1 . The Power of Insensitivity

Highly sensitive(敏感的)person, or HSP, is a term invented by psychologist Elaine Aron. HSPs can come with many challenges. They may find it hard to adapt to new surroundings, and easily become uncomfortable in response to certain feelings or others’ opinions.     1    

The power of insensitivity can be explained as “slow power”. Usually, people connect “insensitivity” with something bad, but indeed, it stresses the ability to keep doing something difficult without complaining.     2     It is not a weakness but an approach to winning a better life.

    3     Knowing yourself is difficult, and knowing yourself correctly is undoubtedly an excellent ability. The successful people clearly know where their strengths are, what they can do and what direction to go.

There are some ways to practice “insensitivity”: Don’t pay too much attention to the ups and downs of life at the moment.     4     Don’t get involved in other people’s lives and don’t let others affect yours. Regarding relationships, learn to view problems as two parts: One part is what you need to face and solve. The other part is the responsibility of others, which is not your business.

Everyone can gain the ability to be insensitive.     5     And the world will also be a better one if we focus on major goals and stay insensitive to something else.

A．Insensitivity plays a significant role.

B．Rather, you should be looking forward.

C．That’s where the need to be insensitive comes from.

D．Once you slow down the pace, you will feel more comfortable.

E．Those not easily affected are the people who care less about others.

F．That is, calmly facing the downtime in life and moving towards one’s own direction.

G．One reason why insensitivity allows people to better survive is the strong self-awareness.

2 . It’s natural for people to compare themselves with their peers. Peer pressure is a force that nearly everyone has faced at some point. If it’s not well handled, there might be some destructive consequences.    1     Below are tips on how to deal with peer pressure and avoid making tough decisions that may trigger unfavorable outcomes.

Find positive influence

At any age, it’s beneficial to stay involved with extracurricular activities like sports, music, art, or other hobbies. Team building activities can help increase self-confidence and create a support system that allows an individual to succeed. Additionally, enjoying hobbies and other harmless pastimes like exercising can release feel-good hormones.    2    

Plan ahead

Experiencing peer pressure, especially when in an unfriendly environment, can cause a person to panic and make impulsive decisions.    3     Think of different situations that spark discomfort and think about how to deal with peer pressure. It’s ok to give excuses to avoid making decisions that you may feel are not right for you.

    4    

Positive influences, usually parents or siblings, can teach you how to deal with peer pressure directly. Having a trusted friend, family member, or another resource to call on can relieve some of the everyday life stresses. They can be there to give advice or just support the decisions you’ve made that you feel are right for you.

Convey feelings and emotions

Honesty goes a long way in reducing the harmful effects of peer pressure. Speak to the person or group of people who may be causing feelings of unease or uncertainty and kindly ask them to stop.     5    

A．Talk to a trusted resource.

B．Don’t be afraid to find new groups.

C．Unfortunately, peer pressure is difficult to avoid.

D．Therefore, it’s essential to know how to deal with it.

E．So, it’s best to have a plan that can help map out a response.

F．They can help reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.

G．It’s ok to distance yourself from those who are not serving you in a positive aspect.

3 . 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。

Jack was a bright and curious child, always eager to learn new things and explore the mysterious world about science. However, he often found himself in disagreement with his mother. His mother was always busy with her work and she didn’t have enough time to learn about his interests and passions.

One day, Jack came home from school feeling particularly excited. He just found a sci-fi book about an adventure on the moon. Upon arriving at home, he couldn’t tear himself away from the book. He read and read until it was dark. Having finished reading it, he couldn’t wait to share it with his mother, only to be told that he should focus on more practical subjects like math and history, which would help him get into a good college and have a successful career.

Jack couldn’t understand why his mother didn’t see the value in what he was doing. He felt that she was holding him back and not allowing him to pursue his true interests. “Why can’t you see how important this is to me?” Jack asked his mother angrily. “I’m never going to be happy if I have to spend my life doing things that I show no interest in just because they are practical or make you proud.”

The once peaceful home was filled with tension and anger. His mother’s voice grew louder as she shouted, “You can’t just do whatever you want! You should be responsible for your future!” Jack, fueled by his own frustration, shot back, “I am tired of you always telling me what to do! I am not a child anymore! You only care about your own feeling! You never thought about my feeling!” They were so caught up in their own anger and hurt that they failed to see how their words and actions were affecting each other.

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。

Jack rushed into his bedroom and locked the door heavily.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Jack heard his mother’s words, regretful tears rolled down his face.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Tiffany Hammond and her son Aidan communicate in some familiar ways, like hand gestures and body language. But when Aidan wants to ______ himself with words, he uses a tablet (平板电脑).

Aidan is autistic (患孤独症的) and does not speak, so when his mom asks ______ , he can press a button on the screen to answer them. The family has designed routines around his autism, but people outside the household don’t ______ .

“Every single time we go outside the house, there’s something bad happening. There’s a______ , and there’s a mean stare,” Hammond said. “And he feels lonely a lot.”   However, that loneliness and those reactions from outsiders ______ Hammond to find a way to ______the ways in which people with autism can express. They just communicate in a(n) ______type of way. The result of this experience is a children’s book from Hammond titled A Day With No Words. The book followed Aidan through a regular day, showing his ______routines.

Hammond also wrote about the ______ of the book to want people to give kindness and the goal she hoped to ______ with the writing.

In an interview, Hammond said,   “I want to ______ all the things that I see in him. He loves being outside and swings, and he loves life. He is ______ like other people. I want to______ the regular life that I have with my son, and it is supposed to ______ a loving letter to him.”

______, a day with no words can be full of meaningful communication.

1.

A．express

B．enjoy

C．persuade

D．change

2.

A．chances

B．questions

C．roles

D．fantasies

3.

A．imply

B．inquire

C．understand

D．bother

4.

A．saying

B．witness

C．cheat

D．comment

5.

A．pushed

B．elected

C．warned

D．begged

6.

A．avoid

B．represent

C．ignore

D．refuse

7.

A．necessary

B．cold

C．different

D．equal

8.

A．daily

B．weekly

C．monthly

D．yearly

9.

A．cover

B．significance

C．price

D．time

10.

A．imagine

B．notice

C．defeat

D．achieve

11.

A．record

B．teach

C．doubt

D．celebrate

12.

A．nervous

B．strange

C．dangerous

D．hopeful

13.

A．create

B．organize

C．share

D．build

14.

A．look for

B．pick up

C．stare at

D．serve as

15.

A．Immediately

B．Fortunately

C．Actually

D．Finally

5 . 假如你是学生会主席李华，最近青少年学生心理健康引起了公众关注，请围绕这一主题，写一份倡议书，内容包括：
1. 简述现状；
2. 表示理解；
3. 发出倡议。
注意：
1. 词数80字左右，可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
2. 开头已给出，不计入总字数。请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear fellow students,

I’m Li Hua, president of the Students’ Union.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Students’ Union

November 17^th , 2023

6 . How to cultivate emotional awareness

In school, we learned the periodic table and were told to recite the alphabet, but nobody forced us to take a class on what emotions are and how they work.     1     Yet, research shows that being aware of your emotions is hugely beneficial and people with high emotional awareness have better social and emotional functioning.

Emotional awareness is being able to identify and make sense of not only our own emotions but those of others. It’s absolutely essential in maintaining good mental health. But if you’ve spent a lifetime masking your real emotions, being honest with yourself for the first time may prove tough.     2    

Turn to mindfulness

Mindfulness is the process of bringing our attention to: the present moment and becoming more aware of our thoughts.     3     There are many ways to be mindful, from practising breathwork to sitting in silence. Where emotional awareness is concerned, meditation which can aid clarity and allow us to view our emotions in a more measured way is strongly recommended.

Practice daily self-reflection

    4     You’d better create a habit of checking with yourself every day. Self-reflection cultivates emotional awareness and is key to understanding why you feel the way you do. Activities such as journaling can be really beneficial in learning about your thought processes. It may also help you actively choose healthy coping strategies to manage more challenging emotions. Free-writing, where you write out everything that’s on your mind without judgement, can be used to dig deeper into your thoughts and feelings.

Name what you’re feeling

Sometimes what we really struggle with is putting our emotions into words.     5     Instead of employing basic descriptions like angry, happy, frustrated or sad, consult The Emotion Wheel which identifies eight basic emotions at the centre of the wheel, with dozens of corresponding emotions of various intensities stemming out from it. It gives you a specific name for what you’re feeling. By naming them, we can not only find relief from those uncomfortable feelings but bring more joy and fulfilment into our lives too.

A．When was the last time you stopped and truly observed how you feel?

B．Turn into your emotions and honestly reflecting on how you feel is important.

C．It can be difficult to feel heard by others if we don’t have the language to describe how we’re feeling.

D．But it gets easier with practice.

E．It’s not always easy to put a finger on exactly what’s wrong, without digging a little deeper.

F．It’s a state of calm, non-judgmental state of mind.

G．And for many of us, that means understanding how we feel and why can be incredibly difficult.

7 . When your best friends are upset, sad, or disappointed, all you want to do is lift their spirits. Here are some easy ways to cheer them up.

Help your friend clean their room.

Being surrounded by a mess doesn’t do much for your mental state.     1     Helping your friend straighten up their room gives you something productive to do together. Plus, when they’re on their own, they can relax in a clean, peaceful space.

Encourage them to talk it out.

Talking is effective. Teenagers usually want someone to talk to when they are stressed.     2     If they aren’t interested in talking, invite them to do an activity with you and they will likely start talking.

Practice gratitude.

Thinking about and focusing on the good things in your life can do wonders for lifting your spirits. Help your friend turn their attention to those things.     3    

    4    

Staying active can help get depression (抑郁) away. Invite the person to join you in a dance class or anything else they may have mentioned before that they wanted to try out but never have. Fun time with friends is surely helpful.

Do an aimless act of kindness together.

    5     So go out, do things, even small things (e.g., opening a door for someone, paying for someone’s drink, smiling at and greeting a stranger. etc.), for others and see how your day changes.

A．Try new things together.

B．Plan for your future together.

C．Just be there for them and listen to them.

D．Together, you can each list all the things you’re grateful for.

E．Science has shown just being in nature naturally improves one’s mood.

F．Meanwhile, having a tidy space can help you feel more in control and calmer.

G．Oftentimes when we do things for other people, we are the ones that benefit.

8 . Anxiety is a sense of worry, fear, or unease which might make your hands sweat or your heart race. It’s a normal response to stressful situations.    1    Or going on a date. Or performing in a concert.

A bit of anxiety can work up your energy and focus.    2    Feeling anxious about an upcoming test, for example, can push you to study. Techniques like deep breathing can help you power through the unpleasantness of anxiety.

But for some people, anxiety can become too much to bear. They might have frequent, intense fears about everyday situations. Or they might feel worried or afraid for no reason at all. If this high level of anxiety lasts long, it can make it hard to focus or fall asleep, bringing about health problems.    3    

    4    People with social anxiety have intense fears of being judged by others. People with phobias(恐惧症), meanwhile, are very afraid of things that do not pose much real danger, such as spiders or heights. And people with panic disorder experience panic attacks in the absence of any real danger. Other examples of anxiety disorders include obsessive-compulsive(强迫性的) disorder and post-traumatic(创伤后的) stress disorder.

Anxiety disorders are common. An estimated one-third of all U.S. teens have experienced one. And there are many factors that may heighten someone’s risk of developing an anxiety disorder. People with a family history of anxiety may be at higher risk.    5    People with other mental-health conditions, such as depression, often have anxiety, too. But there’ re treatments that can help manage anxiety.

A．There are many types of anxiety disorders.

B．So are those who have experienced trauma.

C．Take, for instance, giving a class presentation.

D．This, in turn, can help you deal with stressors.

E．Living with anxiety disorder can be a long-term challenge.

F．Such intense ongoing anxiety can be an early sign of a disorder.

G．Anxiety disorder likely arises from a complex interaction of different factors,

9 . You’ve just received your final grades and they’re not exactly what you were hoping for. To make matters worse, your BFF’s grades have got you green with envy. Try not to panic. We’ve put together some tips to help you manage.

Be happy for them

First things first, make sure you start things off right by congratulating them for doing well this semester (学期). We’re not going to lie. This can be hard when you’re overwhelmed with jealousy (忌妒), but your BFF has worked for it and they deserve to be celebrated. Don’t hate them for their achievements.    1    .   Just ask what kind of friend you want to be—one who is proud of their bestie’s achievements or one who lets jealousy get in the way?

Confront (正视) your feelings

In saying that, being happy for your BFF doesn’t mean you should repress your feelings. Jealousy is natural. Jealousy can quickly become a problem for both your friendship and your mental health when it’s repressed. So,     2    . Ask yourself where this jealousy is coming from and whether your BFF getting a better grade than you actually matters in the long run. Getting to the root of these feelings is an important first step to overcoming your jealousy.

Use it as motivation

Feeling jealous doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The fact that you’re envious of your friend’s grades means that you care about your studies. One of the best things to do in this situation is to use your jealousy as motivation to do better. Figure out where you went wrong and learn from your mistakes. Don’t focus all your energy on feeling upset.    3    .

Focus on what you learned, not the grades you received

    4    . Rather than worrying about your grades, try to focus on the knowledge and skills you learned throughout the semester and how they helped you improve as a person. Either way, your time at school has helped you grow in a way that can’t be measured by your GPA(Grade Point Average).

    5    

The fact that your BFF received a higher grade than you doesn’t mean you’re a failure. We need to stop using other people’s successes as a benchmark for our own self-worth. Life isn’t a competition. Focus on your own strengths, appreciate yourself more, and soon enough your jealousy will just melt away.

A．Try not to compare yourself to others

B．Attempt to be honest with how you’re feeling

C．While grades are important, they aren’t everything

D．Focus on them, and soon your jealousy will melt away

E．Allow yourself to feel genuinely (真诚地) happy for your friend

F．Instead, try to setting new goals and creating better study habits

G．However, envy can quickly become a problem for your friendship

10 . Shy Parents, Shy Children — Parent workshop Series

The workshop is designed for shy parents of shy children, with the unique emphasis on teaching specific methods of building your child’s self-respect and social comfort level, while at the same time building your own. Participants are chosen before being admitted to the workshop to help make sure the workshop is a good fit for your needs.

Where: Karman Executive Center, Bellevue, Washington

When: From 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, from November 8th to 12th

Fee: $435

Shake Your Shyness: Intensive Weekend

The workshop is intended to meet the needs of adults who are unable to attend the Parent Workshop Series due to distance or scheduling limits. It’ll help you learn the basic skills that help overcome shyness. Be prepared to come to class early and set aside time for homework on Saturday night.

Where: Karman Executive Center, Bellevue, Washington

When: Saturdays & Sundays in spring

Fee: $1,150

Parenting the Shy Child

Shy children need our help. In this class, we’ll cover the basics — the origins of shyness, methods of overcoming shyness, social skills you can teach in your home, and tips for working with teachers to help your child fit in at school, etc.

Where: Karman Executive Center, Bellevue, Washington

When: From 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, from November 16th to 18th

Fee: $95

Overcoming Shyness: Skills-Training for Adolescents: Workshop

This is a special class for adolescents designed to teach social skills shy people are afraid to use. We’ll cover everything from how to start conversations with strangers to ways to calm your nerves when you do. You’ll learn what makes some people more popular than others and simple things you can do to feel more like you fit it.

Where: Karman Executive Center, Bellevue, Washington

When: From 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm, on December 18th

Fee: $75

1. What are the classes designed for?

A．Overcoming shyness.

B．Building confidence.

C．Scheduling time.

D．Starting conversations.

2. What can be known about Shake Your Shyness: Intensive Weekend?

A．It focuses on language skills.	B．It is offered only at weekends.
C．It assigns a lot of housework.	D．It is designed for shy children.

3. How much would a teenager pay to learn to overcome shyness?

A．$1,150.

B．$435.

C．$95.

D．$75.