1 . Tricks To Becoming A Patient Person
Here’s a riddle: What do traffic jams, long lines and waiting for a vacation to start all have in common? There is one answer.
In the Digital Age, we’re used to having what we need immediately and right at our fingertips. However, research suggests that if we practiced patience, we’d be a whole lot better off. Here are several tricks.
●Practice gratitude (感激)
Thankfulness has a lot of benefits: Research shows it makes us happier, less stressed and even more optimistic.
● Make yourself wait
Instant gratification (满足) may seem like the most “feel good” option at the time, but psychology research suggests waiting for things actually makes us happier in the long run. And the only way for us to get into the habit of waiting is to practice.
●
So many of us have the belief that being comfortable is the only state we will tolerate, and when we experience something outside of our comfort zone, we get impatient about the circumstances. You should learn to say to yourself, “
| A．Find your causes |
| B．Start with small tasks |
| C．Accept the uncomfortable |
| D．All this adds up to a state of hurry |
| E．It can also help us practice more patience |
| F．This is merely uncomfortable, not intolerable |
| G．They’re all situations where we could use a little extra patience |
I like staying overnight at my Gramma’s house — that is, until Gramma starts telling me how wonderful my cousin Maya is. Then it’s Maya this and Maya that until I don’t ever want to hear another word about her.
That’s why I wasn’t too excited when Gramma called me on the phone to “come on over and bring your pajamas.” When I got there, it was worse than I’d expected. There, in Grandpa’s big leather rocker, sat Maya, all dressed up and formal-looking and wearing fancy shoes as if she’d just been to a party.
“Surprise, Kristen!” Gramma said. “Your cousin Maya and her parents have traveled in from the East Coast on business. Maya gets to stay with us this afternoon.” Gramma chattered away about how excited she’d been for this surprise get-together, and how cousins ought to get to know each other better.
I hung my baseball cap in the closet and set my backpack by the stairway, all the time smiling and nodding as if I’d been waiting forever for this chance to spend an afternoon with Maya. Grandpa’s chair squawked (咯咯叫) as Maya rocked back and forth. It’s the chair I like best in the house, the one I usually sit in. I sat down on the sofa across from her.
Shortly, Gramma went off to the kitchen to “see about some lunch,” she’d said. That left me stuck in the living room with rocking Maya.
She was still small but taller than I’d remembered her from her last visit four years ago. She was good at small talk, though, and was chatting away about how nice it was to see me again. But I could tell that she didn’t really think so. The last time she was here, we’d had hours of fun together building caves out of Gramma’s sofa pillows.
After that, I’d heard about her only through Gramma’s tales. Maya taking piano lessons. Maya learning math. Maya, Maya, Maya. Now Maya was here, looking great with the latest haircut and a fancy dress.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Glancing down at my jeans and my old sneakers, I wished I hadn’t come.
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“How do you know all these things about me?” I asked.
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3 . Winter goes and summer comes. The tides
And how will I master these emotions so that each day will be
With this new knowledge I will make
| A．advance | B．disappear | C．exist | D．fall |
| A．native | B．colleague | C．supporter | D．part |
| A．jokes | B．secrets | C．experiences | D．awards |
| A．break in | B．wake up | C．take off | D．give out |
| A．constantly | B．temporarily | C．casually | D．elegantly |
| A．appear | B．blow | C．fade | D．spread |
| A．anxious | B．natural | C．additional | D．productive |
| A．sow | B．grow | C．separate | D．shelter |
| A．fold | B．follow | C．carry | D．load |
| A．react | B．review | C．recite | D．repeat |
| A．obtains | B．regards | C．allows | D．observes |
| A．chosen | B．seized | C．received | D．witnessed |
| A．self-awareness | B．self-control | C．self-esteem | D．self-pity |
| A．behind the scene | B．on the bottom line | C．at the end of the rope | D．out of sight |
| A．insignificant | B．improper | C．impolite | D．unconscious |
| A．concrete | B．inadequate | C．abstract | D．unmatched |
| A．use | B．fun | C．sure | D．sense |
| A．view | B．meeting | C．experiment | D．idiom |
| A．limited | B．reserved | C．prepared | D．afraid |
| A．salesman | B．player | C．architect | D．designer |
4 . There’s a special bond between good parents and their children that is a beautiful thing to see.
They care about every
Elizabeth Bautista Boyd of Oklahoma is
She
The photos show her dad with a bag of salt,
Some
| A．aspect | B．advantage | C．exception | D．weakness |
| A．regretful | B．blessed | C．confident | D．supposed |
| A．cares for | B．talks about | C．relies on | D．keeps from |
| A．busy | B．sunny | C．cold | D．quiet |
| A．Interested in | B．Unsatisfied with | C．Uncertain about | D．Aware of |
| A．selected | B．found | C．developed | D．posted |
| A．accompanied | B．simplified | C．clarified | D．confirmed |
| A．work | B．arrive | C．drive | D．survive |
| A．seat | B．vehicle | C．office | D．building |
| A．prove | B．explain | C．ensure | D．announce |
| A．forget | B．move | C．slip | D．stop |
| A．nervously | B．casually | C．generously | D．carefully |
| A．strange | B．sweet | C．rude | D．crazy |
| A．touched | B．appreciated | C．witnessed | D．convinced |
| A．promised | B．recalled | C．debated | D．commented |
5 . Finland was known as a rather quiet country. Since 2008, the Country Brand Delegation (国家品牌代表团) has been looking for a national brand that would make some noise to market the country as a world-famous tourist destination. In 2010, the Delegation issued a “Country Brand Report,” which highlighted a host of marketable themes, including Finland’s famous educational system. One key theme was brand new: silence. As the report explained, modern society often seems intolerably loud and busy. “Silence is a resource,” it said.
Silence first appeared in scientific research as a control or baseline, against which scientists compare the effects of noise or music. Researchers have mainly studied it by accident, as physician Luciano Bernardi did in his study of the physiological (生理学) effects of music. “We didn’t think about the effect of silence,” he said. Bernardi observed two dozen test subjects while they listened to six musical tracks. He found that the impacts of music could be read directly in the bloodstream, via changes in blood pressure, carbon dioxide, and circulation in the brain. “During almost all sorts of music, there was a physiological change with a condition of arousal (兴奋),” he explained.
This effect made sense, given that active listening requires attention. But the more striking finding appeared between musical tracks. Bernardi and his colleagues discovered that randomly added stretches of silence also had a great effect, but in the opposite direction. In fact, two-minute silent pauses proved far more relaxing than either “relaxing” music or a longer silence played before the experiment started. The blank pauses that Bernardi had considered irrelevant, in other words, became the most interesting object of study. Silence seemed to be heightened by contrasts, maybe because it gave test subjects a release from careful attention. “Perhaps the arousal is something that concentrates the mind in one direction, so that when there is nothing more arousing, then you have deeper relaxation,” he said.
This finding is reinforced by neurological (神经系统的) research. Relevant research shows when our brains rest quietly, they integrate external and internal information into “a conscious (意识的) workspace.” Freedom from noise and goal-directed tasks, it appears, unites the quiet without and within, allowing our conscious workspace to do its thing to discover where we fit in.
Noora Vikman, a consultant on silence for Finland’s marketers, knows silence well. Living in a remote and quiet place in Finland, she discovers thoughts and feelings that aren’t detectable in her busy daily life. “If you want to know yourself, you have to be with yourself, and discuss with yourself, and be able to talk with yourself.”
1. Why does the author mention the Country Brand Report in Paragraph 1?| A．To present how Finland viewed silence. |
| B．To highlight the need of noise in Finland. |
| C．To explain why Finland issued the brands. |
| D．To indicate the authority of the Delegation. |
| A．It challenged the calming effect of music. |
| B．It emphasized the role of silence between sounds. |
| C．It illustrated the loss of attentiveness after silence. |
| D．It stated brains’ information processing in the quiet. |
| A．doubtful | B．supportive | C．disapproving | D．unconcerned |
| A．Silence: A Limited Resource | B．Silence: A Misunderstood Tool |
| C．Silence: The Unexpected Power | D．Silence: The Value by Contrasts |
6 . While socializing comes naturally for some, it can be a struggle for others. Shyness is a normal, common personality trait (特征).
Get Excited About A New Adventure
You may have been shy most of your life.
Pay Attention To Your Words
Practice Mindfulness (正念)
Mindfulness involves drawing your attention to the present and being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.
Take Small Steps
Getting started can be the hardest part of learning how to be more social for those who are shy.
| A．If so, that’s a part of you that you’re used to |
| B．Sometimes the best path toward addressing a fear is exposure |
| C．Mindfulness can help reduce symptoms of social anxiety disorder |
| D．Taking time to tend to your appearance can make a big difference |
| E．How we communicate and characterize ourselves can be powerful |
| F．However, shyness can make it hard for people to connect with others and achieve their goals |
| G．But engaging with people doesn’t have to be practiced as an important work presentation |
7 . The ISS orbits Earth at an average of 250 miles from the surface of Earth and completes 15.5 circles per day, once every 92 minutes. In other words, the astronauts see the sunrise and sunset 16 times every day!
The station is inhabited by astronauts conducting research in various fields, while also using it as an observatory to explore Earth and outer space. It is also intended to be a transportation center for spacecraft that are bound for the Moon, Mars and other interplanetary voyages.
The crew is not only responsible for the scientific experimentation and research being conducted onboard, but also the upkeep and maintenance of the vessel, a vessel that is continuously in motion and exposed to the worst possible elements. Such conditions are significant area of study for researchers.
The most common effect of space is the initial contact — getting used to such an alien environment. Astronauts are often seen to display anxiety or depression as they adjust to the novelty of space, according to post-psychiatric screenings of astronauts. Other causes of stress are the high pressure of work while being under frequent public observation, being away from home and family, and missing important events.
Sleep is another major factor that affects the mood and efficiency of the astronauts. Due to the irregularity in life and the constant rotation (转动) of sunrise and sunset, the circadian rhythm (生理节律) of the astronauts goes completely haywire, resulting in poor quality of sleep. The shuttle itself is noisy, with essential equipment always in operation to sustain the vessel. Half of all the astronauts onboard rely on sleeping pills to get some rest and manage to get an average 2 hours less sleep than when they’re back on Earth. Sleep is so critical for functionality that 50% of all medicines taken by astronauts in orbit is to help them sleep better. Low-Earth Orbit living is a restless endeavor, indeed.
1. Which of the following is most likely to affect the astronauts’ mood?| A．Scientific experiments onboard. |
| B．Observation of outer space. |
| C．Interplanetary voyages. |
| D．Exposure to extreme conditions. |
| A．Return to normal. | B．Become out of control. |
| C．Go unnoticed. | D．Remain unchanged. |
| A．Highly-pressured. | B．Trouble-free. |
| C．Safe and sound. | D．Quiet and beautiful. |
| A．The functions of the ISS. |
| B．The missions of the astronauts. |
| C．The mental challenges of living in the ISS. |
| D．The splendid view of the space. |
8 . WHY A DOSE OF FEAR IS GOOD FOR YOU
Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” She was onto something. Science has shown that feeling fear — in the right doses (量) — has several benefits.
·Feeling fear is fun and exciting. Many people scare themselves on purpose.
When you step outside your comfort zone, it is fear that makes you feel alive, which is fun and exciting. The excitement generated can also help reduce depression by increasing adrenaline (肾上腺素), which in turn increases excitement and glucose (changed into energy).
·
·Fear makes you aware of what’s really important in life. How often have you said to yourself: “When I have more time, I’ll spend it with my family, pursue my passion, eat healthier or exercise more”? Fear makes you realize that “now” is the only time you have to achieve and follow through what is most important.
Some say where fear meets courage is the sweet spot in which mountains get scaled and rivers are run.
| A．Fear helps you succeed. |
| B．“Later” is never ensured. |
| C．Fear allows you to live life to the fullest. |
| D．They watch scary movies, ride roller coasters or go skydiving. |
| E．And every time you come through a challenge, you feel empowered. |
| F．Most of all, fear can be the birth place of change, creativity and innovation. |
| G．Actually, it’s nearly impossible to be thinking of your worries when you are experiencing fear. |
9 . Life is like a book, from which we can find happiness and sorrow, success and failure, hope and despair (绝望), and love. Life is a learning process.
Happiness and sorrow
Materialistic happiness is short-lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile to others gives a certain level of fulfilment. Peace of mind is the main link with happiness.
Failure is the path to success. It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way.
Hope and despair
Love
Love plays a key role in our life.
| A．Success and failure |
| B．Failure leads to success |
| C．Hope is what keeps life going |
| D．No mind is happy without peace |
| E．Life teaches us not to regret forever |
| F．Without love, a person could become cruel and violent |
| G．Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us better people |
10 . According to The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine, laughter has many profound physiological and psychological benefits. It can relax muscles, promote mental and psychological well-being, etc. But we have become so busy with our daily routines that we rarely laugh. Laughter Online University found that children laugh 300 to 400 times on an average, whereas adults laugh only 17.5 times in a day.
◆Reduce stress
◆Ensure a healthy relationship
My friend and I used to have issues and never talked for over a month.But suddenly, one day, she sent me a super funny meme (表情包) while on call, and we both laughed at it. Just laughing together made us come closer.
Boost your confidence Have you ever experienced that when you laugh at a fearful situation, you feel more courage and confidence?
| A．Laughter is a powerful stress killer. |
| B．If you ask me, I have experienced this. |
| C．I had anger issues when I was in school. |
| D．This simple laughter had a significant effect on me. |
| E．It also helps us forget problems and cherish friendship. |
| F．Laughter can help you think clearly and more effectively. |
| G．No wonder why we adults suffer mental problems like anxiety. |
