Most people may have a much better idea of how tiring socializing can be after they stopped spending time with friends for at least some period of time over the past two-and-a-half years, due to the global pandemic. This social exhaustion(疲劳) presents us with a challenge: How do we keep up with our friends, when just the thought of being “on” is tiring? Here are some strategies you can follow.

Set—and communicate—boundaries

There’s no rule saying that socializing has to be an all-day (or even all-evening) affair. Before you start making plans, tell your friend that you’d love to hang out, but need to limit it to a one-hour lunch, or a particular event followed by one drink afterward, for example. Though you don’t owe anyone an explanation as to why you’re not able to spend more time together, you certainly can be honest with your friend and tell them that socializing wipes you out. They may even feel the same way and be grateful that you said something.

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If making plans with someone else feels overwhelming, it may help to officially make some time for yourself (for instance, put it on the calendar). This way you know that you’ll have some quiet time to recover, instead of having to move on to the next tiring task (even if it’s one you enjoy).

Identify the most triggering situations

Part of your social exhaustion may stem from feeling anxious in particular settings or situations. First, figure out what those are. For example, can you handle socializing with one or two people, but get nervous when there are more people than that? Think through what makes you uncomfortable, and then let your friend know that those are things you’d like to avoid, if possible. From there, make plans that work for everyone (or at least don’t trigger unnecessary anxiety).

1.Which has the same meaning as the underlined part “wipes you out”?

A Lets you laugh.

B Makes you tired.

C Changes you a lot.

D Improves you.

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据第一段提到的“how tiring socializing can be”“social exhaustion”以及“the thought of being ‘on’ is tiring”可知，第二段是应对“社交疲惫”的策略之一。结合划线部分所在句的“you certainly can be honest with your friend and tell them”你当然可以对你的朋友如实相告：社交让你感到很累/疲惫。故选B。

2.What can be put in the “ ▲ ”?

A Make plans yourself.

B Ignore your friends.

C Schedule some alone time.

D Move on to next task slowly.

解析：选C。C段落大意题。结合本段的“make some time for yourself”以及“you’ll have some quiet time to recover”可知，本段主要描述为自己留一些独处时间。故选C。

3.How does the author suggest dealing with triggering situations?

A Learning from them.

B Transferring them to others.

C Asking friends to identify them.

D Avoiding them in the first place.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据最后一段的“let your friend know that those are things you’d like to avoid, if possible”可知，作者建议你让你的朋友知道那些可能引发你焦虑的情况，如果可能的话，尽量避免这些情况的发生。故选D。

4.Where is the text probably taken from?

A A research paper.

B A news report.

C A health magazine.

D An academic article.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。本文作者向读者介绍了三条应对“社交疲劳”这种新的心理困局的策略，属于心理健康方面的内容，因此本文最有可能来自一份健康杂志。故选C。