1 . While socializing comes naturally for some, it can be a struggle for others. Shyness is a normal, common personality trait (特征).     1    . If you’re often hesitant to engage in social situations, you may interact with those around you in a more comfortable way. We outline four strategies for overcoming shyness in life.

Get Excited About A New Adventure

You may have been shy most of your life.     2    . Working through shyness and developing increased confidence may seem like a discouraging task for you, but viewing the journey as an exciting adventure to parts unknown can be exciting and, in turn, may boost your self-esteem.

Pay Attention To Your Words

    3    . Talking to yourself in a negative way when describing yourself can damage your self-confidence. Consider replacing phrases like “I am shy” with “I am learning to be more comfortable” in social situations. This can go a long way toward moving from shyness to confidence.

Practice Mindfulness (正念)

Mindfulness involves drawing your attention to the present and being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings.     4    . In one study, participants in a mindfulness program experienced an improved view of their self-worth.

Take Small Steps

Getting started can be the hardest part of learning how to be more social for those who are shy.     5    . You can start out small. Try chatting with the teller at the bank or the person ahead of you in the checkout line. This can help you build confidence and work your way up to more difficult challenges.

A．If so, that’s a part of you that you’re used to

B．Sometimes the best path toward addressing a fear is exposure

C．Mindfulness can help reduce symptoms of social anxiety disorder

D．Taking time to tend to your appearance can make a big difference

E．How we communicate and characterize ourselves can be powerful

F．However, shyness can make it hard for people to connect with others and achieve their goals

G．But engaging with people doesn’t have to be practiced as an important work presentation

2 . Ways to Embrace Solitude (独处)

For many, being alone is something they shy away from because it’s like loneliness. But loneliness and solitude are not the same.    1    . The latter offers a chance to direct attention to self-care and self-discovery without outside influences or expectations from others. It sharpens your concentration and helps you focus on your tasks and also boosts your creativity regularly.

Psychologists even consider solitude as important as relationships and view the ability to be alone as a sign of healthy emotional development.    2    , just as people learn social skills to guide themselves in the world of relationships successfully. And some specific strategies may make it a constructive, enjoyable experience.

Enjoy solitary activities

People who enjoy solitude find satisfaction and meaning when getting absorbed in a hobby, reading for pleasure, or getting out in nature. They rarely experience boredom when they’re alone and genuinely enjoy themselves while doing something interesting.

    3    

In solitude, buried feelings, memories, or problems can surface. Rather than avoid being discouraged by them, you can learn to engage in the regulation with curiosity, using the private time to explore your feelings without judgment. Accepting and expressing them safely helps you self-regulate and release stress.

Be self-reflective

People who enjoy solitude are willing to self-reflect.    4    , reflecting on their values, or considering the bigger picture. Instead of going round about situations you can’t control, self-reflection invites self- awareness, bringing you closer to insight about who you are.

Know when to exit solitude

    5    , if you begin to feel lonely or your thoughts turn to self-harm. It is equally important to know when it’s time to leave solitude and seek the company of others.

A．Protect your privacy

B．Feel and regulate your emotions

C．They prefer listening to solitude signals

D．Break your solitude and turn for support

E．The former is marked by negative feelings

F．There are skills associated with its capacity

G．They spend time considering behavior patterns

3 . Winter goes and summer comes. The tides_______; the tides withdraw. All nature is a circle of moods and I am a_______of nature. It is one of nature’s_______, little understood, that each day I_______with moods that have changed from yesterday. Inside me is a wheel,_______turning. Like the flowers, today’s full blossom will_______, yet I will remember today’s dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow’s blossom.

And how will I master these emotions so that each day will be_______? Trees and plants depend on the weather to_______, but I make my own weather. I_______it with me. If I bring enthusiasm to my customers, they will________with enthusiasm and my weather will produce a harvest of sales and a lot of gold for me. I will learn this secret: weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who________his actions to control his thoughts. Each day I will follow this plan of battle before I am________by the forces of sadness,________and failure. I will know only those with inferior(较次的) ability can always be________, and I am not inferior. If I feel depressed I will sing. If I feel________I will remember my goals.Yet, some emotions approach me with a smile, which can also destroy me. If I become overly proud, I will remember my weaknesses. If I feel my skill is________, I will look at the stars.

With this new knowledge I will make________of a person’s anger of today, for he doesn’t know the secret of controlling his mind. No longer will I judge a man on one________. This secret will be my key to great wealth. From this moment I am________to control whatever personality awakes in me each day. I will control my fate, which is to become the greatest________in the world!

1.

A．advance

B．disappear

C．exist

D．fall

2.

A．native

B．colleague

C．supporter

D．part

3.

A．jokes

B．secrets

C．experiences

D．awards

4.

A．break in

B．wake up

C．take off

D．give out

5.

A．constantly

B．temporarily

C．casually

D．elegantly

6.

A．appear

B．blow

C．fade

D．spread

7.

A．anxious

B．natural

C．additional

D．productive

8.

A．sow

B．grow

C．separate

D．shelter

9.

A．fold

B．follow

C．carry

D．load

10.

A．react

B．review

C．recite

D．repeat

11.

A．obtains

B．regards

C．allows

D．observes

12.

A．chosen

B．seized

C．received

D．witnessed

13.

A．self-awareness

B．self-control

C．self-esteem

D．self-pity

14.

A．behind the scene

B．on the bottom line

C．at the end of the rope

D．out of sight

15.

A．insignificant

B．improper

C．impolite

D．unconscious

16.

A．concrete

B．inadequate

C．abstract

D．unmatched

17.

A．use

B．fun

C．sure

D．sense

18.

A．view

B．meeting

C．experiment

D．idiom

19.

A．limited

B．reserved

C．prepared

D．afraid

20.

A．salesman

B．player

C．architect

D．designer

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I like staying overnight at my Gramma’s house — that is, until Gramma starts telling me how wonderful my cousin Maya is. Then it’s Maya this and Maya that until I don’t ever want to hear another word about her.

That’s why I wasn’t too excited when Gramma called me on the phone to “come on over and bring your pajamas.” When I got there, it was worse than I’d expected. There, in Grandpa’s big leather rocker, sat Maya, all dressed up and formal-looking and wearing fancy shoes as if she’d just been to a party.

“Surprise, Kristen!” Gramma said. “Your cousin Maya and her parents have traveled in from the East Coast on business. Maya gets to stay with us this afternoon.” Gramma chattered away about how excited she’d been for this surprise get-together, and how cousins ought to get to know each other better.

I hung my baseball cap in the closet and set my backpack by the stairway, all the time smiling and nodding as if I’d been waiting forever for this chance to spend an afternoon with Maya. Grandpa’s chair squawked (咯咯叫) as Maya rocked back and forth. It’s the chair I like best in the house, the one I usually sit in. I sat down on the sofa across from her.

Shortly, Gramma went off to the kitchen to “see about some lunch,” she’d said. That left me stuck in the living room with rocking Maya.

She was still small but taller than I’d remembered her from her last visit four years ago. She was good at small talk, though, and was chatting away about how nice it was to see me again. But I could tell that she didn’t really think so. The last time she was here, we’d had hours of fun together building caves out of Gramma’s sofa pillows.

After that, I’d heard about her only through Gramma’s tales. Maya taking piano lessons. Maya learning math. Maya, Maya, Maya. Now Maya was here, looking great with the latest haircut and a fancy dress.

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。

Glancing down at my jeans and my old sneakers, I wished I hadn’t come.

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“How do you know all these things about me?” I asked.

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5 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Public places have been difficult for my family since Myles was diagnosed with autism(自闭症) at two. He had quickly turned into a silent child frozen in a world completely inaccessible to us. One time, I got up the courage to take Myles out to Golden Corral without my husband. Lots of people and noise caused overload for him. First came the screaming, and then more noises. With my nerves stretched thin, I noticed a sweet old lady coming my way.

“Can you keep him quiet?” she snapped. “I’m trying to eat!”

I held my tongue out of respect for my elders. I apologized and left with as much dignity as I could. I had to escape the weight of the eyes around. After that, I built a wall around my heart to protect my heart from other people’s opinions about my family. I still had the great privilege of raising this very special child. It didn’t matter what anyone thought, but I had lost something. I stopped looking for the opportunity to help them understand. I assumed the worst about them.

So when I was back at Golden Corral with my son, who started shouting and hitting the table again, I looked up at the middle-aged woman approaching. Her face was calm as she assessed the situation. If she complained about my son’s behavior, I was prepared to fight back.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking,” she said. “But does your son have autism?”

“Yeah,” I replied to the lady, who was waiting patiently.

“Well, I raised a child with autism. My name is Pam,” she said. “If you ever need any help, please call me. I have connection with a lot of people like you and me.” I looked at the hands she extended, holding a slip of paper with her name and number on it.

“Thank you,” I managed to whisper.

“Call me,” she said, smiling at me, and saving a special, knowing smile for Myles before walking away.

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。

Later I called her, and she became as close as family.

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Of course, there are moments when we simply felt hopeless.

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6 . The ISS orbits Earth at an average of 250 miles from the surface of Earth and completes 15.5 circles per day, once every 92 minutes. In other words, the astronauts see the sunrise and sunset 16 times every day!

The station is inhabited by astronauts conducting research in various fields, while also using it as an observatory to explore Earth and outer space. It is also intended to be a transportation center for spacecraft that are bound for the Moon, Mars and other interplanetary voyages.

The crew is not only responsible for the scientific experimentation and research being conducted onboard, but also the upkeep and maintenance of the vessel, a vessel that is continuously in motion and exposed to the worst possible elements. Such conditions are significant area of study for researchers.

The most common effect of space is the initial contact — getting used to such an alien environment. Astronauts are often seen to display anxiety or depression as they adjust to the novelty of space, according to post-psychiatric screenings of astronauts. Other causes of stress are the high pressure of work while being under frequent public observation, being away from home and family, and missing important events.

Sleep is another major factor that affects the mood and efficiency of the astronauts. Due to the irregularity in life and the constant rotation (转动) of sunrise and sunset, the circadian rhythm (生理节律) of the astronauts goes completely haywire, resulting in poor quality of sleep. The shuttle itself is noisy, with essential equipment always in operation to sustain the vessel. Half of all the astronauts onboard rely on sleeping pills to get some rest and manage to get an average 2 hours less sleep than when they’re back on Earth. Sleep is so critical for functionality that 50% of all medicines taken by astronauts in orbit is to help them sleep better. Low-Earth Orbit living is a restless endeavor, indeed.

1. Which of the following is most likely to affect the astronauts’ mood?

A．Scientific experiments onboard.

B．Observation of outer space.

C．Interplanetary voyages.

D．Exposure to extreme conditions.

2. Which of the following can best explain the underlined phrase in the last paragraph?

A．Return to normal.	B．Become out of control.
C．Go unnoticed.	D．Remain unchanged.

3. How can we describe the astronauts’ life in the ISS?

A．Highly-pressured.	B．Trouble-free.
C．Safe and sound.	D．Quiet and beautiful.

4. What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．The functions of the ISS.

B．The missions of the astronauts.

C．The mental challenges of living in the ISS.

D．The splendid view of the space.

7 . Finland was known as a rather quiet country. Since 2008, the Country Brand Delegation (国家品牌代表团) has been looking for a national brand that would make some noise to market the country as a world-famous tourist destination. In 2010, the Delegation issued a “Country Brand Report,” which highlighted a host of marketable themes, including Finland’s famous educational system. One key theme was brand new: silence. As the report explained, modern society often seems intolerably loud and busy. “Silence is a resource,” it said.

Silence first appeared in scientific research as a control or baseline, against which scientists compare the effects of noise or music. Researchers have mainly studied it by accident, as physician Luciano Bernardi did in his study of the physiological (生理学) effects of music. “We didn’t think about the effect of silence,” he said. Bernardi observed two dozen test subjects while they listened to six musical tracks. He found that the impacts of music could be read directly in the bloodstream, via changes in blood pressure, carbon dioxide, and circulation in the brain. “During almost all sorts of music, there was a physiological change with a condition of arousal (兴奋),” he explained.

This effect made sense, given that active listening requires attention. But the more striking finding appeared between musical tracks. Bernardi and his colleagues discovered that randomly added stretches of silence also had a great effect, but in the opposite direction. In fact, two-minute silent pauses proved far more relaxing than either “relaxing” music or a longer silence played before the experiment started. The blank pauses that Bernardi had considered irrelevant, in other words, became the most interesting object of study. Silence seemed to be heightened by contrasts, maybe because it gave test subjects a release from careful attention. “Perhaps the arousal is something that concentrates the mind in one direction, so that when there is nothing more arousing, then you have deeper relaxation,” he said.

This finding is reinforced by neurological (神经系统的) research. Relevant research shows when our brains rest quietly, they integrate external and internal information into “a conscious (意识的) workspace.” Freedom from noise and goal-directed tasks, it appears, unites the quiet without and within, allowing our conscious workspace to do its thing to discover where we fit in.

Noora Vikman, a consultant on silence for Finland’s marketers, knows silence well. Living in a remote and quiet place in Finland, she discovers thoughts and feelings that aren’t detectable in her busy daily life. “If you want to know yourself, you have to be with yourself, and discuss with yourself, and be able to talk with yourself.”

1. Why does the author mention the Country Brand Report in Paragraph 1?

A．To present how Finland viewed silence.

B．To highlight the need of noise in Finland.

C．To explain why Finland issued the brands.

D．To indicate the authority of the Delegation.

2. What can be inferred about Luciano Bernardi’s discovery?

A．It challenged the calming effect of music.

B．It emphasized the role of silence between sounds.

C．It illustrated the loss of attentiveness after silence.

D．It stated brains’ information processing in the quiet.

3. As for Noora Vikman’s attitude to silence, the author is ________.

A．doubtful

B．supportive

C．disapproving

D．unconcerned

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Silence: A Limited Resource	B．Silence: A Misunderstood Tool
C．Silence: The Unexpected Power	D．Silence: The Value by Contrasts

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Act of Memory

I was a young girl of eleven then, living in Brooklyn. My father had died unexpectedly that summer. Times was suddenly very hard for my mother, my brother, and me.

Papa had always made a big deal out of Christmas. Every Christmas, when we were about to decorate the tree, he would make a little ceremony out of taking a special little Kewpie-doll out of its box, holding it up in front of me, saying, “Maria, this doll is as old as you are.” Then he would hang it on the Christmas tree. Papa bought that little doll when I was born, and it had become a small tradition. But this Christmas we were to have no tree. My mother was a practical woman, saying it was a luxury. I thought, with quiet but strong bitterness and anger, that it had never meant as much to her as it had to Papa anyway.

We had been to church that evening and were walking back home in silence. All I could see were the tree-lit windows we passed. Their cheerful glow made my bitterness even more intense because I pictured happy families in those houses, sharing laughter, exchanging presents, talking, joking. I knew while arriving home, we would be greeted by darkened windows and endless emptiness.

As we passed my friend’s house, I asked my mother to please let me drop in for a while. She nodded. I waited until my mother and brother disappeared around the corner. Then I turned and headed for my friend’s house. Suddenly, a pile of abandoned Christmas trees from the store next to her house came into my sight. Surprised and excited, I dashed to the trees, picked out the best one and began half-dragging my treasure home. It seemed as if Papa was mixed up in this somehow. It seemed as if he was in the stars above me, in every lighted-house, in the very tree I was carrying.

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。

When I got home, I rang the doorbell and couldn’t wait to show them the tree.

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Before going to bed, I slipped to see my tree one last time but saw my mother standing in front of it.

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9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

My three-year-old son, Charles, has loved watching trucks, cars and all types of vehicles (交通工具) since he could sit up and look around. Charles was a fan of fire trucks, ambulances, garbage (垃圾) trucks and other vehicles which have wheels.

Because of his deep love for anything with wheels, I always made it a point to take him outside to watch garbage trucks drive up and down. Charles loved watching the workers and would get so excited when the drivers beeped the horns (鸣喇叭) at him as they went by. Charles would wave and shyly say, “Thank you.”

There was a particular waste management employee who was extra friendly. Charles was attracted by him, and after we knew his name — Lonnie, Charles talked about him throughout the day. One day, Lonnie rode by and said, “Charles, I promise when this pandemic (流行病) is over, I’m going to let you ride in my truck.” However, we were going to move out of the state about a week later. I had to tell Lonnie the truth.

The next week, we waited for the garbage truck. Finally, late in the afternoon, I heard the loud noise of the truck. I raced to the door, carrying Charles. We did not want to miss seeing Lonnie on our last week in Birmingham. Lonnie stopped the truck and got out. He told me he had some things for Charles — a hat, a yellow safety vest, two toy garbage cans, coloring books and so on. Charles was absolutely excited, especially by the garbage cans, and I was so touched. The next day, Charles and I were playing in the front yard when a man approached me. He said, “I’m Lonnie’s manager, and he has something special planned for Charles. Are you going to be here around 11 am?” I said, “Of course we will.”

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。

At noon, something surprising happened.

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Even though we moved out of the state, Charles still misses Lonnie.

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10 . Do you experience worries that get stuck in your head? Do these thoughts come with physical symptoms such as restlessness, muscle tension, or a racing heart?     1    

Your parents may help you move past anxiety by telling you “You don’t feel safe, but you are safe” and giving you space to experience discomfort and coming out the other side of it.     2     Many of these are the ones that you can apply in the moment without them being obvious to others.

● Practise mindful noticing. Mindfulness is the exercise of being aware in the moment and noticing your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Practising mindfulness can help shift your focus away from anxious thoughts and toward self-regulation. Try focusing on an object in the environment and giving it all your attention.     3     The more details you point out, the more your brain will focus on that object instead of the anxious thoughts.

●     4     More demanding than simply counting in order, randomly picking numbers requires more attention. Again, this shifts attention away from anxiety-related thoughts and onto the task of reciting random numbers, which, though boring, do not cause anxiety.

● “Silence, Bruno!”     5     Recognizing an anxious thought for what it is can help put things in perspective and give one the chance to challenge the unhelpful thoughts. Disney’s 2021 film Luca delightfully demonstrates this skill. The character, Alberto, tells his friend Luca to quiet the doubt and fight against thoughts (Bruno) in his head by shouting, “Silence, Bruno!”

A．Recite numbers in order.

B．Count numbers randomly.

C．The best way is to talk back to anxiety.

D．If so, you may be suffering from anxiety.

E．The response is to look away from your anxiety.

F．And there are other techniques that can be helpful.

G．Do this by describing all the details of some object within your view.