1 . During my first year in college, I was silent. I was too afraid of saying something wrong.
I declared a religion major as a sophomore and took a class from Barbara, a young theologian. My mind was split open by a range of new thinkers and writers and by the quality of Barbara’s questions, I finally had something to say and the energy to say it. I was a frequent visitor during Barbara’s office hours, a rocket of words. She listened and calmly responded, a perfect contrast to my feverish ramblings. I loved what she saw in me, which was a range of abilities I had never seen in myself. In the following years, our relationship gradually deepened, but I was always conscious of a teacher-student dynamic.
This changed fundamentally when I became a parent. I had my son in March 2010, and Barbara was one of the first to congratulate me. When, nine months later, my child was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare and always terminal illness with no treatment and no cure, she sent me a letter-handwritten on a white legal pad. For the next two and a half years, Barbara wrote me regular, sometimes weekly, letters, remarkable letters that are revealing, loving, and kind.
The letter written right before my son died, when he was three, was the most personal and perhaps the most profound. “I think he’s made you better by opening up the great fire of your love,” she wrote, “with his small but magnificent existence.” I have never in my life read a more deeply comforting sentence, one that spoke to my grandest hopes, my deepest fears, and the only faith that remains to me, which is a belief in chaos. Our love had bloomed and deepened from a guarded mutual respect to a richer, deeper friendship.
Mentors are meant to lead those in their charge into fresh understanding, help them sort and filter new experiences, assist in the project of making sense out of the chaos that is human life. Mentors observe and accompany the darkest despair, the wildest sorrow, and the most unexpected joy.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．The author took the class because she excelled1 in theology. |
| B．Their relationship changed significantly beyond a teacher-student mode. |
| C．The author was a frequent visitor to Barbara’s home after working hours. |
| D．Barbara’s peaceful exterior was a contrast to the author’s overexcited talk. |
| A．The way Barbara treated her students. | B．The fact that the author kept silent in class. |
| C．The role of the author as a college student. | D．The relationship between Barbara and the author. |
| A．Barbara’s efforts to solve the problem. |
| B．Barbara’s sympathy shown in the letter. |
| C．The author’s in-depth understanding of Barbara. |
| D．Barbara’s congratulations on the birth of the author’s son. |
| A．Demanding and dedicated. | B．Responsible and reasonable. |
| C．Insightful and inspiring. | D．Aggressive and ambitious. |
2 . Cooking or baking has become a common cure for stress or feeling down, but there might actually be some science behind it. A study conducted by researchers followed 658 people for two weeks and found that a little creativity each day can go a long way towards happiness and satisfaction in daily life.
“There is growing recognition in psychology research that creativity is associated with emotional functioning,” Tamlin Conner, lead author on the study, explained. “However, most of this work focuses on how emotions benefit or prevent creativity, not whether creativity benefits or hampers (妨碍) emotional well-being.” By following detailed diaries kept by the study subjects, Conner found that in addition to feeling happier, people who worked on little creative projects every day also felt they were “flourishing”—a psychological term that describes the feeling of personal growth.
This isn’t the first time researchers have drawn a line connecting making food with positive feelings. In recent years, psychologists have started spending more time exploring cooking and baking as a therapeutic (治疗的) tool to help people dealing with things like depression and anxiety.
“When I’m in the kitchen, measuring the amount of sugar or butter I need for a recipe—I am in control,” baker John Whaite, who won “The Great British Bake Off” in 2012, told BBC.
For people like Whaite, who is suffering from manic depression, baking can help their mood by providing small tasks to focus on in a manner similar to meditation (冥想). In order to put together a good meal, cooks have to be constantly in the moment, adding ingredients, adjusting the heat of the stove and tasting their food—all of which can be helpful techniques in treating some forms of mental illness.
“A lot of us turn to baking when we’re feeling low.” Melanie Denyer, the founder of the Depressed Cake Shop, a bakery designed to draw awareness to mental health conditions, says. “Some of us even started baking because they were ill and needed something simple as a focus. And there is genuinely something very therapeutic about baking.”
Baking may not be a be-all and end-all cure for mental illness, but anyone in need of lifted spirits should consider pulling out the flour and warming up the oven.
1. What is the focus of most psychology research on creativity and emotions?| A．The benefits of creative projects on emotions. |
| B．The impacts of emotion on creativity. |
| C．The harm of creativity to emotional well-being. |
| D．The effects of creativity on emotional well-being. |
| A．To provide an alternative form of meditation. |
| B．To promote healthy and balanced eating habits. |
| C．To assist individuals in handling mental problems. |
| D．To help people with serious physical illnesses. |
| A．It won him “The Great British Bake Off”. |
| B．It helped him gain a sense of control. |
| C．It cured his depression through meditation. |
| D．It enabled him to become more creative. |
| A．Cooking and baking are creative activities. |
| B．Baking is a complete cure for mental illness. |
| C．Small creative tasks lead to improved emotional well-being. |
| D．Following recipes leads to personal growth in creativity. |
3 . Life can be wonderful, but realistically, it isn’t always so, no matter how hard you try.
Resilience is the ability to adapt to adversity (逆境) in a positive way. Resilient people are those who can become strengthened by difficult situations.
Another great thing about resilience is that it is not determined by genetics or personality.
To maximize your resilience, you need to know which factors influence it, both personal and environmental. That way, you can work on each factor and learn how to adapt to adversity in a positive way.
Next, it’s important to be able to see the good side of the situation. In other words, be optimistic — just don’t forget to be realistic. You shouldn’t focus on the negative things and forget about the positive,
Lastly, having a sense of humor can help to improve your resilience greatly. Being able to laugh at yourself or the situation is a worthwhile tool that helps you adapt to different obstacles.
| A．but nobody is born knowing how to adapt |
| B．Some good things will happen purely by chance |
| C．First of all, you have to accept what has happened |
| D．Firstly, you should keep all external factors in mind |
| E．But it’s more than just “seeing the good side of things” |
| F．That is, you’re not born with a limited capacity for resilience |
| G．but you also shouldn’t elevate the positive to an impossible level |
4 . To show empathy (同感能力) is to identify with another’s feelings.
If you have never felt a certain feeling, it will be hard for you to understand how another person is feeling. This holds equally true for pleasure and pain. If you have never put your hand in a flame, you will not know the pain of fire. Similarly, if you have never felt defiant (违抗的), you will not understand those feelings.
For this process to work, the first step is that we must be able to experience our own emotions. This means we must be open to them and not distract ourselves from them or try to numb (使麻木) ourselves from our feelings. Next, we need to become aware of what we are actually feeling — to acknowledge, identify, and accept our feelings.
| A．Only then can we understand another person’s feelings. |
| B．It is to emotionally put yourself in the place of others. |
| C．Therefore, it is a top priority to help children stay in touch with their feelings. |
| D．Once you have felt discriminated against, it is easier to understand that feeling. |
| E．We then can use the “reliving” of those emotions to guide our thinking and actions. |
| F．Intellectually knowing about a feeling is different from actually experiencing it yourself. |
| G．If one can not get on well with others, it is because they do not have the same feelings. |
5 . When I started researching the science of happiness a decade ago, I believed negative emotions had no place in it. It turned out that I was wrong.
Firstly, you need the full experience of human emotions, both the positive and the negative. Feeling all kinds of emotions shows that you are fully alive and that you care about what is going on. Secondly, the more you try to deny the negative emotions you feel, the more power you will give to them. Thirdly, all emotions help you to survive and develop. Positive emotions tell you when things are right. Negative emotions help guide you to feel right again in your next steps, Hence, negative emotions play an important role in your life. But that doesn’t mean they should play so loudly that they overpower the positive ones. Here is how to avoid them from happening and to get the most out of your negative emotions:
When you notice a negative emotion, become aware of it. Pay attention to it without any judgment. Simply pay attention to it for what it is. You may call it stress, fear, anxiety, sadness, or whatever it is that you are feeling. Don’t spend more time thinking about this.
Say “I feel X.” rather than “I am X.” For example, “I feel anxious,” or “I feel upset.” Make sure to say “I feel upset,” rather than “I am upset,” You stress that the emotion you are feeling is fleeting but not permanent. This way of processing negative emotions reminds you that you are simply feeling it, giving it less power and making it easier to overcome.
Ask yourself, “What is making me feel this way?” Exploring the reason behind the negative emotion will make it easier for you to manage it. When did this negative emotion come about? What made it start? Allowing yourself to ask these questions and explore your negative emotion will help you to make peace with it. You will also feel more confident about your ability to handle it.
Remind yourself that happiness isn’t the absence of negative emotions but your ability to deal with them.
1. What does the author want to tell us in paragraph 2?| A．The effect of feeling positive emotions. |
| B．The important role of negative emotions. |
| C．The difference between the two emotions. |
| D．The result of denying negative emotions. |
| A．To ignore it. | B．To explain it. | C．To research it. | D．To notice it. |
| A．Brief. | B．Reliable. | C．Constant. | D．Unavoidable. |
| A．The strong belief to become successful. |
| B．The courage to face various challenges. |
| C．The ability to manage negative emotions. |
| D．The opportunity to have positive emotions. |
Joe worked as a night watchman in a factory after he graduated from high school. It was a lonely job, but he was content. He stopped by the beach every day on his way home to watch the sunrise.
One day, he was walking on the beach when he noticed a bottle in the surf. Joe picked it up and saw a roll of paper inside it. His heart beat fast. He removed the lid and opened the letter. “Hi! My name is Ritchie. I’m sending this message in the hope that somebody will find it and become my friend.”
It saddened Joe to think of this boy waiting and hoping somebody would answer his message. He took his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number written near the bottom of the page.
However, the number didn’t exist anymore. Joe was determined to find Ritchie, so he went straight to the city library for help. A librarian took him to a section of the library that felt deserted. There, she pointed him to the shelves filled with old telephone books. She sat down with him, and they searched the telephone books for Ritchie’s phone number together. Two hours later, the librarian let out an excited scream. “I found him!”
“Thank you,” Joe said, quickly copying down the address. He immediately headed for the address from the phone book. He almost screamed when he saw that the house at the address had been transformed into a hair salon. Joe stared at the sign. He held the message from the bottle in one fist and the paper with the address in the other. He walked in and explained everything to the barber. “Ritchie was born with disabilities. He has been using a wheelchair since he was a kid. Well, he’s an old man now. If you still want to find him, I hear he’s at the Serenity nursing home.” Joe thanked the man and drove to the nursing home.
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。
After asking to see Ritchie, Joe was shown to a sunlit room.
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One day, Joe received a call, learning that Ritchie had passed away the previous night.
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7 . I was in first grade in Mrs. Bauer’s class at a time when elementary schools held student gift swaps. I was to
I bought a Matchbox car for Paul. After all, all boys
As Paul and other boys raced their new Matchbox cars delightedly in the classroom, I tried to hold back hot tears. Though I felt
When school was over, Mrs. Bauer asked me to remain behind for a moment. I sat
Afterwards, I became
| A．arrange | B．exchange | C．create | D．share |
| A．needed | B．identified | C．possessed | D．loved |
| A．took apart | B．put away | C．picked out | D．checked up |
| A．excited | B．sorrowful | C．concerned | D．proud |
| A．amusement | B．punishment | C．puzzlement | D．embarrassment |
| A．generally | B．simply | C．eventually | D．instantly |
| A．nervously | B．shyly | C．comfortably | D．casually |
| A．respect | B．courage | C．kindness | D．confidence |
| A．shame | B．regret | C．intention | D．disappointment |
| A．toy | B．tool | C．decoration | D．prize |
| A．certain | B．hopeful | C．happy | D．serious |
| A．understand | B．assess | C．remember | D．ignore |
| A．strict | B．content | C．popular | D．familiar |
| A．afford | B．choose | C．expect | D．agree |
| A．useful | B．fashionable | C．precious | D．necessary |
8 . The Healing Power of Music
Since Mom died and Dad lived alone, he was often angry, and lately he was getting more and more confusing. Today
Sure enough, Dad started
“It’ll take some time for her to learn how to help you,” I
The three of us sat
Linda
The music seemed to drive all the
When I left, he hugged me good-bye and asked me to
I’d come to Dad’s house expecting the
| A．promised | B．tended | C．planned | D．needed |
| A．choice | B．presence | C．name | D．assistance |
| A．absent-minded | B．ill-tempered | C．light-hearted | D．heart-struck |
| A．shouting | B．warning | C．remarking | D．complaining |
| A．advised | B．directed | C．comforted | D．informed |
| A．impatiently | B．anxiously | C．awkwardly | D．boringly |
| A．sprang | B．went | C．struggled | D．came |
| A．threw | B．placed | C．grabbed | D．played |
| A．laughing | B．singing | C．clapping | D．smiling |
| A．tension | B．atmosphere | C．sound | D．warmth |
| A．longest | B．strangest | C．nicest | D．rarest |
| A．check out | B．hang on | C．get through | D．look at |
| A．For a moment | B．At a time | C．By the way | D．On the whole |
| A．treasuring | B．wasting | C．saving | D．spending |
| A．best | B．commonest | C．worst | D．happiest |
1. 难忘瞬间;
2. 你的感受。
注意：1. 词数 100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节以使行文连贯。
My most unforgettable moment
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10 . COVID-19 changed a lot—how we socialized, where we went, and even what work looked like. A new study shows the pandemic (流行病) may have changed our personalities as well.
Psychologists have long believed that a person’s characters stayed pretty much the same, even in the wake of stressful events. But by looking at pre-pandemic levels of neuroticism (神经质), extraversion (外向), openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness (勤奋而细心) and comparing that to data collected in 2021 and 2022, researchers found clear personality changes among the United States population.
“The pandemic was an opportunity to see how a collective stressful event may impact personality,” said lead study author Angelina Sutin, a professor of medicine at Florida State University.
Extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness all declined in the US population in the years following the start of the pandemic, particularly in young adults, according to the study, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.
Why were younger adults more impacted? We don’t know for sure, Sutin said, but there are theories. “Personality is less stable in young adults. Then at the same time, the pandemic disturbed what young adults are supposed to be doing. They’re supposed to be in school or starting their careers. Then, everything was changed. However, the results didn’t hold true for each person.”
Researchers examined the data through the five-factor model, which hypothesizes (提出假说) that the various personality characters can come down to five important qualities: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
Over the entire population they examined, researchers found a declining trend in neuroticism in 2020, but the changes were small. Once they took 2021 and 2022 data into account, researchers saw a more significant decrease in extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Neuroticism also increased over this time. That is especially significant considering how important those characters are, Sutin said. For example, conscientiousness is important for academic and work outcomes, as well as relationship and physical health, she added.
1. How do researchers get their study results?| A．By comparing data collected in different periods. |
| B．By collecting data from different people. |
| C．By making experiments in a university. |
| D．By building a five-factor model. |
| A．Personality is more stable in old adults. |
| B．The study results hold true for every person. |
| C．Younger adults are less impacted during the pandemic. |
| D．American people are more likely to be influenced. |
| A．Neuroticism. | B．Extraversion. |
| C．Openness. | D．Conscientiousness. |
| A．Pandemic Has a Great Impact on People’s Life |
| B．Young Adults Adapted Quickly During the Pandemic |
| C．Different Personality Characters Influence Social Relationships |
| D．People Experienced Personality Changes During the Pandemic |
