1 . As ninety approached, many things had changed for Mom except one: She wanted a big birthday party. But because of a fractured (断裂的) hip just 3 weeks before, we could only arrange a small one at the rehab (康复中心) instead of giving her a big celebration in a restaurant.
Mom’s husband, Fred, was also in the facility, admitted to the dementia (痴呆) unit prior to her admission. Mom visited him a few times each week, but these visits distressed her because he was usually asleep and did not respond to her. She often left in tears and was sad for days.
On the day of the party, we decorated the dining room with balloons, and a sheet cake was decorated in her favorite colour. Surrounded by her loved ones, Mom was overwhelmed with happiness. Only one other person could have made this day happier: Fred, her husband of thirty years. Because the party was held in the nursing facility, we had taken him to the party, too. When an attendant brought him into the room, Mom shouted with joy. We positioned them side by-side in their wheelchairs. He sat there with his eyes closed, unresponsive, and the party went on.
A short time later, there was a buzz in the room: “Fred’s awake!” And he was! Mom spoke to him, and he responded. He said, “I love you.” He ate the birthday cake and ice cream. He stayed for the rest of the party. After I sent him back to his nursing unit, the remaining guests were still talking about Fred and his miraculous awakening, just in time to share his wife’s ninetieth birthday. Mom was very happy, crying that his presence was the best gift of all.
God works in strange ways. We were able to give Mom a lovely celebration after all, and with her husband at her side, a happy birthday indeed.
1. Why couldn’t Mom enjoy a big birthday party?| A．Because her husband got sick. |
| B．Because she herself got injured. |
| C．Because she preferred to celebrate it with her husband. |
| D．Because we didn’t want to arrange one for her. |
| A．He was admitted to the rehab after Mom. |
| B．Mom felt disappointed with him. |
| C．He was unconscious most of the time at the rehab. |
| D．He had been married to Mom for nearly twenty years. |
| A．To inspire him to get better. | B．To help us get close to him. |
| C．To celebrate his birthday. | D．To make him keep his wife company. |
| A．Mom’s Unexpected Birthday Gift | B．Fred’s Amazing Recovery |
| C．Mom’s Miraculous Party | D．Mom’s Strange Birthday |
2 . There is much we can learn from dogs. In
Capitan, a lovely dog, always
Capitan became a symbol of faithfulness. But it still remains
| A．yards | B．childhood | C．neighborhood | D．schools |
| A．left out | B．worn out | C．stressed out | D．fed up |
| A．current | B．missing | C．committed | D．new |
| A．affection | B．respect | C．hope | D．knowledge |
| A．amused | B．followed | C．inspired | D．struck |
| A．take off | B．carry on | C．tum up | D．break down |
| A．reasons | B．chances | C．steps | D．attempts |
| A．devotion | B．charity | C．sympathy | D．preference |
| A．prove | B．compare | C．attach | D．limit |
| A．comfortably | B．awkwardly | C．perfectly | D．watchfully |
| A．simple | B．unknown | C．encouraging | D．alive |
| A．introduced | B．reduced | C．transferred | D．linked |
| A．located | B．persuaded | C．revealed | D．defended |
| A．push | B．threaten | C．combine | D．separate |
| A．romantic | B．selfless | C．peaceful | D．patient |
Jack tossed(抛，扔)the papers on my desk—his eyebrows knit(皱眉)into a straight line as he glared at me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He pointed at the proposal. “Next time you want to change anything, ask me first,” He said, turning on his heels and leaving me in anger.
How dare he treat me like that, I thought. I had changed one long sentence, and corrected grammar, something I thought I was paid to do.
It’s not that I hadn’t been warned. Other women who had worked my job before me called Jack names I couldn’t repeat. One coworker took me aside the first day. “He’s personally responsible for two different secretaries leaving the firm,” she whispered.
As the weeks went by, I grew to hate Jack. His actions made me question much that I believed in, such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. I prayed about the situation, but to be honest, I wanted to put Jack in his place, not like him.
One day another of his episodes left me in tears. I stormed into his office, prepared to lose my job if needed, but not before I let the man know how I felt. I opened the door and Jack glanced up. “What?” he asked abruptly.
Suddenly I knew what I had to do. After all, he deserved it.
I sat across from him and said calmly, “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong, and I can’t allow it to continue.”
Jack snickered(暗笑)nervously and leaned back in his chair. I closed my eyes briefly. God help me, I prayed.
“I want to make you a promise. I will be a friend,” I said. “I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness. You deserve that. Everybody does. That’s what friends do.” I slipped out of the chair and closed the door behind me.
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 avoided me the rest of the week.
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One year later, one day after my surgery for breast cancer, Jack stood awkwardly in the doorway of my small, darkened hospital room.
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4 . Worry is a natural emotion. Whether it’s health, a job, or a relationship, everyone has something that stresses them out and keeps them awake at night.
Keep your mind busy with activities you enjoy.
Maybe it’s playing an instrument, cooking, writing, or going for a walk in nature.
Worrying is often a result of taking something out of context and blowing it up in your mind to be more than it actually is. So take a moment to objectively analyze the situation, look at the facts and weigh them against how things could turn out. Your worries and anxieties are only as powerful as you give them permission to be.
Learn how to manage your time more effectively.
One of the best ways to get rid of worries is to learn how to manage your time better.
| A．Focus on the Present Moment. |
| B．Judge things in a reasonable way, |
| C．These activities are meaningful and fulfilling. |
| D．It can take over your life and hold you back from truly living. |
| E．This will help you make more time for yourself and reduce stress. |
| F．You can challenge your worries and anxieties by taking them apart. |
| G．Worrying does not rid tomorrow of its troubles but rids today of its strengths. |
5 . What is empathy?
Empathy is the ability to share and understand the feelings or emotions of others.
Types of empathy
There are three different ways to think of empathy. First, there is affective empathy. This is the ability to share the emotions of others. For example, someone watching a scary movie may feel scared when a character is scared. Second, there is cognitive empathy. This is the ability to understand the feelings of others. A good example is a counselor. Counselors may understand that someone they are speaking to is sad, but that does not mean the counselor becomes sad. Finally, there is emotional regulation.
Depending on the situation
Measuring stick
Our brain has evolved to be able to quickly change under different circumstances.
| A．Having empathy is very useful |
| B．Empathy is often measured with surveys |
| C．This refers to the ability to control one’s emotions |
| D．Sometimes it could be helpful to feel less empathy |
| E．People experience pleasure when their opponent fails |
| F．Sometimes we may feel too much empathy for our own groups |
| G．Empathy helps humans respond appropriately to different situations |
6 . Boosting your emotional intelligence quotient, or EQ, involves identifying and managing your own emotions, as well as evaluating and controlling the way in which you react to those of others.
● Identify your emotions.
Identifying your emotions takes practice and is an important foundational step in building emotional intelligence. Regularly recognizing and naming your emotions throughout the day is a good way to develop your EQ.
● Consider your response.
●
Empathy is a cornerstone of EQ. It is defined as the ability to identify and share the thoughts, feelings or emotional state of another person. A little empathy goes a long way. It is important to demonstrate empathy towards people other than just those with whom you find it easy to get along.
● Listen actively.
Engage in the moment and acknowledge what other people are saying.
Developing your emotional intelligence can not only help you reduce your stress, but also leave you with more time to connect with, and continuously improve your relationships with, those around you.
| A．Show your care. |
| B．Put yourself in other people’s shoes. |
| C．You just don’t know what they might be going through. |
| D．You must remember you can choose how you react to a situation. |
| E．Besides, trying to identify exactly what you are feeling can do the trick. |
| F．Try to avoid just waiting for your turn to talk about yourself and your story. |
| G．Exploring and improving these skills can help you to succeed in your career. |
7 . Feeling embarrassed is something that no one really likes.
●
When learning to deal with embarrassment, the first big thing that will help you is to realize that embarrassing moments are in the past. These things have already occurred and there is nothing that you can do to change them. It might have been tough to get through those moments, but you’re here now and everything is okay.
●Talk to someone about how you’re feeling.
If you’re struggling with feelings of embarrassment, then you should try to talk to people that you trust.
●
Embarrassment might feel tough to get over. However, normal embarrassing moments might become things that you can just shrug off and laugh at eventually. When you think about things from the right perspective, you might be able to laugh at yourself for making a silly mistake or falling down.
●Get out there and try again.
The fear of embarrassment should not hold you back from getting out there to try again. If you want to move past embarrassment for good, then the best way to do that is not to let it stop you from living your life. This could mean doing the same thing that embarrassed you in the past. You might be worried about reliving embarrassing moments from the past, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
| A．Learn to laugh at the situation. |
| B．Understand that embarrassments are in the past. |
| C．Don’t worry so much about things and be ready to go out there and give it your all. |
| D．Know that you don’t need to apologize for feeling embarrassed. |
| E．Of course, this might depend on the level of embarrassment that you experienced. |
| F．Tell them how you’re feeling and what happened if you’re comfortable doing that. |
| G．It’s generally something that most people want to avoid. |
8 . A few years ago, I bought a flat. It was a triumph of hope and determination over property prices, and the peak of a 20-year dream. The day I got the keys should have been the most exciting day of my life and yet, the second I opened the door, panic set in. I spent my first night as a homeowner in a hotel researching how to sell a flat and wondering if it was too late to change my mind.
I didn't sell my flat because I remembered why I had wanted it in the first place — but there are times when we get what we want and it simply isn't right. I've always found a strange disconnect between wanting something and getting it. Wanting is a place of possibility and, in a state of lack, the desire is strong. We imagine how this thing — a new job or relationship — can change our lives and at the same time forget that adding something to our life doesn't mean all our problems disappear. We create a narrative around the desire and, when we get it, and it is different to how we pictured it, we feel frustrated.
For me, this most often occurs in relationships. I have a habit of filling in the gaps with people, rather than getting to know them. I go on a date with someone and, instead of piecing them together brick by brick, I start to imagine what my life would be like with them in it. It shouldn't have been a shock that the reality in no way matched my fantasy — but it was. I knew I wanted out, yet part of me felt committed: this was someone I thought I had wanted for so long, I couldn't walk away, could I?
We tend to shame others for changing their minds. I think, however, it's far braver to move towards something that will bring happiness than to stay in a miserable situation to protect your pride. So, when someone tells you they've changed their minds, congratulate them on knowing themselves well enough, and being strong enough, to admit it. It takes a lot to come clean about getting it wrong, but the relief of doing so — of setting ourselves free from a personal-shaped hole, is worth it every time.
1. Why did the author spend her first night as a homeowner in a hotel?| A．The flat was under decoration. |
| B．She wanted to sell this terrible flat. |
| C．The flat was different from her desire. |
| D．She was too excited to sleep in the flat. |
| A．Filling in the gaps with people around you. |
| B．Getting to know others little by little naturally. |
| C．Imagining what the life would be like with others. |
| D．Spending plenty of time to promote the relationship. |
| A．Never change your mind. |
| B．Never give up your first-time dream. |
| C．It is worthwhile to protect one's own pride. |
| D．It is brave to step out of a miserable situation. |
| A．A new flat | B．A personal-shaped hole |
| C．A proud soul | D．An unexcepted accident |
9 . It’s hard to overstate just how much Writer’s Digest has survived to make it to its centennial. The Great Depression. World War II. The many wars and societal revolutions of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. The technological revolution and the creation of the internet. The shift from being family-owned business to a corporation with investors. And most recently, global pandemic(流行病).
It is because WD survived all that, that I view this anniversary issue as a love letter to every single person who has contributed to keeping WD alive over these amazing, and tough, and change-filled 100 years. Thank you to the Rosenthal family for starting a magazine—a community—like this. To the publishers, editors, and all the other behind--the-scenes folks who made sure each issue over the many decades was the best it could be, thank you for your hard work and long hours. To the absolutely incomparable list of writers who shared their wisdom, insights, and encouragement: This magazine was made better by your contributions.
But most of all, this is a love letter to our readers. You give the magazine purpose and the motivation to keep going. Without you, WD wouldn’t exist, so on behalf of all the current and former WD staffers, we offer our sincerest thanks.
You’ll see a collection of new columns coming in 2021. We are thrilled to have Bryan Washington, award-winning author of the short story collection Lot and the new novel Memorial, as our first guest columnist. The WD team started planning this issue more than a year ago and putting it together has been a joy. We hope you find as much pleasure and inspiration in reading it as we found in creating it. See you in year 101.
1. What does the underlined word “centennial” mean?| A．The first publication. | B．The collection version. |
| C．The 100th anniversary. | D．The opening ceremony. |
| A．It has a long list of guest columnists. |
| B．It was once a family-owned business. |
| C．It is financially supported by the community. |
| D．It contributed to the technological revolution. |
| A．She used to be a novelist. | B．She is with Writer’s Digest |
| C．She was a business owner. | D．She is one hundred years old. |
| A．To express gratitude. | B．To promote sales. |
| C．To introduce a magazine. | D．To employ new staff. |
1. 英雄人物简介；
2. 成为你心中英雄的原因；
3. 向英雄学习。
注意：1. 词数 100 左右；
2. 短文题目与首句已写好，不计入总词数。
The National Hero In My Heart
As we know, most people have a national hero or heroes in their hearts.
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