1 . It was one of those moments every new parent dreads (恐惧). My baby son was screaming as if I’d just dipped him in a bucket (桶) of battery acid. It felt as if he’d been screaming like that for years, though he was only two months old. Even worse, this was happening in public— I was sitting with my howling baby in the food court of a Los Angeles mall, despairing (绝望) as other diners silently judged me while watching us over plates of food.
Until, that is, one woman— a complete stranger— did something and taught me a lesson about kindness that lingers to this day. She walked over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “This won’t last forever,” she said. “I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but things will get better. He’ll stop crying. You’ll get some sleep.”
It was such a small thing, a tiny kindness, really, but it made all the difference. It was 2001 and I was living in a foreign city with a newborn, without friends or family, and I was terribly lonely. This woman had seen me, if only for a moment, and taken the time to make a human connection. It was just a minute out of her day, but it has stayed with me for nearly two decades.
We all want to be better in the world and more giving to others. But we can easily get hung up on the sheer (完全的) importance of that challenge— making time to regularly volunteer or finding money to donate to a cause. Doing good doesn’t have to be an important task, though; it can be incremental (递增的). It can be as quick as a smile, a word, a phone call, an email. It can be the note you send to a friend who is feeling blue or the baby carriage you help carry down the subway stairs for a parent on their own, even though you’re late for work.
I’m reminded of a line from Brian Goldman’s bestseller, The Power of Kindness: “The opposite meaning of empathy is apathy (冷漠).” That is, the opposite of doing good isn’t doing harm; it’s doing nothing. Every tiny act of generosity— every door held open, every coffee bought for a stranger— builds a bridge to another person. It says, “I see you.” Today, when we spend most of our time looking at our phones, and not at people’s faces, that’s invaluable.
So, while I’m not particularly good at regularly volunteering or running marathons to raise money for charity, I’m committed to small gestures. I try to send a note of praise every day to someone whose work I admire. I’ve become phone friends with a lonely 87-year-old woman who contacted me about something I wrote, and who lives in a city far from her own children and grandchildren. On airplanes, I find the new parents with panicked eyes and offer to hold their babies. I remember what it felt like when the screaming baby was mine. I remember when a tiny kindness felt monumental, enough to change the world.
1. Why did the author mention her baby son’s crying in Paragraph 1?| A．To create a disappointing atmosphere. | B．To prove her opinion. |
| C．To show her helplessness. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．Always trying to do important deeds. | B．Being short of time. |
| C．Being lacking in money. | D．Keeping looking at their phones. |
| A．doing harm to others is better than doing nothing |
| B．people are supposed to pay more attention to others’ faces |
| C．every small gesture counts in connecting people |
| D．spending most of our time looking at our phones is invaluable |
| A．The Kind Strangers | B．The Small Mercies |
| C．The Power of Words | D．The Power of Kindness |
2 . For most people, life has become a burden on their shoulders, and its weight is growing heavier and heavier, until one day they can’t carry it anymore. So how can we design a life that is less complex and more meaningful? With minimalism (极简主义).
Appreciate all the amazing things you already have. We constantly compare ourselves to others who seem happier, more beautiful and more important than us. We try our best to imitate those we envy.
Do one thing at a time. Minimalist living actually means making the most out of each and every moment. We’re usually carrying out different tasks at the same time. So whatever we are doing, our mind is partly wondering somewhere else.
Develop mindfulness.
| A．It is about enjoying life more with less. |
| B．Stop consuming products you don’t need. |
| C．Yet no matter how much we try, we always fail. |
| D．Get rid of things that don’t serve your happiness. |
| E．minimalist living requires a calm and undisturbed mind. |
| F．Stop multitasking and concentrate on a single thing at a time. |
| G．Unfortunately, our minds are filled with worries in our busy lives. |
3 . How to Teach Your Kids to Enjoy Hiking
Hiking is one of my family's favorite things to do. Ever since my kids were babies, we've been getting out of the house on most weekends to explore and get exercise.
In fact, there is no secret.
I've made a list of the things I think about whenever we head out on a multi-hour hike. This list has expanded over the years, as I've learned what works and what doesn't.
Eat before you leave and carry food and water.
Show them a route map. Kids like knowing where they are in the world, and maps are perfect for helping them understand that. I always take some time before we leave to show them where we are and where we're headed. Point out landmarks they will see. Talk about how long it will take.
Invite another family to join you, especially one whose kids know how to hike, too. Having company will motivate all of the children to push forward.
| A．How do we benefit from hiking? |
| B．But how can we manage to do it? |
| C．And I'd like to share my list with you. |
| D．So they don't ask me, " Are we there yet?" |
| E．Not every family's list will look the same. |
| F．It's just years of training that gets them to this point. |
| G．We usually have a quick bite before we set off. |
4 . Below is a list of the most worthwhile writing competitions available.
TALF Flash Fiction Competition
The theme of this contest from Theme Arts and Literature Festival is "The Prime of Lile" in recognition of the l5th anniversary of the death of Muriel Spark. You can deal with this theme in any genre (体裁) and in any way you choose, although you are limited to 500 words.
Prizes : £200, £100, £50.
Entry Fee : £8.
Wild Nature Poetry Award 2022
Here we have a new contest from Indigo Dreams Publishing. It is for poems of up to 48 lines on the subject of cruel sports, wildlife in general, the natural world, or the environment.
Prizes: £200, £100, £75.
Entry Fee: £5.
SPM Poetry Book Competition
This international contest from Sentinel Poetry Movement is for full-length poetry collections on any theme and in any style. To enter, you submit up to 20 pages initially. If shortlisted (入围), you have to submit the full collection before December 31 .
Prizes: £500, £250, £100.
Entry Fee: £25.
Poetry Space Competition 2022
Here's a new contest from Poetry Space, an online platform for modern poetry from around the world, which requires poems of up to 40 lines on any subject. You have to be over 16 to enter. The judge is Rosie Jackson, a poet and creative writing tutor.
Prizes: £300, £200, £100.
Entry Fee: £5.
1. What is special about TALF Flash Fiction Competition?| A．It requires no entry fee. | B．It is about a certain theme. |
| C．It has the longest history. | D．It was started by a famous person. |
| A．SPM Poetry Book Competition. | B．Poetry Space Competition 2022. |
| C．Wild Nature Poetry Award 2022. | D．TALF Flash Fiction Competition. |
| A．It is a yearly contest. | B．Anyone can take part. |
| C．It has more than one limit. | D．In offers the most prize money. |
Wrinkles of confusion spread across Holly’s forehead as she unwrapped the gift from her best friend, Susan. “I...I thought you could use it for something.” Susan’s explanation did nothing to help us understand why a carpet remnant（零料，布头）was being presented as a birthday gift.
My heart went out to my daughter. Starting over at a new school had been a difficult adjustment. Until she met Susan, Holly had experienced little success making new friends.
The whispered “thanks” was barely audible（听得见的）as Holly tried not to allow her disappointment to show. She laid the carpet on the kitchen counter, and they headed outside to play. The extent of Holly’s disappointment didn’t become evident until the following evening when she came downstairs to say good night. “Well, I guess we know how much my best friend thinks of me, huh, Mom?” she said in tears. “I’m so sorry, honey” was all I could manage to say.
The next morning, I carried the kitchen rubbish outside. My heart sank as I lifted the lid of the trash can and saw Susan’s carpet lying there. Hesitating only for a moment, I took it out and brought it into the house.
“Susan invited me to come over to her house tomorrow,”Holly announced a week later. Although her voice carried a so-what attitude, I sensed she was pleased by the invitation. Susan had visited us many times, but our invitations were never returned and it would be the first time for Holly to go.
The next day I drove Holly to the destination. A tall woman stood in the doorway to greet us. The house was shabby but neatly decorated with used furniture. From the chat with the woman we knew Susan had long been separated from her parents and that she was Susan’s stepmother.I came to respect this generous-hearted woman who had opened her home to a young girl.
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。
As daylight began to fade, I picked Holly up from Susan’s home.
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I placed the carpet on the table in front of her.
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6 . On Saturday,Juliet and Darcy, 17-year-old friends,were enjoying sunshine at Furness Park when they noticed a man fall down on the sidewalk. They hurried to
Darcy felt
The girls knew they needed to
Juliet continued to run for help. She finally found some men fixing a car and told them the
The repairmen got it and then
A doctor said, “To their
Finally,the two girls were found and praised for helping save a man’s life on the weekend. “We were brave,” Darcy said. “We got a bit scared in the beginning, but later we realized
| A．recognize | B．applaud | C．aid | D．seize |
| A．confused | B．terrified | C．pleased | D．curious |
| A．bleeding | B．breathing | C．starving | D．choking |
| A．forbid | B．appreciate | C．quit | D．seek |
| A．unconscious | B．familiar | C．absent-minded | D．ragged |
| A．enquired | B．remembered | C．answered | D．succeeded |
| A．anxiously | B．occasionally | C．eagerly | D．merrily |
| A．consequence | B．emergency | C．concept | D．mystery |
| A．searched for | B．put off | C．carried out | D．broke down |
| A．hands | B．stomach | C．feet | D．heart |
| A．rushed | B．admitted | C．persuaded | D．guided |
| A．disappointment | B．credit | C．annoyance | D．horror |
| A．reputation | B．prospect | C．life | D．honor |
| A．appeal | B．comment | C．attempt | D．apology |
| A．prejudice | B．regret | C．offence | D．panic |
1.投稿方式和截止日期；
2.征文内容；
3.表示期待。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
8 . The spiders have long, scary legs. Some spiders even bite. But Spider-Man is another story. He might help people see spiders less negatively, a new study finds.
After Menachem Ben-Ezra, a proud fan of the Marvel (漫威漫画公司)films and also a psychologist. saw the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp (黄蜂), lie walked out with a sudden scientific idea that he should measure people before they went into the theater, and afterwards to see if the fear of ants would be reduced or changed.
Ben-Ezra and his colleagues asked 424 people questions, about one-quarter of them about spiders, such as “Did they find them scary?” “Did seeing one make their hearts race and palms sweat?” A second group received similar questions, this time about ants. The last two groups got the same questions about other insects. Afterward, everyone watched videos. Group one got a Spider-Man movie. Group two saw Ant-Man and the Wasp. Groups three and four watched unrelated video-wheat waving peacefully in the breeze.
After viewing the movie, Ben-Ezra again asked the participants how they felt about spiders, ants or insects in general-and found the ant and spider exposures seemed to make people insensitive and less afraid. Between 3.5 and 6.1 percent of people experience such a phobia (恐惧症) of spiders. Phobias can stop people from traveling, working and enjoying their lives.
Ben-Ezra hopes that their movie research might help people with phobias. But they caution that people with phobias shouldn’t just run out and watch movies and expect their fears to go away. “What we did is only the first step in a very long road.” Ben-Ezra says. “We didn’t say you’ll be cured. We don’t have evidence for that.” But eventually, presenting people’s fears in a positive context-such as a superhero movie—might help people surmount their fear or disgust. After all, if spiders produce Spicier-Man, maybe they’re not so bad.
1. How did Ben-Ezra conduct the study?| A．By doing lab experiments. | B．By asking questions. |
| C．By analyzing former data. | D．By observation. |
| A．Delete. | B．Regain. |
| C．Discover. | D．Overcome. |
| A．They should not try to face their phobias. |
| B．They should travel, work and enjoy their lives. |
| C．They should adopt a positive attitude to their fear. |
| D．They must keep away from the insects they fear. |
| A．The Movies about the Insect Fear |
| B．The Positive Energy of Superheroes |
| C．The Cartoon Characters Made by Marvel |
| D．Fighting Spider Fear with Spider-Man |
Drayton believes that anyone can become an agent for change. The important thing is to simply give yourself permission. If you see a problem that you care about, you can help solve it. The young in particular are willing to accept this concept because at heart every child wants to grow into a happy, healthy, contributing adult. In fact ,It is many young people's ambition to set up programmes or businesses that improve social conditions. An excellent example is an Ashoka project started in 1995 in Dhaka, which handled the rubbish problem facing the city ,helped local farmers and provided an income for poor people there .
When Masqsood and Iftekhar began to study the problem of all the uncollected rubbish that lay in Dhaka’s streets. Attracting tats and disease , they discovered that 80% of it was natural waste . So they educated the poor people in the city to compost (把……制成堆粪)this waste . They knew that they would have a market for the end product because local farmers were struggling with chemical ferntilisers (化肥) which were expensive and had reduced the natural minerals in the soil over the years . At first , they were refused ,but once they were able to persuade that there was money to be made , the project took off. In 2009 sales were $14,000.
Drayton is optimistic that in ten years Ashoka will be making really serious, practical progress in bringing about social change by changing the way we look at economic development.
1. Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?| A．changemakers | B．Businessmen |
| C．Social Conditions | D．Rubbish Problem |
| A．the local farmers | B．Masqsood and Iftekhar |
| C．Drayton and his team | D．the poor people in Dhaka |
| A．considers Drayton's concept |
| B．gets permission from Ashoka |
| C．tries to improve social conditions |
| D．is a young, happy and healthy adult |
| A．changing | B．forgiving | C．cautious | D．Positive |
