1 . Although Friends came to an end in 2004, it’s still considered one of the best sitcoms to ever make its way onto our screens. This show thrust the likes of Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Courteney Cox into the limelight (聚光灯), and everyone had their favorites. Women wanted to have their hair cut just like Rachel, many people wanted to be as confident as Joey, and others wanted to be able to sing just like Phoebe! However, it seems as though Lisa Kudrow’s experience on the set of Friends wasn’t as perfect as it seemed.

Recently, Lisa Kudrow was asked to speak on Marc Maron’s podcast (播客), and she opened up about her experiences with her own body image. She noted that, while working on Friends, she would often compare herself to her co-stars. She would look at Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, and she would then see her flaws compared to their perfections. She would see them as extremely thin and beautiful women, but then she looked at herself on her screen and saw someone who was much larger.

Because she often felt as though she was less of a woman because she felt larger than her co-stars, Lisa would lose weight on purpose to feel better about herself. The more she lost weight, the more she received compliments from those who knew her, and complete strangers. This heightened the idea that she needed to be thin to be beautiful.

Now, Lisa has put weight back on and feels more beautiful than ever.

1. Who were most probably Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston?

A．Stars from Friends.	B．Characters from Friends.
C．Fans of Friends.	D．Coauthors of Friends.

2. Why did Lisa Kudrow have a different experience on the set of Friends?

A．Because she didn’t work well with other stars.

B．Because she thought she was too fat.

C．Because she wasn’t her audience’s favorite.

D．Because she was poor at playing her role.

3. What can you learn from Lisa’s experience?

A．Don’t think much of your appearance.

B．Don’t express your true feelings to your fans.

C．Don’t focus much on the comments of co-stars.

D．Don’t make too much comparison with others.

4. What does the underlined word “compliment” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A．Dislike.

B．Comment.

C．Praise.

D．Requirement.

2 . How to Feel Connected

It's easy to feel disconnected from what is going on around you in today's fast-paced world.     1     You can get in touch and feel connected, however, by following the tips below:

Consider why you feel disconnected. Knowing what is making you feel disconnected can help you choose the best ways to address it.     2     Ask yourself these questions: Are you keeping yourself occupied with work too much? Do you rely on electronic communication instead of face to face communication? Do you lack friendships that are satisfying?

Interact with people in person. Technology is a great way to stay in touch, but sometimes you need to spend time with other people in person.     3     You can also take steps to feel more connected by making small-talk with strangers who are sharing parts of your day.

    4    

Your loved ones could feel shy, so you may never know how to improve your relationship unless you ask the right questions. Asking them to open the doors can give you some insight on what you can do. Learning this information can help to strengthen your bond.

Show your commitment to them. Simply showing up and being there for your loved ones says a lot about how much you value your relationships. Putting in the time shows them that you are committed and want to stay connected.     5    

Show appreciation. A simple “thank you” goes a very long way. Unfortunately, it is something that people who are close often take for granted. Telling someone you appreciate their time, love, and efforts can strengthen your bond and help you to become more connected.

A．Ask others what they need from you.

B．Sometimes you can feel isolated and distant from the ones you love.

C．Be brave to express your love.

D．Reach out to people to schedule a time to get together.

E．Attending family events, or simply visiting someone once a week can help to strengthen your relationship and keep it strong.

F．Targeting your efforts toward those issues allows you to close that distance more effectively.

G．You can have a gift delivered to friends on special occasions.

3 . The amount of plastic pollution in the oceans is rapidly increasing. This is problematic, as at least 700 species of sea animals may mistake it for a tasty snack. While we know that some species seem to eat plastic because it looks like jellyfish or some other food source, less research has been carried out into what plastic smells like to marine animals.

But now, a study from the University of North Carolina has found that the coating of algae that naturally builds up on ocean plastics causes the rubbish to give off the scent of food.

The researchers took 15 loggerhead turtles, each around five months old, and placed them in a laboratory tank. They then piped in clean water, clean plastic, turtle food, and plastic that had been immersed in the marine environment for five weeks.

The turtles showed no reaction to the smell of clean water or clean plastic. But when they were exposed to the smell of ocean-soaked plastic 'or turtle food, they exhibited food-seeking behaviors like reaching their noses out of the water or showing increasing activities.

“This finding is the first demonstration that the smell of ocean plastics causes animals to eat them,” said Dr. Kenneth J Lohmann, who took part in the study. "It's common to find loggerhead turtles with their digestive systems fully or partially blocked because they've eaten plastic materials. There are also increasing reports of sea turtles that have become ill and stranded on the beach due to their ingestion of plastic."

According to the researchers, areas of the ocean with dense concentrations of plastic may trick turtles and other animals into thinking that there is an abundant food source. "Once these plastics are in the ocean, we don't have a good way to remove them or prevent them from smelling like food," said Lohmann.

1. Why is plastic pollution posing a threat to marine animals?

A．It may eat up all jellyfish.	B．It may mislead them as food.
C．It may kill them with its smell.	D．It may trap 700 species of sea animals.

2. What may attract the loggerhead turtles in the laboratory tank to search for food?

A．Sea water

B．Clear water

C．Brand-new plastic

D．Sea-soaked plastic

3. What can be inferred from Lohmann's words in the last paragraph?

A．Turtles should be trained to be more intelligent.

B．Plastics should be kept from getting into the ocean at all.

C．An abundant food source should be offered to sea animals.

D．Researchers should come up with a solution to the current problem.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Ways Found to Remove Plastics	B．Loggerhead Turtles Faced with Food Shortage
C．Ocean Plastics- Trick or Treat?	D．Plastic Pollution- Compromise or Control?

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Countries receiving Chinese vaccines

China is providing vaccine aid to 53 developing countries     1    (include) Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday. China has exported or is in     2    process of exporting vaccines to 22 countries, the spokesperson told a routine press briefing.

China has taken concrete steps     3    (honor)its pledge to make vaccines global public goods, once available, with greater affordability and     4     (accessible) in developing countries, Wang said. China     5    (join) COVAX up to now and decided to offer 10 million vaccines to the    6    (internation) sharing scheme,     7    (main) to help meet the needs of developing countries, he     8    (add).

"China will continue its vaccine cooperation with relevant     9    (country), offer support within its capability and make concrete contributions to securing a victory    10    the pandemic as soon as possible and to building a global community of health for all," Wang said.

5 . Until April 2, 2011, everything in my life was perfect. I was sitting tight like every other ________ in the country to watch India ________ the world cup. But this day turned my ________ upside down.

I took the train to reach home early that day to watch the match. I caught the ________ train but got pushed out. Next moment I found myself on the track with my right leg injured and ________ badly. I did not feel pain at that moment, as I think it took time to ________ the “reality”. I was sent to hospital ________. As soon as I regained ________, my first question was whether India won. Hearing the doctor reply yes, my happiness knew no ________. But he also told me I should ________ with my leg.

I always dreamt of becoming a professional sportsman one day. But after this, I was in despair as I ________ it would never be possible with only one leg. Then, I happened to learn about the Paralympics (残奥会). My dream was ________. But it was not easy. When I went for long jump, although I was good at it, I was told I would need a blade prosthesis (义肢) which I could not ________.

I spent a year looking for ________ and approached various companies. To my luck in 2013, I got financial support from the Dakshin Rehabilitation Centre. Thereafter, I began taking my ________ in sports seriously and dreamt of representing India in Paralympics one day.

1.

A．parent

B．athlete

C．student

D．fan

2.

A．lift

B．imagine

C．relay

D．quit

3.

A．life

B．body

C．country

D．study

4.

A．steaming

B．packed

C．cheap

D．late

5.

A．burning

B．bleeding

C．suffering

D．reacting

6.

A．forget

B．miss

C．accept

D．welcome

7.

A．gradually

B．rudely

C．immediately

D．accidentally

8.

A．power

B．confidence

C．order

D．consciousness

9.

A．time

B．bounds

C．colors

D．surprise

10.

A．part

B．dance

C．struggle

D．meet

11.

A．agreed

B．joked

C．guaranteed

D．thought

12.

A．praised

B．arranged

C．restored

D．nailed

13.

A．believe

B．object

C．afford

D．permit

14.

A．funds

B．volunteers

C．coaches

D．receivers

15.

A．injury

B．pleasure

C．talent

D．career

6 . Who're happier, men or women?Research shows it's a complex question and that asking whether males or females are happier isn't really that helpful, because basically, happiness is different for women and men.

Women's happiness has been declining for the past 30 years, according to recent statistics.And research shows that women are twice as likely to experience depression compared with men.Gender（性别） differences in depression are well confirmed and studies have found that biological, psychological and social factors contribute to the difference.

Early studies on gender and happiness found men and women were socialized to express different feelings.Women are more likely to express happiness, warmth and fear, which help with social bonding and appear more consistent with the traditional role as a primary caregiver, while men display more anger, pride and disrespect, which are more consistent with a protector and provider role.

Recent research suggests that these differences are not just socially, but also genetically related.Studies have looked into these findings further and discovered that females use more areas of the brain containing mirror neurons（镜像神经元）than males when they process feelings.Mirror neurons allow us to experience the world from other people's view, to understand their actions and intentions.This may explain why women can experience deeper sadness.Women tend to experience more negative feelings, such as more guilt, shame and to a lesser degree, embarrassment.

Psychologically it seems men and women differ in the way they process and express feelings.With the exception of anger, women experience feelings more strongly and share their feelings more openly with others.Studies have found in particular that women express more appreciation﹣which has been linked to greater happiness.This supports the theory that women's happiness is more dependent on relationships than men's.

1. Which feeling are men more likely to show compared with women?

A．Warmth.

B．Depression.

C．Happiness.

D．Disrespect.

2. What factors cause women to share feelings more openly?

A．Psychological factors.

B．Biological factors.

C．Educational factors.

D．Social factors.

3. One can probably read the text from ________.

A．a science fiction

B．a culture brochure

C．a nursery guide

D．a health magazine

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Men and women differ in biology and psychology.

B．Men and women experience happiness differently.

C．Social roles have a great effect on men and women.

D．Women's happiness has declined in the past years.

7 . “I wonder by my troth, what thou and I did, till we loved?” those are the first words of a poem by John Donne that I learned at school and I still know the whole thing today. It’s just one of many poems I've stored in my memory, ready to recite and relish whenever I please.

It seems that poetry learning has gone out of fashion, but I'm still a fan because it doesn't just breed a lifelong love of poetry.     1     So why not dig out a poem you love and use it to exercise and enrich your recall?

Step 1. Know that poems are designed to stick in your mind.     2     See how they leave you with memory-arousing images and how they surprise you by breaking the rules, and control your senses and emotions. These are all great ways to make information more memorable.

Step 2.     3       When you're learning a poem, try linking the last word of one line to the first word of the next. In my John Donne poem, one line ends with “see”, and the next starts with “which”, so I pictured a “sea witch”. Making links like these can also help with learning names, and many other kinds of information.

Step 3. Put in a performance. When you're practising a poem, read it aloud, as dramatically and emotionally as you can.     4    

Step 4. Enjoy yourself. Learning poems gives your memory a workout, which improves your mood and gets you into good learning habits. So reap the rewards! Have fun putting rhymes into your shopping list, using rhythm to learn names, or “performing” revision notes before an exam.

    5    And, in the process, you'll be making your memory stronger for everything.

A．Learn through links since memory relies on connections.

B．It also boosts confidence and builds lasting memory skills.

C．So identify the tricks poets use - rhythm, rhyme and repetition.

D．Thus, short poems are good options because they are easily memorized.

E．Follow these steps to appreciate poems and enjoy them wherever you are.

F．Memory experts believe poetry learning can even cultivate an interest in study.

G．Adding gestures and moving around the room can also strengthen your learning.