If your friend has some very bad news - what's the best way for you to react? Let's imagine that his or her marriage breaks down… or maybe a relative dies. What would you say? Now let’s ask my colleague Nuala O'Sullivan about how she reacted to her friend's bad news: 

Well, one Sunday morning, my friend came round to visit me, we were just having a cup of coffee and then she said 'My husband's left me'. It was really shocking. I think I just must have said 'Oh my god' or 'that's awful' or…, something like that. But, rather than remembering what I said, I do remember going across the room to where she was and just giving her a huge hug… and I think that's the thing most people would do in that situation. 

So we say 'Oh my god' or 'That's awful' or 'That's terrible' or…

We don't say 'That's a pity' or 'That's too bad' when someone has really bad news. 

But, words aren't everything. I do remember going across the room to where she was and just giving her a huge hug.

Very often, we hear about someone's bad news from someone else. In this situation, it's perhaps better to go to your friend and offer help, than wait for your friend to come to you. 

I think when people are going through a hard time, one of the key things that we all do is we're just there to listen. And we say to them 'Any time you want to talk, just come round or just give me a phone call', because I think when people are sad, that's the one thing that actually really does help - is being able to talk about it. 

There's a practical way, you say things like 'If there's anything I can do just let me know'… and it could be something simple like going for shopping, or it could be babysitting or, you know, or listening, or any of those things. 

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1.What happened to Nuala O'Sullivan’s friend one Sunday morning ？

A Her husband was badly ill.

B Her daughter was badly ill.

C Her daughter died.

D Her husband died.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第2段第三行…she said 'My husband's left me'.可知她丈夫死了，故选D。

2.What didn’t Nuala O'Sullivan do when she heard her friend said that her husband died？

A She said “Oh my god”.

B She said “that's awful”.

C She gave her a huge hug.

D She said “Congratulations”.

解析：选D。D 基本礼仪常识题。听到朋友丈夫死了，不可能说“恭喜”，故选D。

3.When we hear bad news we Don’t say .

A That's awful

B Oh my god

C That's terrible

D That's too bad

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第4段We don't say 'That's a pity' or 'That's too bad' when someone has really bad news. 可知，故选D。

4.What is the practical way to help a friend who is going through a hard time?

A Going for shopping.

B Smoking.

C Drinking whiskey.

D Going to KTV.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据最后一段…something simple like going for shopping, or it could be babysitting or,…可知，同时BCD三个选项文中并没有提及，故选A。

5.Which is not right to react to a friend’s bad news？

A Saying 'If there's anything I can do just let me know'.

B Saying 'Any time you want to talk, just come round or just give me a phone call' .

C Doing nothing.

D Giving your friend a huge hug.

解析：选C。C 内容理解题。根据文章可知ABD三个选项都是听到朋友不好的消息时的得当反应，C项什么都不做不合常理，故选C。