We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.

Why do we go wrong about our friends – or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen, we will miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You are a lucky dog.” Is he really on your side? If he says, “You are a lucky guy” or “You are a lucky girl”, that’s being friendly. But “lucky dog?” There is a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the word “dog” puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.[来源:学&科&网]

“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person while talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1.In this passage, the writer tries to tell us how to _______.

    A．avoid mistakes about money and our friends

    B．keep people friendly without trusting them any more

    C．avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell us

    D．keep people at a distance during communication

2.In the 1^st paragraph the writer recalls（回忆）some things that may happen between some friends and they _________.

    A．think it was a mistake to have broken up with their girl friends

    B．feel happy, thinking of how nice their friends were to them in the past

    C．feel they may not have “read” their friends true feelings correctly

    D．feel very sorry that their friends didn’t help them and let them down

3.While we are listening to a person, the important thing for us is __________.

A．to check his words against his manner, tone of voice and posture

B．to listen to how he pronounces his words in front of you

C．to notice his tone of voice, his posture and his clothes

D．not to believe what he says in any situation or at any time

4.According to this passage, the underlined phrase “puts you down” can be replaced by another phrase “________”.

    A．makes you pleased        B．makes you proud

    C．makes you feel stupid    D．makes you excited

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. “Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?” “When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?” When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it’s too late.

Why do we go wrong about our friends – or our enemies? Sometimes what people say nodes their real meaning. And if we don’t really listen, we will miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, “You are a lucky dog.” Is he really on your side? If he says, “You are a lucky guy” or “You are a lucky girl”, that’s being friendly. But “lucky dog?” There is a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn’t see it himself. But bringing in the word “dog” puts you down a little. What he may be saying is that he doesn’t think you deserve your luck.

“Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for” is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped（包，裹）up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn’t important. It’s telling you to think of all the starving（饥饿的）people in the world when you haven’t got a date for Saturday night.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone’s words? One way is to take a good look at the person while talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone（语气，腔调）of voice? His posture? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1．In this passage, the writer tries to tell us how to _______.

       A．avoid mistakes about money and our friends

    B．keep people friendly without trusting them any more

       C．avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell us

       D．keep people at a distance during communication

2．In the 1st paragraph the writer recalls（回忆）some things that may happen between some friends and they _________.

       A．think it was a mistake to have broken up with their girl friends

       B．feel happy, thinking of how nice their friends were to them in the past

       C．feel they may not have “read” their friends true feelings correctly

       D．feel very sorry that their friends didn’t help them and let them down

3．While we are listening to a person, the important thing for us is __________.

A．to check his words against his manner, tone of voice and posture

B．to listen to how he pronounces his words in front of you

C．to notice his tone of voice, his posture and his clothes

D．not to believe what he says in any situation or at any time

4．According to this passage, the underlined phrase “puts you down” can be replaced by another phrase “________”.

       A．makes you pleased                               B．makes you proud

       C．makes you feel stupid                           D．makes you excited

We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people. "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen? ""When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?"When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad. But when we look back, it's too late.

Why do we go wrong about our friends or our enemies? Sometimes what people say hides their real meaning. And if we don't really listen we will miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, "You're a lucky dog." That's being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see it himself. What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.

"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another. It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole. But is he? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important. It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.

How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice? His posture (姿态)? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.

1. According to the passage, the reason why we go wrong about our friends is that ________ .

A. we fail to listen carefully when they talk

B. we tend to be annoyed when we check what they say

C. they sometimes state one thing but mean another

D. we tend to doubt what our friends say

2. What does the underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refer to?

A. Being friendly. B. A bit of envy. C. A lucky dog. D. The good luck.

3. This passage is mainly about ________ .

A. how to tell the real meaning behind our words

B. what to do when you listen to others talking

C. how to avoid mistakes when communicating with people

D. why we must know the wrong things

  In this article you will discover several techniques you can use to improve your interpersonal relations with friends, family, coworkers ,and employees. In fact , you can use these techniques to influence others to have a positive attitude toward you in just about any type of relationship.

  1. Don’t criticize or complain about people.

There’s no faster way to create resentment (忿恨）toward you than to criticize or complain about a person. Instead of telling people they’re doing something wrong , consider asking them questions to try to find out why they do what they do. Offer them an alternative in a way that comes across as (给人以.....印象）trying to help. Show them how doing things the way you would like them done can benefit them or lead to reward.

2.Appreciate people.

I’ll let you know a secret that can vastly improve your interpersonal relations very quickly : whenever you see someone, imagine them wearing a flashing sign on their chest that says APPRECIATE ME,PLEASE! Then , give them what they want.

3. Be genuinely interested in others.

You’ll make a lot of friends by being interested in others. Not everyone will admit it , but the truth is ,most people’s favorite subject is themselves. Use this to your advantage. Become genuinely interested in other people. Ask them questions . Talk to them about things they’re interested in .Put the focus on them. You’ll quickly gain their friendship.

4. Be a good listener.

This goes back to the principle of focusing on the other person. Listen more than you speak and encourage others to talk about themselves and you’ll quickly develop good interpersonal relations with them.

5. Make others feel important.

If someone is important to you in any way, tell them so! This goes for any type of interpersonal relationship!People like to feel important. Give them what they want and they will love you for it.

56. When your friends do something wrong , you are advised to _____.

   A . Point out their mistakes          B . Correct their mistakes

   C . Put forward a new plan           D . Solve the problem for them

57 . What’s the purpose of an imagined flashing sign on people’s chest?

   A. To attract others’ attention

   B . To remind people to talk to them.

   C. To remind people to praise them .

   D. To help people to remember them .

58 . What should we do if we want to improve interpersonal relations according to the text?

   A. Listen more than we speak.

   B . Try to argue when we are right.

   C. Get people to be interested in us .

   D. Talk more about things we’re interested in.

It doesn’t matter if you have one friend or 20, because there are only a few people in this world that can make you truly happy. For me, my family and my three best girlfriends mean everything to me.
Some days I didn’t want to go to school because I felt so disappointed in myself but I don’t regret a thing. It makes you stronger as a person, and if you are able to mend your friendships as I have done, then you can do anything.
My mother always told me, “Stephanie, remember that a friend is a gift that you give yourself. A friend will make you laugh and be there for the good or bad. A true friend will never make fun of you. If a friend is a piece of work, then he or she has never been a friend at all. A friend is the biggest gift to yourself.”
Everyone is going to make mistakes but please don’t push them away, especially if it’s someone you really care about. I know when I make a mistake I beat myself up about it. I just wish someone would reach out a hand to help me back  on my feet as my best friends did. If someone is new or doesn’t have a friend, please reach out and behind him/her because that small action could mean the world to him/her. Now that I’m older, I understand what my mom has been trying to tell me, and now I know that the friends that I choose will also be the kinds of friends that I would want to be surrounded by forever.
【小题1】According to the passage, a true friend should be a person that _________.