1 . A new study published by Dan Johnson of Washington and Lee University shows experimentally that reading fiction increases empathy (共情).
The participants were asked to read a short story and report their mood. Then, in a staged accident, the experimenter knocked over several pens and recorded whether the participants helped pick them up. They found that the more people were transported into the story, the more likely they were to help pick up the dropped pens. Those who engaged more deeply with the fictional characters also showed more empathy for the real-life person.
Empathy, like patience appears to be a character that can be improved with practice. Study has shown the more students read books, especially storybooks, the better they are at understanding the emotions of others. However, researchers at the University of Michigan reported last year that empathy among college students had declined during the past 30 years, with an especially steep drop in the last decade. The reason is plain to see.
It’s important to understand where empathy comes from in the first place. Looking at the evolution of the human mind, it has been suggested that the ability to process hypothetical scenarios (假设情景) of what another person might be thinking provided an advantage to our early ancestors. Empathy may have arisen from one of the most fundamental human characteristics—the ability to cheat.
Storytelling is essentially just a kind of art. Is Harry Potter real? No, but by projecting ourselves into his story, we’re engaging a very real part of our brain. That sense of escape or social participation often is what makes books so enjoyable. Unfortunately, books are falling out of style. The cause of this is partially due to e book sales, which have arisen greatly over the past few years and taken a share out of the physical book market without necessarily indicating a decline in reading.
Even though some of us would like to, we can’t blame the digital retailers for our decreased empathy. In fact, some people probably read more with their more convenient e-readers than ever before with hard copies. It’s the culture of reading in general that needs to change.
1. What did the experiment show?| A．The participants stressed teamwork. | B．The participants were forced to pick up pens. |
| C．A story might have an instructive effect. | D．A person lost in a story paid less attention to real life. |
| A．Limited patience | B．The lack of reading | C．Diverse emotions. | D．The social practice |
| A．The art of lying. | B．The culture of reading |
| C．The escape from the society. | D．The ability to process real information |
| A．Reading stories can increase empathy. | B．Paper books have edges over digital ones. |
| C．Writers play a trick on readers by cheating. | D．College students tend to lack understanding. |
Mark Mancuso’s phone rang. He looked at it. It was a calendar alert, telling him it was his mother’s birthday. His mother Amelia lived 200 miles away, a bit of a drive, but Mark had driven further for a lunch with a friend. He just couldn’t stand his mother’s complaints. Then he found a florist(花店). He smiled and got an idea.
Entering the florist, Mark smiled broadly, “Can you arrange to have flowers delivered in Syracuse, N.Y.? It’s my mother’s 65th birthday and I wanted to send her some flowers.” Mark explained.
The florist said, “Of course, I just need your mother’s name and address, and I guess you want to send a note, a birthday message?”
“Yes,” said Mark, and he quickly recited his mother’s name and address and then added, “Please write: Happy birthday to the best mom in the world, love you and miss you. Your son, Mark.”
Mark was walking out with a feeling of accomplishment when he saw a girl sitting on the corner with tears running down her face. Mark squatted down(蹲下来)next to her and asked, “Hey dear, are you OK?”
“I’m Mandy and I wanted a rose for my mom,” the girl wept.
“But I don’t have enough money! The flower lady said I could only buy a daisy, but my mom loves red roses.”
“You just wait here,” Mark said, and then he walked back into the florist and bought a lovely red rose for Mandy. “Here you go,”he said, placing the rose in her hands. Mandy took the rose in her hands, smiled up at Mark and said,“Thank you! But could you take me to my mom? It’s not far but I’m not supposed to go on my own.”
Mark nodded. Mandy took his hand and walked with him down the street. After a while, Mandy turned right and Mark was surprised to see they were standing by the gates of a cemetery(墓地).
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。
Paragraph 1
The girl gently placed the rose on a grave(墓碑).
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Mark felt tears well up in his eyes.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Dear Dad,
Growing up being the farmer’s daughter has been very interesting. It has made life challenging, fun and
I have always had a love for animals. Thank you
Every time I pass a field of corn, I think about how I grew up
I’m proud to have a farmer dad. Although there were some
I Love you,Dad!
4 . Anger is a basic human emotion that is experienced by all people. Usually triggered (触发) by an emotional hurt, anger is usually experienced as an unpleasant feeling that occurs when we think we have been injured, mistreated, opposed in our long-held views.
The experience of anger varies widely: how often anger occurs and how long it lasts are different for each person. People also vary in how easily they get angry, as well as how comfortable they are with feeling angry.
Out of control, anger distances friends, co-workers and family members. It also has a clear relationship with health problems and an early death.
| A．Blood pressure rises. |
| B．Anger can be a positive emotion. |
| C．Anger can be beneficial or harmful. |
| D．Some people are always getting angry while others seldom feel angry. |
| E．These are but two of many reasons why learning to properly manage anger is a good idea. |
| F．Another way to reduce your anger and deal with it is to breathe slowly and deeply. |
| G．It also occurs when we are faced with problems that keep us from achieving personal goals. |
5 . “Have you checked the oil in the car?” my father used to say to me, his version of “Hello, hope you are well.” Sometimes our phone calls would begin with an inquiry about the oil and end with one about the oil.
Fathers have a lot of love to give, but it’s often supplied through the medium of practical advice. In my experience: It’s mostly about your motor vehicle.
My student car—an old green Toyota bought for $500—was the vehicle for which my father carved his paternal affections（父爱）. I bet it’s always been so. Back in ancient Rome, the father would test the son on the state of his carriage.
Why can’t fathers just say “I love you” or “It’s great to see you”？ The point is: You just have to translate from the language that is Fatherlish. Listen closely enough and the phrase love you can be heard in the slightly lengthier “I could come around Saturday and replace the seal（密封圈）around the base of your toilet because I assume that thing is getting really smelly.”
The affectionate phrase “You made my life better from the moment you were born” may be rarely heard, but there is the more common “I’ll hold the ladder while you get the leaves off the roof.”
When I was 17, I went on my first road trip in that Toyota. My father stood on the comer. “Highways are dangerous,” he said, “so don’t try overtaking anything faster than a horse and carriage. And take a break every two hours. And every time you stop for gas, you really should check the oil.” At the time we thought his speech was pretty funny and would repeat “horse-and-carriage” every time I sped up to overtake some other speeding vehicle.
Dad’s long gone now. But after all these years, I realize that had I owned a copy of the Fatherlish-to-English dictionary, I’d have understood that the speech my friend and I so ignored was simply dad’s attempt at affection.
1. According to the author, a typical father’s greetings may start with “________”.| A．Look who it is! | B．Everything OK? |
| C．Hi, sweetheart! | D．How’s the leak in the ceiling? |
| A．A symbol of his son’s admiration. |
| B．A medium for his paternal love. |
| C．A sign of a modernized lifestyle. |
| D．A turning point in the family life. |
| A．To show the fatherlish’s influence on kids. |
| B．To illustrate a dad’s loving concern for kids. |
| C．To prove the usefulness of a dad’s greetings. |
| D．To compare different versions of fatherlish. |
| A．Speaking Fluent Fatherlish | B．Remembering Very Moments |
| C．Displaying Parental Love | D．Giving Practical Advice |
6 . It’s normal to get nervous about an important event or life change, and there are steps you can take when anxiety starts to take hold. Try these expert-backed suggestions to help you regain control of your thoughts.
People with anxiety often pay attention to the worst things that could happen. To get rid of these worries, think about how realistic they are.
As you know, it may be appealing to reach for sweet things when you’re stressed.
Following the 3-3-3 rule may fight anxiety. Whenever you feel your brain going 100 miles per hour and out of control, look around you and name three things you see. Then, name three sounds you hear. Finally, move three parts of your body — your ankle, fingers, or arm.
| A．But that could do more harm than good. |
| B．Then map out your future in a realistic way. |
| C．It’s suggested that you stay in your time zone. |
| D．You may regard them as a method of reliving anxiety. |
| E．Let’s say you're nervous about a big presentation at work. |
| F．This trick can help center your mind on the present moment. |
| G．If not, make an “appointment” to check in with yourself later. |
