Message in a Gift

趙建峰

Have you ever received a gift that was so clearly not your taste that you wondered if perhaps it had been handed to you by mistake？ Worse， have you ever given a present and watched your friend took as though she had opened the wrong box？ Maybe she responded with a polite “Why， thank you，” but you knewyou had missed the mark. Why do presents sometimes go wrong？ And what do your choices （good and bad） reflect about your personal qualities？

Choosing the right gift is an art， I believe.It calls for empathy—the ability to put yourself into someone else's head and heart. We're all able to do this; in fact， we're born with a kind of natural empathy. After the earliest period of childhood， however， it needs to be reinforced① by our parents， teachers， friends. When it isn't， we're not able to understand other people's feelings as sharply. This can show in the gifts we select， and so can many other emotional qualities.

Think back to the presents you've given over the past year， the time and effort you put into your selection， how much you spent， your thoughts while you were shopping， and your feelings when the receiver opened the package.Keep in mind that what you choose displays your inner world. Of course， you may express yourself differently with different friends， relatives， and other people you know.

We live in a society where exchanging presents is an important part of communication. Ignoring the tradition won't make it go away. If you really dislike such a tradition， tell your friends ahead of time.

Choose the best answer.

1. The underlined expression “you had missed the mark” means “you had failed to? ? ? ? ??”.

A. make her feel better

B. keep you friendship

C. receive a present in return

D. get the expected effect

2. Which of the following is the main idea of the second paragraph？

A. Natural empathy needs to be reinforced.

B. Emotional? ?changes? ?influence? ?one's choice of gifts.

C. Selecting the right gift is an ability people are born with.

D. Choosing gifts requires one to unders-tand the receivers.

3. In the third paragraph， the author tells us that? ? ? ? ??.

A. attention? ?should? ?be? ?paid? ?to? ?the receivers' responses

B. one learns from what he did in the past

C. the? ?choice? ?of? ?gifts? ?reflects? ?one's emotional qualities

D. one should spend more time choosing gifts

4. If your friend likes animals， what gift should you give him？

A. A cat teaser wand.

B. An amusement park ticket.

C. A record of the Eagles.

D. A zoo ticket.

注： ① reinforced加強