1 . If you’ve ever been in a cheerful mood, then met up with a bad-tempered friend, you’ll know how infectious emotions can be. Before you know it, you realize that you’re feeling down too.    1    . When you’ve been sad, perhaps your friend’s liveliness has helped to lighten your mood.

You might wonder who wins out—if you’re feeling happy and your friend is feeling sad, do you yield to their sadness or do they catch your happiness? Part of the answer is likely depending on their and your levels of expressiveness and receptiveness.     2    . If you smile a lot when you’re happy, you’re more likely to infect your friend. Likewise, if your friend is impressionable and more prone (有做...倾向的) to copying facial expressions, then they’ll be more likely to catch your smiles and start feeling happier.

    3    . For instance, there’s evidence that fear has a smell, and that smelling the sweat of an anxious person can initiate activity in parts of the brain involved in empathy (共情) and processing emotions. In fact, there doesn’t need to be any physical contact at all. Researchers have shown that emotions can spread through social media.     4    .

If and when you encounter an opposite emotion to your own, the experience will likely vary depending on how invested you are in that other person or people.     5    . And if you’re feeling sad and a bunch of strangers surrounding you were laughing their heads off, you’re likely to find it really annoying.

A．Happily, it can work the other way around too.

B．This is especially true when we’re interacting with someone we care about.

C．Everyone varies in how emotionally expressive and impressionable they are.

D．That isn’t to say that facial expressions are the only way for emotions to spread.

E．These processes have to do with effective communication and mutual understanding.

F．If you care about them, you’ll be more motivated to shift emotionally to match their state.

G．People exposed to more negative posts are more likely to post something negative themselves.

2 . One summer night, a boy felt himself lifted from bed by his father. Dazed with sleep, he saw stars flashing across the heavens. “What is it?” the child whispered. “Shooting stars. They come every year in August.” Decades have passed, but I remember that night still, because I was the fortunate boy whose father believed a new experience was more important than an unbroken night’s sleep.

Some parents like my father have the gift of opening doors for their children. This art of adding dimensions to a child brings the reward: the marvelous moment when the spark bursts into a flame that will burn brightly on its own one day. At a Golf Association tournament, a ten-year-old girl played creditably. “How long have you been interested in golf?” someone asked. “I got it for my ninth birthday,” she said.“ Your father gave you a set of clubs?” “No,” she said, “he gave me golf.”

I have a friend, a psychiatrist, who says there are two types of people: those who think of life as a privilege and those who think of it as a problem. The first type is enthusiastic and energetic. The other type is suspicious and self-centered. And he adds, “Tell me about your childhood and I can tell you which type you are likely to be.”

The real purpose, then, of trying to open doors for children is to build eager and outgoing attitudes, which is the most valuable legacy we can pass on to the next generation. But why don’t we work harder at it? Probably because sometimes we don’t have the awareness or the selflessness or the energy. And yet, for those of us who care what becomes of our children, the challenge is always there but the opportunities also come repeatedly. Many years have passed since that night. And next year, when August comes with its shooting stars, my son will be seven.

1. Why does the author mention the girl in Paragraph 2?

A．To show parental impact on children’s passion.

B．To suggest hobbies always start from the small.

C．To highlight the importance of diverse experiences.

D．To prove true passion usually arises from the reward.

2. What do the underlined words “adding dimensions to” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Setting an example for.	B．Broadening the horizons of.
C．Providing attentive care for.	D．Narrowing the possibilities of.

3. What will the author’s psychiatrist friend agree with?

A．Stability in upbringing builds confidence.

B．Parenting styles requires professional guidance.

C．Childhood experience determines adult happiness.

D．One’s personality is related to childhood experiences.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The author is always addicted to shooting stars.

B．It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to motivate kids.

C．The author will go to see shooting stars with his son.

D．It is impossible to unlock kids’ potential without eagerness.

3 . The older I get, the more I understand how my teachers have transformed my life.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I went to see Mr. C at Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills. His love of life has not dimmed despite the fact that his legs no longer work like they used to. He visited some of his former students while he was in town. At Beverly Hills High School, Mr. C taught ancient history, coached football and golf, and risked his life teaching driver’s training on Saturday mornings from 1964 to 1988. The gray and hobbled students lined up one after another to thank their favorite teacher. One called him a rock star. Another was grateful for helping him when he couldn’t say so. It was a beautiful tribute, especially in these times of catastrophic teacher shortages.

Spending that Sunday in the park with Mr. C was nothing short of magic. It was a reminder of all that is promising and possible in public education, including a teacher whose rare emotional honesty could be appreciated and honored decades later. It also brought to mind Maya Angelou’s saying “People will forget what you said and did, but never forget how you make them feel.” He made me and others in the park feel heard and seen.

Mr. C changed my perception of myself. Rather than seeing myself as a loser cheerleader who couldn’t compete with the smart kids, I realized how much I loved learning. His history class was so interesting. In his classes about the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, extra credits can be earned for creativity. During earthquake drills, we counted on Mr. C to scream his head off in mock terror.

It should come as little surprise that I’d value the role of teachers in my life. Both of my parents taught; so did my siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins. I, too, have become a teacher and I try to follow in Mr. C’s footsteps. Some days, I fantasize what it would be like to go on a teacher tour, reaching out to my mentors to express my deep gratitude for all they’ve given me. Seeing Mr. C sparked that fantasy again. When I finally worked up my courage to thank him, knowing a floodgate of tears would open, he said to me with his typical modesty: “You were doing me more good than I was doing you.”

1. What does the underlined word “tribute” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．enthusiasm

B．admiration

C．devotion

D．commitment

2. Why does the author mention Maya Angelou’s saying?

A．To make a suggestion.

B．To introduce a celebrity.

C．To show respect to an educator.

D．To interpret the influence of education.

3. What does the author think of her job as a teacher?

A．Enjoyable.

B．Intolerant.

C．Incompetent.

D．Patient.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．A reunion.

B．A rock star.

C．A surprise.

D．A great teacher.

4 . “Can we eat this one, Dad?” my four-year-old daughter, Alicia, asks. We’re on one of our Thursday adventures, searching the nearby woods for eatable mushrooms. She’s pointing at a bright-red cap covered with white dots. I pull out my handy mushroom-identification app, which notes that Amanita muscaria, while eatable if prepared properly, is also a known hallucinogen (致幻剂). I have a firm “tell them the truth and be as precise as possible” philosophy and explain what the app says, and that I don’t think our Thursday adventures are ready to get quite that adventurous yet.

Watching your kids learn new skills is extraordinarily rewarding, but I’ve experienced more personal growth than I have at any other point in my life.

Last year, after a winter of practicing skiing on the green tracks for beginners each week, Alicia was french-frying her way down blues and even attempted her first black. That month also witnessed me visiting the mountain more times than in the 15 years combined and I’ve got myself a partner for life.

It’s not all easy—but sometimes that’s the point. Alicia practices the violin every day, and although she enjoys it, even 15 minutes of practice can upset her. The trick, I’ve found, is to let her watch me try to get better at something, too. I start taking piano lessons at 41 years old with the idea that if she sees me struggling as I practice and then improve, she’ll understand that things don’t come easy, even for grown-ups. I know there’s going to be a time when I’ll end up on the sideline cheering her on as she finds her own passions. I’m okay with this, and I’m hoping that by then she’ll carry the joy of practice and knowledge through life.

1. What does the father imply by saying “I’ve got myself a partner for life.”?

A．It is rewarding to learn new skills.	B．Skiing has become his lifelong hobby.
C．He will explore more with his daughter.	D．His daughter will accompany him forever.

2. Why does the father start learning to play the piano?

A．To prove it is never too old to learn.	B．To set a good example for his daughter.
C．To experience the joy of piano practice.	D．To share with his daughter musical knowledge.

3. Which of the following can best describe the father?

A．Rigid and humorous.	B．Cautious and inspiring.
C．Creative and thoughtful.	D．Ambitious and patient.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Thrill of the Skill	B．Practice Makes Perfect
C．Like Father, Like Daughter	D．The Power of Knowledge

5 . How to feel more affection for 'very annoying' 14-year-old son

Hi Carolyn: I have two children who are both fundamentally good kids. But one is a very, very cute 10-year-old daughter and the other is a very, very annoying 14-vear-old son. One is cuddly and sweet and funny. The other is only rarely cuddly or sweet, funny but snarky (言辞尖刻的) and seems to adore one thing: contradicting every statement I make.

I know this is normal teenage behavior, but right now. I feel only annoyance toward him. And then I feel guilty, because I think he can sense the difference. What can I do?

–Annoyed

Hi Annoyed: As you know - and as you've sensed in his sensing the difference-he still needs you around and wants your approval. The surly (脾气坏的) stuff isn't everything. There's an interesting person developing in there. The cute-caterpillar (毛毛虫) stage was always going to be temporary. Be the person who sees him grow and transform into a butterfly, and delight in it.

Readers' thoughts:

·Been there. Survived. One action I took: I hugged him every day. Whether I wanted to or not.

—Linda

·Teens want to be seen as adults. Appreciate his desire to be independent and praise him when he is.

—David

·I recently saw a social media post that said: "You think you've got it bad? Some people are 15. "He has to survive being a teenager. Please be kind to him.

—Jeff

·I remember my parents started letting me set aside a summer weekend or two where I could stay up as late as I wanted. The rest of the year, I lived life according to our family's schedule and needs. But those precious few nights were 100 percent MINE.

—Sue

______________________________________________________________________________

Write to Carolyn Hax at tellme@washitonpost.com. Get her column delivered to your inbox each morning at wapo.st/gethax.

1. Which of the following could best sum up Carolyn Hax's reply?

A．Blame and label.	B．Support. Don't judge.
C．Model and persuade.	D．Seek help. Don't ignore.

2. Who shared the same experience with Annoyed?

A．Linda.

B．David.

C．Jeff.

D．Sue.

3. In which part of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Feature story.	B．Critic review.
C．Advice column.	D．Classified ad.