You may feel comfortable with some people. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half a life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.

    How is it done?{#blank#}1{#/blank#}If you follow the skills, you'll make friends with people quickly.

    First of all, good talkers ask questions.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to some other questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your question should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.

    Real listening at least means some things.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}If someone sticks to one topic, it means he's really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones (语气) of voice. If the voice sounds boring, then, it's time for you to change the subject.

    Finally, good talkers know well when to say good-bye. Remember to give him a handshake and say, “I've really enjoyed meeting you.”{#blank#}5{#/blank#}Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life.

A．Almost anyone will answer a question.

B．Here are several skills that good talkers have.

C．If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret.

D．First, it means not to change the subject of the conversation.

E．Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers.

    The Reasons of Learning English

    Today lots of people in China can speak English and more and more people are learning this language. Then what do they learn English for? We have done a survey and here are some people's reasons:

    Alice White: I like traveling by myself very much. I've been to many places in China, and I plan to travel to some foreign countries. English is the most widely used language in the world, so learning English will do great help to my trips.

    Mark Smith: I'm actually not so interested in English. I like Chinese much better. However, I have to learn English. We have to take English exams and the score(分数) of English takes a large part in the total score. Luckily, I'm not doing too badly in it, or I'll have to struggle(奋斗) with it.

    Ben Green: It is necessary to learn English. As you know, the competition in the job market is very fierce(激烈的). If I have a good knowledge of English, I will have a chance of getting a good job.

    Kate Lu: It's interesting, isn't it? I can get information that others can't get. I can talk and write letters to interesting people that others can't communicate with. And I can always make people surprised by speaking good English.

Information Card

    In English, people use many expressions(表达) with the word "dog". People in the west love their dogs and treat them well. Dogs without owners to care for them lead a very different kind of life: The expression' to lead a dog's life" means living an unhappy life.

    Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing the same things, like good jobs. They say if a person wants to be successful he has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, this situation would be even worse if they became ill as a dog.

    Sometimes we should let a sleeping dog lie, which means we'd better not trouble a person who may cause problems. And if someone says you are a lucky dog, he is just saying you're very lucky.

    Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people Often have to learn new skills(技能) . Yet, some people say that it's always impossible to teach an old dog new skills. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

    There are also some other dog expressions. The dog days of summer are the hottest of the year. A rain in summer may cool the weather. But we do not want to have a very heavy rain. In other words, we do not want it to rain cats and dogs.

In a small room, Jenny was lying in bed waiting for an operation (手术), nervous and worried. To her surprise, a new patient was sent into the room. After a kind greeting (打招呼), they began to talk. The 80-year-old newcomer was named Susan. She had two children. Her son was boss of a big company and her daughter worked in a TV station. As her children were too busy to take care of Susan, she lived in an old people's home. Susan was proud of her children who had wonderful jobs and made a lot of money. Jenny really envied (羡慕)Susan. Compared with Susan, Jenny was nothing but an ordinary (普通的) woman from the countryside. Her children were just ordinary workers.

Soon, it was supper time, Jenny's daughter cooked several dishes which were her favorite. Jenny invited Susan to share her supper, but she did not accept the invitation. Susan was expecting her daughter when she received a call. Unfortunately (不幸), her children couldn't come to visit her. Worse still, Susan had missed the mealtime in the hospital. She lay in bed, disappointed and silent. Jenny's daughter offered to buy her some food but she had no appetite (食欲) at all.

The next day, Jenny and Susan would go through a series of regular medical checks (一连串的常规检查) before the operation. Jenny's daughter took care of her carefully while Susan was still alone. Out of sympathy (出于同情), Jenny's daughter helped to queue up (排队), fill in different forms and register (挂号) for Susan. For several days in hospital, even during her operation, Susan's children didn't come. Susan really envied Jenny as her daughter looked after her all the time until she recovered and moved out of hospital.

Care from the loved ones can really make one happy and encouraged, especially for old parents. So don't forget to look after your parents even while you are busy working.