1 . The past two years has been tough for so many people. There’s been a mix of worry and annoyance due to COVID-19. And with the pandemic being still threatening, people are continuing to struggle and in need of a smile.

With this in mind, we wanted to share the story of Jaden Hayes, whose take on sadness and anxiety is totally refreshing.

When Jaden Hayes was only 4 years old, his dad passed away. Two years later his mom died in her sleep. “I tried and tried to get her awake — but I couldn’t,” the orphan (孤儿) explained in an interview. However, in his grief he realized how difficult it was for him to see others around him feeling sad. So he wanted to do something to make them smile. With the help of his aunt and guardian at the time, Barbara DiCola, he went and bought lots of little toys to hand out to passers-by in Savannah, Georgia, whose spirits needed to be raised.

All little Jaden Hayes wants in return is to make people smile. Unsurprisingly, his efforts have worked! “It’s like absolute joy came out of this child, and the more people he made smile, the more this light shone,” explained his aunt. While he readily admitted that he was still sad about his mother’s death, the smile mission had given him a sense of purpose.

Now, a few years later, Jaden is still keeping up his good work. His Facebook page, Jaden’s Journey, describes how this young “smile maker” is still bringing joy to others.

His initial aim was to make 33,000 people smile through his kind deeds, but by spreading his story we’re pretty sure he’s managed to inspire many more smiles, and perhaps a few tears.

1. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “take” in paragraph 2?

A．Influence.

B．Investigation.

C．Suggestion.

D．Opinion.

2. What do we know about Jaden Hayes?

A．He gives toys to anyone passing by.

B．He wants people around him to be happy.

C．He forgets the pain of his mother’s death.

D．He does his good work without expecting anything in return.

3. What does the author mean to do by telling the story of Jaden Hayes?

A．To encourage people to cheer up.

B．To call on people to do good things.

C．To stress the effect of COVID-19 on people.

D．To praise those who make people smile.

4. What is the best title for this text?

A．A Time Full of Grief

B．Ways Out of Sadness

C．An Orphan Who Spreads Joy

D．Kindness That Requires No Return

2 . During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people under lockdown feel lonely and bored. “There is a loneliness epidemic,” said John Dattilo from Pennsylvania State University, US.

So he, together with an international team of researchers, studied how to reduce loneliness and increase positive feelings during the pandemic.

According to their new study, reducing loneliness has something to do with doing enjoyable activities that require both concentration (注意力) and skill.

When people are absorbed in what they are doing, they enter a state called “flow”, Dattilo explained. “Flow can be achieved by doing activities that we value and that requires us to concentrate fully to use our skills.”

To achieve a state of flow, there must be a balance between the challenge of the task and your skill level. For example, if you’re trying to create a complex (复杂的) computer program but your skill level is low, then you’re likely to feel stressed instead of achieving “flow”. On the contrary (相反地), if the task is too easy, then boredom will set in and “flow” will not appear, either.

If you have artistic skills, for example, playing the piano or painting can lead to flow. So can things like skiing, writing and storytelling, depending on who you are.

“When we enter a state of flow, we become focused, and we experience momentary enjoyment,” Dattilo said. “When we leave a state of flow, we are often surprised by how much time has passed.” However, watching television usually doesn’t help people enter flow, according to Dattilo, because there aren’t any challenges.

“People tend to thrive (茁壮成长) on healthy activities and challenge,” said Dattilo. “We hope this research will help people live fuller, happier, healthier lives.”

1. What did Dattilo study?

A．Why people feel lonely.	B．How to reduce loneliness.
C．What enjoyable activities are.	D．Why people like a new challenge.

2. How do people feel when they enter the “flow” state?

A．They are lonely and bored.	B．They feel stressed and tired.
C．They are concentrating and happy.	D．They feel time passes slowly.

3. What does the underlined phrase “are absorbed in” probably mean?

A．are good at	B．arc proud of
C．are focused on	D．arc relaxed about

4. What can we do to reduce loneliness during lockdown, according to Dattilo?

A．Follow a healthy lifestyle.	B．Learn as many skills as possible.
C．Complete impossible tasks.	D．Do something enjoyable and challenging.

3 . The situation of global pandemic (流行病) is still worrying. Malaysia will continue taking “Movement Control Order” measures to _________ the spread of the disease. Times like this are definitely challenging for frontline workers who have been working _________ to ensure the safety of the public since the outbreak.

Due to the present situation, many eateries (饮食店) are deeply _________. As only self-pickup and in-house deliveries are _________, online platforms to promote options have found favor with restaurant owners. However, Creampuffsado, a local bakery based in Alor Setar, Malaysia, has just made hundreds of frontliners’ _________. The bakery’s owner, Azrul Azali, _________ a mass of bread to the town’s frontliners. But what _________ was Azrul’s attempt in personally writing words of _________ on all the packaging! He also contributed some to other organizations. “People have been very _________ so far,” said a police officer. “We are feeling thankful for such a personal deed, __________ it is a small act.”

Prior to this, Azrul had posted on a social platform, collecting netizens’ __________ words to hearten the frontliners. He then proceeded to __________ them down one by one on the packaging. His __________ was to make sure that all Malaysians were able to appreciate the sacrifices the frontliners are making during this pandemic.

Every bit of kindness in tough times right now is much appreciated, whatever __________ it comes in. Either you’re contributing meals or simply putting your knowledge and skills forward. Because every little action __________ in helping anyone get through this period of time.

1.

A．boost

B．contain

C．track

D．predict

2.

A．tirelessly

B．fruitlessly

C．casually

D．aimlessly

3.

A．moved

B．rooted

C．affected

D．impressed

4.

A．available

B．genuine

C．flexible

D．crucial

5.

A．living

B．fortune

C．day

D．decision

6.

A．exposed

B．related

C．threw

D．donated

7.

A．stood out

B．went wild

C．came true

D．got ahead

8.

A．wisdom

B．encouragement

C．advice

D．praise

9.

A．tolerant

B．intelligent

C．generous

D．wealthy

10.

A．even though

B．as though

C．provided that

D．so that

11.

A．clear

B．sincere

C．complex

D．cheap

12.

A．break

B．settle

C．carry

D．write

13.

A．preference

B．choice

C．intention

D．philosophy

14.

A．place

B．order

C．direction

D．form

15.

A．differs

B．pales

C．matters

D．arises

4 . 假定你是李华。现在美国新冠肺炎的疫情严重，你在美国的外教Chris 知道中国的疫情控制得很好，写信向你询问个人防护措施。请你给他写封回信，提供些建议，要点如下：
(1)少出门、少聚集；
(2)出门带口罩、保持距离；
(3)养成良好的个人卫生习惯。
注意: (1)词数100左右；
(2)可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Chris,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

5 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（︿），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从每11处起）不计分。

There are many respectable people around us. As for me, my father is the one I respect him. He is a doctor and always takes a positively attitude towards life.

There are various reasons that I admire him. As a doctor, he is devoted to his job, saying “Nothing is more important than saving a life, whenever difficult it is.” In March, he volunteered to go to Wuhan, determining to help those suffering from COVID-19, despite the risk of being infected, which made me promote the understanding of brave and responsibility. As a father, not only does he care about my life, also inspires me to set the high aim and strive for it. But for his encouragement, I couldn’t have made so much progresses.

Such is my father, a great man who set a good example for me and I love him a great deal.

6 . Carol Heffernan, a 43-year-old woman from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, regularly felt worn out from working, driving her two kids to school, and taking care of housework. But when COVID-19 hit in March, 2020 and the kids were suddenly home all day and learning remotely, her usual weariness quickly turned into full-on exhaustion. “All the extra responsibility and the mental load—it just added up,” she says. “I felt tired, and it wasn’t due to lack of sleep.”

If there’s one thing many of us have in common, it’s that we’re tired. Doctors even have a name for it: “tired all the time,” or TATT for short. The solution isn’t always as simple as getting more sleep; nearly a quarter of people who get seven or more hours of rest a night report that they still wake up feeling tired most days.

A few weeks after feeling tired, Heffernan decided to drop everything and go for a walk, which she hadn’t done since the pandemic(大流行病)began. “I just wanted to be by myself,” she says. “I needed a break.” When she returned, she felt recharged and decided to make a habit of it.

Doing something active when you’re feeling sluggish(懒洋洋的)will actually increase your energy, but it will not consume the little that you have. In fact, researchers at the University of Georgia found that just ten minutes of low or moderate intensity exercise gave study participants a noticeable energy boost.

In another recent study, people who committed to working out for 20 minutes three times a week increased their energy levels by 20 percent in six weeks. “When we don’t work out regularly, our muscles can become weakened, so when we do use them in everyday activities, we’re more tired,” explains Dr Yufang Lin, a physician at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center.

Now, Heffernan goes for a daily 45-minute stroll. “It feeds me spiritually, emotionally, and physically,” she says. “I have something to look forward to every afternoon. I’m in a better mood. And after putting the kids to bed, I have the energy to stay up and talk to my husband.”

1. What problem did Carol Heffernan have at the beginning of the pandemic?

A．A lack of sleep.

B．Having trouble driving kids to school.

C．Feeling exhausted all the time.

D．Too much pressure from remote learning.

2. How did Carol solve her problem?

A．By getting more sleep at night.	B．By turning to doctors for help.
C．By strengthening the weak muscles.	D．By taking exercise regularly.

3. What does Yufang Lin aim to stress in Paragraph 5?

A．The necessity of working out regularly.

B．Ways to work out efficiently.

C．The frequency of regular workouts.

D．The duration of workouts.

4. What does the underlined word “stroll” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Walk.

B．Stretch.

C．Race.

D．Drive.