【推荐1】A Way Out of Social Anxiety: Volunteering and Acts of Kindness

As a socially anxious introvert (内向的人), I can prove the benefits of serving others through volunteering in my community.

A volunteer job doesn’t need to require stepping into a busy room full of 100 people at a school or hospital.     1     This kind of work is much more suitable and agreeable for introverts.

    2     When I help elders or people with disabilities who are more isolated and lonelier than I am, I feel my nervousness and self-consciousness disappear. My social awkwardness loses its grip on me when I’m focused on helping someone else rather than myself or my social performance. Unlike showing up at a job interview, business meeting, or speaking engagement, working as a volunteer with people in need takes the spotlight away from being measured or judged.     3    

Social scientists have an suitable name   for stressful social situations where we need to perform and would likely be judged or evaluated. Any time we are in evaluative situations where we are judged by others, we face this social-evaluative threat and endure a sudden rush of stress hormones that increase anxiety. When we are in situations where we offer acts of kindness or help others, however, we tend to feel less judged by others.     4     Neuroscientists have studied the warm glow of doing good that makes us feel good.

“Kindness may help socially anxious people,” says Dr. Lynn Alden, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia.     5     She found that acts of kindness may help to count er the socially anxious person s fear of negative evaluation by promoting more positive perceptions and expectations of how other people will respond.

A．Some people are naturally reserved while others are rather outgoing.

B．Indeed, my own act of kindness has always been a sure bet to bring me out of my shell.

C．In social anxiety disorder, fear and anxiety lead to avoidance which can disrupt our life.

D．When I am giving my free time to help others, I feel truly liberated in my mission to serve.

E．Instead, my volunteer service consists of quiet one-on-one visits with isolated older adults.

F．These situations do not pose such a social-evaluative threat, but instead, calms and soothes us.

G．She and her colleagues conducted a study with 115 undergraduates who had reported high levels of social anxiety.

【推荐2】Several recent cases of violence（暴力）against students at U.S. colleges have made global headlines，arousing questions about the safety of America’s campuses. Yet government data show that the number of violent assaults（袭击）at colleges actually has decreased in recent years. And most schools have worked to increase safety through technology and student behavior.

It’s also important for students to take responsibility for their own safety. Being familiar with local neighborhoods and campus services is key. Personal-safety expert David Nance says the most important thing students can do is be attentive-which means not being distracted by smartphones or other devices.

The website for the group PEACE OUTSIDE CAMPUS，formed in response to the murder of a student from the University of Delaware in her off-campus apartment in 2005，lists additional measures students can take：

1. Don’t walk alone after dark or while drunk. Contact a friend to take you where you need to go.

2. When driving，keep your doors locked，and park in well-lit areas.

3. Don’t wear earphones or play music so loudly that you are unaware of your surroundings.

4. Trust your instinct（本能）and don’t worry about overreacting. You’re better safe than sorry.

5. Avoid entering elevators with strangers. When this is unavoidable，stand by the control panel and，if faced with a threatening way，push the emergency alarm and all the floor buttons. Don’t press the stop button.

6. Don’t hold the door open for a stranger attempting to enter the house，even if it seems rude. Ask them to identify themselves.

7. Post the police’s and fire departments’ numbers by every phone，and put them into your cellphone.

8. Label your emergency contacts as ICE（In Case of Emergency）in your cellphone so officials will know who to contact for important personal or medical information.

1. What can we learn from David Nance's words?

A．Students nowadays prefer to listen to music.

B．Modern electrical devices are pretty popular among students.

C．Students always bury themselves in using electrical devices.

D．Students had better put away their smartphones on campus.

2. What should a student do when facing a threat in the elevator according to the passage?

A．Get close to the door.

B．Stop the elevator instantly.

C．Hit the control panel.

D．Push the alarm button.

3. Which of the following statements about keeping safe on campus is RIGHT?

A．Follow your instinct and avoid overreacting.

B．ICE in your cellphone will benefit you a lot.

C．Loud music will raise your awareness of the surroundings.

D．Hold the door open politely for the strangers.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage？

A．How students stay safe at the college.

B．What safety tips should be taken.

C．How students avoid strangers on campus.

D．Students are responsible for their own safety.

【推荐3】Most students experience a lot of stress while preparing for exams, as both their parents and teachers expect them to get high scores. Students who feel anxious are likely to experience problems like difficulty in concentrating while studying, confusion, feeling stressed while looking problems like difficulty in concentrating while studying, confusion, feeling stressed while looking at difficult questions, feeling blank, sweating, sleepless, etc.     1         Therefore, it’s extremely important for students to learn about how to overcome fear.

There are many students who take studies lightly, leaving everything to be studied at the last minute. As a result, when exams are around the corner, they feel scared, as they don’t know where to start, and what to study.    2     Another common mistake that many students make is that they don’t make an effort to understand the subject. When they have memorized without understanding, the chances of forgetting are more.     3     In this way, you will never forget any important point. Besides, students should take regular breaks to relax and refresh their mind.

Apart from the tips above, here are some points that will help students cope with exam-related anxiety. For example, before the exam, avoid studying anything new.     4     During the exam, if you get blank after seeing difficult questions, ignore them for the time being, and attempt those you find easier.     5    

A．So start studying much before the exam.

B．The first thing you should do is to set a goal.

C．It is vital to understand the concept before memorizing it.

D．Once you have completed them, go back to the difficult ones.

E．Facing such anxious problems makes students more negative.

F．Having conversations with your classmates about what they have studied.

G．Under such circumstances they end up scoring less than they could have.