1 . Women interpret emojis differently to men, research suggests. Scientists say this is because these small digital emojis, used to express an idea or emotion, can be ambiguous and be understood differently by different people.

The researchers recruited 523 adults (49% men and 51% women) to review 24 different emojis. Each emoji — taken from Apple, Windows, Android, and WeChat platforms — represented one of the six emotional states labelled by the team: happy, disgusted, fearful, sad, surprised, and angry.

They found women were able to more accurately interpret happy, fearful, sad and angry emoji labels compared to men. No gender differences were observed for surprised or disgusted emoji, the team said. Dr Ruth Filik, associate professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Nottingham, said: “What I found most interesting and surprising is that there are so many individual differences in how people interpret these emojis.

“It is important to note that the results reflect how often participants labelled the emoji in the same way as the researchers. So, we should think of the results in terms of there being differences across people in how they interpret emojis, rather than some people being better at it than others. We should keep these differences in mind when using emojis in our messages.”

The researchers said that those emojis can add both slight differences as well as potential ambiguity to messages sent via texts, emails or even social media. To understand more about how emojis are interpreted, the team recruited 270 people from the UK and 253 from China, who were aged between 18 to 84 years old.

Each emoji was assigned an emotion label by the researchers, which they say may not correspond exactly with the emoji as used in real life. In addition to gender, the team also found age to play a role in how emoji are interpreted, with younger adults faring better than the older ones in matching the emoji with their assigned labels. Those in the UK were also better at labelling the emoji in the same way as the researchers compared to their Chinese counterparts.

The researchers say ambiguity of emojis is worth further research, “especially when communicating across gender, age, or cultures.”

1. Which aspect of the team’s research is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 and 3?

A．Its participants.

B．Its samples.

C．Its conclusion.

D．Its significance.

2. What lesson did researchers learn from their findings?

A．Researchers are not better at labelling emojis than participants.

B．Females are better at perceiving the meanings of emojis than males.

C．Proper caution is necessary when sending emojis to different people.

D．Males and females have different understandings of disgusted emojis.

3. What is the value of the research involving 523 people from UK and China?

A．To make ambiguous emojis have concrete and clear meanings.

B．To explore how emojis are interpreted by extending research angles.

C．To figure out how young adults do well in matching emojis with labels.

D．To prove that Britons are better at labelling emojis than Chinese people.

4. What is the suitable title of the passage?

A．Ambiguity of emojis deserves further research.

B．Age and culture play a role in how emojis are perceived.

C．Secrets behind different understandings towards emojis.

D．Pay attention to differences of emojis when sending messages.

2 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Are You Ready to Hug a Robot?

Getting hugged tends to be a powerful positive emotional experience. Hugs have been shown to enhance social bonding and emotional well-being. However, not everyone can get a hug     1     they need one. Some people are lonely and do not have anyone to hug them. Others may be in long-distance relationships     2     it is not easy to get physical affection from their partner. In this case, they     3     receive fewer hugs than they like.

How can this problem be solved?     4     scientists have proposed is to develop hug robots. This could offer lonely people the positive effects of getting hugged without the need     5    (seek) a person who could hug them. Nevertheless, designing a hug robot is not an easy task. For example, if the robot is very large and made mostly of metal, people might be frightened of it,     6     happily hugging it. Therefore, psychological research is needed.

A new study, which     7    (publish) in International Journal recently, focuses on the development of Moffuly-II, a newly developed hug robot, which can move its arms to perform different small gestures during the hug. When two people hug, they often do specific things with their hands, such as clapping the     8    (hug)person on the back to signal sympathy. It is important that a hug robot can perform similar gestures, too. In the study, the scientists wanted to know whether these gestures would make a robot hug     9    (appealing). Volunteers who Moffully-Il hugged generally preferred hugs with gestures to gesture-less hugs. They felt that the robot was more friendly when    10    (perform) gestures.

The findings of the study indicate that it is possible to design a robot that people enjoy to hug. Details matter here, as the intra-hug gestures played a significant role in determining how much the human volunteers enjoyed the hug.

3 . 使用恰当的过渡衔接词连句成篇
1. 我写信感谢您任命我为学生会主席。
2. 我会是第一个帮助那些有困难的同学解决他们困境的人。
3. 我将耐心回答其他人的问题，并且不遗余力地提供许多实用的建议。
4. 我不害怕面对各种困难。(be scared to do)
5. 通过我巨大的努力，我相信没人比我是更负责、更称职的主席了。(“否定词＋比较级”表达最高级含义)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . When we feel disappointed with what might have been or we wish we could change a choice we made in the past, we have regrets.

Regrets can be harmful when we don’t want to accept them. Too many negative (消极的) thoughts and continuous consideration can lead to stress and anxiety. This kind of spiritual and emotional pain also affects our bodies. For example, maybe you didn’t stand up for your friend when someone attacked him by saying something derogatory. You didn’t speak up at the time to clear his name. You end up feeling disappointed in yourself and don’t want to be reminded of that. Or you may remember the situation all too well, but don’t know how to overcome your regret. Whatever it is, you may suffer from negative thoughts or even sleepless nights, thus putting pressure onto your body and mind.

But as the old saying goes, a coin has two sides. Regrets have advantages too. When we reflect (反思) on regrettable choices we made in the past, that’s a good thing. We grow from self-examination and can learn from our missteps. Inspired to be better, we improve on our decision-making so we don’t repeat our mistakes.

Another positive side of regret is that it can move you closer to being your best self. A study about people’s most long-lasting regrets was published in the journal Emotion, where scientists looked at the connection between regret and an individual’s self-concept (自我认知). The results showed that people were more likely to regret not living up to being that best person and thus try harder to use their full potential (潜力), when regrets about their best selves were not achieved.

If you’re feeling regretful about something from your past, know you’re not alone in feeling this way. Everyone has something (or many things) that they regret. However, there are ways to move forward by showing yourself understanding. If that’s too difficult, get the help of a health professional. He or she can help you manage feelings of regret so they no longer hold you back.

1. What does the underlined word “derogatory” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Confusing.

B．Usual.

C．Informal.

D．Mean.

2. What is an advantage of long-lasting regrets?

A．Avoidance of stress.	B．Positive self-concept.
C．Greater efforts to better oneself.	D．Longer time to reflect on the past.

3. What does the author suggest people do in the last paragraph?

A．Leave those regrets as they are.

B．Discuss regrets with the like-minded.

C．Stop reflecting on your daily events.

D．Turn to experts for help if necessary.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．How to Fight Regrets	B．Get to Know Our Regrets
C．Why Regrets Are Harmful	D．The Positive Sides of Regrets

5 .

I grew up hearing that it is better to give than to receive, and the older I get, the more I aim to take this message to heart. Nevertheless, here I am, in the midst of the holiday season stressed out about gifts I have not yet purchased.

How did gift buying become an emotionally fraught chore (苦差事)? For a moment, it’s easy to question if it’s worth it. But science tells me that giving makes us feel good.

“The act of giving actually does improve your happiness,” says Michael Norton, a psychologist at Harvard Business School. He has published several studies on the effects of giving.

In one experiment that included about 700 people, the researchers randomly assigned participants to make either a purchase for themselves, or for a stranger. Afterwards, the participants reported how happy they felt. Turns out, giving to others led to a significant happiness boost, whereas spending on oneself didn’t move the needle.

“If you take $5 out of your pocket today, the science really does show that spending $5 on yourself doesn’t do much for you,” Norton says. “But spending that $5 on somebody else is more likely to increase your happiness.”

Take a scarf. If you buy one for yourself, it’s just another thing you don’t necessarily need. But if you buy a scarf for someone else, “you’ve shown them that they’re important to you,” Norton says. Either way, it’s just a scarf. “But it can either be a throwaway object or something that enhances a relationship between two people,” he says.

So, there’s evidence that generosity promotes happiness, but the process of shopping, wrapping and schlepping (搬) gifts can be tiresome — or even extremely annoying considering all of our day-­to­-day demands and other holiday stressors.

Studies also show when people are given something they are more likely to give back. Reciprocity (互惠) is a foundation of good relationships and when we surround ourselves with generous people, we tend to feel the same. Feeling that spirit of giving and the connection it can bring is what the holidays are all about.

1. Why does the author mention his own experience in paragraph 1?

A．To make a prediction.	B．To introduce the topic.
C．To present a reason.	D．To clarify a concept.

2. How does Norton illustrate his opinion in paragraphs 5 and 6?

A．By listing data.	B．By giving examples.
C．By making comments.	D．By telling personal experiences.

3. Why is preparing a gift sometimes an emotionally fraught chore?

A．It’s difficult and expensive.	B．It happens frequently.
C．It’s not valued by others.	D．It requires much effort.

4. What can we learn about giving gifts from the text?

A．It is not worth the effort.

B．It is a must to enhance a relationship.

C．It brings about emotional benefits.

D．It gains popularity during holidays.

6 . 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

7 . A lot of people think that a confident person is someone who is completely free of worry. That appears to make _________, because it would seem that confidence and worry are the complete opposite of each other. _________ it’s not the truth at all. _________ people are not people who never _________ worry. They are people who feel worry but are able to _________ it.

So how can you _________ anxiety? Firstly, we need to accept that worry serves a purpose. It is not a _________ emotion. It only becomes a _________ when it stops us from acting. Every time you feel worry, _________ yourself that it is a __________ response. Analyze the situation and if it seems OK, you can go ahead.

The second thing you can do is to look at what __________ worry. Like many negative emotions, worry comes from worried thoughts. If you are faced with a job interview, and you may think, “There are plenty of __________ people than me going for the job”, or “I’m bad at job interviews”. With the thoughts, of course you are going to feel worried!

But the thing is, if you __________these thoughts, there are plenty of things __________ behind those statements. Even if there are plenty of better persons than you going for the job, are they better in all __________? Does the job always go to the “better” candidate? (候选人) If you can attack and destroy all the false logic around those statements, you will automatically (自动地) feel less anxious.

1.

A．trouble

B．sense

C．a mistake

D．a difference

2.

A．So

B．Though

C．But

D．And

3.

A．Independent

B．Careful

C．Brave

D．Confident

4.

A．see

B．defeat

C．experience

D．forget

5.

A．meet with

B．deal with

C．begin with

D．work with

6.

A．feel

B．avoid

C．overcome

D．settle

7.

A．useful

B．weak

C．useless

D．real

8.

A．problem

B．question

C．disease

D．disadvantage

9.

A．believe

B．teach

C．help

D．remind

10.

A．natural

B．serious

C．false

D．formal

11.

A．causes

B．explains

C．includes

D．means

12.

A．bigger

B．poorer

C．better

D．higher

13.

A．look into

B．find out

C．think over

D．go over

14.

A．strong

B．bad

C．unusual

D．wrong

15.

A．ways

B．memories

C．exams

D．methods

8 . Cheerfulness is a powerful way to deal with a world that will always be tough and unjust in one way or another. It is a sign of strength in the face of difficulties. Different from fear, joy, or anger, cheerfulness isn’t something that overcomes you.     1     As such, you can include it into your life once you make the right mental switch. Here are four ways to do so.

◎Acknowledge the difficulties.

Cheerfulness is an honest emotion because you’re not hiding from reality.     2     Instead, it’s extremely important to be honest with yourself about the problems you’re facing. Only by first acknowledging that things are tough will you be able to find ways to cope.

◎Don’t focus on the negative.

Whether in your personal life or in society, it’s easy to focus on what’s going wrong. But whatever you focus on, it grows. If you decide to focus on what’s going wrong, those problems will grow in your mind until they consume you.     3    

◎Be grateful for what you have.

    4     Usually, they’re the things we take for granted until they’re no longer there, such as good health, a loving family, or even something as simple as a beautiful sunrise. Being grateful will shift your perspective and make it easier to see the silver linings of your problems.

◎    5    

No cheerfulness without laughter. So you can watch comedies, browse memes, or joke around with friends. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts your mood, makes you feel less pain, and protects you from stress. Laughter is cathartic (精神宣泄的) and infectious. Laugh and brighten the room.

A．Find your sense of humor.

B．Deal with difficulties seriously.

C．Focus on the good things you have.

D．To a large degree, cheerfulness is a choice.

E．You’re not covering your eyes and looking away.

F．Acknowledge the problems, but don’t give them too much attention.

G．Being cheerful will make you see the world and your own life in a different way.

9 . Negative emotions have a bad reputation: they’re often seen as dangerous or destructive.     1     But research reveals that negative emotions are useful for people and important for a successful and satisfying life.

In a recent study, we tested this idea for the case of anger. We designed a series of experiments with more than 1, 000 participants. We found that people who got mad first were more successful than the other participants.     2     When the goals were not challenging, getting angry did not improve outcomes.

    3     Here the story becomes more complicated. The findings do not mean that everyone should get angry in order to achieve their goals. But anger clearly can be useful in overcoming obstacles. Let us say, anger at a crashing computer could motivate someone to take it to a repair shop. But it could also motivate them to smash the computer on the floor.     4     Yet only one is truly beneficial. This complication in using our negative emotions contributes to their bad reputation. Fortunately, there is a lot of research on how to improve responses to negative emotions like anger. No doubt the best response is not to focus on what’s happening but to respond to achieve the desired outcome.

Negative emotions aren’t bad. They are incredibly important indicators that significant events are taking place.     5    

A．But what does this mean for people’s life?

B．People try to avoid them, contain them or ignore them.

C．Across our studies, anger helped achieve challenging goals.

D．Both actions have removed the obstacle: the crashing computer.

E．So the next time one happens, don’t push it away-pay attention.

F．When you are angry, you experience physical and emotional pain.

G．In the midst of anger, however, it can be very easy to make careless mistakes.

10 . Decoding Your Emotions

Almost all of us can remember a time when we were angry with a friend or anxious about going to a job interview. We experience such a wide range of emotions in everyday life, and these can influence the decisions we make — important decisions, such as whether we should quit a job, to the more trivial like what we’re going to have for dinner.     1     We have to figure out whether they’re feeling happy or sad, fearful or angry, jealous or amused, and determine how to respond while handling our own emotions.

Emotions are controlled by many different chemicals, or neurotransmitters and electrical impulses.     2     Between two nerves is a small gap called synapse, where neurotransmitters carry messages between the gaps. Depending on the neurotransmitters that are released and not released this chemical and electrical surge provides us with the capability of feeling emotions.

Emotions have been studied as far back as the 4 century BC. The Greek philosopher Aristotle attempted to identify the number of core human cmotions. During the 1970s, psychologist Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions — happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise and disgust-these provide the basis for more complicated emotional experiences we have.     3     Since then, the number of human emotions has continued to be a subject of debate, with some suggesting that there are only four emotions, while others suggesting 27, and some say there are infinite number as long as you can express them.

    4     For example, in Japanese culture it is considered offensive to display negative emotions in front of another person. Americans, however, are encouraged to express their emotions regardless of the person present. Despite the cultural differences, our emotions play a crucial role in guiding us through life, affecting the decisions we make and the ways we connect with others. Our emotions are what makes us human. By expressing our emotions-and comforting others in their of need — we strengthen our relationships, and provide a source of comfort to one another.

A．Electrical impulses are sent along a nerve, which connect to many more nerves.

B．Emotions also decides the way we interact with our family, friends and colleagues and even ourselves.

C．In fact, the way we express our emotions can vary across cultures.

D．Based on the study, distinct cultural backgrounds’ contributing to different emotions has its reasons.

E．Ekman later expanded his list of basic emotions to include shame, guilt and relief.

F．Additionally, emotions have long-lasting impacts on our interpersonal relationships too