1 . Self-criticism (自我批评) is a mental habit of negatively analyzing and judging ourselves and our actions. If we don’t find a way to overcome self-criticism, we won’t be able to live a happy and satisfying life.
Stop Negative Thoughts
Thought stopping is one of the best secrets of how to overcome self-criticism. Interrupting your thoughts helps you change how you think about yourself, thus helping you feel better.
Another strategy is to replace negative self-critical thoughts with positive realistic statements. For instance, if you set a goal, be realistic about it by giving yourself enough time to achieve it. In fact, having a constant desire to achieve immediate success can ruin your confidence.
Avoid Perfectionism
Another secret is to let go of the need to be perfect. It’s all right to set high standards for yourself.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
| A．Be realistic |
| B．Focus on strengths |
| C．It’s normal to feel like that everyone has a better life than you |
| D．Remember it’s from your mistakes that you get to improve yourself |
| E．If you’ve been stuck in negative thoughts, here’s what you need to do |
| F．It’s important to note that changing your negative thought patterns can take time |
| G．However, falling short of your goals and expectations can make you feel worthless |
2 . A new study warns that more than a fifth of all reptile (爬行动物) species are threatened with extinction, which may have a bad impact on the planet.
The largest ever analysis of the state of the world’s reptiles, published in Nature, has showed that 21% of the reptile species are facing extinction. The study says from lizards to snakes, such a loss could have disastrous impacts on ecosystems around the world.
Although many reptiles live in dry environments such as deserts, most species occur in forests, where they suffer from threats such as logging of land for agriculture.30% of the forest-dwelling reptiles are at risk of extinction, compared with 14% in dry habitats. Hunting is also a major threat to reptiles, especially turtles and crocodiles, many of which are at risk of extinction. Another major contributing factor is the introduction of invasive species.
“If we removed reptiles, it could change ecosystems fundamentally, with unfortunate knock-on effects, such as increases in pest insects,” said Neil Cox, co-leader of the study. “Biodiversity, including reptiles, supports the ecosystem services that provide a healthy environment for people.”
Our hope is that this first-ever assessment of the world’s 10,000-plus reptiles helps put them in the spotlight and goes some way to highlighting this diversity, and just how much we have to lose. As well as controlling rats, mosquitoes and other pests, reptiles deliver many other benefits. “They help spread seeds, especially in island environments,” said researcher Hoffmann. “We’ve also achieved many medical advances from studies of reptiles.”
The results of the study are not all doom and gloom. Scientists have found, surprisingly, that if they set out to protect places where threatened birds, mammals and amphibians (两栖动物) live together, they’ll meanwhile protect many more threatened reptiles.
1. Which is the main concern raised by the new study?| A．The overpopulation of reptiles. | B．The loss of reptiles. |
| C．The sharp increase in reptile species. | D．The disastrous influence of reptiles on nature. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Their benefits. | B．Their habitats. |
| C．Their living habits. | D．Their health problems. |
| A．Disappointing. | B．Odd. | C．Satisfactory. | D．Amazing. |
Beth was in hospital with viral pneumonia (肺炎). She felt down and she missed her parents terribly, who were far away in Europe on business. She lay in her bed crying when one nurse came in and recognized her sadness and loneliness. The nurse looked at the pale little girl worriedly, knowing that one of the greatest setbacks to recovery is often depression. Like the rest of the medical staff, she was overworked and couldn’t sit and keep Beth company all the time. Then she had a brilliant idea! Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone! Just at the end of the corridor (走廊), she had a patient who was just as lonely as Beth...
The nurse walked into Georgiana Halston’s room and smiled, “Didn’t you tell me you have a granddaughter, Mrs Halston?” Georgiana, who was lying on the bed and looking listlessly (没精打采地) out of the window, sighed. “Yes. I have a 7-year-old granddaughter, but she is in Canada. And she hardly calls me, because I don’t know what she like and she think it boring to chat with me.”
“Well,” the nurse said. “I have a 7-year-old down the corridor who is very lonely and needs a friend. I wonder if you could cheer her up a bit and be that friend?”
“But my leg hurts,” Georgiana said. “I can’t walk. You know that.”
“I know that your doctor want you out of bed and to walk around,” the nurse retorted. “If you don’t move, you’ll end up bedridden!”
Georgiana had been diagnosed with a form of bone disease and got a big operation. She was still in bed, but she should be up to exercise her leg. However, the truth is that she was afraid her leg would suffer terrible pain. After the nurse left, Georgiana lay on her bed for a long time, feeling sad for herself. Georgiana looked at the walker next to her bed and sighed. The matter of the lonely little girl haunted her.
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。
Then Georgiana picked her walker and headed for the girl’s room.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A while later, the nurse appeared in Beth’s room.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Sarah was not an early riser. But what made the annoying early morning hours bearable was the comforting smell of fresh coffee floating in the air. Her favorite coffee shop was just a few minutes away from her apartment.
One sunny morning, Sarah rushed to get dressed. Having a job interview, she felt anxious, afraid to be late. She grabbed her car key, dashed out of the door and made her way to her familiar coffee shop as usual. As she joined the line of cars at the drive-through, the smell of roasted coffee beans and the thought of the first taste of coffee were her little daily luxury. The line inched forward, and soon, Sarah found herself at the drive-through window. She reached for her purse to pay, but before she could hand over her credit card, the coffee shop assistant smiled and said, “Your coffee has been covered by the car ahead of you.” Sarah was taken aback. “Really?” she asked, feeling astonished and grateful. The assistant nodded. The unexpected act of kindness put a smile on her face, making her upcoming interview feel a little relaxing.
As she exited the drive-through, Sarah glanced in her rear view mirror (后视镜) at the next car approaching the coffee shop window. An idea began to come into her mind. Maybe she could do the same and brighten someone else’s morning. She decided to return to the coffee shop. Inside, she approached the cashier and said, “I’d like to pay for the coffee of the person in the car behind me.” The assistant smiled and nodded again.
As Sarah eventually left the coffee shop, Sarah couldn’t help but wonder how the next driver would react. A wave of satisfaction washed over Sarah as she witnessed the continuation of the coffee chain. She knew she had just initiated a chain of generosity and kindness.
1. What can we learn about Sarah from the first two paragraphs?| A．She led a life of luxury. | B．She used to get up early. |
| C．She was nervous about the interview. | D．She was new to the coffee shop. |
| A．To find out who paid for her coffee. | B．To order herself another cup of coffee. |
| C．To see what was exactly happening there. | D．To buy coffee for the driver behind her. |
| A．Ambitious. | B．Content. | C．Awkward. | D．Suspicious. |
| A．A chain of coffee shops. | B．An unforgettable interview. |
| C．The kindness from an assistant. | D．The power of paying it forward. |
1. When will the swim classes begin?
| A．On May 1st. | B．On April 30th. | C．On April 29th. |
| A．10. | B．15. | C．20. |
| A．Those who have no Level 3 certificate. |
| B．Those who want to pass the skill level test quickly. |
| C．Those who have never attended Community Pool classes. |
| A．The speaker. | B．The instructors. | C．The local community. |
6 . It was hard not to notice the 8-year-old boy Brooke across the street who stormed in and out of his own house. He did it so often that a neighbor, Chris, wondered what was going on in his life. So Chris asked him.
“He told me that he didn’t have a father,” says Chris, now 58, “and I realized there might be something I could do for him.”
That something was fishing, and Chris’s father taught him how to fish. “Fishing always brought me peace and it taught me how to be patient. When you’re on the water, you can forget about your problems and just appreciate the moment,” Chris said.
One Saturday afternoon on the water led to another, and soon he was teaching other kids in their neighborhood, Lakeland, Florida, how to fix a line, hold a pole, and roll in a big catch. That was 16 years ago.
Since then, Chris has taken groups of kids out almost every weekend to fish. Then, in 2018 he started the nonprofit Take a Kid Fishing Inc. He and a small group of volunteers have introduced more than 2, 500 kids — most without fathers around — to the calming peace found on the water and the excitement of catching a fish.
One of those kids was Jayden, who struggled emotionally when his father died in a car accident in January 2020.
“He was really close to his dad,” says Jayden’s mother, Terra. “And with two younger sisters, he felt he needed to take over the man-of-the-house role. He was trying to be strong for everyone and didn’t show his emotion. I was wondering what to do to help him, and then I learned about Take a Kid Fishing Inc.”
Jayden, now 13, has become a devoted fisherman and credits Chris with helping him mature.
“There’s nothing like feeling that first tug (猛拉) on the line and seeing a kid light up with a smile,” Chris says. “I feel lucky to witness that every weekend.”
1. What can we learn about Brooke from the first paragraph?| A．He tended to be restless. | B．He had an ambitious mind. |
| C．He longed to have a father. | D．He was interested in fishing. |
| A．Because he enjoyed the company of children. |
| B．Because he had to raise some volunteers to help kids. |
| C．Because he wanted to light up fatherless children’s life. |
| D．Because he considered teaching children to catch fish fun. |
| A．To present the benefits of Chris’s act. |
| B．To show Jayden’s mother’s appreciation. |
| C．To promote the popularity of fishing together. |
| D．To make readers donate money to Chris’s organization. |
| A．Fishing can strengthen family connections. |
| B．Fathers play an important role in kids’ life. |
| C．Family kids are the future of a strong nation. |
| D．Proper and timely guidance makes a mature kid. |
7 . Drivers’ attention: Driving can expose you to more dangerous glare than any sunny day. Do you know how to protect yourself?
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1. What makes Eagle Eyes unique?| A．Its price. | B．Its eye care function. |
| C．Its extra giveaways. | D．Its ability to improve vision. |
| A．The price of sunglasses. | B．Full refund if not satisfied. |
| C．Receiving additional offers. | D．Getting a pair of glasses for free. |
| A．$ 119.80. | B．$ 98. | C．$59.90. | D．$49. |
1. What is the speaker doing?
| A．Hosting a radio program. |
| B．Chairing a meeting. |
| C．Conducting an interview. |
| A．China. | B．Japan. | C．Thailand. |
| A．1.14 billion yuan. | B．7.4 billion yuan. | C．30 billion yuan. |
| A．To get a surprise. | B．To gain comfort. | C．To reduce stress. |
1. Why is the man going to Vietnam?
| A．To travel. | B．To work. | C．To study. |
| A．They have killed plenty of tourists. |
| B．They are often eaten by other animals. |
| C．They like to make their webs everywhere. |
When Cassandra Ridder picked up her son Brody from school, the boy wasn’t his usual happy-go-lucky self.
Cassandra said that the sixth graders didn’t want to talk about his day and only wanted to listen to music. To lighten his mood, she asked him about his yearbook (毕业纪念册). Earlier that day, the mom had received an email, informing parents that students would be bringing their class yearbooks home. She was curious if Brody got lots of signatures.
But when she brought it up, her son got really sad. He said, “No, Mom, no one really signed my yearbook. I asked people and they either told me no or that they would do it later, and that they were too busy for me.”
When Brody handed over his yearbook, Cassandra’s heart sank. The page was almost empty, except for a couple of messages from his teachers and two students’ names. To fill in the space, Brody had written a note to himself that read “Hope you make some more friends”, and had signed his own name.
“I tried to make him feel better,” said Cassandra. “I told him that it might have just been a busy day, and to give people the benefit of the doubt. I told him that things will get better and to stay positive, and that no matter what, I would always be his friend.”
Upon discovering what happened with Brody’s yearbook, Cassandra decided to do something. That night, she wrote a post on the Internet for parents. She wanted to let the other parents know this was happening at the school and remind them they should talk to their kids about being kind to one another.
“My poor son feel sad. Despite Brody’s asking all kinds of kids to sign it, two teachers and a total of two students wrote in his yearbook, her post read.” So Brody took it upon himself to write to himself. My heart is broken.
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。
Cassandra didn’t expect too much from the post.
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The headmaster Mr Rudd also knew of Brody’s story.
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