1 . You might have heard of the expression “a guilty pleasure”—maybe it’s the chocolate bar you buy on the way home from work, or the new clothes that you don’t really need.     1     . Perhaps we don’t feel we deserved it, or we don’t think it was a responsible way to spend our money. But should we feel like this? Do we really have to feel guilty about treating ourselves?

Perhaps not. Psychologists have suggested that buying things for yourself can make you feel better as it provides an opportunity to take control of your situation.    2     . It may be that as well as lifting your mood, when you buy a treat, you might just be looking after yourself.

Of course, there are also examples of people turning to destructive behaviour when faced with stressful circumstances. People might spend money that they don’t have or turn to dangerous addictions. Psychologist Leon Seltzer considers the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurturing.    3     , while self-nurturing is taking responsible decisions to satisfy our needs and take care of ourselves in ways that don’t have a significant impact.

    4    . So, many universities publish guides with advice for coping with exam stress. Reflecting the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurture, they recommend rewarding yourself for your efforts, doing things that you enjoy and are good at so that you can feel accomplishment.    5     . Thus, perhaps, as long as we make responsible decisions, we shouldn’t feel guilty about our guilty pleasures.

A．Exams are vital for students.

B．Self-indulgence can have negative consequences

C．The difference becomes evident when students manage exam pressure

D．They also recommend embracing activities that could dampen your spirits

E．Besides, you should avoid things that may make you feel worse afterwards

F．It comes from the idea that when we treat ourselves, it can sometimes leave us feeling guilty

G．It can give you social contact as well as a confidence boost from changes you make to your self-image

2 . Act Your Shoe Size, Not Your Age

As adults, it seems that we are constantly pursuing happiness, often with mixed results. Yet children appear to have it down to an art and for the most part they don’t need self-help books or methods.     1     Children’s way is usually more effective than grown-ups’. Perhaps it’s time to learn a few lessons from them.

What does a child do when he’s sad? He cries. When he’s angry? He shouts. Scared? Probably a bit of both.     2     So they don’t influence our behavior. But too often we take this process too far and end up suppressing ( 压 抑 ) emotions, especially negative ones. What we need to do is find a way to acknowledge and express what we feel appropriately, and then again, like children—move on.

    3     If we adults could be obsessed with a bit of silliness and giggling like them, we would reduce the stress hormones (荷尔蒙), improve blood flow to our hearts and even have a greater chance of fighting off infection. All of them would, of course, have a positive effect on our happiness levels.

A couple of Christmases ago, my daughter, who was nine years old at the time, got a Superman T-shirt for Christmas. It cost less than a five but she was overjoyed, and couldn’t stop talking about it. However, too often we adults believe that a new job, bigger house or better car will be the magic silver bullet that will allow us to finally be content.     4    

Having said all above, it’s necessary to add that we shouldn’t try too hard to be happy.     5     Overthinking it will make it more difficult for us to gain happiness. We need to look to the example of our children, to whom happiness is not a goal but a natural byproduct of the way they live.

A．Scientists tell us this can have the opposite effect.

B．Have you ever noticed how much children laugh?

C．As we grow up, we learn to control these emotions.

D．Instead, they look after their well-being unconsciously.

E．Actually, being grateful for small things is a better way.

F．Indeed happiness consists in the possession of a lot of money.

G．People laughing without cause can find the true meaning of happiness.

3 . I once had a real show of what love is about from my son, Branton, who was then eight and totally unkind to his little sister, Susan.

One Autumn evening, I discovered Susan was ________. I thought she was in the house at first. By the time I ________ she was gone, Branton was comfortably on the sofa watching his favorite television program with a friend. After I’d searched every room for Susan, I began to be ________. It was dark by then, and she was only 5. Our house in the country had many ________ surrounding it.

Careful not to betray my ________, I announced, “Susan is gone.” There was a pause, then Branton ________ and looked at me. “I can’t find Susan,” I ________. “She isn’t in the house, and I don’t know where she is.” He was up as if a bomb had blown him off the sofa. “I’ll find her,” he said running to the door. Then he stopped and turned to his friend. “Get up, Jeff,” he ________, “We’ve got to find Susan. Hurry up.” Within two minutes he’d rung two doorbells to ask if the ________ knew where his sister was. Branton, still running at top ________, came up and passed me by, calling, “Susan, Susan.”

As we headed up the big path into the woods, I heard the sound of a child ________ out. It was Susan. I tried to comfort her we were coming — while attempting to ________ falling in the mud. Meanwhile, Branton ran on ahead, apparently ________ nothing. In another minute he had her in his arms. As I ________, I heard him saying repeatedly, “Susan, are you all right?” as tears streamed down his cheeks.

That night I told Susan, who frequently ________ Branton’s trick, that we all should know what Branton really felt about us.

1.

A．missing

B．injured

C．puzzled

D．asleep

2.

A．argued

B．realized

C．compared

D．agreed

3.

A．surprised

B．frightened

C．delighted

D．tired

4.

A．woods

B．villages

C．houses

D．mountains

5.

A．anger

B．secret

C．anxiety

D．doubt

6.

A．laughed

B．shook

C．shouted

D．turned

7.

A．repeated

B．prayed

C．announced

D．scolded

8.

A．persuaded

B．suggested

C．commanded

D．blamed

9.

A．teachers

B．classmates

C．workers

D．neighbors

10.

A．cost

B．height

C．speed

D．trip

11.

A．crying

B．going

C．leaving

D．dying

12.

A．imagine

B．risk

C．avoid

D．enjoy

13.

A．interested in

B．familiar with

C．crazy about

D．afraid of

14.

A．called

B．approached

C．greeted

D．discovered

15.

A．thanked

B．valued

C．accepted

D．suffered

4 . When you hear that your friend has passed an exam that you failed earlier, how do you react? Do you share in her happiness? If you do, congratulations!     1     Studies have shown that experiencing Freudenfreude can lead to acts of kindness, such as helping others. By celebrating the victories of others, we can bring more success into our own lives.

    2     Sometimes, the disappointment of our own failure can make it difficult to feel happy for others. If we were raised in an environment where winning was strongly associated with self-worth, we may mistakenly interpret someone else’s success as our own failure. Our mental health and overall well being can also affect our ability to share in someone else’s joy.     3    

One method to evoke positive feelings for others is through asking questions. We don’t have to wait for someone else’s good news to practice Freudenfreude. By inviting others to share their victories and genuinely listening to their stories, we can cultivate joy.     4    

Since emotions are contagious (有感染力的), expressing appreciation can also enhance Freudenfreude. We can think of Freudenfreude as something that can be shared when we are experiencing personal happiness.     5     Starting by sharing our own achievements and expressing gratitude can create a sense of shared joy, enhancing Freudenfreude for both parties involved.

A．To better understand Freudenfreude, it is important to realize that it is a win-win.

B．According to social scientists, finding pleasure in another person’s success is what they call Freudenfreude.

C．However, experiencing Freudenfreude is not always easy.

D．Despite these challenges, generating Freudenfreude is valuable, and there are ways to cultivate this feeling.

E．You might ask: “What’s the best thing that happened to you this week?”

F．It is a term that describes the joy we feel when someone else succeeds.

G．To do this, we can give credit to others for their support and acknowledge their contribution to our success.

5 . As the college entrance examination approaches, you will feel that you lack the ability to control the emotions.     1    . The following methods teach you how to control your emotions well before an exam.

First, take a deep breath and stay calm. Finding peace and staying relaxed is all about being in the present moment and not bombarding your mind with too many worries about the future. All that you have now is the current moment.    2    .   

Have to accept that how you show your emotions has a very real effect on others. If you find yourself getting angry at your fellow peers at school, there might still be some understanding from those who are going through similar feelings as you are.     3    . Family members and those who generally aren’t as able to empathize (产生共鸣) as well with your current feelings and situation may take your anger as a personal insult (侮辱).

Learn to handle your emotions. When you start feeling boiling anger rising inside you, consider if you really need to convert that negative energy into action or comment.     4     Taking time to think through these emotions and giving yourself 10 seconds to calm down and consider things. Being angry only builds walls between you and others, making it difficult for loved ones to help.

    5    . Talking your feelings over with others will help you realize that there is no reason to be anxious or worried. Also, reach out to your family. I’m sure that when they were students they also went through similar pressures.

A．Connect with your peers.

B．Talk with your family.

C．Because of their experiences, they will understand you.

D．Sometimes you even get angry because of little things.

E．Do you really need to express your anger outwardly?

F．So for right now, just relax.

G．In any case, this still doesn’t excuse you from treating other people poorly

6 . They say you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But when it comes to tackling a tricky task, researchers have found that getting angry can also be a powerful motivator.

The experiments suggest people who are angry perform better on a set of challenging tasks than those who are emotionally neutral.

The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, details how researchers at Texas A&M University conducted experiments involving more than 1,000 people, and analysed survey data from more than 1,400 people to explore the possible impact of anger on people in various circumstances.

In one experiment, students were shown images previously found to cause anger, desire, amusement, sadness or no particular emotion at all. Participants were subsequently asked to solve a series of anagrams (变形词).

The results reveal that for a challenging set of anagrams, those who were angry did better — although no difference was seen for easy anagrams.

The researchers say one explanation could be down to a link between anger and greater persistence (坚持), with the team finding those who were angry spent more time on the difficult set of anagrams.

In another experiment, participants who were angry did better at avoiding flags in a skiing video game than those who were neutral or sad, and were on a par with (同水平) those who felt amusement or desire.

“This pattern could indicate that general physical arousal (激起) had a benefit for game scores, as this would be greater in anger, amused, and desire conditions compared to the sad and neutral conditions,” the researchers write. However, no such differences in performance was found when it came to an easier video game.

“People often prefer to use positive emotions as tools more than negative and tend to see negative emotions as undesirable,” said Lench, the first author of the study. “Our research adds to the growing evidence that a mix of positive and negative emotions promotes wellbeing, and that using negative emotions as tools can be particularly effective in some situations.”

1. What tasks did the researchers set for the students?

A．Catching flies with honey.

B．Helping analyze survey data.

C．Putting tasks into different categories.

D．Performing tasks in various emotional states.

2. Why does anger enable people to perform better on challenging tasks?

A．It brings team spirit into full play.

B．It promotes a deep insight into the tasks.

C．It increases effort toward attaining a goal.

D．It changes challenging tasks into easy ones.

3. What are paragraphs 7 and 8 mainly about?

A．Research result consistent with previous findings.

B．Potential application of the research finding.

C．A further explanation of the research method.

D．A reasonable doubt about the research process.

4. What does Lench intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．To present more proofs.	B．To draw a conclusion.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To criticize old practices.

7 . 假设你是李华，昨晚你的妈妈询问你最近数学考试的情况，你很不耐烦，向她发了脾气。现在你要写一个留言条向她道歉。要点如下：
1、真诚道歉；
2、解释原因；
3、作出承诺。
注意:1、词数80左右；
2、可以适当地增加细节使行文连贯。
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8 . Teen anger takes many forms. What we can see is the expression of it — the behavior. Teenagers will continue their behavior, until they decide to find out the roots (根源) of their anger, which is usually caused by something going on in a teen’s life.

Teen anger can be a frightening feeling, which can destroy lives and relationships, hurt others, affect (影响) health, and cloud futures. But there is a positive aspect, as it can show that a problem exists and can help us face our issues.

Teenager face a lot of emotional (情感的) issues during this period of development. They’re faced with doubts of identity, relationships, and independence. The relationship between teens and their parents is also changing as teens become more and more independent. This can bring about anger for both parents and teens.

So what can teens and parents do? Listen to your teen and focus on feelings. Try to understand the situation from his or her opinion. Blaming (责备) only builds up more walls and ends all communication. Tell them how you feel, stick to facts, and deal with the present moment. Show that you care and show your love. Remember that anger is the feeling and behavior is the choice. Unless we work to change our own behavior, we cannot help another change their behavior.

1. Which of the following is NOT true about teen anger?

A．Teenagers show the anger in many forms.

B．Teen anger can’t show that a problem exists.

C．Teen anger can destroy lives and relationships.

D．Teenagers face emotional issues when growing.

2. What should parents do according to the last paragraph?

A．Listen to their children.	B．Focus on children’s mistakes.
C．End all communication.	D．Deal with the past moment.

3. What doubts are teenagers faced with?

A．Classmates and homework.	B．Relationships and health.
C．Identity and independence.	D．Communication and study.

4. Which is the best title of the text?

A．How to Describe Teen Anger?	B．How to Deal with Teen Anger?
C．How to Be Good Parents?	D．How to Communicate with Parents?

9 . When I was growing up, Father Christmas played an important part in my family’s Christmas tradition.

Each year my parents would feed us a light meal, make sure we put on our new pajamas (睡衣), and put us to bed. Father Christmas himself was going to leave presents at night! A few hours later, my mom would wake us up telling us to hurry up because he was getting ready to leave. With our eyes barely (勉强地) open, we would go down the stairs and Father Christmas would meet us at the bottom of the stairs by name, tell us how good we were that year, and hand us each a present. In all the excitement, we didn’t realize that our dad was missing until he walked in the door.

When I was 8 years old, my mom very gently (温柔地) and lovingly told me that Father Christmas was just a fun story. She then asked me to never tell my younger sisters or any of the other kids in our family. She believed every child should decide on their own when they were ready to move on and know the truth about Father Christmas. It was a promise I have kept all these years.

Until this year.

My youngest is 10, and I thought other children might make fun of him if he were to say Father Christmas was real. So I gently mentioned that there really wasn’t a man who lived in the North Pole.

“Oh, okay. I know that.”

I then told him not to ever tell anyone else, especially his two cousins, who at 7 and 5 still believe. I didn’t want him to blow my father’s cover.

“Mom, I know Father Christmas is Grandpa and I won’t say anything to them.”

It then dawned on ( 开始明白) me that for my children, Father Christmas would always be real. For them, he was their grandfather who took the time each year to dress up and their grandmother helped him get ready so that their Christmas could be a little more special. My mother was right; Christmas is the spirit of love and giving.

1. What does the author mainly tell us in Paragraph 2?

A．Her great expectation of Father Christmas.

B．The importance of Father Christmas to her.

C．Her memories of Christmas celebrations in her family.

D．The preparation her family made for Christmas Eve.

2. Why did the author’s mother let her keep the secret of Father Christmas from other kids?

A．She wanted to give them a surprise.

B．She didn’t know how to explain it.

C．She didn’t think they were old enough to understand it.

D．She thought they should decide when to unlock it by themselves.

3. What does the underlined part “blow my father’s cover” mean in Paragraph 7?

A．Say no to the Christmas present from my father.

B．Regard my father as the real Father Christmas.

C．Tell the truth about my father dressing up as Father Christmas.

D．Notice my father being away from the family party at Christmas.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The True Spirit of Christmas

B．The Real Life of Father Christmas

C．A Secret My Son Found at Christmas

D．My Experience of Meeting Father Christmas

10 . Soothe the Sunday scaries

Most of us look forward to the weekend as a time to relax, connect with friends and family, and deal with tasks from a to-do list that gets neglected during the workweek. But as the weekend comes to an end, many are missing out on Sunday Funday and instead experiencing an overwhelming sense of anxiety and even dread about the upcoming week.     1     Some people describe it as a heaviness they can feel in their body, while others feel so unsettled that they could jump out of their skin.

Even though the Sunday scaries are common, they are manageable. Here’s how experts say you can ease your end-of-weekend anxiety.

Structure your Sunday.     2     You might still go through that sense of dread, but that feeling is harder to hold on to when you’ re engaging in something that makes you feel good.

Don’t forget to relax. If you’re feeling more stress, it’s important to make space for relaxing activities to ground yourself. Maybe a midafternoon shower or bath, maybe an engaging movie or show, whatever feels like a helpful distraction to reground from the scaries.

Identify your anxiety sources. Try to figure out what’s really causing you to dread the week.     3     Even if there’s not a single reason behind your Sunday anxiety, organizing the stress into small parts can help make it all more manageable.

    4     Getting rid of the Sunday scaries isn’t just about minimizing the gloom of the week ahead. Have something to look forward to. This gives you the opportunity to shift your thoughts to fun and will help improve your mood.

End your Sunday with the right energy. Sunday night is a proper wind-down time. Maybe you want to journal, do a face mask, read a few pages of a good book. Do your best to honor this time and make Sunday night all about you.     5    

A．Is it a deadline, meeting or presentation?

B．Create some excitement for the week ahead.

C．Experts have referred to this worry as Sunday scaries.

D．Sunday scaries come from tiredness after a really busy weekend.

E．Then you feel empowered and confident that you’ll be ready for the next day.

F．Instead of sitting on the couch and watching the clock, go to do something that you enjoy.

G．Anxiety is a natural response that happens in preparation for anything that causes pain or discomfort.