I sat in the breakfast corner with my four-year-old son, Matthew, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. I was still recovering from a surgery. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Matthew jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to the sliding door. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated on a rubber tree. It sat there a few moments, and then flew away. I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying twigs (嫩枝), “Look, Matthew,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They’re going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on the top of the rubber tree. Matthew could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the sliding glass door, talking to the birds while they worked. As much as I was grieving (感到悲伤), I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visits too. We watched their progress as if it were a real-life soap opera unfolding before us. Gradually, my pain disappeared, replaced by joy.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the rubber tree’s broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew through, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs break apart. Nothing good ever lasts. I wouldn’t blame the doves if they never came back. But they returned. And they paid no attention to the pi le of sticks that had once been their nest. They started again from scratch, though the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they renewed their efforts, as if nothing had happened.
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。
Paragraph 1: I knew I had to do something for the poor creatures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:“The birds were back!” Matthew announced.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . We’re living in stressful times. Stress, anxiety, and depression are on the rise. Even worse, resilience (适应力) is on a downturn. The dip is especially noted in teens and young adults. Some students are often overwhelmed by fear of failure.
Kids need resilience if they are to live mentally healthy lives. Resilience helps us deal with stress and adversity. It helps us recover from difficulties. Resilience makes us more willing to try new and challenging things. It’s a helpful trait (特性) to have as an adult or a child, with so much stress in the world. Resilient kids recover more easily from setbacks, bouncing back (重整旗鼓) if they fail.
As parents, we want to raise “resilient kids” but how exactly do we do that? Are they just born with it or not? The good news is that resilience is not a “trait” that children do or do not possess. It is shaped by our experiences. But it doesn’t come easy. Kids have to earn it. Nature offers many chances for them to do so.
The effect of nature on the mental well-being of children has been well-documented. In one study, two groups of children were observed: one group attending a nature preschool; the other group attending play-based, non-nature preschools. The study showed that the nature preschool group made significantly greater growth in factors relating to resilience than children in the non-nature preschool group.
As parents, we see nature teaching our kids to be more resilient every day. When you take your children on a long hike, a child may be hungry, tired, and thirsty at times. But a hike is a commitment. Yet there’s a reward waiting at the end, perhaps a view or maybe a chance to cool off in a refreshing waterhole. Even when they are tired, kids have to keep going, putting their needs aside until the hike is over and they can earn the reward. And the reward feels so much more earned. That’s resilience.
1. What does the underlined word “dip” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Decrease in resilience. | B．Influence of depression. |
| C．School stress. | D．Social anxiety. |
| A．How to raise resilient kids. |
| B．How to overcome difficulties. |
| C．The mental health problems of children. |
| D．The importance of resilience on individuals. |
| A．Nature can positively influence resilience. |
| B．Children play harder outdoors than indoors. |
| C．Resilience skills can hardly be learned at a young age. |
| D．Children in play-based schools are more resilient than others. |
| A．To give a definition of resilience. |
| B．To suggest suitable rewards for children. |
| C．To teach parents how to hike with children. |
| D．To explain how children navigate challenges during the hike. |
1. 健康的重要性；
2.保持健康的方法：如避免吃含太多糖和脂肪的食物;摒弃不良习惯；多锻炼；保持积极的心态等。
注意：词数80左右。
Dear Tom,
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Yours,
Li Hua
