1 . Psychologists have defined nostalgia (怀旧) as self-conscious, socially emotional, bittersweet but mainly positive. It develops out of happy memories mixed with a longing for the past and the close relationships we had back then. Often, nostalgia involves five senses. For example, the smell of autumn leaves might spark an intense longing for your childhood home.
Almost everyone experiences nostalgia, although its object tends to vary throughout life. One survey conducted by the psychologist Krystine Irene Batcho found that younger people felt more nostalgia for pets, toys, and holidays than did older people, who felt it more strongly for music. I came of age in the 1980s, and even songs I found hopelessly annoying back then can fill me with nostalgic emotions.
As my colleague Julie Beck has written, nostalgia was originally viewed as an emotional disorder when it was first defined in the late 17th century. And, crucially, it often occurs when people are experiencing negative moods or having bad experiences. Loneliness can be a trigger, as researchers found in 2008. Another is bad weather.
However, despite its association with negative emotions, nostalgia does not cause or increase unhappiness. Rather, nostalgia is a defense response to unhappiness, one that brings relief from a negative mood. Psychologists writing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2006 found that stirring nostalgia in experiments strengthened people’s social bonds, boosted their positive feelings about themselves, and improved their mood. Similar research has shown that when people feel nostalgia, it can fire their sense of life’s meaning, lower an existential (存在主义的) reaction to the idea of death, increase spirituality, and raise optimism.
Scholars aren’t sure exactly why nostalgia works; some have inferred that recalling happy memories strengthens “valued aspects of the self” in situations when we might otherwise feel lonely or unworthy. Either way, its emotional intensity allows the joy of the past to overpower the unpleasantness of the present, a little escapism that helps get us through the bad times.
1. What do the psychologists think of nostalgia?| A．Always painful. | B．Primarily positive. |
| C．Seldom intense. | D．Usually unconscious. |
| A．To show the objects of nostalgia change with age. |
| B．To illustrate annoying music often leads to nostalgia. |
| C．To highlight the young are more likely to be nostalgic. |
| D．To demonstrate nostalgia has an impact on emotions. |
| A．Attending a lively class. | B．Engaging in a family reunion. |
| C．Staying alone in an empty room. | D．Joining in a joyful birthday party. |
| A．Maintaining self-respect. | B．Shaping personal insights. |
| C．Escaping from daily chaos. | D．Enhancing one’s self-worth. |
2 . Have you ever started your day feeling unbeatable, only to feel worn down by the time you get into bed?
Practise gratitude. As you wake up, whether naturally or through your alarm, pause for a few seconds.
Exhale(呼出) your tension. If you feel anxious or stressed as you wake up, take a few minutes to do an exercise to deal with the tension. Stand tall and bring both hands to your chest. Inhale, and then exhale as you open your arms and reach down to touch the floor. This will stretch your body and oxygenate your brain.
Check in with yourself. On your way to work, take a minute to “check in” with yourself. Think through your goals for the day.
| A．Brighten your day. |
| B．Respond, don’t react. |
| C．Teach the body to sense it is safe. |
| D．And imagine yourself completing them well. |
| E．Thus you process your tension feeling more positive. |
| F．Look around the room for something you are grateful for. |
| G．The daily ups and downs weaken your resolve and leave you low. |
3 . “You’re as stupid as a goat.” It is a common insult (侮辱) in Nigeria. Recently a study published in Animal Behaviour suggested that’s just not true.
Alan McElligott, associate professor of animal behavior and welfare in City University of Hong Kong conducted a study in cooperation with Marianne Mason, an expert in the cognitive (认知的) abilities of goats in England.
In the experiment, a speaker was hidden to play a recording of a human saying “Hey, look over here!” with two versions—a happy one and an angry one. When the study’s 27 goat participants entered the pen one by one, the speaker would play either the positive or negative version 9 times in a row. At first the goats would respond by looking up and even looking for the source of the sound. But after a few repetitions, they would just stop paying attention. Then the speaker switched to play the opposite version three times. 71% of those disinterested goats lifted their ears and looked up in the direction of the sound. Among those newly engaged goats, some started to investigate the source of the sound longer than in the initial stages of the experiment, suggesting they noticed the emotions had changed.
The finding is a case in point of the intelligence of goats. Actually, experienced goat farmers have already known that their livestock (家畜) are discriminating listeners and respond well to kind treatment. So why do such a study if that’s already known? “By showing this ability in goats, we’re trying to move the needle in terms of opening people’s eyes to the cognitive abilities of livestocks. Our overall goal is to get people to think about animals in a different way, to treat them a little bit better.” says Mason. The two researchers hope that people will start to understand these livestocks deserve to be nicely treated, especially as we are using them for our milk products and meat.
1. What did Alan McElligott and Marianne Mason work together on?| A．The intelligence of goats. | B．Social abilities of animals. |
| C．Distinctive behavior of goats. | D．Animal welfare in HongKong. |
| A．The 27 goats paid no attention to the voice all the time. |
| B．The majority of goats noticed the change of the emotions. |
| C．The speaker kept playing the positive version throughout the experiment. |
| D．The goats kept responding to the source of the sound in the initial stages. |
| A．Adjust a study goal. | B．Shift the public’s attention. |
| C．Make a positive change. | D．Change the original structure. |
| A．The background of the study. | B．The main purpose of the study. |
| C．The farmers’reactions to the study. | D．The wisdom of some goat farmers. |
1. 减轻压力；
2. 提高免疫力；
3. 改善心情。
注意：1. 词数 80 左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。参考词汇：免疫系统 immune system
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5 . You laugh out loud when a friend misses a step on the stairs, but soon you feel guilty of laughing at other’s clumsiness. You may ask yourself “Shouldn’t I feel empathetic (共情的) for the person involved?” Don’t worry. Your laughter is not provoked by lack of empathy. As a clinical psychologist, I’d like to shed light on different aspects of such a situation which can bring our usually well-meaning laughter.
The first of these ingredients is surprise. The unexpected situation surprises us and creates a departure from the predictable, from what we expected to see. This incongruous (不一致的) situation highlights our errors of prediction. Laughing at the situation is a way of resolving the incongruity by making a new and comic interpretation of what we witnessed.
Besides, we react according to how we interpret the person’s facial expression. A study explored this. Participants were asked to view 210 images representing three types of faces: faces expressing a puzzled look, faces expressing pain or anger, and people whose bodies were placed in awkward positions, without the face being visible.
At the end of the study, participants rated the images with puzzled faces as funnier than images in which the faces expressed pain or anger, and funnier than images in which bodies were shown in ridiculous positions but no facial expression was seen.
So when we perceive puzzlement in the facial expression of the victim of clumsiness, this information creates a context that makes us laugh. On the other hand, if we can read suffering or anger in the facial expression, we will be touched by the pain of the victim of the fall and be empathetic, which will prevent us from laughing.
Let’s forgive ourselves for laughing at comical situations involving other people’s clumsiness! Having learnt that they are not actually in danger and have not really hurt themselves, we aren’t laughing at the other person’s suffering.
1. What does the underlined word “provoked” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Determined. | B．Confirmed. | C．Caused. | D．Prevented. |
| A．Unpredictability. | B．Visibility. | C．Dignity. | D．Identity. |
| A．The faces expressing pain or anger were often ignored. |
| B．Awkward positions seemed funnier than puzzled expressions. |
| C．People laughed at others’ suffering in unfortunate situations. |
| D．Participants were asked to indicate how funny the images were. |
| A．Praiseworthy. | B．Unacceptable. | C．Forgivable. | D．Ridiculous. |
6 . 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 |
7 . Sometimes, we meet with situations that cause us to feel angry to the point we may want to erupt like a volcano or curse (咒骂) someone out.
Science suggests that hearing, seeing, or swimming causes our brain to produce neurochemicals that increase blood flow to the brain and heart. “
Proteins such as fish, tofu, and chicken, help us produce higher levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, which are chemicals in the brain that play a role in your mood, motivation, and concentration. “I found that some foods messed with my stomach.
Whether it’s quick sentences or journal entries, writing down how you feel is a great way to release negative emotions. “
“If you have trouble not getting angry when discussing something or trying to work through a problem with someone, always imagine the conversation is being videotaped. If you keep that in the back of your mind, you will always think about what you say, and it could help keep your mind from the anger,” wrote u/therealtidbits.
| A．For me, nothing is better than exercise. |
| B．Whenever I can’t help getting angry, I read. |
| C．Pretend that when you get angry people are watching. |
| D．Whenever I can’t exercise or burn out the feelings, I write. |
| E．Anyway, there are always better ways to handle when angry. |
| F．They then messed with my head, which brought out the anger. |
| G．Pretend there is a camera before you and be mindful of what you say. |
8 . Steps to happiness
Life is full of happiness and sadness. The following skills can help improve your state of happiness.
Be kind to yourself
It is not always easy as we are often not confident. But those little troubles, such as when we make a mistake, and when we judge ourselves as “stupid” or such like, can actually have quite an impact on our mental well-being.
Find your happiness
For some people, watching 90 minutes of man running around and kicking a ball brings great joy and passion.
Move
Improve your relationships
We all need others.
Eat properly
Eat the right foods and you’ll feel an obvious change in your attitude and mental well-being in a few weeks.
A few simple steps can improve your mental status. Give it a try, a few minor changes can make all the difference to your happiness.
| A．Challenge yourself. |
| B．Get up and walk, or go jogging. |
| C．It’s hard to be an island, entire of itself. |
| D．Being kind to others is also important. |
| E．Instead of being negative on yourself, try being positive. |
| F．For others, this is similar to a trip to the dentist for root treatment. |
| G．Aim for a well-balanced diet and one that is as close to nature as possible. |
If you are constantly lack of confidence and worried about what other people think about your shortcomings, you will never get to where you need to go in life. This was what I learned from my own experience.
My name is Peter. Before I was born, the doctors examined my mom and found there was something wrong with my face, and actually it was worse. With my “weird” face, I knew I was not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I had never been to a real school before, not because of the way I looked, but all the surgeries I had. Mom homeschooled me. I became stronger, though. So maybe it was time for me to go to the real school.
One day, I happened to hear Mom and Dad talking about me quietly. “We can’t keep protecting him.” Mom whispered to Dad, “We have to help him learn to deal with it. We can’t just keep avoiding situations that… ”, but she didn’t even finish her sentence because she saw me. “Go back to sleep, Peter,” Mom said softly.
“Everyone will stare at me at school,” I said, suddenly crying.
Mom came over, putting her hand on mine. “Honey, you know if you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to. But we spoke to the principal (校长) , Mr. Green and told him how funny and smart you are. When I told him about all your surgeries, and how brave you are, ‘Wow, I have to meet this kid.’ ” Mom smiled at me.
“He is really a nice man. Besides, a real school is really good for you. Peter, you will make lots of friends and learn things you have never learned with Mom.” Dad added, raising his hand as if to swear.
“But… I don’t want to go. I am afraid... ” I said in a low voice.
“How about at least meeting Mr. Green before you make up your mind?” Mom asked.
I nodded, unwilling to accept the arrangement.
注意：
1. 续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
We arrived at the school a few weeks before the start of the school.
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Paragraph 2:
After taking a tour of the school and hearing Mr. Green’s words, I realized it was time to make a change.
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10 . My House
My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army. She hated having to adjust to new schools and make new friends. That’s why I thought she was joking when she put forward the idea of moving. But she was completely serious. “For just the two of us,” my mother said, “an apartment in the city will suit our needs much better.” Personally, I think she’s lost her mind. I guess I can understand why she would want to move, but what about me and what this house means to me?
I suppose if you looked at my house, you might think it was just another country house. But to me it is anything but standard. I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first day like it was yesterday. The first thing I noticed was the big front yard. To me it seemed like an ocean of grass — I couldn’t wait to dive in. The backyard was full of gnarled (扭曲的，粗糙的) and scary trees that talk on windy nights. But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room. My father and I even built a small treehouse, where I often go to remember all the wonderful times we had before my father’s death.
This house is special — maybe only to me — but special nevertheless. It’s the little seemingly insignificant things that make this house so special to me: the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight; the smell of my father’s pipe that still exists: the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my bedroom window.
This house holds too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.
1. Why did the author’s mother decide to move?| A．Because she hated the countryside. |
| B．Because Grandpa was on constant move. |
| C．Because Dad’s death made her lose her mind. |
| D．Because she thought a city flat more fit for them. |
| A．The treehouse. | B．The green grass. | C．The big trees. | D．The cold floors. |
| A．By arguing whether the house was standard. |
| B．By explaining why the house suited their needs. |
| C．By describing the small things related to her house. |
| D．By comparing the differences between country and city life. |
