Silent friends in a life storm
Dear Annalisa,
My dad died unexpectedly a few months ago and I feel angry with some of my oldest friends, who have hardly contacted me since it happened.
Three months on, I’ve finally heard from some of them through text about other matters. I didn’t mention my sad stories, and they didn’t ask.
I understand that death is a frightening subject and that people might worry about saying the wrong thing. Yet I still feel a bit hurt by their lack of contact after my dad’s funeral (葬礼).
Now I don’t want to face them because I don’t want to make them feel guilty (内疚的). Normally they are extremely good friends who I love very much. I have other friends, so I can manage this without their support. I just want to let go of the anger so I can get through this sadness. Hope to receive your advice.
Yours,
Amy
Dear Amy,
I’m so sorry to hear about your dad’s death.
Your anger may come from being unable to ask for the help you need. You also seem worried about troubling your friends too much.
It is likely that your friends are very concerned about you. Perhaps their own fear of the subject is too big to comfort you and, just as you say, they are frightened of saying the wrong thing. Also, people often want to “fix” things, but no one can fix death, so they may feel powerless to help you. In these situations, you have to be brave to break the ice and tell them not only what you need, but also how to offer help.
If you really can’t ask your “silent” friends for help, maybe you could count more on those other friends. You might find some psychological (心理的) treatment useful as well. Talking to someone with professional knowledge who understands your situation can help you carry the burden of sadness.
Yours,
Annalisa
1. 根据文章内容，使用文章中的原词完成下列表格，每空一词。| Amy’s problem | Some of her oldest friends have seldom contacted her since her dad’s death, making her feel angry and |
| Annalisa’s analysis (分析) | ● Amy’s anger comes from the fact that she is ● The subject of death is so frightening that her friends are at a loss what to say to ● Her friends may feel powerless to help her solve the problem so they choose to keep |
| Annalisa’s | ● Be brave to start a conversation with her friends. ● ● Seek |
2. 假如你是 Amy，请给Annalisa回一封信，表示感谢并告诉她你打算怎么做。写作词数应为40左右。
Dear Annalisa,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Amy
3. 假定你是Amy的朋友，得知她的困扰，你将如何提供帮助？请用英语写出你可以做的三件事。Whether loving, cold or extremely funny, some of the greatest characters in literature are mothers. Below are just a few examples of very different mothers from different authors.
The Railway Children –by Edith Nesbit
When their father is taken away one evening, the lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyliss are broken suddenly into small pieces. They and their mother are forced to move from their comfortable London home to a simple cottage in the country where their mother writes books to make ends meet.
The Dwelling Place –by Catherine Cookson
In the 1830s, Cissy Brody and her young siblings(兄弟姐妹) are forced to leave their farm cottage when both of their parents die. Determined that they will not enter the frightening workhouse, young Cissy takes on the parental responsibility and moves them to live in a small cave on the wilderness where they will face many hardships before finding a happy ending.
Little Women –by Louisa May Alcott
The mother, Mrs March, is the glue that holds the family together through the Civil War as we follow the lives of Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth, her daughters. Their father is away serving as a Chaplain(神父). Having lost their fortune, their mother must use all her resources to keep the family together, which she does extremely well.
Pride and Prejudice –by Jane Austen
Sometimes talkative and materialistic, yet strangely likeable, Mrs Bennet guides her five daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia towards suitable marriages. Nothing will stand in her way although sometimes her behavior does scare away suitable suitors. Sometimes touching and at other times extremely funny, it never fails to make readers smile.
1. Which book mentions the mother who makes a living by writing?| A．The Railway Children. | B．The Dwelling Place. |
| C．Little Women. | D．Pride and Prejudice. |
| A．Roberta. | B．Cissy Brody. | C．Amy March. | D．Elizabeth. |
| A．They were written at the same period. |
| B．They were set in the same background. |
| C．They describe children’s life at school. |
| D．They show greatness of main characters. |
3 . Like many writers, I’m a supreme expert at procrastination (拖延症). When I ought to be working on an assignment, with the clock ticking towards my deadline, I’ll sit there watching pointless interviews or cat videos on YouTube.
According to traditional thinking — I, along with my fellow procrastinators, have a time management problem. By this view, I haven’t fully appreciated how long my assignment is going to take and I’m not paying enough attention to how much time I’m currently wasting on videos. With better scheduling, I will stop procrastinating and get on with my work.
Increasingly, however, psychologists are realizing this is wrong. Experts in the UK have proposed that procrastination is an issue with managing our emotions, not our time. The task we’re putting off is making us feel bad — perhaps it’s boring, too difficult or we’re worried about failing — and to make ourselves feel better in the moment, we start doing something else, like watching videos.
One investigation to inspire the emotional view of procrastination was published by researchers at Case Western Reserve University. They first prompted people to feel bad (by asking them to read sad stories) and showed that this increased their tendency to procrastinate by doing puzzles or playing video games instead of preparing for the test they knew was coming. Subsequent studies by the another team also showed low mood only increases procrastination if enjoyable activities are available as a distraction.
This fresh perspective on procrastination is beginning to open up exciting new approaches to reducing the habit. An approach, which is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, seems especially suitable. It argues that prioritizing choices and actions that help you get closer to get things done can keep you away from the unpleasant feelings. So the next time you’re going to procrastinate, make your focus as simple as “What’s the next action?”. Focusing on this one-step question takes your mind off your feelings and onto easily achievable action. “Our research and lived experience show very clearly that once we get started, we’re typically able to keep going. Getting started is everything.”
1. Which is true according to the traditional view of procrastinators?| A．They are usually irresponsible people. |
| B．They have difficulty in concentrating. |
| C．They enjoy watching videos while writing. |
| D．They can get work done with better schedules. |
| A．Procrastination boosts your moods. |
| B．Procrastinators prefer puzzles to sad stories. |
| C．Test-takers can not escape bad emotions. |
| D．Negative emotions promote procrastination. |
| A．It shortens the process. | B．It inspires the wildest imagination. |
| C．It may relieve unpleasant feelings. | D．It can fix time management problem. |
| A．Prioritize Your To-do List | B．New Studies on Work Performance |
| C．Quit Watching Cat Videos | D．Tremendous Damage of Procrastination |
1.告知已经出院回家；
2.回顾住院期间苏华给予的帮助；
3.表达感谢。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头已给出，不包含在词数内。
Dear Su Hua,
I’m writing to tell you that I have recovered and already been at home.
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Yours sincerely,
Li Jiang
