1 . Heart in your throat. Butterflies in your stomach. Bad courage feeling. These are all phrases many people use to describe fear and anxiety.

You have likely felt anxiety inside your chest or stomach, and your brain usually doesn’t hurt when you’re scared. Many cultures tie weakness and bravery more to the heart or the guts than to the brain. But science has traditionally seen the brain as the birthplace and processing site of fear and anxiety. Then why and how do you feel these emotions in other parts of your body? Research confirms that while emotions do begin originally in your brain, it’s your body that carries out the orders. While your brain gradually changed and developed to save you from a falling rock or speeding man-eating animals, the anxieties of modern life are often a lot more abstract. Fifty-thousand years ago, being rejected by your tribe could mean death, but not doing a great job on a public speech at school or at work doesn’t have the same consequences. Your brain, however, might not know the difference.

There are a few key areas of the brain that are heavily involved in processing fear. Amygdala (杏仁体) is a small area of the brain located near your ears which detects obvious features, or the emotional connection of a situation and how to react to it. Threat search is a vital part of this process, and it has to be fast.

The hippocampus (海马体) is near and tightly connected to the amygdala. It’s involved in memorizing what is safe and what is dangerous, especially in relation to the environment — it puts fear in conditions.

The prefrontal cortex (前额叶皮质), located above your eyes, is mostly involved in the realization and social aspects of fear processing. For example, you might be scared of a snake until you read a sign that the snake is not poisonous or the owner tells you it’s his friendly pet.

As is described by a singer in his song “Lose Yourself”, the reason his hands sweated, his knees got weak and his arms became heavy was that his brain was nervous.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Emotions can lead to reactions in the body.

B．The brain keeps up with the pace of modern life.

C．Fear and anxiety do much damage to the brain.

D．Nowadays people have more anxieties than before.

2. Which of the following relates to the hippocampus?

A．Receiving outside information.

B．Storing memories.

C．Identifying different features.

D．Adjusting emotions.

3. Why is the song mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To show the singer’s love for music.

B．To present a common phenomenon.

C．To illustrate the singer’s physical condition.

D．To explain physical discomfort originates from brain.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The response to fear and anxiety

B．A study about sense of fear

C．What negative emotions affect your body

D．What is the root of fear and anxiety

2 . A sunny afternoon before Christmas, a little girl was decorating a box with a gold wrapping paper to put it under the Christmas tree. Money was tight, so the girl’s father _________ her for wasting almost all roll of that _________ paper.

However, the next morning the girl _________ the gift to her father. “This is for you, Daddy.” she said. He opened the box and found it _________, so he became angry again. “Don’t you know, that when you give someone a _________ it is supposed that there would be something inside it.” he said _________. The little girl looked at her father with _________ in her eyes. “Daddy, this box is not empty, I _________ it with my kisses, all for you.”

The father was extremely _________. He felt so embarrassed that he could just put his __________ around his little daughter and beg for her __________. For many years of his life the man kept that golden box near his bed. Wherever he felt __________ and downhearted he opened the box and thought of __________ that the little child had put into it.

Each of us have been __________ a present of unconditional love from our children, family, friends and God. It is the most precious __________ that anyone could hold.

1.

A．praised

B．punished

C．admired

D．contacted

2.

A．expensive

B．common

C．cheap

D．lovely

3.

A．emailed

B．sent

C．brought

D．put

4.

A．beautiful

B．full

C．amazing

D．empty

5.

A．box

B．gift

C．paper

D．package

6.

A．anxiously

B．fluently

C．seriously

D．calmly

7.

A．excitement

B．tears

C．fire

D．stars

8.

A．designed

B．exchanged

C．filled

D．arranged

9.

A．surprised

B．proud

C．shy

D．annoyed

10.

A．ears

B．hands

C．eyes

D．arms

11.

A．forgiveness

B．carelessness

C．kindness

D．blindness

12.

A．alone

B．happy

C．sad

D．excited

13.

A．heart

B．love

C．anger

D．stress

14.

A．given

B．requested

C．attracted

D．impressed

15.

A．source

B．topic

C．confidence

D．treasure

3 . In our home it was natural to fear our father. Even our mother was afraid of him. As children, my sister and I thought every family was like that.       1       We discovered we could draw pictures with chalk on our wooden front door. We could have lots of fun, so we started drawing and making lots of pretty pictures all over it. We had a great time. We decided to finish our pictures, knowing Mom would love it.

    2     We did not understand why, but we knew all about anger, and we were in big trouble. Off we ran to find a place to hide. In our yard it was not hard for two small children to find safety. Together, we hid behind a tree and did not move. Soon we heard the frightened voices of Mom and our neighbours calling out to us. We were afraid of being found.     3     Those around us became more anxious, and we became more frightened. As we stayed together in the dark, we heard another voice, one we recognized with great fear: our daddy.         4     In it we heard something we had never heard before: fear and despair (绝望). Then came his prayers (祈祷). We saw our daddy with tears running down his face, promising God that he would give his life to Him if He would safely return his girls.

Things were different after that. We had a new daddy. It was like the old one was buried that day in the forest.     5    

A．The praise we expected did not come.

B．The sun set and it began to get dark.

C．Our daddy worked very hard to support the family.

D．Then came the day we found something new and fun to do.

E．Our whole family was changed with a piece of chalk.

F．But there was something different in it.

G．Our mom knew that he cared for us.

4 . A smile makes a person look approachable. You can get the attention of other people by this simple gesture. You may even change someone’s mood for the day.

How Your Smile Affects Other People

A simple smile can make a difference to other people. Your smile can make them happy. Those with bad feelings can immediately change after seeing your bright smile.    1     Besides, a smiling face allows them to feel that life has to go on despite any bad situation.

    2     They will think of you as a friendly, attractive, and confident person. Apart from that, your smile can change the things they think about you, such as being beyond reach.

A genuine smile can earn other people’s trust. It can make other people see that you are worthy of it. Moreover, they will become responsive to your smile.

These are the effects of your smile on other people. Your smile may be beneficial to anyone who sees it.     3     It is not only the other people who benefit from it. You can also enjoy its benefits for yourself.

How Smiling Benefits You

Smiling is an excellent way to release endorphins, which are the chemicals responsible for feeling happy. In effect, you can have an improved mood and increased positive thoughts. Your smile is also a stress-reliever.    4     As a result, you can get over your source of stress sooner or later.

Furthermore, a smile can help you maintain positivity. You can face any situation with calmness.     5    

Above all, smiling can benefit you and the other people surrounding you. In general, it is best to share bright smiles that all of you can benefit from in the long run.

A．Moreover, your smile can build connections.

B．Relieving stress is a good way to make you smile.

C．Meanwhile, smiling can give you a win-win situation.

D．A smile can influence how other people think about you.

E．It can prevent you from showing signs of tiredness or sadness.

F．Thus, you’re unlikely to get angry or disappointed with small things.

G．The moment they see the sincerity in your smile, their mood can improve.

5 . I was a stay-at-home mother and there never was enough money to go around. So on my mother's birthday, I had no money to _________ a present. So I decided to make some cookies for her and leave a _________ .

Sitting down to write a few words of good wishes got me to _________ . There were many things that I did appreciate（感激）, so I decided to list all of them. Pretty soon, I had several pages of _________ thoughts, so I wrote a letter to my mother expressing my appreciation for the things she and my father had _________ us as children.

My mother taught us to be good neighbors by _________ others if they needed a hand. My father taught us how to work. The _________ went on and on.

I put the cookies and the letter on the table in her kitchen. That evening, she called and _________ me. She said it was a wonderful birthday _________ .

Two years later, she passed away. While cleaning out her house, I __________ a photocopy（复印件）of the birthday letter. I was __________ as to why she would make a copy.

But then I got my __________ . Room after room, I found eight more photocopies of the same letter. When I __________ the drawer（抽屉）beside her bed, I __________ an old handkerchief（手帕）with a piece of paper in it.

It was the original birthday letter. I realized that the letter was the __________ present I could have ever given to my mother.

1.

A．accept

B．prepare

C．need

D．forget

2.

A．note

B．key

C．number

D．picture

3.

A．worry

B．doubt

C．cry

D．think

4.

A．heartfelt

B．mind-changing

C．interesting

D．fresh

5.

A．asked

B．taught

C．bought

D．required

6.

A．helping

B．watching

C．praising

D．inviting

7.

A．game

B．story

C．voice

D．list

8.

A．thanked

B．questioned

C．surprised

D．refused

9.

A．party

B．present

C．card

D．cookie

10.

A．went over

B．put up

C．came across

D．got into

11.

A．confused

B．excited

C．frightened

D．satisfied

12.

A．secret

B．place

C．answer

D．fun

13.

A．saw

B．moved

C．locked

D．opened

14.

A．dropped

B．noticed

C．chose

D．used

15.

A．most expensive

B．simplest

C．most meaningful

D．newest