1 . Gratitude, which is a positive emotional state, can have a profound impact on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Gratitude offers us a way of embracing (拥抱) all that makes our lives what they are.     1     It includes the willingness to expand our attention so that we perceive more of the goodness we are always receiving.

Robert Emmons is one of the world’s leading experts on the science of gratitude.     2     The first is an affirmation of goodness: People can learn to wake up to the good around them and notice the gifts they have received. The second part of gratitude is recognizing that the source of this goodness rests outside of oneself — we receive these gifts from other people, and sometimes from fate, or the natural world.     3    

In one study involving nearly 300 adults seeking counseling services at a university, one group wrote a gratitude letter each week for three weeks. The gratitude group reported significantly better mental health (compared to the control group), 12 weeks after the last writing exercise.     4     A study of this practice found that people who wrote down three things that had gone well in their day and identified the causes of those good things were significantly happier and less depressed.

    5     When you practice gratitude, you shift your thoughts away from negative emotions and uncomfortable sensations. Instead, you begin to focus on good things that you may have overlooked. Rather than focusing on the misfortune of having a flat tire, for example, you consider how your job has made it possible to pay for repairs. Or you shift your focus to how fortunate you are to have close friends who are willing to drive you home.

A．He defines gratitude as having two parts.

B．A little gratitude can do wonders for your mood.

C．Gratitude isn’t just a happy feeling for our present lives.

D．However, many people don’t realize the power of gratitude.

E．Another type of written gratitude practice is counting blessings.

F．Gratitude doesn’t necessarily mean showing appreciation for the things that are around you.

G．In other words, gratitude helps realize they wouldn’t be where they are without the help of others.

2 . How to Deal with Academic Failure

Experiencing failure in academic settings is inevitable in your journey to study. However, once you get through it, you can bounce back from almost any academic failure.

Adopt the proper mindset

The proper mentality plays a big part in dealing with academic failure.     1    , focus on how you will feel when you have mastered the areas that give you trouble. Stop thinking of yourself as a failure, and regard yourself as a person with a fixable problem. The problem is an opportunity, because how a person responds to a problem is what creates success or failure.

    2    

Consider the troubles of chaotic personal relationships and stress. They are the most common external factor making students' academic performance suffer.    3    . Activities including sports, partying, or arts are social distractions that are also a common source of academic struggle. Disorganization is a huge factor. Making an inventory of upcoming assignments work as well.

Bounce back

    4    . Were your grades good and then suddenly fall, slowly decline, or are they changeable? If they slowly declined, this probably indicates a lack of proficiency in a foundational skill set. If your grades suddenly fall, then that can be indicative of the sudden presence of a troublesome external factor, like moving to a new school.

Once you have determined that, you need to develop a plan of action. Try to study at the same times and same places each day, so it becomes a routine. Enlist someone to help you stay accountable to your plan of action.    5    .

A．Identify the trouble spots

B．Analyze extracurricular commitments

C．Achieving academic goals is vitally important

D．Instead of judging yourself for past shortcomings

E．Only by recognizing your problems weren't created overnight

F．Look at the history of your grades and determine the overall trend

G．Talk to a friend, family member or teacher about helping you stay on track

3 . 假定你是李华，住在一个居民区，近期附近的一块建筑工地自清晨开始施工，持续到深夜。巨大的噪音严重影响了你和邻居们的正常生活，包括休息、学习和工作。请你给当地社区管理部门写一封投诉信，说明情况并希望尽快解决此问题。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Community Management,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sincerely,

Li Hua

4 . Slowing Down Racing Thoughts

Everyone has moments when their brain suddenly goes messy. When racing thoughts take over your mind, you can’t stay focused, and you feel trapped. How can you keep racing thoughts from controlling you? Here are five tips to try.

Give yourself permission. Racing thoughts are often made worse by the anxiety over having racing thoughts.     1     This gives you a sense of control so you don’t feel helpless. When you put racing thoughts in their proper context, they feel less threatening and easier to manage.

Distract (分心) yourself. As soon as you notice yourself worrying again or thinking about things over and over, make an inside comment on yourself, like “here I go again, with my list of thoughts that never ends”.     2    

Get mindful. Practicing mindfulness can help change your thought patterns.     3     Close your eyes and count to yourself as you take slow, steady breaths. When you reach 10, start over and repeat the process until you calm down.

Get moving.     4     For instance, when racing thoughts strike, do a set of push-ups, do 10 jumping jacks, take a five-minute walk, or do household chores. Also, try to build regular exercise into your life as well as these short bursts of activity. That can help relieve anxiety and stress.

    5     Sometimes it’s best to let racing thoughts run their course; otherwise, they may wander indefinitely. When anxious racing thoughts occur, recognize them, but tell yourself that now is not worry time and you will deal with them later. Then at a fixed time of your choosing, do nothing but explore those thoughts and work through them.

A．Fight for them.

B．Schedule worry time.

C．For instance, try counting your breaths.

D．Exercise is helpful for reducing anxiety.

E．To escape this, allow yourself to experience them.

F．Then do something else, like reading or listening to music.

G．People who struggle with racing thoughts are constantly worried.

5 . There’s a special bond between good parents and their children that is a beautiful thing to see.

They care about every________of their children’s life, from the tiniest issues to the biggest heartbreaks.

Elizabeth Bautista Boyd of Oklahoma is________to have such a father who still________and protects her, even though she is a grown-up 38-year-old working woman now. Boyd drove to work on a________winter morning, and the roads were frozen.________this, her dad did something amazing for her.

She________photos of her father’s act of kindness on a social networking website________by the touching words: “You guys…This is my dad. He’d driven to my company parking lot and waited for me to________, so he could salt the icy road from my________to the company’s front door. He did this to________that I, his 38-year-old daughter, wouldn’t________Oh! Love you, Daddy.”

The photos show her dad with a bag of salt,________spreading a path of salt across the icy road. This simple but________gesture of a father’s love for his daughter has________thousands of hearts online. In around 24 hours, it obtained over 70,000 reactions and over 76,000 shares.

Some________“What an amazing Daddy you have!” and one person wrote: “Definitely give him a huge hug, big enough for all of us.

1.

A．aspect

B．advantage

C．exception

D．weakness

2.

A．regretful

B．blessed

C．confident

D．supposed

3.

A．cares for

B．talks about

C．relies on

D．keeps from

4.

A．busy

B．sunny

C．cold

D．quiet

5.

A．Interested in

B．Unsatisfied with

C．Uncertain about

D．Aware of

6.

A．selected

B．found

C．developed

D．posted

7.

A．accompanied

B．simplified

C．clarified

D．confirmed

8.

A．work

B．arrive

C．drive

D．survive

9.

A．seat

B．vehicle

C．office

D．building

10.

A．prove

B．explain

C．ensure

D．announce

11.

A．forget

B．move

C．slip

D．stop

12.

A．nervously

B．casually

C．generously

D．carefully

13.

A．strange

B．sweet

C．rude

D．crazy

14.

A．touched

B．appreciated

C．witnessed

D．convinced

15.

A．promised

B．recalled

C．debated

D．commented

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

What my father wore embarrassed me! I wanted him to dress like a doctor or lawyer, but he always dressed like my father, getting up before dawn every day to make breakfast for my mother and me.

We lived in South Texas, where my father worked as a repairman. He often wore a pair of jeans and a shirt, keeping his pencils, glasses and wrenches (扳手) in his breast pocket. His boots were those with steel toes that made them difficult to pull off his feet, which I sometimes helped him with when he returned from repairing cars — his job that also shamed me.

I blamed the way he dressed. I felt that my classmates laughed at me because they’d seen him mowing lawns (修剪草坪) in cut-off jeans and black boots. My classmates’ families paid men to beautify their lawns, while their fathers travelled in the bay wearing lemon-yellow sweaters and expensive shoes.

He preferred clothes that allowed him the freedom to move under cars. So even when taking part in a school trip with me, he was dressed in his repairman’s suit. On the school bus to the campsite, all students on the bus happily chatted with their parents except me, who lowered the head, avoiding spotting my classmates’ mocking glance (讥笑的眼光) or hearing their jokes, which I thought was about nothing else but what my father wore.

I regretted telling my parents the school trip, and I was very angry why my mother had no spare time while my father happened to have a vacation. But my father failed to read my mind. He was very happy, whistling a tune along the way.

Though my father didn’t sense my bad mood, the school bus seemed as sad as I was. It drove more and more slowly and finally it stopped on the roadside. The driver got out to check the bus but found nothing wrong. Students and parents on the bus began to whisper about what was happening, worried that the delay might spoil the journey.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150 左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卷的相应位置作答。

When others were complaining, my father stood up.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The school bus restarted and everyone cheered.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Soothe the Sunday Scaries

As the weekend comes to an end, many of us are missing out on Sunday Funday and anxious about the upcoming week. Experts have nicknamed this worry the “Sunday scaries”.     1    

Here’s how you can ease your end-of-weekend anxiety.

When structuring your Sunday, try not to arrange too many errands and chores. If you’re feeling more stress, it’s important to make space for some activities to relax yourself. And there’s no right way to do so — maybe a midafternoon shower or bath, maybe an engaging movie or show.     2    

Anxiety is a normal human experience, and one of the main ways to manage it is to identify your personal triggers.     3     Is it a deadline, meeting, or presentation? Even if there’s not a single reason behind your Sunday anxiety, organizing the stress you expect from the week ahead into small pieces can help it.

Getting rid of the Sunday scaries isn’t just about minimizing the gloom of the week ahead, either. Having something to look forward to gives you something pleasing to think about, rather than only focusing on the anxiety you feel.     4     Instead of focusing on the awful things you expect from the week, build excitement over a lunch date with a friend.

Make Sunday nights about doing something for yourself to reduce your anxiety about Monday. Plan some favorite foods to enjoy or go all in for some self-care.     5     Do your best to honor this time and make Sunday night all about you—leave the work emails for Monday morning.

A．It’s a form of shifting your thoughts.

B．This is an opportunity to give yourself a refreshing time.

C．Try to figure out what’s really causing you to fear the week.

D．It doesn’t mean you have to shift your thoughts to something fun.

E．But even though the Sunday scaries are common, they are manageable.

F．It can be whatever feels like a helpful distraction to relieve from the stress.

G．Instead of sitting on the sofa and watching the clock, do something that you enjoy.

8 . What do a picturesque sunrise, a nice cup of coffee, and holiday celebrations have in common?    1    Being open about your feelings can be rewarding. Here are some reasons for sharing your feelings with others.

Expressing your feelings connects you with others. When it comes to relationships with your family and significant others, knowing how to express your feelings is the key to creating intimacy (亲密关系).    2    However, it is that sincere revelation(透露) that enables you to bond with your loved ones.

    3    In a study, after participants expressed their emotions, brain images showed a decrease in the brain activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with feelings, indicating a calming effect on the brain. The researchers concluded that talking through emotions decreases the strength of these emotions.

Sharing your feelings boosts health. According to The New York Times, holding everything inside and not expressing your emotions can be harmful.    4    But choosing to appropriately share them benefits you mentally and physically. By doing so, you can normalize your speaking about emotions and emotional needs. This can help not just you, but also others.

Speaking about your emotions enables you to get help. When you put what’s in your mind into words, you are making that experience or emotion real, instead of ignoring it. That’s a way of recognizing yourself. Moreover, talking about your feelings allows your loved ones to help you. They are naturally concerned about your well-being.    5    

All in all, accept your feelings, even negative ones and learn to manage them. Practice sharing your feelings on a regular basis, and you will benefit a lot.

A．Opening up keeps emotional intensity down.

B．Sharing your emotions improves brain function.

C．Telling others about the depths of your feelings can be scary.

D．If so, you’d better avoid judging yourself and other people.

E．These are all wonderful experiences that you can share with loved ones.

F．By letting them know what you’re experiencing, you can get their support.

G．That may cause increased stress levels and risk of developing related diseases.

9 . Life is full of surprises. You never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next.    1    It can also be anxious. When something happens that you didn’t expect, it throws your whole world off balance. This can lead to negative feelings.

One way to fight against these negative feelings is through optimism,    2    Optimism is a mental attitude that sees new things as opportunities, transitions as improvements, and challenges as learning experiences.

    3    This gives you more power over your life and what happens to it, which can help prevent anxiety and depression. This can also help improve physical health in turn over time.

When something bad happens, optimists are less likely than pessimists to blame themselves or others for what happened. They don’t consider these negative emotions. They are able to see things from a positive perspective, even when something doesn’t go as planned.    4    

So it’s important to face bad things bravely and keep a positive mind. Of course, it’s important to remember that optimism can’t put a stop to all bad things.    5    But if you can manage to focus more on the good than the bad, you’ll be less anxious and be well on your way to a happier and healthier life.

A．It can be exciting.

B．It can be a positive attitude to difficulty.

C．Too much optimism can also be harmful.

D．Optimism is a positive attitude toward the future in general.

E．This kind of thinking can help lower stress and improve mental health.

F．When you are optimistic, you’re also more likely to control the situation.

G．No matter how positive you are, there’ll be times when bad things happen.

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

When I drove my sister Connie from Michigan to Arizona to start her junior year of college, I didn’t realize it’d be the last time that I’d see her alive. Four months later, when she was traveling back to the Midwest for winter break with four of her college friends, the driver of her car fell asleep. The car went off the road and rolled over several times. My sister, unfortunately, was thrown out from the car and died within minutes.

As a nineteen-year-old away at college myself, I was already dealing with my own confusion and uncertainty about where my life was headed. I’d thought I wanted to become an engineer, but the related courses I’d taken left me wholly uninspired. Now, with the struggle from my sister’s sudden death, I knew leaving my family to return to school hours from home would only heighten my confusion. Yet, when my parents expressed their belief that Connie would’ve wanted me to return to college, I knew they were right.

During the first term following her death, I felt like I was sailing through a personal fog in a rudderless(无舵的) boat. I was aimlessly drifting, fearful of what lay beyond the horizon. My grief(悲伤) consumed me as I continually questioned how the college courses I was taking would affect my life. And, more importantly, I missed my sister. Born just ten months apart, she’d always been there for me.

When I began my junior year, I still hadn’t declared my major, but I signed up for one particular class for personal reasons: Death Education and Suicide Prevention. One day, the professor had a guest speaker come to our class. At some point during the presentation, the speaker said, “Joy shared is joy increased. Grief shared is grief decreased.” The speaker explained the saying by breaking it into parts, saying, “Joy shared is joy increased. If you don’t believe it, go into a closet and tell yourself a joke. It isn’t funny unless you share it with others. Or you can try to share your sadness with your beloved one, even in the journals.” I was locked in “Joy shared is joy increased. Grief shared is grief decreased.”

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。

I silently repeated this message to myself over and over again, trying to absorb these words into my being.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After that day in class, I began keeping journals about my sister.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________