文章大意:本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者通过回忆与童年时期想象中的朋友Gemma的种种互动,突出了她对自己勇敢、探索等精神的影响,以及对自己自信心的培养。然而,作者也指出了调查显示的现实情况:越来越多的孩子缺乏想象中的朋友,部分原因是屏幕时间的增加。作者认为想象中的朋友可能是孩子们生活中的一种调剂,在他们需要时出现,但随着生活变得更加忙碌和充实,这种友谊也逐渐消失。作者提醒读者想象中的朋友对孩子很重要,因为这有助于创造出最好的想法。
1 . When I was three, I had a very good friend named Gemma. She was fearless where I was anxious, rebellious where I was conservative, and _________ where I was awkward. She was also entirely imaginary. With Gemma’s support, I almost made it to the top shelf of the bookcase before my parents found me — and “Gemma said it was fine!” did not _________ me from a telling-off (责骂).
I cannot remember when or how I “met” Gemma, and, perhaps sadder still, I do not remember the _________ time I “saw” her. _________ my brain created her, she inspired me to go on adventures I would not have had the confidence to embark upon without her. It _________ me, then, that 72 percent of nursery workers believe children have fewer imaginary friends than they did five years ago, as is shown by a recent survey. This is believed to be a result of _________ screen time.
It is thought that 40 percent of us at one time or another had imaginary friends during our _________. In an essay for Aeon, writer Sophie Elmhirst found that 81 percent of those surveyed had “lost” their imaginary friends after they turned ten, but most of these friendships ended _________. Perhaps imaginary friends simply stay with us for as long as we need them. They move on when our lives become too _________ for our brains to make space to generate their own entertainment.
If you have enjoyed an imaginary friendship, I would guess that you did not __________ sit down to create a perfect pal. They probably arrived as an indication of the thoughts and ideas you never knew you had. In order to be a good __________ to an imaginary friend, you need to be able to make “what if?” into an exciting proposition. When we grow up, we are too quick to finish the sentence with “what if it goes wrong?”
Having grown up, we might not need our imaginary friends anymore, but we could still use a reminder that a little bit of boredom is good for us, and that our brains can create the best ideas when they are left to their own devices. If there are fewer imaginary friends __________ the worlds where our children live, that might lead to a future with fewer artists, writers and problem-solvers. This is a real cause for __________.
As an adult, I think of my fearless, invisible friend Gemma whenever I have to do something that __________ me — usually public speaking, rather than scaling a bookcase. However, whenever I __________ my own expectations and meet myself in a place that I did not think I could quite reach, I can hear my subconscious whispering, “Gemma made me do it.”
1. A.adaptable | B.generous | C.disturbing | D.skillful |
2. A.benefit | B.conceal | C.ban | D.save |
3. A.first | B.last | C.latest | D.previous |
4. A.As if | B.As long as | C.Even though | D.Given that |
5. A.convinces | B.recalls | C.reminds | D.saddens |
6. A.easy | B.decreased | C.hard | D.increased |
7. A.adolescence | B.adulthood | C.babyhood | D.childhood |
8. A.accidentally | B.dramatically | C.naturally | D.unfortunately |
9. A.secure | B.instructive | C.full | D.productive |
10. A.consciously | B.invisibly | C.personally | D.realistically |
11. A.boss | B.companion | C.expert | D.instructor |
12. A.challenging | B.limiting | C.locating | D.populating |
13. A.boredom | B.concern | C.imagination | D.limitation |
14. A.defeats | B.encourages | C.inspires | D.scares |
15. A.am short of | B.go against | C.go beyond | D.live up to |