How to Not Be Boring

A) Humans are creatures of habit. We love to establish a routine and stick with it. Then we often put ourselves on auto-pilot. Routines can be incredibly useful in helping you get things done. However, too much of a routine can also make you incredibly boring. Nevertheless, many people live lives that are boringly predictable, or live a life where everything is outlined or planned.

B) To tell the truth, interesting people are more popular among their friends. If you don’t arouse someone’s curiosity or brighten someone’s day, you probably come across as being a little bit dull. But that doesn’t mean your life has ended and you can’t do anything to change it. If you find yourself searching for something to say beyond small talk, try these tactics to find more interesting approaches to conversation.

C) Recently, I was at a gathering of colleagues when someone turned to me and asked, “So, what’s new with you?” Ordinarily, I think I’m a good conversationalist. After all, it’s literally my job to talk to people and tell their stories or share their advice. And that’s not exactly an unexpected question. Still, the only “new-to-me” topics that came to mind were my daughter’s basketball tournament (锦标赛) and my feelings about that morning’s political headlines—neither amusing nor appropriate topics at that moment.

D) Oh, no, I thought. Have I become boring? But sharing our experiences in an authentic way to connect with other people is what makes us interesting, says associate professor Michael Pirson. The hesitation I felt in not sharing the ordinary things that were happening in my life, and the wild mental search for something more interesting, may have backfired and made me seem less interesting.

E) “If someone is making up some conversation that might be interesting, it’s probably not going to land well,” says Pirson, whose expertise includes trust and well-being, mindfulness, and humanistic management. “It’s going to feel like a made-up conversation that people don’t necessarily want to tune in to.”

F) The most interesting people aren’t those who’ve gone on some Eat, Pray, Love journey to find themselves. Instead, Pirson says, they’re those who examine the ordinary. “Often, the ‘boring things’ may not be boring at all. Maybe they are actually little miracles,” he says. Share your observations about the world around you—interesting stories you heard or things you noticed—and you may be surprised by the universal connection they inspire.

G) This is essentially how Jessica Hagy starts her day. The author of How to Be Interesting: An Instruction Manual, Hagy spends a lot of time thinking about what’s interesting to her. People who are interesting are persistently curious, she says.

H) Think about the everyday things around you and ask questions about them. What is that roadside monument I see on my way to work every day? Who built that interesting building in my city? What nearby attractions haven’t I visited? Why do people do things that way? Use what you find to ask more questions and learn more about the world around you. “Having that sort of curiosity is almost like a protective gear from getting into boredom,” she says. And when you find things that are truly interesting to you, share them.

I) Television veteran Audrey Morrissey, executive producer of NBC’s The Voice, is always looking for what will make a person or story interesting to viewers: it’s usually a matter of individuality. “Having a strong point of view, signature style, or being a super-enthusiast in a particular field makes someone interesting,” she says. That means embracing what is truly interesting or unique about yourself. “Many people are ‘not boring’ in the way that they can carry a conversation or can be good at a social gathering, etc. To be interesting means that you have lived life, taken risks, traveled, sought out experience to learn for yourself and share with others,” she says.

J) Of course, it’s possible to be a fountain of knowledge and a boring person, says public relations consultant Andrea Pass. Paying attention to the listener is an important part of having a conversation that’s interesting to both parties. Talking on and on about what’s interesting to you isn’t going to make you an interesting person, she says.

K) “If the listener is not paying attention, it’s your sign to shorten the story or change direction. Make sure to bring the audience into the conversation so that it is not one-sided,” Pass says. Be a better listener yourself, and give others opportunities to participate in the conversation by inviting them with questions or requests to share their own experiences or thoughts. (e.g., “Now, tell me about your favorite book,” or “Have you ever been to that attraction?”) Questions are a powerful tool, especially when they encourage others to disclose information about themselves. A 2012 study from the University of California, Santa Barbara, found that roughly 40% of the time we are talking, we’re disclosing subjective information about our experience. And when we’re doing so, our brains are more engaged. So one strategy to leave others with the impression that you’re a sparkling conversation partner is to get others to talk about themselves.

L) Being relatable is also essential, Morrissey says, “The best entertainment and storytelling comes from people who are relatable—those who don’t shy away from opening up but freely share who they are and what they care about. These are the people viewers most relate to and find interesting. Being authentic, honest, and vulnerable is always interesting.”

M) I have now come to realize that being boring, in actuality, is not only about who you are as a person, but also how you present yourself. No matter what, make sure you are having fun in life. Because when you are enjoying, people around you will begin to enjoy as well. Show some interest in them and they will definitely show some in you. If you are a very reserved person, this could be a little difficult at first. But with a little effort, you can definitely improve.

请填入大写字母。

   1   Pirson claims that some ordinary things may often prove to be miraculously interesting.

   2   To make a conversation interesting, it is important that you listen to the other party attentively.

   3   A person who is unable to stimulate others’ curiosity or make their life enjoyable may appear somewhat boring.

   4   Interesting people usually possess certain unique qualities, according to a TV program producer.

   5   Be interested in others and they are sure to be interested in you.

   6   The author considers himself usually good at conducting conversations.

   7   Interesting people are always full of curiosity.

   8   Falling into a routine can turn a person into an utter bore.

   9   One strategy to be a good conversationalist is to motivate your partner to tell their own stories.

   10  Interesting as it might appear, a made-up conversation will probably turn out to be dull.

36. 皮尔森称，一些寻常的事情往往才妙趣横生。

解析：F。由题干中的Pirson、ordinary things和miraculously interesting可定位至F段。本段第3-4句说到，通常，‘无聊的事情’可能一点也不无聊。也许它们实际上是小小的奇迹。题干中的ordinary things对应F段第2句的the ordinary，miraculously interesting是actually little miracles的同义替换，故F为正确答案。

37. 为了使对话有趣，认真倾听对方至关重要。

解析：J。由题干中的conversation interesting 和listen to the other party attentively可定位至J段第2-3句：要想让谈话双方都感兴趣，关注听者是很重要的。她说，不停地谈论自己感兴趣的事情，并不会让你成为一个有趣的人。由此可知，为了使对话有趣，认真倾听对方至关重要，故J为正确答案。

38. 一个人如果不能激发别人的好奇心，或使他们的生活变得愉快，可能就会显得有些无趣。

解析：B。由题干中的unable to stimulate others’ curiosity和appear boring可定位至B段第2句：如果你不能激起别人的好奇心或给别人的生活增光添彩，那么你很可能会给人留下一种沉闷的印象。题干中的unable to stimulate others’ curiosity对应原文中的don’t arouse someone’s curiosity，appear boring对应原文中的being a little bit dull，故B为正确答案。

39. 一位电视节目制作人认为，有趣的人通常具有某些独特的品质。

解析：I。由题干中的unique qualities和a TV program producer可定位至I段第1-2句：电视界资深人士奥黛丽·莫里西是美国全国广播公司《好声音》节目的执行制片人，她总是在寻找能引起观众兴趣的人或故事：这通常是个性的问题。她说：“有强烈的观点、标志性的风格，或者对某一特定领域充满热情，这些都能让人变得有趣。”题干中的unique qualities对应原文中的Having a strong point of view, signature style, or being a super-enthusiast，故I为正确答案。

40. 你对别人感兴趣，别人肯定也会对你感兴趣。

解析：M。由题干中的Be interested in others可定位至M段第4句：你对他们表现出兴趣，他们肯定也会对你表现出同样的兴趣。题干中的are sure to是原文中definitely的同义替换，故M为正确答案。

41. 作者认为自己通常善于交谈。

解析：C。由题干中的good at conducting conversations可定位至C段第2句：我平时觉得自己还算比较健谈。题干中的good at conducting conversations是原文中good conversationalist的同义替换，故C为正确答案。

42. 有趣的人总是充满好奇心。

解析：G。由题干中的Interesting people和full of curiosity可定位至G段第3句：有趣的人总是充满好奇。题干中的Interesting people对应原文中的People who are interesting，full of curiosity对应原文中的persistently curious，故G为正确答案。

43. 墨守成规会让人变得十分无趣。

解析：A。由题干中的Falling into a routine和an utter bore可定位至A段第5句：然而，过多的惯例也会让你变成一个无聊的人。题干中的Falling into a routine对应原文中的too much of a routine，incredibly boring对应原文中的an utter bore，故A为正确答案。

44. 成为一名优秀健谈者的一个方法是调动你的谈话对象说出他们自己的故事。

解析：K。由题干中的be a good conversationalist可定位至K段最后1句：所以要让别人觉得你是一个很有趣的谈话对象，一个策略就是让别人讲讲他们自己。故K为正确答案。

45. 编造的对话可能看起来很有趣，但结果可能会变得很无聊。

解析：E。由题干中的a made-up conversation和to be dull可定位至E段第1句：如果有人正在编造一些可能很有趣的对话，结果可能不会好到哪里去。题干中的a made-up conversation对应原文中的making up some conversation，to be dull对应原文中的not going to land well，故E为正确答案。