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 look as
though she had opened the wrong box? Maybe she responded with a polite "Why, thank you," but you
knew you had missed the mark. Why do presents sometimes go wrong? And what do your choices reflect about your personal qualities?
Choosing the right gift is an art, I think. 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 strengthened----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, so can many other emotional qualities.
Think back to the presents you've given over the past years, the time and effort you put in 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 the tradition, tell your friends ahead of time.
1. The underlined expression "you had missed the mark" means you had failed to__ .
A. make her feel better
B. keep your 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 strengthened.
B. Emotional changes influence one's choice of gifts.
C. Selecting the right gifts is an ability people are born with.
D. Choosing gifts requires one to understand 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. The best title for this passage is "____________".
A. Ways of Choosing Gifts
B. An Important Tradition
C. Exchanging Presents
D. Message in a Gift