If you want to convince the boss you deserve a pay rise or promotion, the solution could be simple --- eat the same food as they do. Psychologists have discovered managers are much more likely to instantly trust us if we choose the same dishes as them.

During experiments, discussions over wages and work conditions were much more successful if both sides chose to snack on the same treats. And shoppers were much more likely to buy a product advertised on TV by someone eating a similar food to them at the time.

The reason is thought to be the so–called similarity attraction theory --- where people tend to like others who have similar tastes or habits to themselves. But this is believed to be one of the first studies highlighting the role of food in this relationship. Researchers at Chicago University in the US conducted a series of experiments to examine food’s role in earning trust.

In a test, participants were told to watch TV --- where someone pretending to be a member of the public praised a certain product. The volunteers were given Kit Kat bars to nibble, while the TV people ate either a Kit Kat or grapes as they talked.

The results showed viewers were much more likely to express an interest in buying the product if the TV showed the other person eating a Kit Kat too. The researchers added, “Although similarity in food consumption is not a sign of whether two people will get along, we find consumers treat this as such. They feel more trusting of those who consume as they do. It means people can immediately begin to feel friendship and develop a bond, leading to smoother transactions from the start.”

Harley Street psychologist Dr. Lucy Atcheson said it was already known that wearing similar clothes could instantly create trust. But this was the first report that food had the same effect. She said, “This is really interesting. It makes sense as people feel they have common ground and can trust the other person. That means negotiations are more likely to be successful.”

Beijing was once a city of bikes，known as the Bicycle Kingdom，【小题1】cars were reserved for official business and the politically powerful. However，decades of economic 【小题2】（grow）led to a huge flowing of cars in the city. Owning one became not just a marker of reaching the middle class but also a requirement for marriage. As the economy developed，autos pushed bikes off the roads，【小题3】（create）heavy pollution and miserable traffic.

【小题4】（fortunate），now Beijing may be returning to its roots. Thanks to about 20 technology companies，brightly colored shared bikes 【小题5】（flood）into Beijing in the last two years. Many local residents welcome the shared bikes 【小题6】the flexibility and freedom they offer. They pick up the bikes and then ride and drop 【小题7】off anywhere they like，locking the back wheel，with no need 【小题8】（find）a fixed place.

Analyses in China say it is three factors that contribute to bikes' increasing rapidly: a lot of cash looking for a home, a good idea and government support. "As the city's population grew, traffic jams got 【小题9】 (bad). "Cai, the ofo spokeswoman, said, "Shared bikes could solve the' last mile' problem in 【小题10】environmentally friendly way."

   Nowadays, I acknowledge that a revolution has occurred. That much has been ___ by having hand-held iPads or smart phones that allow us not only to communicate while on the _____ but also to reserve parking spaces, get weather reports, and _____ tell us where, at any given moment, we are standing on the planet Earth.

But I must acknowledge a _____. Conversation used to be surprisingly _____ to start. When I took a seat next to someone on a train, bus, or plane, the first thing I would do was _____ the person. Once the ice had been broken, the following chat _____ erupt naturally.

Time has changed, and the change has been _____. Recently, while I was _____ a long distance bus, I couldn't help but notice everyone was staring at their ______, clicking. I found an empty seat next to a middle-aged man and said "Morning" to him. He threw me a ______ and said "Morning". Then he returned to his ______. So I left him in his world.

I miss the ______ conversations with fellow travelers. One never knows what will be ______, and in fact, sometimes how ______ it will be. I was once on a ______ traveling from Iceland to Denmark. I noticed an old man looking out over the North Sea. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said. He turned to me,______, and we were soon chatting away. _____ I told him that I didn't know how I was going to get from the port in Denmark to my destination city. He ______,"Of course you know. I have a car and I'm going to ______ you there. "

I’m a senior high school student named Li Hua. Now many students have iPads and think it’s a fashion to use them._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

Let’s Help Adolescents

Whether they are male or female, adolescents feel like deciding on everything themselves in spite of parents’ instruction, 【小题1】（especial）when they face problems like sex, mental stress, etc., 【小题2】 make them feel ashamed and embarrassed. Thus they often automatically get into trouble due to their imperfect comprehension and 【小题3】（judge）. Some are addicted to cigarettes, only several packets of which 【小题4】（hurt） their lungs and make them breathless quickly. Others can’t quit drinking alcohol, whose 【小题5】（harm）effects include causing young pregnant women to abort or give birth to abnormal babies. The worst is drug abuse, 【小题6】 the withdrawal（戒毒过程）is tough once their bodies are accustomed 【小题7】 the drugs. Meanwhile, those who share needles 【小题8】（purchase）from illegal chemists are at great risk of 【小题9】（infect）with AIDS. If so, neither injecting drugs nor taking pills can guarantee their survival.

However, don’t be disappointed in or have prejudice（偏见）against our children so easily. As long as we 【小题10】（strength）communication with them instead of only forbidding this or forbidding that, we will surely help them avoid anything unfit.