Put a group of strangers in a room together, and they'll probably start a conversation. "Hot today, isn't it?"one might say. "You said it." another replies.

       Why do we talk so much about the weather? When we meet new people, we don't begin by telling them our life story. We start with small talk, a polite conversation about something like traffic or weather.

       Research suggests that small talk can build new friendships. When we begin conversations with new people, we want to feel comfortable, and so do they. We use small talk to find common interests. Once we have a common interest, a friendship can begin.

Small talk even helps people get hired. In order to impress at a job interview, you need to bond with the interviewer right away. Proper small talk can make that first impression get you the job.

        So, how can you make small talk lead to a new friendship or job? First off, find common ground. Select something around you that you share with the other person.

        Next, keep the conversation going. Compliment (赞美) the other person to make himor her feel comfortable, and ask questions to show interest.

        Third, keep eye contact (接触). When you look people in the eye, they feel you appreciate what they are saying. It makes you appear honest and builds trust.

         Naturally, shy people might not have enough confidence to start up conversations with strangers. Talking to someone you don't know is not the easiest thing to do! Some experts say with more practice, small talk does get easier.

         Some people avoid small talk because they dislike discussing things like traffic or weather. For them, they are just too small. However, when you think about it, small talk is anything but small. In fact, it is actually a very big deal!

    Thinking about a career in public safety or law enforcement? Statistics show that these careers are growing, have great benefits, and can be very rewarding. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But there are hundreds of public safety jobs to think about-everything from police officer who protect people to driver's license examiners who test driving skills.

    For example,Angela Bloom is an animal control worker for the city.She and her co-workers pick up animals that are lost, sick, or dangerous. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}For this job, being in good physical condition is important and a high school diploma is required.It may be necessary for candidates to have received on-the-job training and hold certification.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}He looks for health problems in places where people prepare and serve food.There are many kinds of jobs for inspectors.For example,public safety inspectors look for safety violations or dangerous workplaces and fire inspectors look for problems in buildings that could cause fires. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}A college degree is often necessary. Actually, applicants with a bachelor's or master's degree,related experience or training in a foreign language may have the best job prospects.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}For those interested in working in this dynamic and rewarding field,a wide variety of options are available.So remember,if you like working with the public,and are looking for a good job,a career in public safety might be perfect for you.

    Since the beginning of human evolution, men have migrated（迁移）across continents in search of food, shelter, safety, and comfortable weather. People still move for these reasons, but new reasons for human migration are arising, such as job relocation(重新安置) and overpopulation.

    Three million migrants are moving from poor countries to wealthier ones each year, and increasingly, their destination is a neighboring country in developing parts of the world. People are moving within the developing world for the same reasons as they migrate to wealthier nations. People from poor countries are going to less poor countries, fleeing wars and conflicts. They are also responding to population pressures because some countries are densely populated, and they often have high population growth. Those people need to go somewhere else.

    There are three main reasons why people move. The basic categories and percentages are as follows, according to the Current Population Surveys (CPS):

    Family-related reasons account for 26.3%, including changes in marital（婚姻的） status, establishing a household and other family reasons; work-related reasons 16.2%, including job transfer, retirement, and other job-related reasons; housing-related reasons 51.6%, including new and better houses, better neighborhood, cheaper housing and other housing reasons; the remaining 5.9% of other reasons are attending college, the change of climate and health reasons.

    Americans have been migrating south and west for decades in search of better job opportunities and warmer climates. They have also been moving to places a little far from cities, in search of bigger yards and houses, lower crime rates and better schools. In 1950, nearly a fifth of the population lived in the nation's 20 largest cities. In 2006, it was about one in ten. That's why many American people say, “Big Cities Shrink as People Move South, West.”

    Between March 2005 and March 2007, 73.4 million Americans moved. Fifty-six percent of these moves were within the same country. Twenty percent were between counties but in the same state. Nineteen percent were moves to a different state. Some families even went abroad.

Title: People on the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We've all heard about the power of our attitude, and that it's our attitude that determines how much we succeed in life.

    ⒈Identify and understand what you want to change. The first step towards change is clearly understanding what needs to be changed.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} When it comes to changing your attitude, you need to do an honest and in-depth self-evaluation so you could point out exactly which of your traits need to be improved or totally changed.

    ⒉{#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    We all need to know that what we're trying to accomplish can in fact be achieved; that we can be more optimistic, more social or more patient. Find someone who has the kind of attitude that you want to have, and let his or her life give you inspiration and encouragement to move beyond your temporary failures in your journey towards becoming a better person.

    ⒊Think about how your attitude change will affect your life. To be able to overcome all the difficulties that lie ahead of you in your journey towards self betterment, you need to figure out exactly what this supposed change could bring to your life. Will changing your attitude mean a happier family or social life? Will a change in your attitude mean a more successful career or business? Fix your mind on the things that would come as a result of your attitude change and you will have a greater chance of reaching your goal.

    ⒋Choose the right company. As they say, “Bad company corrupts good character.” You don't expect yourself to be able to change if you go on surrounding yourself with people who possess all the negative traits that you want to change. Consider befriending new people, especially those who are optimistic and have a healthy attitude towards life.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    ⒌{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Often, the greatest obstacle between us and our goals is ourselves or our inability to trust in what we are able to do. If you don't believe in yourself or believe that you or your life can change, it just won't happen—you will either never start, or give up quickly so you won't have even given yourself the opportunity to succeed.

A. Believe that you are able to change.

B. Look for a role model.

C. You will see that your effort to change will be easier with these kinds of people as friends.

D. Setting clear goals is the key to success in any endeavor.

E. Our personalities and attitudes are developed through our relationships and experiences.

F. It is right to try hard to have a strong mind.

G. Our attitude towards life determines life's attitude towards us.

注意：每个空格只填1个单词。

    Ants: master cooperators

    Millions of ants live together in a colony, but they don't compete, get confused, or become disorganized. They behave in an amazing orderly manner at all times. Some scientists refer to ants as 'super-organisms' because they live in such highly organized societies that work together to survive. The way ants live and work together has made them one of the most important creatures on the planet.

    Ants, like bees, belong to a class of eusocial insects. Eusocial insects are broken into groups within their community, and each group has a special job to do depending on the needs of the community. There are three basic groups in an ant colony: queens, soldiers, and workers. Queens are the largest ants, and their only job is to reproduce—they lay all of the eggs that will eventually become soldiers and workers. Soldiers are responsible for protecting the colony and finding new places for nests. Worker ants have many jobs within the community, including caring for the eggs and young ants, hunting for food and maintaining the nest.

    Some scientists are studying how ants can lead to a better understanding of labor issues, social class, and the use of nature resources in human communities. Ants have had millions of years of practice in working together to survive and grow. For a colony to function successfully, ants have to cooperate, from which people can learn a lot. Researchers hope that gathering information about how ants live together in communities can help people learn to cooperate and compromise with each other.

    However, others argue that there are fundamental differences between ants and humans that mean human societies are unlikely ever to attain ant-like levels of collaboration. For example, ants in a colony don't compete with each other. When they are short of food in the colony, some worker ants automatically become 'feeder' ants and feed others with the food in their stomach, regardless of their usual job. When the food supply is replenished, they become worker ants again.

    In addition, ants are able to work together without a leader giving them directions. Despite their names, queen ants are not leaders. Instead, ants find out what they need to do from their sense of smell. Research on harvester ants pass each other, they pick up a chemical smell which tells them what the other ant is doing. The number of ants they pass doing a particular job determines what they need to do. It is a form of communication, but unlike human communication it has no content; it is just based on numbers.

    While ants undoubtedly have a great deal to teach us about organization and the structure of networks, those searching for a greater understanding of human behaviour and morals may need to look somewhere.

    Main {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    They live together in colony without competitions, {#blank#}2{#/blank#} or being disorganized

    The way they work together for {#blank#}3{#/blank#} living in highly organized societies makes them unique on the planet.

    Three groups, including queens, soldiers and workers in an ant colony have a special job, {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the needs of the community {#blank#}5{#/blank#} of studying ants.

    It helps people understand labor issues, social class, and the use of natural resources better

    Ants are {#blank#}6{#/blank#} in working together to survive and grow, helping people run the communities smoothly

    It helps people learn to cooperate and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} with each other

    Differences between ants and humans

    For {#blank#}8{#/blank#} of food some worker ants automatically become "feeder ants {#blank#}9{#/blank#} ants, humans have leaders giving people directions

    Suggestion

    Researchers should have different {#blank#}10{#/blank#} in understanding human behaviour and morals.

    Directions：Read the passage carefully. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

    Most parents know that they need life insurance. But many would rather have a root canal than shop for the best life insurance policy.

    “People don't think about, What will my family do if I am gone and not earning a living?'” says Peter Katt, a fee-only life insurance adviser.“ The whole point of this kind of planning is to provide the family with maximum flexibility so they're not stuck.”

    Planning for your death is not a cheerful topic. Too often, parents make a quick decision, ignoring important considerations. Among their mistakes one is that they do not buy enough life insurance. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}“They don't think that the person who is not bringing in an income needs life insurance,” says Greg Daugherty, executive editor of Consumers Union. But if that person dies, the other parent can't stop working and usually has to pay someone to help care for the family.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Katt recommended that one young couple should buy $3 million for the husband who earns $100,000 a year and $1 million for the stay-at-home wife.

    At the same time, many families rely on employer-provided life insurance, but employer-provided coverage is rarely sufficient to support your family. Many employer-provided policies provide a death benefit of $10,000 to $25,000—barely enough to cover your funeral expense. Some employers provide a year's salary, but that may also fall well short of the amount your family would need to maintain its standard of living.

    Some employers let workers buy group life insurance through payroll deductions. They may be a good deal for workers who have health problems that would disqualify them for an individual policy. But if you're young and healthy, you may be able to get a better rate on your own.

    Another drawback is that if you leave your job, you may not be able to take your insurance.“ Given the job market, most of us are not absolutely certain that our jobs are secure,” Daugherty says.“{#blank#}3{#/blank#}”

    On the other hand, some families buy too much insurance. Not everyone needs life insurance. Some people buy life insurance for babies, which is unnecessary, unless the baby is a child model who is supporting the family, Daugherty says: The purpose of insurance is to replace the income that a family has been relying on. Single people and those who have no children to care for usually don't need life insurance.

    Katt says a man with substantial savings in stocks and bonds and other sources of income recently asked him how much life insurance he needs.“ I said none,” Katt says. “{#blank#}4{#/blank#}”

A. There are people who don't need life insurance but have it and many more people who need it but are woefully uninsured.

B. Families don't always insure a parent who is staying home to care for the children.

C. Most people put off buying life insurance for any number of reasons if they even understand it.

D. Even if you have a lot of insurance at work, it makes sense to have some more insurance on your own.

E. If you fall seriously ill of suffer significant injury later, it will make it tougher to get that kind of policy, if any at all.

F. To make insurance more affordable, you may not need to buy the same amount of insurance for both parents.