2021年12月 英语四级阅读真题 答案 第2套

How to not be boring A）Humans are creatures of habit. We love to establish a routine and stick with it. Then we often put ourselves on auto-pilot. Routines can be incredibly useful in helping you get things done. However, too much of a routine can also make you incredibly boring. Nevertheless, many people live lives that are boringly predictable, or live a life where everything is outlined or planned. B）To tell the truth, interesting people are more popular among their friends. If you don't arouse someone's curiosity or brighten someone's day, you probably come across as being a little bit dull. But that doesn't mean your life has ended and you can't do anything to change it. If you find yourself searching for something to say beyond small talk, try these tactics to find more interesting approaches to conversation. C）Recently, I was at a gathering of colleagues when someone turned to me and asked, “So, what's new with you?” Ordinarily, I think I'm a good conversationalist. After all, it's literally my job to talk to people and tell their stories or share their advice. And that's not exactly an unexpected question. Still, the only “new-to-me” topics that came to mind were my daughter's basketball tournament（锦标赛）and my feelings about that morning's political headlines—neither amusing nor appropriate topics at that moment. D）Oh, no, I thought. Have I become boring? But sharing our experiences in an authentic way to connect with other people is what makes us interesting, says associate professor Michael Pirson. The hesitation I felt in not sharing the ordinary things that were happening in my life, and the wild mental search for something more interesting, may have backfired and made me seem less interesting. E）“If someone is making up some conversation that might be interesting, it's probably not going to land well,” says Pirson, whose expertise includes trust and well-being, mindfulness, and humanistic management. “It's going to feel like a made-up conversation that people don't necessarily want to tune in to.” F）The most interesting people aren't those who've gone on some Eat, Pray, Love journey to find themselves. Instead, Pirson says, they're those who examine the ordinary. “Often, the ‘boring things' may not be boring at all. Maybe they are actually little miracles,” he says. Share your observations about the world around you—interesting stories you heard or things you noticed—and you may be surprised by the universal connection they inspire. G）This is essentially how Jessica Hagy starts her day. The author of How to Be Interesting: An Instruction Manual, Hagy spends a lot of time thinking about what's interesting to her. People who are interesting are persistently curious, she says. H）Think about the everyday things around you and ask questions about them. What is that roadside monument I see on my way to work every day? Who built that interesting building in my city? What nearby attractions haven't I visited? Why do people do things that way? Use what you find to ask more questions and learn more about the world around you. “Having that sort of curiosity is almost like a protective gear from getting into boredom,” she says. And when you find things that are truly interesting to you, share them. I）Television veteran Audrey Morrissey, executive producer of NBC's The Voice, is always looking for what will make a person or story interesting to viewers. It's usually a matter of individuality. “Having a strong point of view, signature style, or being a super-enthusiast in a particular field makes someone interesting,” she says. That means embracing what is truly interesting or unique about yourself. “Many people are ‘not boring’ in the way that they can carry a conversation or can be good at a social gathering, etc. To be interesting means that you have lived life, taken risks, traveled, sought out experience to learn for yourself and share with others,” she says. J）Of course, it's possible to be a fountain of knowledge and a boring person, says public relations consultant Andrea Pass. Paying attention to the listener is an important part of having a conversation that's interesting to both parties. Talking on and on about what's interesting to you isn't going to make you an interesting person, she says. K）“If the listener is not paying attention, it's your sign to shorten the story or change direction. Make sure to bring the audience into the conversation so that it is not one-sided,” Pass says. Be a better listener yourself, and give others opportunities to participate in the conversation by inviting them with questions or requests to share their own experiences or thoughts.（e.g., “Now, tell me about your favorite book,” or “Have you ever been to that attraction?”）Questions are a powerful tool, especially when they encourage others to disclose information about themselves. A 2012 study from the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that roughly 40% of the time we are talking, we're disclosing subjective information about our experience. And when we're doing so, our brains are more engaged. So one strategy to leave others with the impression that you're a sparkling conversation partner is to get others to talk about themselves. L）Being relatable is also essential, Morrissey says. “The best entertainment and storytelling comes from people who are relatable—those who don't shy away from opening up but freely share who they are and what they care about. These are the people viewers most relate to and find interesting. Being authentic, honest, and vulnerable is always interesting.” M）I have now come to realize that being boring, in actuality, is not only about who you are as a person, but also how you present yourself. No matter what, make sure you are having fun in life. Because when you are enjoying, people around you will begin to enjoy as well. Show some interest in them and they will definitely show some in you. If you are a very reserved person, this could be a little difficult at first. But with a little effort, you can definitely improve.

怎样才能不无聊 A）人类是有习惯的生物。我们喜欢制定常规并坚持照做。然后我们就经常让自己处于“自动驾驶”状态。常规在帮助你完成事情方面非常有用。[43] 然而，过多的常规也会让你变得非常无聊。尽管如此，许多人都过着无聊的、墨守成规的生活，或者生活里每件事都是计划好的。 B）说实话，有趣的人在朋友中更受欢迎。[38] 如果你不能引起别人的好奇心或让他人的一天变得愉快，那么你给别人留下的印象可能就是有点沉闷。但这并不意味着你的生活结束了，对于改变它你无能为力。如果你发现自己在闲聊之外还想找点话题，试试这些策略吧，努力找到更多有趣的谈话方式。 C）最近，我参加了一次同事聚会，有人来问我：“那么，你有什么新鲜事吗？” [41] 通常，我认为自己很擅长交谈。毕竟，我的工作的确就是与人交谈，讲述他们的故事或分享他们的建议。这个问题也是意料之中的。尽管如此，我脑中想到的唯一的“新”话题就是我女儿的篮球锦标赛以及我对当天早上政治版块头条新闻的感受——这些话题在当时既不算有趣，也并不合适。 D）哦，不，我当时想。我变得无聊了吗？但副教授迈克尔·皮尔逊说，用真实的方式与他人分享我们的经历可以让我们变得有趣。而我不想分享我生活中发生的普通事情，我犹豫不决，同时疯狂地在脑中寻找更有趣的东西，这可能适得其反，让我看起来没那么有趣了。 E）皮尔逊的专长是研究信任、幸福、正念和人文管理。[45] 他说：“如果有人正在编一些可能有趣的对话，效果可能不会太好。这就像一个编造的对话，人们不一定想听。” F）最有趣的人不是那些通过“美食、祈祷、爱”的旅程寻找自我的人。相反，皮尔逊说，最有趣的人是那些审视普通事物的人。[36] 他说：“通常，‘无聊的事’可能一点儿也不无聊。也许它们实际上是小奇迹。”分享你对周围世界的观察——你听到的有趣故事或你注意到的事情——你可能会惊讶于它们所激发的普遍联系。 G）杰西卡·哈吉基本上就是这样开始新的一天的。哈吉是《怎样变得有趣：一本说明书》的作者，她花了很多时间思考她感兴趣的事。[42] 她说，有趣的人总是充满好奇心。 H）想想你周围的日常事物，问一些有关它们的问题。我每天上班路上看到的路边纪念碑是什么？我所在的城市里那栋有趣的建筑是谁建造的？附近的景点还有哪些我没去过？人们为什么会那样做事？利用你能发现的东西多问些问题，多了解你周围的世界。她说：“有了这种好奇心几乎就像是有了一件防护服，可以让你避免陷入无聊”。当你发现了真正感兴趣的东西时，要与别人分享。 I）奥黛丽·莫里西是一位资深电视工作者，也是NBC《美国之声》的执行制片人，她总是在寻找让观众感兴趣的人物或故事。这通常是一种个性问题。[39] 她说：“具有强烈的观点、独特的风格或成为某一特定领域的超级爱好者都让人变得很有趣。”这意味着拥抱你自己的真正有趣或独特的东西。她说：“很多人‘不无聊’，因为他们能够进行对话或擅长社交聚会等。有趣意味着你体会过生活、冒过险、旅过行、找到了可以自己学习并与他人分享的经验。” J）公共关系顾问安德莉亚·帕斯说，当然，你有可能成为知识的源泉，也有可能成为无聊的人。[37] 要进行一场双方都感兴趣的谈话，关注倾听者是很重要的一部分。她说，喋喋不休地谈论你感兴趣的事儿不会让你成为一个有趣的人。 K）帕斯说：“如果听者注意力不集中，这就是向你发出信号，你要长话短说或者换一个方向。确保让听者参与到对话中来，这样才是双边谈话。”你自己要做一个更好的倾听者，通过向他们提问或要求他们分享自己的经历和思考等方式，给他人机会参与到对话中来。（例如，“现在，跟我说说你最喜欢的书”或者“你去过那个景点吗？”）问问题是一个强有力的工具，特别是当问题可以鼓励他人透露自己的信息时。加州大学圣巴巴拉分校2012年的一项研究发现，当我们在交谈的时候，大约有40%的时间都在透露有关自己经历的主观信息。当我们这样做时，我们的大脑会更多地参与到谈话中来。[44] 因此，要想给别人留下一个妙趣横生的交谈者的印象，有一个策略就是让他们谈论自己。 L）莫里西说，有亲和力也至关重要。“有亲和力的人可以带来最好的娱乐，讲最棒的故事——这些人不羞于开口，而是自由地分享他们是谁、他们在乎什么。这些人是观众最感兴趣的而且觉得有趣的人。真实、诚实和毫无防备总是很有趣。” M）我现在开始意识到，实际上，是否无聊不仅关乎你是谁，还关乎你如何展示自己。无论如何，确保你的生活充满乐趣。因为你开心时，你周围的人也会开始开心。[40] 对他们表现出一些兴趣，他们肯定也会对你表现出一些兴趣。如果你是一个非常矜持的人，一开始可能有点困难。但只要稍加努力，你肯定可以改进的。