1 . Random acts of kindness can affect people’s well-being significantly more than expected, according to an August study co-authored by a University of Texas researcher. Based on experiments ranging from giving someone a cup of hot chocolate to delivering cupcakes in the park, the recently published study found that random acts of kindness affected both the giver and receiver significantly more than anticipated. The researchers conducted a total of eight experiments involving students to assess the effects of the acts.
Amit Kumar, the study’s co-author and an assistant marketing and psychology professor at UT, said that although researchers know kindness significantly improves a person’s well-being, people underestimate the effect it will have on the receiver. “One of the interesting questions becomes why people often don’t act in ways that are likely to make them feel better,” said Kumar. “What we were interested in studying here was this belief that these seemingly small pro-social acts can actually make a significant difference in people’s lives.”
Kumar said because people underestimate the positive effects of these acts, more often than not, people don’t perform them.
One of the experiments included UT students engaging in an exercise in which they performed different acts of kindness for others, such as baking cookies or offering a peer a ride home, and then filled out a questionnaire afterward. At the same time, the recipients were contacted and asked how they felt. The researchers found that in all of the experiments, both the recipients and performers ended up in better moods than normal after the act.
Co-author Nicholas Epley said the research is part of a broader research program of people avoiding human connection and not reaching out to others despite its positive impact.
“People do act in line with their expectations, but those expectations can be off,” Kumar said. “If you’re underestimating the positive impact that you’re having on other people, that can prevent you from being kinder more often in daily life,” Kumar remarked. He hopes this research helps people become more aware of their impact on others and be kind when they have the opportunity.
1. What did the recently published study find about random acts of kindness?| A．They affect the giver more than the receiver. |
| B．They affect the receiver more than the giver. |
| C．They are good for interpersonal relationships. |
| D．They can greatly affect people’s happiness. |
| A．Negative. | B．Kind. | C．Dangerous. | D．Active. |
| A．People escaping human contact. | B．People showing random kindness. |
| C．The positive impact of kindness. | D．The importance of human connection. |
| A．Realizing the power of your kindness. |
| B．Acting in line with expectations. |
| C．Having a good opportunity. |
| D．Reaching out to others. |
George, owner of a popular restaurant, was known for his excellent food, which was much loved by his customers. Even though he was talented, successful, and wealthy, his employees feared him for his strictness.
Debbie, a new waitress at George’s restaurant, was hardworking, always serving customers with a smile. George was satisfied with her work. After about two months, George asked the night manager about Debbie, and the man had only good things to say about her. “She’s smart, quick, and efficient, and she deals with customers better than anyone! We are searching for an assistant manager, and she seems like a good candidate. She’s got great potential!”
However, one night, George caught Debbie in the act of stealing. Walking into the kitchen, he saw her putting a box carefully into her bag. “Debbie!” he called out. “Come to my office now!” He was seated behind his desk with a serious look as she entered. “Open your bag,” George ordered. Debbie’s face tuned red, and she opened her bag to take out two plastic boxes, shaking as she placed them on the desk. George opened them to find some leftover food and a piece of cake. “You’re fired,” he screamed out in anger. “Right now!”
“Please,” Debbie begged. “Please don’t! The food was just going to be thrown away…”
“It’s against the rules here,” George replied firmly.
“Please,” Debbie continued. “There’s something you don’t know…”
She said softly, “My son has leukemia (白血病) , and the treatments are more than I can afford. I’ve been taking the leftover food home to save money for his care.”
“Your son has leukemia…” George repeated. “Is this true?” Debbie showed him a photo of a young boy in a hospital bed, smiling bravely. George took a deep breath and looked at Debbie, and said more kindly, “The rules say you should be fired. I’ll talk it over with the night manager. Let’s discuss this tomorrow.”
1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式作答。
Debbie was very worried, but she had no choice.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________George said he made a decision after careful consideration.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . I was driving down the highway, enjoying the freedom of the open road when suddenly, I heard a loud noise. My car shook
I carefully
I tried to flag down passing cars, but no one seemed to notice me. They drove past me at high speed, as if I were
As the sun started to set, my
Just when I was about to give up, I heard a car
As expected, the man helped
| A．slightly | B．slowly | C．precisely | D．violently |
| A．set off | B．took up | C．pulled over | D．moved on |
| A．chance | B．spare | C．effort | D．spirit |
| A．delicate | B．invisible | C．flexible | D．energetic |
| A．hopeless | B．peaceful | C．proud | D．secure |
| A．admiration | B．determination | C．frustration | D．occupation |
| A．emotion | B．strength | C．innovation | D．rescue |
| A．happiness | B．enjoyment | C．tears | D．bravery |
| A．disappearing | B．approaching | C．fading | D．floating |
| A．rise | B．beat | C．decrease | D．sink |
| A．anxiety | B．humour | C．relief | D．direction |
| A．obtain | B．change | C．unearth | D．destroy |
| A．drove off | B．set up | C．calmed down | D．figured out |
| A．host | B．creator | C．beggar | D．hero |
| A．kindness | B．coldness | C．genius | D．influence |
4 . Pets are always part of a family. Pets and kids who grow up together have very close
This year, when Milly’s parents asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she went to her room to prepare her
The Kukuczka family
Milly’s parents were all onboard to help their daughter organize the pet drive. They
Milly is
| A．end | B．observation | C．bonds | D．mood |
| A．came back | B．broke down | C．fled off | D．passed away |
| A．disappointed | B．heartbroken | C．confused | D．beloved |
| A．suburb | B．neighborhood | C．shelter | D．downtown |
| A．list | B．interview | C．attempt | D．course |
| A．in spite of | B．apart from | C．but for | D．instead of |
| A．friends | B．homes | C．peace | D．fund |
| A．lost | B．adopted | C．sold | D．buried |
| A．protector | B．tutor | C．toy | D．baby-sitter |
| A．changeable | B．respectful | C．alive | D．occupied |
| A．reached | B．turned | C．picked | D．made |
| A．applied | B．demanded | C．debated | D．shared |
| A．infectious | B．brief | C．generous | D．natural |
| A．serving as | B．searching for | C．appealing to | D．dreaming of |
| A．goods | B．donations | C．supplies | D．purchases |
1. Why does the man want to do something for the seniors?
| A．To get volunteer task done. |
| B．To bring more variety to their life. |
| C．To get meaningful ideas for his report. |
| A．To learn new receipt from the seniors. |
| B．To show their skills. |
| C．To connect with each other. |
| A．Because it makes the seniors feel self-achievement. |
| B．Because it helps the community greener. |
| C．Because it shows the seniors’ talent. |
| A．Held once a week. |
| B．For them to make friends. |
| C．Sharing their stories and memories. |
Seven-year-old Maggie was a grade-one pupil. She often spent her free time socializing with the seniors at a local retirement facility. In general, she would talk about puzzles, ice cream bars, and everything under the sun with the seniors. But most particularly, Maggie read to them, which she called her sweet mission. Once or twice a week, the little girl put a few books in her backpack and got ready to visit the elderly at the facility.
This sweet mission began on a snowy day. Maggie’s mom, Tiffany Kuznia, worked at the retirement facility and often brought her daughter with her to work. As little Maggie was packing her bag, Kuznia reminded her to bring her Nintendo Switch so she would not get bored. Maggie quickly replied that she had different plans for the day. “I’m going to bring books and I’m going to read to the residents ,” she declared.
On arrival, the girl knocked on every door of the facility to offer her services. That day, she made a good start. Patti Griggs, a retired elementary school teacher, was astonished by her reading talent. “She’s such a good little reader. I taught first-grade kids how to read. There were very few children who could come in and read like that,” said Griggs.
With time, Maggie became so beloved among the residents that she even had “regulars” she read to every week. She often visited each one for over an hour. Her mom checked on her regularly to make sure she wasn’t overstaying her welcome. Much to Maggie’s delight , the residents were more than happy to have her with them for an extended period of time. They were always ready to help her out when she struggled with new words. Such hiccups (小问题) happened less and less and Maggie grew more confident of reading aloud.
Two months later, Maggie realized that her companions had different hobbies and interests. And their educational levels varied from person to person. It was high time that she should make some changes.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Maggie decided to choose different books according to their tastes.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
With Patti Griggs’ help, a personalized reading plan was ready.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . The very unusual series of events finished as Sondrup was heading home from an extended work shift. She had just completed her fourth continuous night shift, and
While driving home, Sondrup
“It’s
Under what she described as a turn of fate (命运), Sondrup
Sondrup courageously
“I really feel that my guiding
The man Sondrup rescued recently reached out to express his
| A．tiredness | B．happiness | C．stress | D．anger |
| A．description | B．memory | C．opinion | D．request |
| A．believed | B．summarized | C．tracked | D．noticed |
| A．preserved | B．introduced | C．trapped | D．exchanged |
| A．possible | B．different | C．strange | D．interesting |
| A．Obviously | B．Normally | C．Formally | D．Likely |
| A．pulled over | B．turned on | C．looked around | D．worked out |
| A．progress | B．accident | C．reference | D．survival |
| A．watched | B．explored | C．climbed | D．contacted |
| A．struggle | B．contribution | C．experiment | D．wisdom |
| A．recognized | B．encouraged | C．concentrated | D．promoted |
| A．proposal | B．focus | C．goal | D．force |
| A．key | B．awkward | C．spare | D．public |
| A．demand | B．appreciation | C．desire | D．view |
| A．solution | B．title | C．health | D．personality |
When we are little kids, birthday parties are momentous occasions. They are our time to shine, and we love everything about them: the balloons, the games, the cake, the gifts, and so on.
After reading cool stories about police officers solving mysteries, Allen Miller thought the police were awesome, hoping to become one of them! So, when he had to choose a theme for his seventh birthday party—he went with his favorite: the police! And all he wanted for his birthday party was a model police car. He excitedly invited some of his friends and anxiously awaited the day. Unfortunately, none of them could make it to the party due to various reasons,
Allen’s mom Rachel wrestled with the challenging decision: should she cancel the party and save Allen the embarrassment of an empty party room? He had been looking forward to the party and talking about it daily, so it would break his heart to cancel it.
Officer Frank Smith, who had already planned with Rachel and agreed to show up at the party, heard from Rachel that it might be canceled due to low attendance. That’s when he decided to save the day—he is a police officer after all! His duty is to serve and protect, and he decided to protect Allen from having a bad day, and serve him the most amazing seventh birthday party! Officer Smith got the whole local police to join in. “We like to be involved in our community. It’s not just about enforcing (执行) the law. We like to be there in the good times as well,” he explained to Rachel.
On the day of Allen’s party, Officer Smith picked up Rachel and Allen in his police car. The boy didn’t know where they were going, but was excited. They stopped at Town Hall, and officer Smith led them into the meeting room where a group of policemen were waiting to wish Allen a happy birthday.
注意;1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
There, a party was waiting for him.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After they enjoyed the cake, Officer Smith took out a gift bag.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Don’t bug me! Hug me!” Bumper Sticker Lee Shapiro is a retired judge. He is also one of the most genuinely loving people we know. At one point in his career, Lee realized that love is the greatest power there is. As a result, Lee became a hugger. He began offering everybody a hug. His colleagues dubbed him “the hugging judge”, which is opposed to the hanging judge. The bumper sticker on his car reads, “Don’t bug me! Hug me!”
About six years ago Lee created what he called his Hugger Kit. On the outside it reads “A heart for a hug.” The inside contains thirty little red embroidered hearts with stickers on the back. Lee will take out his Hugger Kit, go around to people and offer them a little red heart in exchange for a hug. Lee has become so well known for this that he is often invited to keynote conferences and conventions, where he shares his message of unconditional love.
At a conference in San Francisco, the local news media challenged him by saying, “It is easy to give out hugs here in the conference to people who self-selected to be here. But this would never work in the real world.” They challenged Lee to give away some hugs on the streets of San Francisco. Followed by a television crew from the local news station, Lee went out onto the street. First he approached a woman walking by. “Hi, I’m Lee Shapiro, the hugging judge. I’m giving out these hearts in exchange for a hug.” “Sure,” she replied. “Too easy,” challenged the local commentator. Lee looked around. He saw a meter maid who was being given a hard time by a traffic police, who was giving a ticket to her for illegal car parking. He marched up to her, camera crew in tow, and said, “You look like you could use a hug. I’m the hugging judge and I’m offering you one.” She delightedly accepted it. The television commentator threw down a more hug challenge to Lee.
注意：1.续写词数应为150 左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
He had never before hugged people who were severely terminally ill as Leonard.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Doctors said it was the first time that they had seen Leonard smile.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . I was the only kid in college with a reason to go to the mail box, because my mother never believed in email, or cell phones in general. I was literally waiting to get a letter to see how the weekend had gone, which was usually the warmest comfort for me.
So when I moved to New York and got sucker-punched in the face by depression, I did the only thing I could think of — writing letters like my mother for strangers. I blogged about those letters and crazily promised I would write you a hand-written letter if asked to.
Overnight, my inbox became this harbor of heartbreak — a single mother in Sacramento, a girl being bullied (恐吓) in rural Kansas…, all asking me to write them a letter and give them a reason to wait by the mailbox. And this is how the act The World Needs More Love Letters was born, fueled by those trips to the mailbox. But the thing about these letters is that most of them have been written by people, who have grown up into a paperless world where some best conversations happen swiftly on a screen.
I’ve been carrying this mail crate (大木箱) with me these days, which is a magical icebreaker. So I get to tell total strangers about a woman whose husband was traumatized (受精神创伤) from war in Afghanistan, and how she left love letters throughout the house as a way to say, “Come back to me.” And the man, who had decided to take his life, tonight slept safely with letters just beneath his pillow, handwritten by strangers who were there for him.
These are the kinds of stories that convince me that letter-writing will always be needed, even in these days, because it is an art now.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The efficiency of write letters. |
| B．The author’s care for her family. |
| C．The author’s attachment to letters. |
| D．The author’s love for the college life. |
| A．The letters’ comforting effect on people. |
| B．Her intention of providing professional aid. |
| C．The positive influence of modern technology. |
| D．Her mother’s fear of modern communication. |
| A．It is capable of doing magic tricks. |
| B．It starts a conversation with passers-by. |
| C．It helps people to recover from traumas. |
| D．It is hot enough to melt ice on a cold day. |
| A．Love for Writing |
| B．Priceless Family Letters |
| C．Love Letters to Strangers |
| D．The Art of Writing Letters |
