1 . Many people feel anxious in situations that are stressful to them. For example, they may feel anxious about taking tests, meeting new people, or speaking in class.     1     But it’s best to learn how to cope. Here are several tips that can help you through anxious moments:

Start with a “growth” mindset. Some people have a fixed mindset. They might think, “This is how I am.”     2     They think they are the way they are. But brain science has shown that with a growth mindset, people can get better at just about everything—with effort and practice. That includes reducing anxiety.

    3     When you’re anxious, you might tell yourself things like, “I can’t do this!” or “What if I mess this up?” Instead, plan to tell yourself something that could help you face the moment with a bit of courage like, “I can do this!” or “It’s OK to feel anxious. I can do this anyway.”

Notice how anxiety affects your body. When you’re anxious, do you feel “butterflies” in your stomach? Sweaty palms? Shaky hands? A faster heartbeat? These physical feelings can be uncomfortable but they aren’t harmful. You can cope. You don’t have to push the feelings away.     4    

Face the situation—don’t wait for anxiety to go away. You might think that you’ll put off speaking in class or talking to that new person until you no longer feel anxious about it. But it doesn’t work that way.     5    

Learning to cope with anxiety takes time, patience, and practice. Most of all it takes being willing to face anxiety. Start with one small step. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at lowering anxiety.

A．Talk yourself through it.

B．Tell a parent or another adult you trust.

C．It’s facing the anxiety that helps you lower it.

D．Try to pay attention to anxious thoughts and feelings.

E．Try to notice them without getting upset that they’re there.

F．With a fixed mindset, people don’t think things can change.

G．If you feel anxious in situations like these, you’re not alone.

2 . More than half of the world’s population are city residents, and, by 2050, the United Nations predicts that seven in ten people will be. Architects are having to consider how architecture influences our emotional well-being in urban settings.

According to Colin Ellard, a research psychologist at Waterloo University, Canada, there is a lot of evidence which shows “the profound impact that the design of buildings has on how we feel, how we treat one another, and our overall psychological well-being”. A study from the University of Heidelberg concluded that people raised in the countryside are less likely to have mental disorders than those raised in the city. The city of Vancouver in Canada, which is surrounded by mountains and ocean, recognises the need to connect with nature. It has included protecting ocean and mountain views in its urban planning guidelines. For example, tall buildings are set up in strategic locations that don’t block scenic views for downtown residents.

The British designer Thomas Heatherwick wants to make architecture less soulless and boring. He told The Guardian, “We need to fearlessly demand interestingness and make buildings that enrich our senses.” He has listed seven characteristics of a boring building. These include being too flat and straight. He says lack of depth means light and shadow cannot play on surfaces, while straight lines are at odds with nature and make buildings dull.

However, making buildings interesting is not always easy, as architect Rafael Vinoly found out in 2013 when he created the 37-store y skyscraper in London. The building was admired for its curved exterior walls covered in reflective glass. However, it acted like a magnifying glass and reflected light which melted nearby cars and almost set fire to a carpet. A screen had to be added to prevent the building causing further damage.

So, for your own well-being, surround yourself with buildings that bring you joy, and ideally a view of nature.

1. Why are tall buildings located in certain places in Vancouver?

A．To protect people’s mental health.	B．To follow the tradition of the city.
C．To caution people against disorder.	D．To reveal the prosperity of the area.

2. Which kind of building is Thomas’ preference?

A．One with straight lines.	B．One having flat surfaces.
C．One having a security system.	D．One with innovative patterns.

3. What did Rafael Vinoly fail to consider in his design?

A．Boldness.

B．Creativity.

C．Practicality.

D．Flexibility.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To call on people to live in big cities.

B．To compare buildings in different cities.

C．To stress the importance of healthy emotion.

D．To convince people of emotional impact by buildings.

3 . Rising Above Fear: Strategies For Conquering Anxiety and Achieving Your Goals

You have to know that managing your worst fear and anxiety isn’t easy but that’s okay, we are here to help you out.     1    Here are the necessary steps to help you overcome your fear and anxiety.

You need to notice how you feel.     2    You need to be able to identify the sensations that clue you into your emotional state. Do you experience trouble breathing, a sweaty body, or even a stomachache? You need to practice reading these physical cues, don’t let them carry you away!

Own your fears. Have you ever cried so much that it became very difficult to stop the tears, we can totally understand that.     3    When this happens, you need to stop using your emotional energy in trying to be okay, sometimes you need to own your fears. Trust me, this energy would be better used in reaching out for help.

Create goals that are necessary. Most of the time, the process of overcoming your fears and anxiety is hindered by elusive goals that we set for ourselves. Ask yourself this: What does the life I deserve look like? How can I achieve that lifestyle? Once you know that your goals are essential, the fear of not making an effort will overcome the fear of failure.     4    

    5     When you set your goals, what is the biggest fear that you will face? The fear of failure! What you have to know is that failure is just like pain and we should only learn and grow from it. Failure will always provide a valuable learning experience that will positively impact your future.

A．Find acceptance in failure.

B．Never back away from learning.

C．Hardship is another trouble you have to face in life.

D．It will motivate you and this is when you will be inspired to act.

E．When the fearful thoughts kick in, it becomes so hard to ignore them.

F．You need to be able to talk about your emotions, no matter how hard it is.

G．You can build skills to manage your emotional response when anxiety and fear kick in.

4 . Even the most positive people have negative thoughts. It’s part of being human. But when negative thoughts become the norm, it isn’t healthy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to change your negative thoughts into realistic thinking — seeing yourself, your relationships and world events as they really are.

Monitor your self-talk. We all have an ongoing dialogue running in our head, which affects how we view our life.     1     So, to promote realistic thinking, first you need to find out and listen to that inner voice. Being aware of those inner comments starts to help you take control of them.

    2     Not every negative thought is “bad”. For example, “I feel stressed and upset about my job because there are so many new things I am learning, but overtime I’ll learn and it’ll get easier.” has a negative aspect, but it promotes a positive action. Therefore, it’s important to make the distinction between helpful thoughts and negative ones.

Challenge your unhelpful thoughts.     3     Continuing with the work example, do you really hate your job or are you just anxious about the new project that you’ve been assigned?

    4     Now that you’re clear which thought is not helpful, you can replace it with one that is. Using the example from above, a more positive thought might be, “Once I get started on the new project I’m sure I’ll do fine. It’s just the anticipation that I don’t like.”

Repeat. Realistic thinking doesn’t come easy, especially when you are also working on managing anxiety, depression, and other problems.     5    

A．Identify thoughts that aren’t helpful.

B．Plant positive thoughts in your mind.

C．Analyse what self-talk is the most beneficial.

D．But because it’s constantly running, we often forget it’s there.

E．These thoughts can consume your energy or cause physical problems.

F．To be more realistic, you need to question whether your thoughts are factual.

G．You need to continually return to it even when it feels natural to become negative.

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.

2. What makes us laugh at other people’s clumsiness?

A．Unpredictability.

B．Visibility.

C．Dignity.

D．Identity.

3. What do we know about the study?

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.

4. What does the author think of laughing at people’s awkwardness?

A．Praiseworthy.

B．Unacceptable.

C．Forgivable.

D．Ridiculous.

6 . What is wrong with Paul?

A．He has been fired by his company.

B．He lost a competition.

C．He has heart disease.

7 . Finding the words to explain how you feel isn’t always easy. This is why young people’s mental health charity has made “My Voice Matters” the theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week.

    1    

Do you have trouble sharing your thoughts or worry no one will listen if you do? Making your voice heard means understanding that your words matter and your opinions count. Dr Julia Clements, a psychologist, says that it means expressing your views, thoughts and feelings, not bottling them all up, and being open to hearing the thoughts, feelings and views of others too.     2     In fact you don’t have to use your voice at all. “You can express what you like and don’t like or what you want for the future by writing or drawing instead,” says Clements. “It’s about finding ways to share what matters to you,” she explains.

Why is it important?

    3     Scientists have discovered that sharing your feelings produces a feel-good chemical in your brain that makes you feel relaxed and calm. Your voice can make a big difference to other people too, including friends and families. Clements says, “You can spread kindness and happiness simply by speaking. With a few kind words, you could help someone feel good about themselves or let them know they are supported.”     4    

How can you find your voice?

Clements suggests practising conversations with friends, parents or carers on the way home from school and seeing if you have different opinions about something. If you’re struggling to explain your feelings, find a way that feels right for you, whether it’s talking face-to-face or writing it down.     5     When you’re ready, “Take a deep breath and believe in yourself,” says Clements. “Know that your opinion matters.”

A．What does speaking up mean?

B．What are the benefits of speaking up?

C．Making yourself heard isn’t about shouting the loudest.

D．Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are confused about something.

E．Everyone has their own unique way of processing and sharing their feelings.

F．Sharing your feelings with a person you trust will help you make sense of them.

G．Words have the power to uplift someone’s spirits and make a positive impact on their day.

8 . How does the woman feel?

A．Regretful.

B．Cheerful.

C．Hopeful.

9 . 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

10 . 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.