1 . You’ve just received your final grades and they’re not exactly what you were hoping for. To make matters worse, your BFF’s grades have got you green with envy. Try not to panic. We’ve put together some tips to help you manage.

Be happy for them

First things first, make sure you start things off right by congratulating them for doing well this semester (学期). We’re not going to lie. This can be hard when you’re overwhelmed with jealousy (忌妒), but your BFF has worked for it and they deserve to be celebrated. Don’t hate them for their achievements.    1    .   Just ask what kind of friend you want to be—one who is proud of their bestie’s achievements or one who lets jealousy get in the way?

Confront (正视) your feelings

In saying that, being happy for your BFF doesn’t mean you should repress your feelings. Jealousy is natural. Jealousy can quickly become a problem for both your friendship and your mental health when it’s repressed. So,     2    . Ask yourself where this jealousy is coming from and whether your BFF getting a better grade than you actually matters in the long run. Getting to the root of these feelings is an important first step to overcoming your jealousy.

Use it as motivation

Feeling jealous doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The fact that you’re envious of your friend’s grades means that you care about your studies. One of the best things to do in this situation is to use your jealousy as motivation to do better. Figure out where you went wrong and learn from your mistakes. Don’t focus all your energy on feeling upset.    3    .

Focus on what you learned, not the grades you received

    4    . Rather than worrying about your grades, try to focus on the knowledge and skills you learned throughout the semester and how they helped you improve as a person. Either way, your time at school has helped you grow in a way that can’t be measured by your GPA(Grade Point Average).

    5    

The fact that your BFF received a higher grade than you doesn’t mean you’re a failure. We need to stop using other people’s successes as a benchmark for our own self-worth. Life isn’t a competition. Focus on your own strengths, appreciate yourself more, and soon enough your jealousy will just melt away.

A．Try not to compare yourself to others

B．Attempt to be honest with how you’re feeling

C．While grades are important, they aren’t everything

D．Focus on them, and soon your jealousy will melt away

E．Allow yourself to feel genuinely (真诚地) happy for your friend

F．Instead, try to setting new goals and creating better study habits

G．However, envy can quickly become a problem for your friendship

2 . Ask most people which day of the week they fear the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the working week can make us depressed.     1    

The most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January, when it’s cold and dark outside. This day was named “Blue Monday” by psychologist Cliff Arnall. Even if there was little science behind Blue Monday, it’s probably true that the sound of our alarm clock on any Monday morning means the coming of a new working week and possibly the end of our weekend of fun.     2     It’s what psychologists call an emotional shift, and no other part of the week has a transition(过渡) like it.

Apparently, Monday means the end of weekend lie-ins.     3     According to a website, “If you can’t stand your job, then the Monday blues can be very real.” And it can be especially difficult to start another seemingly endless workweek. Your case of the Mondays can have a negative impact on your performance, productivity and the people around you.

    4     Feeling a bit low shouldn’t be confused with more serious depression, caused by other factors. Claudia Hammond, an author and presenter, argues that this low feeling might be untrue.     5     She mentions an Australian study of how people reflected on their mood and found the day that scored the lowest was in fact Wednesdays. So, when Monday comes, maybe we should give it a second chance!

A．But is Monday as bad as we like to think it is?

B．What exactly makes us feel down remains unknown.

C．Weekends are definitely happy days in all countries.

D．That’s why the feeling is described as the Monday blues.

E．There is a strong cultural idea that we don’t like Mondays.

F．Our Monday mood can be based on a direct comparison to the day before.

G．It’s back to the routine and the realization that there are five days of working ahead.

3 . It’s hard to overstate just how much Writer’s Digest has survived to make it to its centennial. The Great Depression. World War II. The many wars and societal revolutions of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. The technological revolution and the creation of the internet. The shift from being family-owned business to a corporation with investors. And most recently, global pandemic(流行病).

It is because WD survived all that, that I view this anniversary issue as a love letter to every single person who has contributed to keeping WD alive over these amazing, and tough, and change-filled 100 years. Thank you to the Rosenthal family for starting a magazine—a community—like this. To the publishers, editors, and all the other behind--the-scenes folks who made sure each issue over the many decades was the best it could be, thank you for your hard work and long hours. To the absolutely incomparable list of writers who shared their wisdom, insights, and encouragement: This magazine was made better by your contributions.

But most of all, this is a love letter to our readers. You give the magazine purpose and the motivation to keep going. Without you, WD wouldn’t exist, so on behalf of all the current and former WD staffers, we offer our sincerest thanks.

You’ll see a collection of new columns coming in 2021. We are thrilled to have Bryan Washington, award-winning author of the short story collection Lot and the new novel Memorial, as our first guest columnist. The WD team started planning this issue more than a year ago and putting it together has been a joy. We hope you find as much pleasure and inspiration in reading it as we found in creating it. See you in year 101.

1. What does the underlined word “centennial” mean?

A．The first publication.	B．The collection version.
C．The 100th anniversary.	D．The opening ceremony.

2. What do we know about Writer’s Digest from the text?

A．It has a long list of guest columnists.

B．It was once a family-owned business.

C．It is financially supported by the community.

D．It contributed to the technological revolution.

3. What can we infer about the author?

A．She used to be a novelist.	B．She is with Writer’s Digest
C．She was a business owner.	D．She is one hundred years old.

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?

A．To express gratitude.	B．To promote sales.
C．To introduce a magazine.	D．To employ new staff.