1 .

Depression Discussions

Alison Malmon was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania when she got a call from her mother that would change her life: Her fun, outgoing older brother, Brian, had killed himself.

When Malmon returned to school after Brian's funeral (葬礼) that spring of 2000, she was still extremely sad. But when she looked for help on campus, there was no place to turn. “Back then, students weren't encouraged to talk about their mental health. I started reflecting on the fact that there was an enormous need to get that conversation going,” says Malmon.

She was only 19 and had no experience with mental health issues, but that didn’t stop her from launching Open Minds at Penn. Now, 20 years later and with a new name Active Minds, it is the largest young adult mental health advocacy organization in America, with more than 550 chapters at high schools and colleges. “What I'm most inspired by is that my generation and the generations coming behind me are taking on mental health as a social justice issue,” says Malmon. “Our tools are changing not only their campuses, but also their families.”

The mental health statistics on college campuses are alarming. The American College Health Association's 2019 National College Health Assessment found that 45% of students reported feeling so depressed in the previous 12 months that it was difficult to function; 66% felt great anxiety; and 13% seriously considered taking their own life. So Active Minds' peer-to-peer education techniques are more important than ever.

“I wanted to educate students about the issues, about the signs and symptoms (症状), and about where—on campus and off campus and online—they can get help for free. Active Minds chapters empower young adults to speak openly about mental health so that everybody who needs help gets it as early as possible. We can't make it uncomfortable for students to come forward with their stories,” she says. “Because that's how we're going to have more students graduate and go on to become productive members of society, and not feel so ashamed like my brother did.

1. In the spring of 2000, Alison Malmon's older brother Brian ______.

A．attended a funeral	B．took his own life
C．returned to school	D．sought help from Open Minds

2. Why did Alison Malmon set up Active Minds?

A．To make big profits.	B．To help depressed young adults.
C．To get a good reputation.	D．To help graduates build skills for jobs.

3. What can we learn from Alison Malmon's story?

A．Great minds think alike.

B．Think twice before acting.

C．Positive actions make huge differences.

D．Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

2 . An Unexpected Gift

Twelve-year-old Mathew Flores is different from other kids. He loves junk (垃圾) mail, and these advertisements were the only reading materials _______ to him. Once he asked his mailman if he could offer him some.

The question _______ the mailman. He asked the boy the reason, and then recorded his _______ in his Facebook. “Today while delivering mail, I saw a boy reading ads, and he asked me for extra mail. Actually he wants to go to the library, but his family is very poor and can’t _______ the bus.”

The mailman then asked his Facebook friends if they could _______ some books for the boy. He wrote, “Most kids want electronic products! But what he wants is books. It’s great to see his rare _______, and you may have seen him smile when I said I could help him!” “He is counting on me,” he concluded. “So I am counting on you!”

The mailman thought the Facebook post might _______ 50 to 60 books. But his _______ was passed on quickly. People from around the world, including the UK, Australia and India, have sent books. Hundreds of books have been delivered to the boy’s door, with hundreds more _______ on their way.

When books first started arriving, Flores was shocked by what happened. “I thought they were ________, but they indeed were for me.” He says that he can’t wait to share the books with other kids, and has promised to read every one.

1.

A．natural

B．available

C．common

D．familiar

2.

A．frightened

B．disappointed

C．surprised

D．amused

3.

A．response

B．effort

C．decision

D．comment

4.

A．own

B．take

C．share

D．afford

5.

A．adjust

B．examine

C．spare

D．publish

6.

A．desire

B．effect

C．purpose

D．value

7.

A．give away

B．bring in

C．take on

D．put up

8.

A．belief

B．spirit

C．secret

D．request

9.

A．only

B．nearly

C．still

D．thus

10.

A．mistaken

B．helpless

C．unusual

D．awkward

3 . One Mother to Another

On Wednesday evening, our daughter, who was at a boarding school over 200 kilometers away, told us that she had lost her phone when she took part in an activity off campus. We realized that we had little chance of finding it.

The next morning, my phone beeped (哔哔响) loudly. A kind voice announced that she had something that belonged to my daughter. I _______ that I lived a three-hour drive away, and told her I would ask a friend to fetch the phone. My daughter had written my number on the inside of her phone’s case — good thinking!

After contacting the people I know who lived near the school, I was out of _______ — no one could go and _______ the phone, not surprisingly as it was the working day and everyone was busy. I decided to ask the lady to post the phone to my daughter. But when I sent her a text to ask if this would be OK, she replied, “We will _______ it and we’re going to drive down to the boarding school tonight.” To my _______, this wonderful couple, who had already spent a busy day at work, was making a round trip on the night, _______ for returning a phone to a complete stranger. How touching it was!

I gave them directions and they _______ the phone into the hands of my daughter at her boarding house. The only word of an explanation was, “I’ve got children of my own, and I know how a mother _______.”

We had thought that the chance of getting back the phone was _______, but we got it back in such a short time. It was a wonderful reminder of the good in the world and how the actions of one person can __________ the world to another.

1.

A．suggested

B．reported

C．explained

D．argued

2.

A．date

B．luck

C．work

D．control

3.

A．pick up

B．carry out

C．hand in

D．give away

4.

A．find

B．show

C．miss

D．take

5.

A．regret

B．surprise

C．amusement

D．disappointment

6.

A．especially

B．certainly

C．definitely

D．probably

7.

A．conducted

B．arranged

C．delivered

D．identified

8.

A．doubts

B．interests

C．predicts

D．worries

9.

A．free

B．slim

C．hard

D．fair

10.

A．tell

B．face

C．mean

D．join

4 . Fun School Projects with Magnets and Metal

Science is one of the most interesting and fun subjects for kids.

There are endless opportunities for practical experiments that are sure to surprise and excite children's imaginations. A great way to get into experimenting with science is with the use of magnets. The properties of magnets allow for an “ invisible force ” to move objects seemingly on their own!

If your kids are looking for something a little trickier, why not let them try using magnets to make their own compass (指南针)？

For this experiment, you will need 2 needles, a strong magnet, a pencil, a cup and some string.

Step 1: Rub the pointed end of the needle along one side of the magnet ；this can be either the north or south end. Make sure you are rubbing the needle in one direction, not back and forth. You might need to do this about 30 times to magnetise the needle.

Step 2: Test the now magnetised needle with the spare needle to see if it can pick it up. If it can, the needle is ready to use for the experiment. If it doesn't pick it up, you will need to rub the needle a few more times on the same end of the magnet you were using before.

Step 3 : With a piece of string that is a couple of inches long, get your child to tie this to the middle of the pencil. Then, at the bottom end of the hanging string, tie the magnetised needle.

Step 4: Place the pencil, with the needle hanging down, over the top of a cup so that the needle is hanging inside the cup.

Step 5 : Watch as the needle moves on its own to point north.

Once your kids have got a taste for magnets, you might want to move on to more advanced experiments. Places like RS Components sell high-tech magnetic equipment that will be sure to carry on fuelling your children's passion for science!

1. According to the passage, the spare needle is used to _______.

A．pick the other needle up	B．magnetise the other needle
C．rub the magnet on the other side	D．check if the other needle is magnetised

2. The magnetised needle can point north because _______.

A．it is tied to a hanging string	B．it has the properties of a magnet
C．it is connected with a magnet	D．it is hanging down inside the cup

3. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To promote high-tech magnetic equipment.

B．To entertain kids with magnet experiments.

C．To stress the importance of advanced experiments.

D．To provide a way to fuel kids' passion for science.

5 . “What kind of stuff do you write?" one student asked on my first day at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. After a decade away from the classroom, I was back to ___________

“Creative non-fiction,ⁿ I said.

It was a _______ I couldn't remember when I’d last written a creative essay. It must have been before my volatile（喜怒无常的）mother fell ill, leaving me resigned to the idea that our story of family dysfunction would not end _______. It seemed that nothing I wrote could _________ that.

With too much time and lack of _________ , I accepted a position to teach creative non-fiction. Although I couldn't get myself to tell my own _______, I could require that my students tell theirs.

“You're going to be keeping a _______ in this class, ” I said. "And I want you to tell your stories like they _______."

"Why?” a boy named Michael asked. "I mean, who _________ about our stories?"

Looking out at the roomful of students, I realized I didn't have an __________.

No one said a word. I ________ that most didn't know their stories were stories一as beautiful and hard——as their own lives.

Finally , I said, “ Because it's what you have. Stories allow us to make meaning of what we've been through. When you shape your ________ into a story, it becomes yours and not just something that ________to you."

Michael didn't look ________, but he didn't challenge me either.

In his first essay, Michael wrote about how he grew up in one of the ________ neighborhoods in Boston. He wrote about the night he was out with two friends. The feeling of numbness(麻木)shot through my body as a car came zooming towards us. At that moment everything went blank. Both of my two mates were hit down, drenched in blood. Minutes after I witnessed that, I decided I was leading the dangerous neighborhood and going to college.

He went on to write about how his high school teachers, who saw his ________, helped him get into this school.

I had Michael __________ his essay out. After he finished, the class went so ________that we could hear the sound of each other's breath. After a moment, I said, “ That's why you tell your stories. ”

I went home that night and picked up my journal, ________and untouched. I found a pen and for the first time in months, I had to ________ .

1.

A．studying

B．teaching

C．visiting

D．consulting

2.

A．lie

B．fact

C．task

D．dream

3.

A．slowly

B．naturally

C．happily

D．violently

4.

A．prove

B．explain

C．destroy

D．change

5.

A．control

B．support

C．inspiration

D．security

6.

A．jokes

B．stories

C．thoughts

D．faults

7.

A．list

B．note

C．record

D．journal

8.

A．exist

B．succeed

C．matter

D．spread

9.

A．cares

B．worries

C．debates

D．inquires

10.

A．argument

B．opportunity

C．influence

D．answer

11.

A．assumed

B．predicted

C．ignored

D．checked

12.

A．choice

B．performance

C．progress

D．experience

13.

A．applied

B．happened

C．belonged

D．appealed

14.

A．interested

B．astonished

C．convinced

D．concerned

15.

A．biggest

B．quietest

C．safest

D．worst

16.

A．potential

B．creativity

C．anxiety

D．confusion

17.

A．read

B．bring

C．figure

D．point

18.

A．relaxed

B．still

C．nervous

D．friendly

19.

A．clean

B．special

C．dusty

D．marked

20.

A．wonder

B．write

C．compete

D．practise

6 . As humanity has got richer, animal’s roles have changed. People need their services less than before. Fewer wolves and thieves meant less demand for dogs for protection; the internal combustion engine（内燃机）made horses unneeded; modern sanitation（卫生设备）kept rats in check and made cats less useful. No longer necessities, domestic animals became luxuries. Pet-keeping seems to kick in when household incomes rise above roughly $5,000. It is booming.

The trend is not a new one. Archaeologists（考古学家）have found 10,000-year-old graves in which dogs and people are buried together. Some cultures -- such as in Scandinavia, where dogs have long been both working dogs and companions -- have kept pets for thousands of years. But these days the pet-keeping urge has spread even to parts of the world which have no tradition of sinking into a comfortable chair with a furry creature.

The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them. No longer are they food - waste - recyclers, fed with the remains that fall from their masters’ tables. Pet - food shelves are full of delicacies crafted to satisfy a range of appetites, including ice cream for dogs and foods for pets that are old, diabetic or suffer from sensitive digestion; a number of internet services offer food, tailored to the pet’s individual tastes.

In the business this is called “pet humanisation” -- the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. This is evident in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex and Spot to -- in America -- Bella, Lucy and Max. It is evident in the growing market for pet clothing, pet grooming and pet hotels.

People still assume that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. But the evidence for that is weak. Rather, new research suggests that dogs have evolved those irresistible “puppy - dog eyes” precisely to affect human emotions. It has worked. The species that once enslaved others now works very hard to pay for the care of its pets. Sentimental（多愁善感的）Americans often refer to themselves not as cat-owners but as the cat’s “mommy” or “daddy”. South Koreans go one further, describing themselves as cat “butlers”. Watch an unlucky dog-walker trailing “his” hound（猎犬）, plastic bag in hand to pick up its mess, and you have to wonder: who’s in charge now?

1. Which of the following trends is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．People’s needs for animal services are decreasing.

B．Both the pet number and the pet business are growing.

C．Pets are increasingly making their owners less anxious.

D．Pet foods are more various and customized than before.

2. Which of the following is referred to as evidence of “pet humanization?”

A．The names given to pets in American families nowadays.

B．Pet’s inbuilt ability to affect emotions of their owners.

C．Human beings ever rising urge for pet-keeping.

D．Pet’s roles as both working staff and companions.

3. Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?

A．Pets should be treated as equals of their human masters.

B．Human beings are getting much benefit from their pets.

C．Pet-keeping is still restricted within certain parts of the world.

D．Some pet owners spend too much money on their pets.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．The Changing Roles of Animals	B．The Urge for Pet-keeping
C．Who Owns Whom	D．Love Me, Love My Dog

7 . While I was in 9th grade, I built a circuit (电路装置) for the traffic system of our city. After getting the first prize, I got this valuable advice from my father; “Do whatever interests you, and don’t let the work challenge you, make sure you are challenging that work.”

I have always preferred the projects which are challenging and related to real life problems. I clearly remember building a shipping program several years ago. I divided the whole project into several small sections. When I understood it clearly, used my brainstorming skill on it, and gave some basic ideas. Then I asked my professor for help before jumping into coding (编码). At first, I did not know how to ask questions correctly and always asked the question “How do I do it?” As I   kept working and discussed with my professor, I became more comfortable and those “how ”questions soon turned into “what if I do this and that” types of questions.

It took me four days to write the code. The desire to solve the problem kept me sleepless all nights brainstorming in even greater details. Every time I saw my program running smoothly, I exploded with joy. I still remember the last day of my work. I was getting some problem and didn’t know what to do. At that moment, a man came in to clean. He has headphones, and he was dancing while cleaning the room. Seeing this, I burst out laughing. That moment calmed me. I regained energy and interest and started to work again, and soon I fixed the problem.

My success in the project proved that breaking up a large problem into small parts could help find a possible solution. Discussing the problem with others was also very beneficial. Now I have gained the confidence to attempt any kind of project.

1. According to the passage, the writer was interested in ________.

A．developing traffic systems

B．doing challenging projects

C．winning great prizes

D．writing different codes

2. The writer asked the question “how do I do it” at first because ________.

A．he had no clear idea about his program

B．he was too shy to express himself

C．he wanted to he understood easily

D．he preferred this kind of question

3. We learn from the passage that the writer’s shipping program ________.

A．would benefit people a lot

B．was done together with others

C．was difficult and needed patience

D．cost much money and energy

4. What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Do It Yourself

B．No Pains, No Gains

C．Learning with interest

D．Practice Makes Perfect