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 . 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

3 . 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

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Many people think that money brings happiness. However, according to Professor Michael Argyle, this is not true. In Britain, we are     1     (rich) but unhappier than fifty years   ago. The USA is the richest country in the world but Americans are not the happiest people in the world.

Professor Argyle has found that very poor people and very rich people are unhappier than those in between. For example, very poor people in     2    developing world live in overcrowded houses without any running water and     3    no electricity. However, there are many millionaires (百万富翁) with     4     (person) problems. A lot of young people     5    get rich very quickly are at risk.

Because of this, a few young millionaires are changing their life styles. Richard Cross, a multi-millionaire computer analyst ( 分 析 师 ) from California is an example. His house     6     (show) no signs of his wealth. There is a small garden   and there only two   cars     7     (park) outside the house. “I want my kids     8     (live) a normal life,” says Richard.

So what can make     9     (we) happy? According to Professor Argyle, you should have one close relationship and some close     10     (friend). You should do a little sport and have a lot of contact (联系) with other people. Other people make you happy, not money!

5 . 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.

6 . 请根据所给情节，尝试续写人物悲伤失望的情节。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

He didn’t get an A in the exam as expected. He shook his head and looked upset.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Slowing Down Racing Thoughts

Everyone has moments when their brain suddenly goes messy. When racing thoughts take over your mind, you can’t stay focused, and you feel trapped. How can you keep racing thoughts from controlling you? Here are five tips to try.

Give yourself permission. Racing thoughts are often made worse by the anxiety over having racing thoughts.     1     This gives you a sense of control so you don’t feel helpless. When you put racing thoughts in their proper context, they feel less threatening and easier to manage.

Distract (分心) yourself. As soon as you notice yourself worrying again or thinking about things over and over, make an inside comment on yourself, like “here I go again, with my list of thoughts that never ends”.     2    

Get mindful. Practicing mindfulness can help change your thought patterns.     3     Close your eyes and count to yourself as you take slow, steady breaths. When you reach 10, start over and repeat the process until you calm down.

Get moving.     4     For instance, when racing thoughts strike, do a set of push-ups, do 10 jumping jacks, take a five-minute walk, or do household chores. Also, try to build regular exercise into your life as well as these short bursts of activity. That can help relieve anxiety and stress.

    5     Sometimes it’s best to let racing thoughts run their course; otherwise, they may wander indefinitely. When anxious racing thoughts occur, recognize them, but tell yourself that now is not worry time and you will deal with them later. Then at a fixed time of your choosing, do nothing but explore those thoughts and work through them.

A．Fight for them.

B．Schedule worry time.

C．For instance, try counting your breaths.

D．Exercise is helpful for reducing anxiety.

E．To escape this, allow yourself to experience them.

F．Then do something else, like reading or listening to music.

G．People who struggle with racing thoughts are constantly worried.

8 . Air travel might feel like no big deal for some people.     1     So, what should you do if you find yourself experiencing anxiety during a flight?

·Investigate the root cause of your fear.

    2     In fact, the fear of flying is often caused by fear of other things, like being in an enclosed space or something bad happening in the air. Once you figure out what causes your anxiety about flying, you can focus on overcoming that specific fear.

·Focus on a breathing exercise.

Clinical psychologist Kevin Chapman recommended taking slow breaths in through your nose and then breathing out through your mouth. Place your hand on your stomach to feel the breath going in and out.     3     This will help relieve your stress and anxiety by calming your nervous system.

·     4    

Before you travel, try thinking about what might bring you comfort if you start to feel a sense of panic during the flight. Finding an engaging activity will take your attention away from the anxiety. Try a crossword puzzle, read a novel, watch a movie or get through a pile of paperwork.

If you find yourself getting anxious before a scheduled flight or experiencing panic once on board, you may be dealing with a fear of flying.     5     They can guide you in adopting effective strategies to manage this fear. Don't feel embarrassed to talk about these feelings, as they're actually quite common.

A．Create a list of calming statements.

B．Rely on a relaxing outlet or distraction.

C．However, for others, it can cause a lot of anxiety.

D．Try to count it out and repeat the cycle multiple times.

E．More often than not, it's not the flying itself you're actually afraid of.

F．You can talk to your doctor or a mental health professional for advice.

G．When this happens, overcome your fear of flying with the exciting prospect of going somewhere fun.

9 . Emotions play a crucial role in people’s lives. Being in tune with your emotions is a great thing, and it can lead to deeper connections. Nevertheless, when your emotions control you, they can seriously affect your ability to perform and to think clearly in crucial situations. You can’t get rid of your emotions completely.     1    

Focus on your body, not your mind

What does your body feel like right now? Pay attention to the feeling of the clothes on your skin, and try to ignore any thoughts that you’re having.     2    . Then you can find inner peace.     3    

If you feel yourself starting to get upset or angry, head to the bathroom and look in the mirror for a few minutes. As you do, focus on taking deep breaths and think about increasing yourself-compassion. After 2 to 3 minutes, you’ll probably feel your heart rate slowdown and your breathing get a little more even. It’s a good tool to use at work or out in pubic when things get a little overwhelming.

Distract yourself

Do something engaging that will keep your mind off your emotions.     4    . For example, do a puzzle, read a new book, try a word search, or do some art. The more you can keep your mind off things, the less you’ll focus on your emotions.

Worry about your own problems

    5    . If you’re an empathetic person, listening to your friends or family members tell their issues will take a toll on you. It’s great to care about other people, but it’s also okay to set boundaries if you need to take some time for yourself.

A．Look at yourself in the mirror

B．Take a shower in the bath room

C．Here are some useful tips for you to get emotional

D．Try to pick something that really work your brain

E．But you can keep emotions from taking over your life

F．Shouldering the burdens of others can really wear you down

G．This can help you control emotional eruption gin the moment

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the brothers grow apart?

A．They had different hobbies.

B．They stopped living in the same house.

C．They no longer spent much time together.

2. How does the man feel now?

A．Regretful.

B．Hurt.

C．Angry.

3. What does the woman suggest the man do about the problem?

A．Leave his brother alone.

B．Try talking to his brother.

C．Invite his brother to hang out.