1 . Boredom is a common human experience. It’s almost impossible to fully avoid it, especially when you’re living a fast-paced life. You may be bored from time to time and feel like you need something new or exciting in your life. It’s perfectly natural to feel this way from time to time, but feeling bored often can also mean that your present life isn’t satisfying you as much as it can.
When you feel bored, think about what activities bring you joy and happiness. Perhaps you find that hobbies are what help improve your spirits. After all, having interests and pursuing (追求) them can often have a great effect on the quality of your life and how satisfied you feel. If this sounds like something that would be good for your life, we have some great ideas for hobbies to pursue when you’re bored!
One of the easiest and most effective (有效的) ways to relieve (解除) boredom is to take exercise. Exercise is not only good for your body but also your mind. When your body is moving, it releases (释放) certain chemicals that make you feel good. Learning a new language is another way to challenge yourself and become more creative. It can also open up a whole new culture and way of thinking for you! Many people find that learning a new language gives them a sense of achievement that they don’t get from other hobbies.
Furthermore, reading is a hobby that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. It’s inexpensive, easy to fit into your plan and can be done just about anywhere. It doesn’t require special equipment or supplies, and you can do it alone or with others. The last way to avoid feeling bored inside is to spend time outdoors. Find a place to go where you can get away from the noise and other troubles. You may find that being outside offers a sense of peace and calmness.
Boredom is a common part of life, so we shouldn’t try to avoid it completely. Boredom can be a sign that you need a change in your daily life and something new to try. If you find yourself feeling bored, use these ideas to find new hobbies. After all, hobbies can greatly enrich your life and help you feel more satisfied!
1. Which will make us bored according to the text?| A．Our life is exciting. |
| B．We don’t have a fast-paced life. |
| C．Our present life doesn’t satisfy us. |
| D．We live a peaceful and happy life. |
| A．Most people feel satisfied with life all the time. |
| B．Reading a book requires special equipment and supplies. |
| C．All of us should try our best to avoid boredom completely. |
| D．Taking exercise is an effective way to keep off boredom. |
| A．Five. | B．Four. | C．Three. | D．Two. |
| A．It is possible to avoid boredom |
| B．Several activities can help relieve boredom |
| C．Learning a new language makes us more creative |
| D．Our body can release chemicals when we are moving |
Gifts for the poor
Mrs. Susan was mean and bad-tempered. There was no other way to describe her. Just the other day I heard her telling the headmaster that children took too much time in arts. She even said that most of us didn’t understand what we were doing. I left the office feeling very angry.
My anger didn’t last, however. It was December and Christmas was approaching. Excitement filled me right up to the top of my head. I smiled and laughed, singing “Jingle Bells” as we rode home from school.
After dinner, Mom and Dad called me into the family room. I knew what we were going to discuss. Every year for as long as I could remember, we had chosen a family who needed some extra help at Christmastime, and we had taken gifts and food to their house. It was one of our family’s favorite traditions.
Dad said, “It’s time we decide which family to help this year. Do you have a suggestion?” Some years it had been really easy to decide, but this year I couldn’t think of anyone. Dad looked at Mom. “Maybe Mom has a suggestion. Sometimes she notices things the rest of us miss.” Mom smiled. “I do know of someone who needs our help. I think we should help Mrs. Susan.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! “But, Mom,” I protested, “she seems to have plenty of money and she dresses in nice clothes. Besides, she’s really bad-tempered. She doesn’t even like kids. She might even kick our gifts off her porch (门廊). I think we should choose someone else.”
“I know Mrs. Susan has enough money,” Mom said. “I know she isn’t very pleasant to be around. But she was divorced before she moved here. She has three children who have their own children and never come to see her. She is very lonely and unhappy. You see, she never celebrates Christmas. April, you weren’t quite right when you said she wasn’t poor.”
“You mean she’s poor in love?” I asked. “Yes. Sometimes it’s much more painful to be poor in love than it is to be poor in money?” I was quiet for minutes. Then Dad said, “Let’s take a vote.” Dad’ and Mom’s hands went up. Looking at them, I unwillingly raised mine.
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。Mom said besides buying her a gift, we should make something by hand.
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With the box in hand, I could feel my heart pounding when ringing Susan’s doorbell.
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3 . Expressing gratitude in your daily life sometimes is challenging and annoying.
Start a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down the things that you’re thankful for. You can set up a timer. Writing in the morning is a nice choice because that can set your day up best. You can also do it on your phone or by hand.
Write a letter. Think of someone in your life who you have not had the chance to thank. Why are you grateful to those persons?
If you’re having trouble finding someone to thank, think small. The smaller you starts the more you’ll start seeing things you’re grateful for. Think of the bus driver picking you up.
| A．Gratitude is a good virtue. |
| B．Notice the world around you. |
| C．Whichever way you choose, make it as easy as possible. |
| D．Think of a specific moment when they helped you. |
| E．But experts say it doesn’t have to be that complicated. |
| F．Maybe he’s really nice or waits for a minute for you. |
| G．Do you still remember the moment when he helped you? |
4 . Simple Steps to Help You Cope With Anxiety
Anxiety involves feelings of worry, fear, and depress. Anxiety is typically experienced on cognitive, emotional, and physical levels. When feeling anxious a person may have negative or disturbing thoughts.
Stop and breathe
When anxiety appears, practice this simple breathing technique: Begin by getting into a comfortable seated position. Close your eyes and breathe slowly through your nose. Follow this inhalation(吸入)with a deep exhalation.
Figure out what’s bothering you
In order to get to the root of your anxiety、you need to figure out what’s bothering you. Writing in a journal can be a great way to get in touch with your sources of anxiety. If anxious feelings seem to be keeping you up at night, try keeping a journal or notepad next to your bed.
Replace your fears by changing your attitude about them. For example, stop fearing to lose your job and instead focus on how grateful you are to have a job. Come to work determined to do your best. Instead of fearing your loved one’s safety, spend time with them, or express your appreciation of them.
Focus on something less anxiety- provoking
At times, it may be most helpful to simply redirect yourself to focus on something other than your anxiety. Do some chores or organizing around the house.
| A．Read some jokes |
| B．Take part in a creative activity |
| C．Focus on what you can change |
| D．Continue to breathe deeply and fully |
| E．Write down all of the things that are bothering you |
| F．Therefore, there are some useful steps you can. take to be happy |
| G．Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to manage your anxiety |
5 . “Are you OK, Cassie?” Jonah asked, from the doorway of the Sea Holly Cafe.
Cassie had been sitting on a chair outside for the past 10 minutes, but not really taking in the beauty of the sea.
“Oh, I should be getting back to work.” She rose hurriedly.
“We’re not busy, take your time.” Jonah came with a cappuccino for her. “Thanks.” She accepted the coffee, “Everything’s fine.” Then Jonah nodded, revealing a comforting smile, and went back inside.
He was a great boss, but Cassie didn’t feel like telling him what was wrong.
Cassie had gone to study fine art hopefully but dropped out after only a year due to the unbearable homesickness. Since then, she hadn’t touched her paints for a whole year. Today was doomed to be a sad date, the anniversary of her exciting plans turning to dust. She felt a crushing sense of disappointment. In her painting, she had captured a good likeness of the cloudy sky and the reflection of the dying light upon the water, but the picture did have a sad, dreary (沉闷的) quality.
About 20 minutes later, she was shocked by a voice at her shoulder, “That’s beautiful.”
Cassie turned, and there was a woman wearing a blue coat. The woman eyed it again. “You have talent, but there is much sadness in it, for one so young.” Cassie’s eyes were filled with tears. “My name’s Willow,” the woman said kindly, “Why not try painting the sunrise instead, my dear? You might find it helps.”
With Willow’s words echoing in her brain, Cassie rose an hour earlier the next day, caught a bus to the beach and began to paint again.
When she finished, Jonah was just opening up. He picked the painting up and appreciated it at eye height. “Hey, this is good. It’s really —“For a moment he struggled for the word, then found it and turned to her, beaming, “Optimistic!”
In her picture the sun was powering into the sky, casting a clear, golden pathway across the sea.
1. Which of the following best explains “He was a great boss” underlined in paragraph 5?| A．Jonah offered a coffee to Cassie. |
| B．Jonah ran a successful cafe business. |
| C．Jonah figured out what was wrong with Cassie. |
| D．Jonah was considerate of Cassie’s emotional upset. |
| A．That her paints were covered with dust. |
| B．That her homesickness was aroused again. |
| C．That her original plan was abandoned midway. |
| D．That her painting was full of a sorrowful and dull quality. |
| A．It was more beautiful. | B．It might cheer Cassie up. |
| C．It had artistic inspiration. | D．It made a difference to Willow. |
| A．The Sun Always Rises | B．Every Man Has Its Price |
| C．Strike While the Iron Is Hot | D．A Good Medicine Tastes Bitter |
Rick, a ten-year-old boy, was constantly angry at everything around him. He always fought in school with the other kids. Once he had an outburst in school. Upset by something a classmate said to him, he pushed the boy, and a fight happened. When the teacher stepped in to break it up, Rick went crazy, throwing papers and books around the classroom and rushing out. His teachers couldn’t say anything that would comfort the kid. And the parents of his schoolmates were getting concerned. Rick was earning quite the reputation. After talking with school officials, Rick’s mom tried everything she could to calm Rick down.
She tried different methods until one day she came home with a canvas (画布) and paint. “What’s this?”, Rick asked. Rick’s mom handed over the painting equipment and said, “Whenever you feel angry, paint whatever you’re angry about instead of bursting out.” Rick wasn’t that happy about it but he gave it a try anyway. Over the next few weeks, the young boy created several artworks. They mostly showed disturbing images though. So his mom took all of the paintings and called Rick over so that they could talk about them. “Tell me, Rick. What are these paintings about?”
“Well, the first painting is about how some of the kids show off their new clothes and pencil cases. The next painting is about my teacher who keeps telling me about how I’m doing things wrong. And the last painting is about how one of my schoolmate’s father suggested that I change my attitude. All of them make me so angry.” Rick’s mom, in a calm voice, took Rick by her side and told him: “Don’t you see it, Rick?” “See what?” Rick asked. “You’re so angry at all of these things but not once did you try to understand why you’re getting so angry. What have all these people done to you, really?”
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。
Rick was lost in thought.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rick knew it was time to change.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . From sunny yellows to pretty pinks, this summer’s trending colours are rooted in hope and optimism. But just how powerful can a colourful wardrobe be for influencing our emotions?
THE FIRST SIP of coffee in the morning. Your favourite song playing on your journey home from work. A glass of Aperol Spritz on your holiday. These things all have something in common—they release dopamine(多巴胺).
Dopamine acts as a messenger between the neurons in the brain and strongly affects our mood. When we have high levels of dopamine going back and forth between neurons, we feel great. On the other hand, low levels of dopamine have been linked to reduced motivation, decreased enthusiasm and depression.
Luckily, there are many ways we can boost our dopamine levels, and one of these — “dopamine dressing”— suggests that the clothes hold the power to boost our mood.
Personally, I’m fully on board. Earlier this year, I attended the wedding of one of my oldest friends in a floral-print midi dress by Rixo. After a year of working from home, often foregoing getting dressed in favour of staying in my pyjamas, it was my first taste of dressing up in a while. And honestly, I haven’t felt so great in a long time, so much so that I kept the dress on all day, long after the reception ended.
The concept of dopamine dressing-actively choosing clothes that bring us joy—is nothing new. A 2012 study found that when participants wore clothes of symbolic meaning to them, their perceived confidence increased. The fashion world surely seems to think so with many designers harnessing the mood-boosting power of colour. Sunshine yellows brightened up the runways of a number of brands, with luscious lemon dresses at Versace and hints of yellow among accessories at Fendi. And, head-to-toe red ensembles(全套服装) were a common theme at Balenciaga and Givenchy.
So is it possible to dress ourselves happy? I think so. But, instead of prescribing to centuries-old colour theories, dopamine dressing in 2021 should be about wearing what makes us feel good. So, whatever garment it is, go out and find the colours that spark joy for you!
1. What’s the function of paragraph 2?| A．To lead to the topic. | B．To arouse readers’interest. |
| C．To show people’s different preferences. | D．To introduce some background information. |
| A．I don’t think so. | B．I approve of it. |
| C．I worry about myself. | D．I insist on my opinion. |
| A．To show that they are leading fashion brands. |
| B．To imply what the following fashion trend is. |
| C．To argue that dopamine is in relation to fashion. |
| D．To prove that the fashion world holds the same opinion. |
| A．Does dopamine-dressing refer to fashion? |
| B．Does dopamine-dressing effective for treatment? |
| C．Does colorful clothes lift mood? |
| D．Does colorful clothes follow fashion? |
8 . Gravy started working as a comfort dog at Grand Ledge High School in Michigan in September. She showed off tricks in the hallways with her handler (驯兽员), Capra, and made students laugh aloud. When students learned that Gravy’s first birthday fell just before Thanksgiving break, they asked Capra if they could throw a party. Capra said sure, thinking there wouldn’t be many people interested. However, on the big day, there were several hundred students in this gym.
The pandemic (大流行病) has been hard on students across the United States. Many young people experienced loneliness and the loss of loved ones. To solve the problem, schools have hired social workers and increased the number of their social-emotional learning classes.In some cases, they bought dogs.
Undoubtedly, the dogs make kids happy.“He’s kind of like a rock star; when the kids see him coming, they smile,“ said Traci Souva, an art teacher at North Huron Schools who trains Chipper, another comfort dog. “A lot of times the kids will tell Chipper what’s wrong rather than adults, and that’s pretty amazing.”
There are possible blemishes of having dogs in school. These include cleanliness, and student fears. But school officials say these are all manageable. The dogs are highly trained and always with a handler, so no student is forced to communicate with the dogs if they don’t want to.
Since the pandemic, demand for trained dogs in schools“has just increased,“ said Nikki Brown, a dog trainer and the director of Canines for Change, a nonprofit that trains dogs for work in schools. Over the last year, her organization has provided dogs to at least seven areas in Michigan, including Grand Ledge. “The dogs are highly trained to be in a school environment,” she added.“They are trained to work with kids with emotional problems. They sense stress. By the dogs’ behaviour they might warn a teacher of a kid who is struggling emotionally.“
1. Which of the following best describes Gravy as a comfort dog?| A．Tricky. | B．Popular. | C．Humorous. | D．Caring. |
| A．Requirements. | B．Disadvantages. | C．Influences. | D．Suggestions. |
| A．Working on campus brings a lot of pressure to dogs. |
| B．There is a high global market demand for trained dogs. |
| C．School environment can affect dogs’ behaviour greatly. |
| D．The dogs have the ability to notice students’ mental illness. |
| A．How dogs relieve students’ mental problems |
| B．How dogs ensure students’ safety on campus |
| C．How dogs enrich students’ after-school activities |
| D．How dogs develop students’ sense of responsibility |
9 . While we enjoy the convenience the modern technology has brought to us, there has been a growing realization that while we may have innumerable followers and friends on social media, those in the real world are far more limited. Sharing feelings and problems in real conversations and confrontations is increasingly hard. Therefore, we feel lonely. The only way to break away from it is to reconnect with the self and the people who surround us.
Connect with your own self
Learning to say ‘no’ to the people and activities that are beyond your ability. Doing this does not mean you are being unfriendly or irresponsible. It is a necessary reallocation of energies to provide emotional help to oneself and others.
Do the things you love
Invest in yourself by engaging with your interests and passions.
Make time.
| A．Draw boundaries |
| B．Offer help whenever possible |
| C．Do not allow time to become something missing |
| D．This requires us to relook, reconsider and adapt |
| E．Life is always full of opportunities and challenges |
| F．Self-awareness is a key to understanding your needs and desires |
| G．It is significant to work towards being available for people around you |
10 . Sometimes, you just have to let it all out. There is much to complain about these days. Venting (发泄) can be comfortable, bonding and even productive. Who needs toxic positivity (毒鸡汤) when you can unload your way forward?
There’s a right way to blow off steam. If you must air your annoyances, do so carefully and consciously.
Don’t vent to your boss, or to colleagues below you in the organization. That will just spark fighting between teams.
Your complaint should be centred around yourself.
I used to complain about everything on my social-media accounts. I treated it like a diary. I kept getting involved in online arguments.
| A．Pick someone you trust. |
| B．Focus on how you’re feeling. |
| C．Venting can be risky, though. |
| D．Keep it off-screen if you can. |
| E．Pretend everything is sunny. |
| F．I realized I felt more negative emotions. |
| G．There are times when only a vent will do. |
