2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

In the classroom of Class 7, Grade 8, students were excited about an upcoming event. The school had organized a speech competition titled “Ways to Become Successful,” and many students were eager to showcase their public speaking skills. Among them was 13-year-old Zora, who, had already won two speech contests and was full of confidence that she could win again.

Zora volunteered to represent her class in the competition, and after a round of voting, she was chosen as the class representative. Although there were only seven days left until the big day, Zora felt a sense of ease about the competition. After all, she had been here before and knew what it took to win.

At home, Zora’s father congratulated her on her achievement, while her mother reminded her to take the competition seriously. Despite her parents’ advice, Zora was convinced that her past successes meant this would be a walk in the park. Her teacher also urged her to prepare diligently, but Zora only sought help once to revise her initial draft.

As the days went by, Zora did not put in the necessary effort to refine her speech. When the day of the competition arrived, she was hit with a sudden wave of panic. She couldn’t remember the content of her speech, and as she stepped onto the stage, her anxiety only grew. After delivering the opening lines, she froze, unable to continue. The supportive applause from the audience only added to her confusion, leaving no room for her to recall her prepared words.

Zora struggled through the rest of her speech, finishing it in a state of embarrassment and shame. As she walked off the stage, she saw the disappointment in her teacher’s eyes and felt the letdown from her classmates. It was a heavy burden to bear.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Back at home, Zora could no longer hold back her tears.

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The next day, Zora went to school and apologized to her class.

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3 . How many times have you heard that reducing stress is important for good health? But stress isn’t always the enemy. In fact, research suggests some is actually good for you, with possible benefits ranging from better brain function to healthier aging.

Firstly, it’s ubiquitous: Research suggests people feel at least some stress on 90% of their days. When stress worsens for a long time and can’t be solved, it can cause mental and physical health problems, even raising your risk for conditions like heart disease. But in most cases, a stress response (反应) is important. It can help you get through a hard time or even escape physical danger. And, when stress is managed well, it can lead to better health and happiness in the future.

Stress can be damaging — but proper amount of stress can be helpful, according to Assaf Oshri, a professor at the University of Georgia. Oshri says, “Resilience (适应力) comes from your interactions (相互作用) with the environment. If people don’t experience any stress, they may not build up resilience. If they experience too much, their happiness may suffer. But there seems to be a balance between the two, where stress improves mental health and helps people recover from difficult situations.”

When people face pressure, some approaches can also be taken to deal with it. Playing sports can help to find a balance in the face of stress, according to some experts. Turning to loved ones during tough times is important too. And if you can, remind yourself that stress is a difficult but necessary part of life.

“You can’t choose exactly what happens to you, but you can choose your response in the moment,” Jonathan Rush, a professor at the University of Victoria in Canada, says. “Having the idea that you can overcome things, you can grow from things; whatever happens, you will have a path forward — that’s what matters most.”

1. What does the underlined word “ubiquitous” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Special.

B．Interesting.

C．Popular.

D．Common.

2. What benefit does proper pressure bring to people according to Oshri?

A．It can help people know their physical danger.

B．It can promote people’s mental health.

C．It can help people keep a balance between life and work.

D．It can increase people's interactions with each other.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The ways to deal with stress.	B．The influence of sports on stress.
C．The approaches of having a happy life.	D．The key to avoiding challenging times.

4. According to Rush, what is most important when facing stress?

A．Explaining what happened.	B．Having a positive response.
C．Relying on your loved ones.	D．Learning from others' experiences.

4 . Life presents challenges at every stage, leading to inevitable stress. Developing coping abilities and maintaining a positive mindset can greatly benefit emotional, mental, and physical well-being.     1    

Exercise and stretch.

When teenagers carry a lot of stress, it can create significant muscle tension within the body. Stretching and yoga, especially, will help to relieve this physical strain and provide a sense of release. Though, any type of exercise will do the trick, like jogging, stretching, weight training, etc.

Listen to music.

Sometimes a walk outdoors with a soothing playlist is the best remedy (治疗法) to stress.     2     Listening to music will facilitate positive thoughts, social skills, and a sense of peace when stressed. Essentially, chill songs with a gentle melody will help to slow down a racing mind and heartbeat.

Talk to someone.

Believe it or not, complaining can have a positive impact on mental health.     3     Teens can choose to talk to a close friend, teacher, or another family member. As long as they’re talking about what’s on their mind and what’s stressing them out, the chances are they will feel like a load is lifted off their shoulders afterward.

    4    

Sleep and stress are directly related. When dealing with a particularly difficult situation, it can get in the way of a good night’s sleep. People who tend to internalize (内化) emotions may struggle to unwind, resulting in increased stress and sleeplessness. Learning to relax can manage stress at night.

Maintain healthy eating habits.

Stress or emotional eating is a behavior a teen may experience during times of increased stress. But it’s contributing to a greater harmful cycle.     5     Instead, kids should focus on enjoying food and eating because they’re hungry, not because they’re stressed or overwhelmed.

A．Luckily, teens love their music.

B．Get 8 hours of sleep every night.

C．It is natural for teens to listen to music.

D．Certainly, solutions are available to most of us in theory.

E．Parents aren’t the only people they can pour out their heart to.

F．Overeating to deal with feelings of stress can lead to guilt or shame afterward.

G．However, in a world that’s widely overwhelming, doing so is easier said than done.

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. afford   B. whispers   C. critic   D. commitment   E. title F. passion G. tough   H. troubled   I. soul   J. air   K. modest

Let Enthusiasm Fuel Your Success

Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers advised, “Barbara, be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience.” How right they were!

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste that helps you hang on there when the going gets     1    . It is the inner voice that     2    . “I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can’t!” It took years for the early work of Barbara Mclintock, a geneticist who won the Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn’t stop working on her experiments. Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping.

We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such a youthful     3    , whatever their age. At 90, pianist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach. As the music flowed through his fingers, joy would reappear in his eyes. As author and poet Samuel Ulman once wrote, “Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the     4    .”

Enthusiastic people also love what they do, without being affected by money,     5     or power. Patricia Mellratl, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, who was known for her outstanding management and     6     attitude, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, “My father, long ago, told me, I never made a penny until I stopped working for money.” Again, we can see that the reason for one’s success has little to do with material things, and instead, it is their     7     for the career that leads to their achievements.

If we cannot do what we love as a full-time career, we can do it as a hobby. Elizabeth Layton was 68 when she began to draw. This activity ended periods of depression that had     8     her for at least 30 years and the quality of her work led one     9     to say, “I am tempted to call Layton a genius.”

We can’t     10     to waste tears on the “might-have-been.” We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after the “what-can-be.” We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses-finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a back-yard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old and the beauty of a rainbow.