7 . Public health data signals a genuine crisis in adolescent mental health: rising rates of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. But as we worry about tweens and teens who are struggling, we can’t ignore another mounting effect — the burdens that are shouldered by their friends and peers in an “always on” world.

We have studied teens and tech for over a decade. Their networks are ever-expanding, in no small part because there’s a sense that being nice means accepting fellow requests from acquaintances and friends-of-friends. And it’s not just staying connected — it’s keeping up with what others post, too.

Social media platforms thus make it technically possible to maintain more relationships than we are historically actually wired to track and manage. The result is an overwhelming wave of social information. It’s especially intense for adolescents whose developmental sensitivities drive them to care deeply about what their peers are doing and thinking.

Significant stress comes with trying to be a “good friend” in the age of social media. Friendship requires both public and behind-the-scenes support. Even before a social media post is made public, close friends can be pulled into photo selection, editing, and final examination. Besides, they need to respond in the right way and in the right amount of time, which differs from one relationship to another. Replying too quickly can be seen as over-eager, especially when the friendship is new or not close. But when it’s a close friend, too long a lag (延迟) can be hurtful.

The qualities that are key to building or breaking friendships are actually the same as they’ve always been: mutual (相互的) sharing of joys and sorrows, a give and take of acceptance and support, and an ability to weather and resolve conflicts. But technologies have transformed how friendships play out. Social media increases the burdens that come along with being a good friend. Too often, these dynamics hit teens hard in ways that are lost on adults. And that is what should be changed with the help of parents, schools and other parts of society.

1. What makes teenagers’ networks continue to expand?

A．The pressure to be nice.	B．The requests of their parents.
C．The need to meet more people.	D．The burden of living independently.

2. What does the author think of being a good friend in the age of social media?

A．Exciting.

B．Challenging.

C．Money-saving.

D．Risk-taking.

3. What should be changed according to the last paragraph?

A．The qualities of being a teen friend.

B．The conflicts between schools and parents.

C．The relations between parents and their teens.

D．The influences of social media on teen friendship.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Why more teens are addicted to social media

B．How teens nowadays gain long-standing friendships

C．How social media has made teen friendships more stressful

D．What makes teens become more sensitive to their peers’ needs

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Edward walked slowly past the school blacktop where his older brother, Leon, was playing basketball with his friends. Leon didn’t notice Edward until he turned to shoot the ball. Leon really loved basketball and was good at it. But Edward was another story.

Edward would beg to play with them but Leon’s friends complained a lot. For some reason, in that last game, Edward’s playing was worse than ever. He couldn’t do anything right. He was completely unable to keep possession of the ball. He missed even the easy rebounds. His dribbling was useless, and none of his throws were anywhere near the basket. Leon had to turn his brother away.

Edward was always a whiz at math. He was so advanced that he already knew how to solve long division problems before he was taught in school. Word problems, even the complicated ones with several steps, were no problem.

One day, Leon’s math teacher, pulled him aside. “ You need to do better, a lot better, or you’re not going to pass this class. There’s a big test coming up. ”

Leon’s heart sank. When he got home, he talked with Edward about it. The boys agreed that over the next two weeks they intended to spend an hour each day after school working on math problems and then an hour playing basketball.

“Here is a good one,” Edward said and pointed to a word problem. “ Why don’t you read it?”

Leon looked at the book for several seconds. “ I’m dizzy already!” He exclaimed.

“Do you know what the first step is?” asked Edward, “The first step is to stay cool and focused.” Edward talked Leon through the problem. “Think about what you need to find out. Don’t let the problem trick you.” Step by step, together they figured it out and got the right answer. Leon soon discovered that Edward was really good at helping him.

Paragraph1.

Soon it was time for basketball practice.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph2.

The morning of the math test came all too soon for Leon.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Every August, teams with players about 10 years old play baseball across the US, with the aim to become Little League _______. In this year’s game, Isaiah Jarvis, a Little League batter (击球手),   _______ the pitcher (投球手), Kaiden Shelton, who threw a baseball that hit him in the head. The   _______ scene brought tears to the eyes of the crowd in the stadium.

On August 7^th, Kaiden Shelton, from Texas, _______ Isaiah Jarvis, from Oklahoma, at the plate. With two strikes against Isaiah, Kaiden _______ lost control of his pitch. The ball hit Isaiah in his helmet, sending him to the ground. The field staff immediately _______ him and found him to be OK. He decided to remain in the _______. Yet Kaiden, the pitcher, appeared to be _______.

Isaiah called a timeout upon seeing his _______ battling emotions. He calmly walked toward Kaiden and gave him a big hug, trying to ________ him. “Hey, you’re doing just great.” Kaiden later shared with NBC News. “These ________ words from him really helped me.”

A video of the moment was posted online and attracted more than 6.5 million views. Danny Graves, a sports announcer, said Isaiah’s ________ was the best thing he had ever seen in Little League baseball.

The Texas team won the game 9-4 to ________ to the Little League World Series. And Isaiah was also ________ to the game to celebrate its 75th anniversary. The pair told NBC News they think their newfound ________ will last beyond any tournament.

1.

A．candidates

B．volunteers

C．champions

D．reporters

2.

A．replaced

B．hugged

C．challenged

D．identified

3.

A．embarrassing

B．confusing

C．amusing

D．touching

4.

A．faced

B．saved

C．assisted

D．needed

5.

A．possibly

B．suddenly

C．gradually

D．nearly

6.

A．attended to

B．appealed to

C．referred to

D．objected to

7.

A．video

B．celebration

C．game

D．tournament

8.

A．disappointed

B．annoyed

C．surprised

D．panicked

9.

A．partner

B．opponent

C．coach

D．fan

10.

A．protect

B．rescue

C．comfort

D．instruct

11.

A．powerful

B．typical

C．familiar

D．contradictory

12.

A．strength

B．sportsmanship

C．generosity

D．politeness

13.

A．apply

B．return

C．connect

D．head

14.

A．linked

B．admitted

C．invited

D．selected

15.

A．friendship

B．popularity

C．wealth

D．freedom