【推荐1】Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. fatigue       B. qualified          C. challenge       D. routine       E. persistent F. meant        G. necessarily       H. fueled            I. suffer          J. recognize       K ideally

For the entirety of our life we have been coping with anxiety. But having some anxiety, especially in a stressful situation, isn’t     1     bad and can actually be beneficial, experts say. The right amount of anxiety can improve performance.

Anxiety is an uncomfortable emotion, often     2     by uncertainty. It can create intense, excessive and     3     worry and fear, not just about stressful events but also about everyday situations. There are usually physical symptoms too, like fast heart rate, muscle tension, rapid breathing, sweating and     4    .

Too much anxiety can be debilitating (使体弱力衰). But a normal amount is     5     to help keep us safe, experts say. “The emotion of anxiety and the underlying physiological stress response evolved to protect us,” Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist and the author of “Good Anxiety,” said, “Managing stress may be more useful than getting rid of it.” According to the Yerkes-Dodson Law, a theory that originated in the early 20th century from experiments on mice, increasing amounts of cognitive arousal, or stress, can improve performance — but only up to a certain point. The theory, represented by a curve shaped like a mountain, shows that after it peaks, greater levels of stress cause performance to     6    .

When anxiety is turned up too high, Dr. Suzuki added, it tends to become less useful. The first step in controlling anxiety that holds you back is to     7     when you’re feeling overly anxious and try to dial it down.

A certain degree of anxiety can help people prepare for a potential     8    , remain cautious and stay organized. But if anxiety is making you “uncomfortable more often than not” or interfering with     9     functioning and preventing you from living the life you want to live, that signals the need for additional support,     10     from a mental health professional.

【推荐3】Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one more word than you need.

A. pace     B. registered     C. assess       D. baseline     E. reverse    F. shifting   G. production     H. fundamental   I. pointing       J. invisible    K. acknowledged

Chemical Pollution Has Passed Safe Global Limit

Chemical pollution threatens Earth’s systems by damaging the biological and physical processes that support all life. For example, pesticides (杀虫剂) wipe out many non-target insects, which are     1     to all ecosystems and, therefore, to the supply of clean air, water and food.

“There has been an increase 50 times in the     2     of chemicals since 1950 and this is projected to become three times as much again by 2050,” said Patricia, who was part of the study team. “The     3     that societies are producing and releasing new chemicals into the environment is not in agreement with staying within a safe operating space for humanity.”

Determining whether chemical pollution has crossed a planetary border is complex because there is no pre-human     4    , unlike with the climate crisis and the pre-industrial level of CO₂ in the atmosphere. There are a huge number of chemical compounds     5     for use—about 350,000—and only a tiny proportion of these have been assessed for safety.

So the research used a combination of measurements to     6     the situation. These included the rate of production of chemicals, which is rising rapidly, and their release into the environment, which is happening much faster than the ability of authorities to track the effects.

The well-known negative effects of some chemicals were also part of the assessment. The scientists     7     that the data was limited in many areas, but said the weight of evidence pointed to a break of the planetary boundary. “There’s evidence that things are     8     in the wrong direction every step of the way,” said Prof Bethanie Carney Almroth, who was part of the team. “For example, the total mass of plastics now is greater than the total mass of all living mammals (哺乳动物). That to me is a pretty clear indication that we’ve crossed a border. We’re in trouble, but there are things we can do to     9     some of this.”

Patricia said that     10     to a circular economy was really important and that meant changing materials and products so they can be reused.”

【推荐2】Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word that you do not need.

A. sensitive        B. expectations        C. commercially        D. attempting        E. stuck        F. shelved G. relatively        H. developing        I. personal        J. difficulties        K. positive

Sticky notes

This invention, commonly used in offices and households throughout the world, came about as a result of a series of accidents. In 1968, Spencer Silver, who was working for a company then called 3M, was     1     to produce a super-strong adhesive (黏合剂), something that makes things stick together, to be used in the building of planes. This, however, wasn’t successful and instead he succeeded in creating an extremely weak adhesive that was     2     to pressure. The new adhesive had two advantages: it could be removed from surfaces easily and reused. Despite these two     3     properties, nobody could see any practical use for it. In the end, the invention was     4    .

A few years later, Art Fry, a product development engineer working for 3M, decided to use this adhesive for     5     use. He stuck strips of paper in a book as bookmarks and a whole new concept was born. However, the idea still wasn’t without     6    . The challenge was to make the glue stay on the sticky note itself, rather than peeling off and staying on the surface it was     7     to. Two more 3M employees were then brought in for the task of     8     a coating for the note’s paper so that the adhesive wouldn’t come off, and they managed that eventually. However, 3M bosses still believed that this invention wasn’t going to be     9     successful and people would continue to use scrap paper (散的便条纸) for their notes. That is why sticky notes were only tested within the company, where they became extremely popular. It wasn’t until many years later that 3M bosses finally decided to give out a vast number of free samples to other companies to see if anyone would be interested. To their surprise, 90% of the companies went on to order more. This went beyond anybody’s     10    . Nowadays, sticky notes come in a variety of shapes and colours and are sold in more than 100 countries.

【推荐3】Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. represents          B. sought          C. contributors            D. deposits            E. appealing          F. track G. breakthrough       H. woven        I. far-reaching             J. executive          K. deliveries

Why This Could Be Critical Year For Electric Cars

Booming in a depressed market, battery-powered vehicles are a plus for the climate but pose a big threat to carmakers and parts suppliers that are slow to change.

Sales of cars powered solely by batteries greatly increased in the United Sates, Europe and China last year, while     1    of fossil fuel vehicles showed little growth. Demand for electric cars is so strong that manufacturers are requiring buyers to put down    2    months in advance. And some models are effectively sold out for the next two years.

Battery-powered cars are having a     3    moment and will enter the mainstream this years as automakers begin selling electric versions of one of Americans’ favorite vehicle type: pickup trucks. Their arrival     4    the biggest disruption, in the auto industry since Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908 and could have     5    consequences for factory workers, businesses and the environment. Tailpipe (排气管) emissions are among the largest     6    to climate change.

The auto industry is on     7    to invest half a trillion dollars in the next five years to make the transition to electric vehicles, Wed-bush Securities, an investment firm, estimate. That money will be spent to refit and build factories, train workers, write software, upgrade dealerships and more. Companies are planning more than a dozen new electric car and battery factories just in the United Sates.

“It’s one of the biggest industrial transformations probably in the history of capitalism,” Scott Keogh, chief     8    of Volkswagen Group of America, said in an interview. “The investments are massive, and the mission is massive.”

Over time, battery ingredients like lithium (哩), nickel (镍) and cobalt (钴) could become more     9    after than oil. Prices for these materials are already skyrocketing, which could limit sales in the short term by driving up the cost electric cars.

The transition could also be limited by the lack of places plug in electric cars, which has made the vehicles less     10    to people who drive long distances or apartment residents who can’t charge at home. There are fewer than 50,000 public charging stations in the United States. The infrastructure bill than Congress passed in November-includes $7.5 billion for 500,000 new chargers, although experts say even than number is too small.