1 . Ask most people which day of the week they fear the most and the answer is likely to be Monday. The first day of the working week can make us experience a sense of tiredness or fatigue.     1              

    2     It’s the time of year when we’re supposedly feeling at our lowest and most “blue”. We’re thought to be more likely to feel down because the weather’s cold and we’re back at work. We’ve got to make up all the money we spent at Christmas and we’re feeling guilty for already breaking our New Year’s resolutions.

Some consider the term, pseudo-science, saying that there is no such thing as a 24-hour depression.     3     The decreasing motivation to work, the lack of interest in everything and the regret for what is not finished can be clearly felt on the first day of the week.     4     Someone who misses the deadline and cannot meet the standard at work affects the overall efficiency and teamwork within a project.

Fortunately, we don’t have to suffer that on Monday, not if we remember: we all have our good days and our bad days, and those aren’t for the calendar (日历) to decide.     5     Rather than automatically thinking we feel blue on Blue Monday, reflect on the well being of our mind, practice self-care and seek support when needed. In this way, we can weather the Monday blues and any other challenges that come our way.

A．The most depressing day of the year is the third Monday in January.

B．Actually it’s common to feel a bit depressed for several times in a year.

C．But most people know that the Monday blues can be very real.

D．That’s why the feeling is described as the Monday blues.

E．The term is not even scientifically true, with basically no evidence.

F．These can have a negative impact on our performance, productivity and the people around.

G．In fact, it’s actually a good opportunity to check in on our mental health.

2 . “Anxiety.” The very word invites discomfort. Its effects—shortness of breath, pounding heart, muscle tension—are outright upsetting. But, as a clinician, I find that we tend to miss out on many valuable opportunities presented by this human emotion. In and of itself, anxiety is not deadly, nor is it a disease. Quite the contrary: it is an indicator of brain and sensory health. Once we accept that it is a normal, though uncomfortable, part of life, we can use it to help us.

We all know working out at the gym is hard. By nature, a “good workout” is uncomfortable, since it involves pushing our physical strength past what we can easily do. The sweet spot of exercise is always a somewhat challenging experience. Similarly, if you want to be emotionally stronger, you need to face some tension. For example, one effective treatment for fear is exposure therapy (疗法), which involves gradually encountering things that make one anxious, reducing fear over time.

Humans are social creatures. When my patients learn to open up to their partners about their anxieties, they almost always report a greater sense of emotional closeness. Also, as international relationship expert Sue Johnson teaches, when we express our need for connection during challenging moments (e.g., “I’m having a hard time right now and could really use your support”), it creates greater connection and turns our anxiety into love.

From time to time, we find ourselves at the end of our rope. Our responsibilities pile up, our resources break down, and we feel uncomfortably anxious—what we’re experiencing is called stress. Simply put, the demands placed upon us outweigh our available resources, just like a set of scales (天平) going out of balance. Focusing on work and pretending everything is OK only leads to disastrous results. Medical treatment for stress may function for a while, but it tends to make things worse in the long run. The only solution to deal with stress is to do the mathematics to balance the scales.

1. What does the author say about anxiety?

A．It is an invitation to diseases.

B．It indicates stable mental health.

C．It costs us many valuable chances.

D．It is a natural emotional expression.

2. Why does the author mention “good workout” in paragraph 2?

A．To prove how exercise influences emotions.

B．To suggest an effective way to challenge limits.

C．To explain how anxiety builds emotional strength.

D．To show a positive connection between mind and body.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The key to closeness is partners’ support.

B．Sharing anxieties improves relationships.

C．Humans are defined by their social nature.

D．Expressing feelings keeps us off anxieties.

4. According to the last paragraph, how can we deal with stress?

A．Devote more energy to our work.

B．Increase resources available to us.

C．Seek professional medical treatment.

D．Master advanced mathematical skills.

3 . It’s hard to please everybody all the time. Whatever you do, and no matter how hard you try, there will always be certain people who dislike you. There are often times you can overlook them and go on with your life. Sometimes, however, a person’s negative feelings for you might affect your grades or your ability to meet and get along with other people.     1     .

Have an open conversation

This might be awkward, but sometimes the only way to know what is going on or why someone has a problem with you is to speak out straightforwardly.     2     . That means instead of saying “Why don’t you like me? ”, say something like “I feel like there is some tension between us. Is there anything I have done or anything I can do to help? ”

    3    

If you’ve done something to hurt or offend someone and that is the reason why the person dislikes you, the best course of action is to try to make it right. Clearly say the words, “I’m sorry. ” Be sure not to say “I’m sorry you were offended. ” or “I’m sorry you felt that way. ” or anything else that places the blame on the other person for misinterpreting your intentions.     4     .

Learn to let it go

    5     . Importantly, you have to choose not to allow the person who dislikes you to influence you or get you down. It is OK to be disliked. Remember that even the most popular and well-loved celebrities are disliked by some people!

A．Build self-confidence

B．Apologize and make it right

C．Try to redirect feelings of anger by breathing deeply

D．In these situations, it might be time to deal with the problem

E．Instead, be humble and own to the fact that you’ve hurt someone

F．It’s OK to be disliked if you’ve done everything and are still disliked

G．Try to express your ideas with “I-phrases”, which focus on your feelings

4 . How to Stop Laughing at Inappropriate Times

Although laughing at inappropriate times can be embarrassing, it’s actually a natural reaction for some people when they’re facing a highly stressful situation. It can help you relieve stress and release your own tension.     1     Here are some ways to stop laughing.

Distract yourself from your urge to laugh. 

It takes time to learn how to curb your tendency to laugh, but distraction is an easy way to stop yourself, in the meantime. For example, you can pinch yourself. The slight pain will distract you from your urge to laugh.     2     Choose any color and see how many places you can spot it in the area. This small goal will shift your focus from laughter and your emotions.

    3    

What can you do instead of laughing nervously? For example, nod, lick your lips, exhale slowly, or click a pen. What you decide to replace your laughter with depends on the circumstances that are causing your laughter. For example, you may laugh nervously during work meetings.     4     If you tend to laugh at serious moments, take a deep breath at moments when you’d typically laugh.

Identify what makes you laugh inappropriately.

Do you laugh out of nervousness, or do you laugh to cope with painful feelings? Maybe you laugh because you have a lot of energy or have trouble finding the words you want to say. Whatever your reasons for laughing, write down when your laughter is causing you issues. Consider the time, location, occasion, and people who could be causing your laughter. These are called your triggers.     5    

A．Create a plan for replacing your laughter.

B．Choose replacement behaviors for the laughter.

C．You can also look for a certain color in the room.

D．Tell yourself, “The next time I feel awkward in a work meeting, I will click my pen.”

E．Once you know what they are, you can begin to address your habit of laughing.

F．But the inappropriate laughter may negatively affect your life.

G．If this is the case, click your pen instead of laughing.

5 . Do you find it difficult to feel content in your own company? Do you feel pressure to be constantly connected to others, resulting in overwhelming anxiety when you’re alone? If the answer is yes, then you’ll be pleased to learn that there are tips to help you enjoy solitude without feeling lonely.

Find companionship in your passion

Whether your passion is art, writing, or knitting, being alone is a great opportunity to get connected to it. Investing mindful, quality time into doing something you love is beneficial to your mental health.     1    .

Design a plan

You may find yourself just going through the motions in life. While structure is a good thing, it can also prevent us from moving forward. When you’re alone, sit down with a pen and paper and design a plan.     2    . It could be as simple as aiming to save money, or looking for new hobbies and classes to attend. Being mindful about the direction of your life allows you to feel in control.

    3    

One of the biggest consequences of finding yourself alone is that you may automatically believe you’re bored.     4    . Climb that mountain you always wanted to climb or lift those weights you always wanted to lift. Do something that you see as a challenge and then focus your mental energy on achieving the goal of completing it.

Practice Meditation

Please understand that loneliness is a feeling, one you can take control of. If you’re a social person most of the time, when you’re alone your brain maybe guilty of convincing you there’s something wrong.     5    . Breathe...Taking time to focus on your breath and meditate has proven to be a great way to reduce those feelings of hopelessness and worry.

A．Challenge yourself

B．Do your favorite sports

C．This is far from the case

D．It doesn’t need to be a life-changing plan

E．Then you’re more likely to succeed in career

F．Therefore, you become worried and desire to be around someone

G．It keeps you focused, thus reducing anxiety and helping to keep you happy

6 . 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.     1    

Find your happiness

For some people, watching 90 minutes of man running around and kicking a ball brings great joy and passion.     2     We are all different, and knowing what bring you peace and happiness helps. Explore more and find what you really like.

Move

    3     Humans weren’t designed to sit all day long. Apart from getting fat, and increasing the risk of diseases, sitting all day leads to boredom. And the more you sit doing nothing, the worse it gets. So, make a start now and take a walk.

Improve your relationships

We all need others.     4     Again, humans are social creatures, so getting out to see friends is important, even taking time to talk to those you live with is important. Put down your device and actually have a chat. It can really boost your mood.

Eat properly

Eat the right foods and you’ll feel an obvious change in your attitude and mental well-being in a few weeks.     5     Avoid lots of processed food.

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.

7 . Bad thoughts can trouble you for days, weeks, or months. While you should always seek help if you constantly suffer from bad thoughts, you can work through them on your own in many cases.

    1     This is possibly the easiest way to start addressing your problems. Too often you believe you are the only one with problems, or that no one understands what you are going through. But bad thoughts are part of life and, most importantly, they will go away.

Think about what makes the thought “bad”. Why are you upset about it?     2     Bad thoughts exist because you feel ashamed, angry, or unsure, so thinking about why you are caught on the same thought can help address the problem.

    3     Getting your bad thoughts into the open is a great way to work through what makes them so bad. It helps you realize that the thought is not as bad as it seemed.     4     Simply telling your thoughts in a comfortable setting may be enough to remove them.

Literally “throw your problem away”. This may sound strange and unusual, but people who write down their bad thoughts and throw the paper away have a better self-image than people who keep the paper. By doing this, you can tell your body that it is time to move on.     5    

A．What is making it stick in your head?

B．How can you solve it as quickly as possible?

C．Remember that occasional bad thoughts are normal.

D．Talk through your bad thoughts with someone you trust.

E．Even if a situation isn’t ideal or is difficult, you can still be okay.

F．Also, someone with similar anxieties may offer you valuable advice.

G．Just emptying your computer’s trash bin (垃圾箱) has the same effect.

8 . Self-criticism (自我批评) is a mental habit of negatively analyzing and judging ourselves and our actions. If we don’t find a way to overcome self-criticism, we won’t be able to live a happy and satisfying life.     1    .

Stop Negative Thoughts

Thought stopping is one of the best secrets of how to overcome self-criticism. Interrupting your thoughts helps you change how you think about yourself, thus helping you feel better.     2    . However, with enough practice, you will make it.

    3    

Another strategy is to replace negative self-critical thoughts with positive realistic statements. For instance, if you set a goal, be realistic about it by giving yourself enough time to achieve it. In fact, having a constant desire to achieve immediate success can ruin your confidence.

Avoid Perfectionism

Another secret is to let go of the need to be perfect. It’s all right to set high standards for yourself.     4    . In addition, desiring to be perfect in everything you pursue can prevent your progress.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

    5    . However, it’s important to note that comparing yourself to your peers, friends, or family can increase dissatisfaction and unhappiness. That said, the best tip on how to overcome self-criticism is to practice self-acceptance.

A．Be realistic

B．Focus on strengths

C．It’s normal to feel like that everyone has a better life than you

D．Remember it’s from your mistakes that you get to improve yourself

E．If you’ve been stuck in negative thoughts, here’s what you need to do

F．It’s important to note that changing your negative thought patterns can take time

G．However, falling short of your goals and expectations can make you feel worthless

9 . When you begin to face your fears, you unlock limitless opportunities to live your best life. By conquering your fears, you can finally break free. At first, you may find it difficult to face them. The following steps will help you face them effectively.     1    

● Identify your fears. To face your fears, you must first identify them. Identifying the related factors will help you overcome them. Take a moment to identify the specific sources of your fears. Ask yourself: What are you actually afraid of?     2     Write down the answers and remember to get specific.

● Understand the root cause clearly. After identifying what your fears are, it’s time to explore what causes them. Spend some time exploring the nature of your fears.     3     When you deeply understand the causes, you are in a better position to face them.

●     4     Define the objectives you aim to accomplish by facing your fears. Then set your clear goals. Breaking down your broader goals into smaller and manageable steps is crucial. Besides, creating a structured plan will also help you face your fears by making them much more organized.

● Take action.     5     And gradually work your way up to bigger ones. By taking action. you’ll gain new skills. You can build up your confidence in your ability to learn, handle mistakes, and embrace new experiences. As you go through this journey of action, unexpected opportunities for personal growth will arise. Finally, you’ll strengthen your self-confidence.

A．Accept it as a universal emotion.

B．Establish clear and achievable goals.

C．And thus you can have a brighter future.

D．Handle the least fearful aspect of your fear.

E．Analyze the experiences that lead to these fears.

F．Spend a few moments thinking about your answers.

G．Fighting fear bravely can speed up your personal growth.

10 . Comparison is the thief of joy, which has become more pronounced with the rise of social media. In the past, you may have envied your neighbour when they bought a new car. Today, the rise of social media has had many benefits but also given rise to social media envy when users perceive the perfect lives of others.

Research has shown that social media users post carefully chosen information to present a better image of themselves and social media allows them to do so. This can lead to social comparison, which is where we think about information about other people in relation to ourselves. Our own lives are for the most part ordinary, but social media can make it appear that everyone else’s are not. This can make us feel different emotional responses.

These emotions can be positive or negative. For example, sometimes envy can lead to self-improvement. Researchers have found that students studied for longer, and their academic performance improved, when they were envious of their successful peers.This is referred to as benign envy. But some envy can lead to negative emotions. You might feel low and have negative thoughts towards the envied person who you perceive to be in a better position than you. This is referred to as malicious envy.

As envy is a natural response, it is important to allow yourself to feel the emotion. The real trick is making sure you stop malicious envy and harness benign envy. By accepting that you are envious of someone when you have viewed a post on social media, you have made the first step to adopt a healthier response. You can then make the decision to use this feeling to fuel self improvement.

Therefore, try to identify role models as well as people to avoid or unfollow. Role models can be anyone that encourages a sense of benign envy and promotes wanting to improve. This could be friends, family or a celebrity. Identifying those that you feel malicious envy towards is equally as important. Unfollowing these people may be beneficial.

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A．By giving a definition.

B．By explaining a theory.

C．By making comparisons.

D．By justifying assumptions.

2. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Freedom of expression.

B．Selected information online.

C．Social media users' preference.

D．Widespread use of social media.

3. What should you do first in making right response to envy?

A．Post your envy online.

B．Acknowledge your envy.

C．Stop viewing harmful posts.

D．Reject this negative emotion.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Comparison—the thief of joy

B．Stay away from social media

C．Envy—a barrier to progress

D．Get over social media envy