1 . Have you ever bought a new car and started noticing the exact color and model of car everywhere? Has that type of car just become popular in your city? Were they there before? Or are you just going crazy?

You’re not going crazy. The reason you are now just noticing them is what psychologists call “priming”. Basically, the cars were always there. You just didn’t recognize them consciously. However, when that certain model of car becomes part of your conscious thinking, you start “automatically” recognizing all of the other cars that are the same, because you are already “primed” to do so.

The priming effect takes many forms. In one study, students were asked to walk around a room for 5 minutes at a rate of 30 steps per minute, which was about one-third their normal pace. After this brief experience, the participants were much quicker to recognize words related to old age, such as forgetful, old, and lonely. Reciprocal priming effects tend to produce a coherent reaction: if you are primed to think of old age, you would tend to act old, and acting old would reinforce the thought of old age. This research shows that the way we think influences the way we act, and the way we act influences the way we think.

A similar conclusion was reached by the American psychologist William James a century ago, but he emphasized the effect on feeling. “Actions seem to follow feeling, but really actions and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. Thus the path to cheerfulness, should our cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there.”

So, that’s it. If you want to be happy, just sit up and act happy. Based on these scientific findings, we can adopt certain priming effects to help make ourselves consistently happier.

One thing we have in common is our ability to think, and thus feel. Pleasant thoughts have been proven to produce the chemicals that make us feel happy, particularly thoughts and feelings of gratitude. When we purposefully go through and think about the things we’re grateful for and deliberately feel as much gratitude as we can, we are flooding our mind with the “happy chemicals”. Furthermore, by consciously thinking, feeling and expressing gratitude, we will not only be happier in the moment, we will be “primed” to recognize the things in our life to appreciate. Each time this happens, the “happy chemicals” will be produced. Do this every day and we will become consistently happier. This makes up for the momentary happiness we gain from eating chocolate or buying new clothes. More than that, combining thoughts of gratitude with happy acts like smiling and laughing will have a supplementary positive effect on our state of mind.

1. Which of the following is an example of the priming effect?

A．Walking much faster after attending a lecture about old age.

B．Donating money to the poor after seeing pictures of cute cats.

C．Learning about various types of cars after purchasing the first car.

D．Completing SO_P as SOUP rather than SOAP after seeing the word EAT.

2. What does the underlined word “reciprocal” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Related.

B．Two-way.

C．Well-rounded.

D．Opposite.

3. What will the author probably agree with?

A．Eating or shopping leads to consistent feelings of happiness.

B．Our will has greater control over emotions than over actions.

C．Happy chemicals make us think about the things we’re grateful for.

D．Practicing gratitude frequently prepares us for long-term happiness.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Prime Yourself to Be Happier

B．Share Happiness to Enhance Wellbeing

C．Why Gratitude Is Important in Psychology

D．How Happy Chemicals Affect People’s Thoughts

2 . The release of ChatGPT has caused more than a little worry about its ability to produce credible pieces of writing. “The College Essay Is Dead, ” some people declared. That’s unlikely. There are obvious workarounds. For example, students wouldn’t benefit from ChatGPT if they were required to write out essays by hand.

A return to handwritten essays could benefit students in a way. For instance, neuroscience research has revealed that the act of handwriting is very different from punching letters on a keyboard. Handwriting requires precise motor skills that stimulate greater activity in a broader group of brain regions when compared with typing and engage the brain in ways that researchers have linked to learning and memory improvements. Handwriting forces those areas responsible for memory and learning to communicate with each other, which helps form networks that facilitate the recall and acquisition of new information.

Much of the research has focused on children or younger students. But there’s evidence that, even for older students and adults, completing assignments in longhand is a more cognitively (认知地) involved process, leading to better processing of ideas and more original work. Meanwhile, research on foreign-language learners has found that handwriting is associated with improvements in some measure of accuracy and comprehension. Handwriting requires you to put a filter on what you’re producing in a way that typing doesn’t. When you’re writing by hand, you need to know what you want to say before you begin. If you don’t, you’ll have to cross things out or start over. Typing on a computer requires far less forethought. It is less challenging for the brain-and challenging the brain is central to education itself.

A return to handwritten essays wouldn’t be easy on teachers, who might have to reduce the length of assignments or allocate (分配) extra class time for completion. They’d also have the burden of reading text that wasn’t neatly turned out by a word processor. But some might find all that preferable to being constantly suspicious (猜疑的) that they’re being outsmarted by a computer program.

When health issues forced the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to abandon his pen in favor of a typewriter, a change occurred in his writing style, which one scholar later described as a departure from “sustained argument and prolonged reflection” to a “telegram style. ” Our writing tools work on our thoughts. Ensuring that today’s students have more than one writing tool might pay off in ways experts are only beginning to grasp. ChatGPT and other AI-powered technologies will win only if we agree to play on their home territory.

1. How can handwriting benefit students?

A．It enhances brain engagement.

B．It guarantees accurate comprehension.

C．It creates networks for communication.

D．It facilitates the assessment of information.

2. What does the underlined phrase “put a filter on” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Carefully screen.	B．Passively accept.
C．Objectively assess.	D．Gradually discover.

3. What factor may lead teachers to resist the idea of handwritten assignments?

A．The risk of weakened concentration.

B．The fear of being outsmarted by AI.

C．The trouble of marking untidy work.

D．The content of handwritten essays.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．College education will be reformed by ChatGPT

B．Handwriting will replace typing due to ChatGPT

C．Handwritten essays can help teachers defeat ChatGPT

D．College teachers return to longhand to battle ChatGPT

3 . In parts of Africa, people communicate with a wild bird — the greater honeyguide-in order to locate bee habitats and harvest their stores of honey. It’s a rare example of cooperation between humans and wild animals, and a potential instance of cultural coevolution (共同进化). Brian Wood from UCLA and Claire Spottiswoode from University of Cape Town were lead authors on a study showing how this valuable partnership is maintained and varies across cultures.

“Our study demonstrates the bird’s ability to learn distinct voiced signals that are traditionally used by different honey-hunting communities, expanding possibilities for mutually beneficial cooperation with people,” Wood said. “Honeyguides seem to know the landscape well, gathering knowledge about the location of bee nests, which they then share with people,” Spottiswoode said. “People are eager for the bird’s help.” The honeyguides also benefit from locating the colonies: They eat the leftover honeycomb.

Spottiswoode and Wood’s study was done in cooperation with the Hadza in Tanzania, with whom Wood has been conducting research since 2004, and the Yao community of northern Mozambique. Their prior work in both communities documented differences in how each culture attracts honeyguides. Among the Hadza, a honey-hunter announces a desire to partner with the bird by whistling. In Mozambique, Yao honey-hunters do so with a “Brr!”... followed by a “...hmm!”

Using mathematical models and audio playback experiments, the team studied these signals, their usefulness to people and their impacts on birds. They experimentally exposed honeyguides in Tanzania and Mozambique to the same set of prerecorded sounds. This enabled the researchers to test whether honeyguides had learned to recognize and prefer the specialized signals that local honey-hunters used or were naturally attracted to all such signals.

The honeyguides in Tanzania were over three times more likely to cooperate when hearing the calls of local Hadza people than the calls of ‘foreign’ Yao. The honeyguides in Mozambique were almost twice as likely to cooperate when hearing the local Yao call, compared to the ‘foreign’ Hadza whistles.

The study proposes that differences in honeyguide-attracting signals are not random, but make practical sense. While honey-hunting, both the Hadza and Yao come across mammals (哺乳动物), but only the Hadza hunt them, using bows and arrows. The Hadza’s hunting might explain the less notable whistles they use. Filmed interviews show Hadza hunters explaining that they can evade being detected by their prey (猎物) because their whistles “sound like birds.” Contrarily, the signal the Yao use to communicate with the honeyguide can help scare off animals they find dangerous.

1. By cooperating with honey-hunting communities, honeyguides can _____.

A．nest near human culture

B．locate bee habitats easier

C．have access to more food

D．become familiar with the landscape

2. Why did the researchers use the same prerecorded signals?

A．To study their mathematical models.

B．To check if they are a natural preference.

C．To investigate their usefulness to humans.

D．To see if they increase birds’ ability to find honey.

3. What can we learn from Spottiswoode and Wood’s study?

A．The human-bird relationship can change with new signals.

B．The Yao community hunts animals while looking for bee nests.

C．The honeyguides are more responsive to calls from the local people.

D．The signals from the Hadza were more effective in attracting honeyguides.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．How mammals react to different signals.

B．How hunting techniques are applied to prey.

C．How whistles enable honeyguides to find targets.

D．How signals are associated with hunting practice.

4 . Personality types are linked with structural differences in the brain, which could explain why one child grows up to be impulsive(冲动的)and outgoing while another becomes diligent and introspective.

Structural differences between the brains of 85 people have been measured and linked with the four main categories of personality types, which were classified as “novelty seeking”, characterized by impulsive actions; “harm avoidance”, marked by pessimism and shyness; “reward dependence”, with an addictive personality; and “persistence”, who are people tending to be diligent, hard-working and perfectionists.

The researchers said the brain differences are structural and can be measured in the size of specific regions of the brain that appear to be linked with each of the four personality types. For instance, people defined as novelty-seeking personalities had a structurally bigger area in the brain while people with harm-avoidance personalities had significantly smaller volumes of tissue in brain regions.

The fact that characteristics are reflected in specific structural differences is useful to know, for instance, when it comes to understanding a child’s behavior and choosing the right approach so that somebody who is, for example, particularly timid, might be helped through education and development.

There is no point shouting at a child who is very shy and telling them off, because it does not come naturally to them to put themselves forward. But actually knowing there is a biological basis for this helps educators or parents to use the right approach to help a child to compensate.

People who have a reward-dependence personality could, for example, be helped at an early age because they are at risk of turning to drink, drugs or food if they do not get the family support and encouragement they need.

“This study shows that personality characteristics are something you are born with, but their full expression can be adjusted during development with the right approach,” said Professor Venneri, who carried out the study with colleagues from the University of Parma in Italy and Washington University in St Louis.

If you know it’s not something you do but something you are, you can change the environment to reduce the risk. Knowing that someone has such a predisposition (体质) could help them adopt preventive strategies and avoid situations where they might seek rewards which could be potentially harmful.

1. Which type of person may turn out to be drug-abusers?

A．“Novelty seeking”.	B．“Persistence”.
C．“Harm avoidance”.	D．“Reward dependence”.

2. Which of the following is true about shy people?

A．They structurally have a smaller brain region.

B．They can naturally put themselves forward.

C．They are too timid to be educated and helped.

D．They are often shouted at and scolded.

3. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．People have chances to change their personality types.

B．Structural differences in the brain have effects on education.

C．Personality types are related to structural differences in the brain.

D．Scientists have identified four different personality types.

4. The author writes the passage to________.

A．argue a claim	B．present a fact
C．support a research	D．introduce an approach

5 . Working Together to Save the Sea Turtles

Florida has some of the best beaches in the world. Thousands of people visit the state to enjoy the sand. But these beaches are also home to five species of sea turtles. A major problem is facing these interesting creatures.     1     So how do Floridians protect these special animals?

Some volunteers and researchers in Florida take direct action to help the turtles. They look closely at the sand to find the fin (鳍) marks the mother sea turtles left there.     2     When they’ve figured out where the eggs were laid, they mark the area off so that no one disturbs the eggs. They also collect information about the nests and tracks to help people studying sea turtles.

These are not the only Floridians taking action to help protect these creatures. Florida’s government has passed laws to save the turtles. One of these laws is “Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Act”. This law prohibits anyone from disturbing or destroying marine turtles, nests, or eggs.    3    

Another way Floridians work together to save these creatures is through organizations like the Sea Turtle Conservancy. The Sea Turtle Conservancy helps people take steps that will help reduce the threats that put sea turtles in danger. For instance, bright lights on buildings near the beach can negatively impact sea turtles. Baby sea turtles usually hatch on the sandy beach and head to the ocean. When there are bright lights coming from the other side of the shore far from the ocean, the baby turtles get confused.     4     To help save these turtles, The Sea Turtle Conservancy works with property owners to make lighting in their buildings sea turtle-friendly. They also encourage Florida residents to turn off their lights at night if they live close to a beach.

    5     Sometimes, turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. They eat this trash and die. Florida residents can volunteer for beach clean-ups and make sure to pick up their own litter. They can also vote for state leaders who want to protect the sea turtles’ habitats. Every individual in the community has the power to make a difference!

A．Many of them do not make it to the ocean and die.

B．Some of these turtle species are in danger of going extinct.

C．This helps them to locate where the sea turtles laid their eggs.

D．It also helps make sure that sea turtles’ natural habitats are protected.

E．Female sea turtles come from the ocean and onto these beaches at night.

F．They use their fins to move back across the beach and return to the ocean.

G．Every Floridian can do their part to protect sea turtles and their environment.

6 . While some allergies (过敏症) disappear over time or with treatment, others last a lifetime. For decades, scientists have been searching for the source of these lifetime allergies.

Recently, researchers found that memory B cells may be involved. These cells produce a different class of antibodies known as IgG, which ward off viral infections. But no one had identified exactly which of those cells were recalling allergens or how they switched to making the IgE antibodies responsible for allergies. To uncover the mysterious cells, two research teams took a deep dive into the immune (免疫的) cells of people with allergies and some without.

Immunologist Joshua Koenig and colleagues examined more than 90, 000 memory B cells from six people with birch allergies, four people allergic to dust mites and five people with no allergies. Using a technique called RNA sequencing, the team identified specific memory B cells, which they named MBC2s that make antibodies and proteins associated with the immune response that causes allergies.

In another experiment, Koenig and colleagues used a peanut protein to go fishing for memory B cells from people with peanut allergies. The team pulled out the same type of cells found in people with birch and dust mite allergies. In people with peanut allergies, those cells increased in number and produced IgE antibodies as the people started treatment to desensitize them to peanut allergens.

Another group led by Maria Curotto de Lafaille, an immunologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, also found that similar cells were more plentiful in 58 children allergic to peanuts than in 13 kids without allergies. The team found that the cells are ready to switch from making protective IgG antibodies to allergy-causing IgE antibodies. Even before the switch, the cells were making RNA for IgE but didn’t produce the protein. Making that RNA enables the cells to switch the type of antibodies they make when they encounter allergens. The signal to switch partially depends on a protein called JAK, the group discovered. “Stopping JAK from sending the signal could help prevent the memory cells from switching to IgE production,” Lafaille says. She also predicts that allergists may be able to examine aspects of these memory cells to forecast whether a patient's allergy is likely to last or disappear with time or treatment.

“Knowing which population of cells store allergies in long-term memory may eventually help scientists identify other ways to kill the allergy cells,” says Cecilia Berin, an immunologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “You could potentially get rid of not only your peanut allergy but also all of your allergies.”

1. Why did scientists investigate the immune cells of individuals with and without allergies?

A．To explore the distinctions between IgG and IgE.

B．To uncover new antibodies known as IgG and IgE.

C．To identify cells responsible for defending against allergies.

D．To reveal cells associated with the development of allergies.

2. What does the word “desensitize” underlined in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．Make. . . less destructive.	B．Make. . . less responsive.
C．Make. . . less protective.	D．Make. . . less effective.

3. What can we learn from the two research teams’ work?

A．MBC2s make antibodies and proteins that prevent allergies.

B．Memory B cells generate both RNA for IgE and the corresponding protein.

C．JAK plays a role in controlling antibody production when exposed to allergens.

D．Allergists are capable of predicting whether an allergy will last or disappear.

4. Which could be the best title for the passage?

A．RNA Sequencing Is Applied in Immunology Research

B．Specific Cells Related to Peanut Allergies Are Identified

C．Unmasking Cells’ Identities Helps Diagnose and Treat Allergies

D．Newfound Immune Cells Are Responsible for Long-lasting Allergies

7 . Pets are part of our family so it’s important to factor them in when planning a trip that you’re not taking them with you on. Pet charity Blue Cross advises planning well in advance so you know that your pet will be comfortable.

Family and friends

Leaving your pet in the care of a trusted friend or neighbour will give you peace of mind that it will be well cared for. Your pet will be able to stay with them in their home.

Things to consider if your pet is staying in another house:

· Do they have another dog or pet and will they get on with your pet?

· Do they have a garden? Is the garden secure so your pet can’t escape?

Pet sitter

Pet sitters stay in or visit your home to look after your pet while you’re away for a fee. This is a good option which allows your pet to stay in a familiar environment and you will receive regular updates.

How to find a good pet sitter:

· Ask friends and family for recommendations for pet sitters.

· Pet sitters don’t need a license to work, but reputable ones will be able to show you training and insurance certificates.

· Check reviews online from independent review sites.

Home boarder

Home boarders are people that take pets into their own homes to look after for a fee.

How to find a good home boarder:

· Check their home has no obvious dangers, like exposed wires, toxic substances and unsecured fences.

· Your pet is invited round to get to know the home and meet the family it’ll be staying with.

· You can easily find and view their license to home board pets from the local council as well as their insurance details and training.

Boarding kennels

Kennels are an option, but it depends whether your pet is comfortable being left alone in a kennel environment around other pets.

How to find a boarding kennel:

· Get a personal recommendation, and check the kennel is licensed.

· Ask if you can visit before you book.

· Ask about insurance cover and the procedure for contacting a vet (兽医).

1. If you prefer your pet to stay in a familiar environment, you can leave it with _____.

A．a friend

B．a pet sitter

C．a home boarder

D．a boarding kennel

2. How can one find a suitable home boarder?

A．Call the insurance company.

B．Check the license from the local council.

C．Check reviews from independent review sites.

D．Invite him over to your home and meet your family.

3. Who may find this passage most useful?

A．A vet who desires to change his job.

B．A man who is considering adopting a dog.

C．A couple who are planning to rent a house.

D．A pet owner who will take a business trip.

8 . Bed rotting — the practice of spending long periods of time just staying under the covers with snacks, screens and other creature comforts — is gaining popularity on social media. Some Generation Z trend followers are now viewing it as a form of self-care, but doctors warn too much could be “sign of depression”. Are these extended breaks really wise for one’s mental health — or could they be a cause for concern?

Dr. Ryan Sultan, a professor at Columbia University in New York, who treats many young people, called the bed rotting trend attractive. “In our culture today, with too much to do, too many expectations and too much productivity, many young individuals (个人) are feeling burned out and often aren’t getting enough sleep. It’s easy to see why taking time off to lie around is attractive,” Sultan said. “In many ways, this is beneficial. It’s a chance to get away from real-life problems and clear your head before returning to life in a better state of mind, ” he added.

For the downside, however, he said a long-term need or desire for bed rotting could do harm to one’s physical health. Spending too many daytime hours in bed — awake or not — could destroy sleep schedules. Our brains are fine-tuned for sleep in darkness and alertness in light. Lying in bed half-asleep during the day will worsen sleep schedules — once that happens, it is a challenge to fix. It could also lead to blood pressure problems and obesity (肥胖).

Long-term need or desire for bed rotting could also be a warning sign of depression, according to a mental health expert. Dr. Marc Siegel, professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, agreed that while some downtime can be useful in terms of de-stressing and rejuvenation (更新), too much bed rotting is a bad health practice. In addition to increasing the risk of depression, it contributes to decreased motivation (动力) as well.

Instead of bed rotting, Siegel recommends regular exercise as a better form of de-stressing. While the occasional lazy day can be beneficial, too much could have the opposite effect. If it happens every day, that’s a fairly sensitive test for depression. Those who lack the motivation to get out of bed could also try calling or texting a family member for support, socializing with close friends, finding a small task to complete, or reaching out to a medical professional for help.

1. According to Dr. Ryan Sultan, why do young people like bed rotting?

A．They are fond of what is popular on social media.	B．They are unwilling to socialize with friends.
C．Bed rotting is away to escape stress.	D．Bed rotting helps fix sleep schedules.

2. What does the word “fine-tuned” underlined in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Quickly-activated.

B．Well-trained.

C．Badly-needed.

D．Ill-equipped.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Being lazy from time to time can be good for individuals.

B．Sleeping in light can increase the risk of depression.

C．Bed rotting can allow people to avoid expectations.

D．Feeling down leads to decreased motivation.

4. What is the passage mainly talking about?

A．Different opinions on how to become motivated.

B．Main causes of the long-term need for bed rotting.

C．Practical suggestions for young people to deal with stress.

D．Possible problems from lying in bed for extended periods of time.

9 . Frozen in time, a 125-million-year-old mammal attacking a dinosaur. A 39-million-year-old whale, the heaviest animal that ever lived. The oldest known jellyfish, from 505 million years ago. Paleontology (古生物学) produces newsworthy discoveries.

Fossils (化石), moreover, provide direct evidence for the long history of life, allowing paleontologists to test hypotheses (假设) about evolution with data only they provide. They allow investigation of present and past life on Earth. Flows of biological diversity, appearances of new life forms and the extinctions of long existing ones, would go undiscovered without these efforts. But the headlines over exciting new fossils greatly underestimate the true importance of paleontology. Its real significance lies in how such discoveries brighten the grand history of life on Earth. From its beginnings, more than three billion years ago, to the present day, fossils record how life adapted or disappeared in the face of major environmental challenges.

Paleontologists provide us with a unique vantage on modern climate change. They play an essential role in interpreting ancient environments, in reconstructing ancient oceans, continents and climates. Fossils provide key limitation on the climate models that are essential for predicting future climate change. And the fossil record gives important insights into how life will respond to predicted future climate conditions, because these have occurred before in Earth’s history.

In addition, paleontology has provided a fundamental contribution to human thought: the reality of species extinction and thus of a world that has dramatically changed over time. In documenting the history of life, paleontologists recognized that many extinction episodes could occur suddenly, such as the event 66 million years ago that ended the dinosaurs. The search for the causes of past mass extinctions started pioneering studies from across the scientific spectrum (科学界), focusing on potential future threats to humanity.

Not only do paleontologists know what happens to life when things go bad, they also know how long it takes for ecosystems and biodiversity to recover from these disasters, which can take far longer than modern humans have existed.

Paleontologists thus provide a unique perspective on the nature and future long-term ecological impact of the current human-produced biodiversity crisis, the so-called Sixth Extinction, and therefore the importance of protecting modern biodiversity. The very concept of a Sixth Extinction would not exist without paleontologists documenting the first five.

Paleontologists know that understanding life’s past is critical to anticipating and adapting to life’s and humanity’s future. Paleontology is important because it brings its unique and critical perspective to current challenges in climate change, biodiversity loss and the environment. Paleontologists can predict the future because they know the past.

1. The first two paragraphs are written to _______.

A．describe an event	B．raise a question
C．present an opinion	D．make a comparison

2. What does the underlined word “vantage” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．A positive effect.	B．A valuable suggestion.
C．A quick decision.	D．A comprehensive view.

3. Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．Ecological recovery takes shorter than imagined.

B．Past lessons can help to predict the future threats.

C．Paleontologists can handle the biodiversity crisis.

D．Fossil studies focus on the causes of mass extinctions.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Paleontology: A Pioneering Study

B．Paleontology: A History Recorder

C．Paleontology Tells More About Nature Than Humans

D．Paleontology Is Far More Than New Fossil Discoveries

10 . When Susan was a high school senior, her English teacher Mr. DiMeo gave the class a challenging task: Recite a poem in front of the whole class.

“I had a mild stutter (结巴). I’d be ________ to get a word out that might begin with ‘D’ or ‘TH’, or I might say ‘the’ three times,” Susan said. The thought of getting up in front of her classmates and stuttering through the poem was too much to ________.

Susan went home and ________ how scared she was to her mom, who agreed to write a note asking for her to be ________ from doing the task in front of the whole class.

When the day of the recitation came, Susan recited the poem one-on-one to Mr. DiMeo. ________ she was done, Mr. DiMeo said something she’d never heard before: that he liked listening to her voice. For the first time, she considered the possibility that public speaking didn’t have to be a source of ________.

Susan went on to graduate from high school and go to college. She never got to properly thank Mr. DiMeo. But sometime after college, she ________ a job as a corporate trainer. The new position made her realize how big a (n)________ he had had on her confidence.

“I stand up in front of people and speak, and I do it all the time. If I do stutter once in a while, no big deal,” she said. Susan recently found a way to ________ her former teacher, and plans on sending him a letter expressing her appreciation.

In her mind, Mr. DiMeo is an unsung hero, because he’s a big reason why she has a successful career and life. “I don’t know where I would’ve gone if I felt like I had to keep my voice ________ because I was afraid of embarrassing myself. I’d like to thank him for that kindness.”

1.

A．continuing

B．struggling

C．pretending

D．hoping

2.

A．share

B．express

C．find

D．bear

3.

A．taught

B．proved

C．revealed

D．promised

4.

A．excused

B．prohibited

C．corrected

D．discouraged

5.

A．While

B．Although

C．Unless

D．Once

6.

A．jealousy

B．worry

C．boredom

D．loneliness

7.

A．wanted

B．offered

C．landed

D．created

8.

A．impact

B．idea

C．choice

D．stress

9.

A．judge

B．contact

C．study

D．interview

10.

A．sweet

B．loud

C．quiet

D．deep