know I can always 13 on them for anything.

Through the club， I’ve fitted into a crew of people who support me， on and off the 14 . If you’re in the same situation like me， give it a shot to join a club， which will help you face the 15 in a healthy way.

1. A. innocent B. anxious C. forgetful D. dangerous

2. A. recommended B. handled C. encountered D. discovered

3. A. suspected B. regretted C. confirmed D. joked

4. A. asked B. refused C. remembered D. resolved

5. A. time B. trade C. comfort D. security

6. A. patient B. popular C. disappointed D. disciplined

7. A. refer to B. put aside C. miss out D. pick up

8. A. awesome B. awkward C. strange D. important

9. A. deals B. points C. matches D. victories

10. A. volunteers B. friends C. stations D. branches

11. A. joy B. curiosity C. worry D. abuse

12. A. purely B. temporarily C. hesitantly D. mostly

13. A. cheat B. count C. feed D. pass

14. A. road B. stage C. board D. court

15. A. unemployment B. opponent C. trouble D. punishment

語(yǔ)法填空

Passage 1

Like many nature reserves in Kenya， Borana used to be a cattle ranch （牧場(chǎng)）. For thousands of years， cows were 1 center of culture for the Maasai， Samburu， Pokot， and other local groups. When national parks and nature reserves began 2 （establish） in the middle of the 20th century， these same groups found themselves 3 （prevent） from grazing （放牧） their animals on land they had depended on for generations.

Borana now aims to go into partnership with its neighbors， with programs such as Mazingira Yetu 4 intend to promote environmental protection. Students from nearby communities can spend a day at the nature reserve， go on game drives 5 learn more about various land practices， including water storage， regenerative farming， and tree nurseries. The program was started in 2022， bringing 365 students to Borana， and it 6 （grow） to welcome more than 1，100 students in 2023.

Borana put all profits into efforts like this one， and it has made a 7 （different）： Last year， tourism produced over $1 million， 8 （lead） to the protection of 28 endangered species. Now there is a growing 9 （recognize） that change doesn’t happen alone， and that long-term efforts to protect wildlife require a 10 （share） purpose across communities and interests.

1. __________" 2. __________ " 3. __________ " 4. __________" 5. __________

6. __________" 7. __________" 8. __________ " 9. __________ " 10. __________

Passage 2

In our information technology society， we often have 1 （many） communications online than offline. For example， just compare the number of people to 2 you have sent online messages with that of the people you 3 （meet） in the past two weeks.

However， there are now mobile apps which allow you 4 （connect） with strangers online and then meet in person， and I’m not talking about dating apps！ Rather， I’m referring to apps， which help to connect people with similar 5 （interest） who live in the same city. To begin with， get online and find a group that interests you. Then， simply join 6 group. As long as you’re in a group with like-minded people， you will be able to enjoy 7 （do） the same activities together. You can do this 8 free， although some apps will ask you to pay if you want to create an interest group.

There is a wide 9 （vary） of interest groups out there， such as those for hiking， football， photography， board games， poetry， or dog owners. You name it， and they’ve got it！ This is

10 （real） a great way to network， meet people if you’ re new to a city， or simply to make new friends.

1. __________ " 2. __________ " 3. __________ " 4. __________" 5. __________

6. __________ " 7. __________ " 8. __________ " 9. __________" 10. __________

讀后續(xù)寫(xiě)

閱讀下面材料，根據(jù)其內(nèi)容和所給段落開(kāi)頭語(yǔ)續(xù)寫(xiě)兩段，使之構(gòu)成一篇完整的短文。

Dad and Madison were walking through the store， gathering decorations for Madison’s upcoming birthday party.

“But I don’t want to invite Lucy Gilbert！”

“Madison， you are being unreasonable. If all the girls in your class were invited to a party but you， you’d feel left out. It would be a big mistake not to invite Lucy to your party.”

“She never even talks to me！”

Dad sighed and moved down the aisle. “Lucy is a new girl in the class. She just moved here a little over a month ago. Think about how that must feel. She doesn’t know one single person in the school. She left all of her old friends behind and now she has to try to make new friends. Your party will be a great chance for her to get to know everyone.”

“No， it won’t. She’ll probably sit in the corner and not talk to anyone. Every day at lunch she sits all by herself. She wants to eat alone.” Madison shrugged （聳肩） and rolled her eyes.

“Madison， I’m done discussing this. You will invite every girl in your class， including Lucy Gilbert！”

On Saturday morning， the family happily decorated the house with balloons. Madison was dressed beautifully for the day， wearing her new blue dress. It was not like her to dress like this. She usually wore sports clothes because she loved to be outside riding her horse Star with a lead rope.

Madison greeted her friends at the doorstep， imagining various presents her friends would bring her. At the same time， she wondered whether Lucy would ruin the party if she came. Anyway， all the girls she invited came finally， including Lucy.

The girls enjoyed themselves very much by singing and dancing while Lucy sat silently alone in the corner. Later， all the girls gathered around the table as Madison opened her presents. Opening them one by one， Madison thanked her friends， with a bright smile on her face.

注意：續(xù)寫(xiě)詞數(shù)應(yīng)為150左右。

Lucy’s gift was the last one to be opened.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Deeply touched by Lucy’s words， Madison held the lead rope firmly in her hands.

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