【推荐3】Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The term “killjoy parents” has been trending on Chinese social media platforms as many young people complain that their parents would rather criticize than     1     (praise) them for their accomplishments. One poster, for example, remarked that his parents said his high score in math wasn’t good enough because several other students had scored higher. Another complained that, after getting accepted into a “second-tier (二流的)” university, the response he got from his father was “Congratulations. You got admitted to a garbage university.”

It’s a terrible feeling to have someone “burst your bubble” when you think they should be sharing your Joy. And your parents, after all, are probably the people     2     you most want to share the best moments in your life. But why do some parents seem to be so hard to please?

I think a lot of it has to do with Chinese society. Parents know that life can be full of hardship and difficulties, and they want their children to be hardened“ to these realities. Another reason     3     probably be found deep in Chinese culture.

When I asked a Chinese friend     4     Chinese parents don’t praise their children, he said it’s because they don’t want to bring their children bad luck. He told me the story of two women sitting in a park and watching their children play. One of the mothers said to the other, “Your boy is so handsome and healthy.” That other mother replied, “No, he’s very ugly and he’s a very sickly child.” The mother, my friend explained, didn’t want her son praised     5     the “gods” heard and punished him. It’s an old superstition (迷信), but it does have some basis in fact.

American parents, at the other extreme,     6     (teach) to never criticize their children because it may hurt their feelings their self-esteem (自尊). Instead, they are told to always praise their children, even for failure. Psychologists (心理学家) now believe this is a bad idea. According to one study, too much praise can result in negative effects.     7     kids with low self-esteem felt even worse about themselves, kids with high self-esteem became narcissistic (自恋的) or self-centered. Moreover, children who got too much praise were     8     (likely) to take risks, were unable to deal with failure, and tended to give up when     9     (face) with challenges.

Having “killjoy parents “ may not be enjoyable,     10     it’ s important to recognize that their seemingly critical nature doesn’t negate (否定) the love they have for you. In their hearts, they genuinely (真诚地) share in your joy.

【推荐1】语法填空

A few weeks ago, a friend and I, both traveling in the south of France,     1     (decide) to go to the chocolate festival,     2     (call) “Feria du Chocolat” in French. I had     3     wonderful time.

There were stalls (货摊) selling boxes of chocolates, sweets, dessert wines, etc. All the stall owners were very friendly and happy to see the     4     (arrive) of foreigners like us. They explained their methods of     5     (make) chocolate, showed us photos of their factories, and, of course, let us try their products! My friend bought some chocolate cups,     6     I think is a great novelty (新鲜事物) — you drink your drink, and then you can eat the chocolate cup!

We then went to a masterclass where we learnt how to make chocolate. I was a little     7     (worry) before the masterclass, as there were only 12 people in a class, and I wasn’t sure if my French would be good enough     8     (understand) everything! Luckily, everyone was     9     (extreme) friendly — the lady next     10     me was making notes of everything we did, so she explained when I didn’t understand. At the end, our class stayed in the room and chatted about how much we were enjoying the day and eating lots of chocolate!

【推荐3】阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Leisure time (休闲时光) should be advocated. The main reason that leisure time is important is that it gives a person the balance     1     (need) to focus on his or her other more stressful, daily activities. Leisure time relieves     2     (sad) and stress and also improves one’s physical (身体的) and emotional health.

Taking time to do    3     (enjoy) leisure activities gives a person’s mind a rest from daily stress. Combining work     4     leisure time allows people to be more focused and efficient when working. In this sense, a company which emphasizes leisure time has a good prospect for growth. Physical leisure activities, apart from    5     (calm) the mind, also help keep the body healthy.

Quality leisure time is also vital because it has the ability     6     (improve) one’s communication skills and self-respect. By taking part in group leisure activities based    7    shared interests, such as book clubs, painting clubs or exercise groups, people can widen their circles of friends. Group activities can also benefit those    8     are shy.

Joining in all kinds of leisure activities is also    9    good role model for children. It helps to teach them about valuable life skills, such as    10     (social) acceptable behavior.