1 .

I grew up hearing that it is better to give than to receive, and the older I get, the more I aim to take this message to heart. Nevertheless, here I am, in the midst of the holiday season stressed out about gifts I have not yet purchased.

How did gift buying become an emotionally fraught chore (苦差事)? For a moment, it’s easy to question if it’s worth it. But science tells me that giving makes us feel good.

“The act of giving actually does improve your happiness,” says Michael Norton, a psychologist at Harvard Business School. He has published several studies on the effects of giving.

In one experiment that included about 700 people, the researchers randomly assigned participants to make either a purchase for themselves, or for a stranger. Afterwards, the participants reported how happy they felt. Turns out, giving to others led to a significant happiness boost, whereas spending on oneself didn’t move the needle.

“If you take $5 out of your pocket today, the science really does show that spending $5 on yourself doesn’t do much for you,” Norton says. “But spending that $5 on somebody else is more likely to increase your happiness.”

Take a scarf. If you buy one for yourself, it’s just another thing you don’t necessarily need. But if you buy a scarf for someone else, “you’ve shown them that they’re important to you,” Norton says. Either way, it’s just a scarf. “But it can either be a throwaway object or something that enhances a relationship between two people,” he says.

So, there’s evidence that generosity promotes happiness, but the process of shopping, wrapping and schlepping (搬) gifts can be tiresome — or even extremely annoying considering all of our day-­to­-day demands and other holiday stressors.

Studies also show when people are given something they are more likely to give back. Reciprocity (互惠) is a foundation of good relationships and when we surround ourselves with generous people, we tend to feel the same. Feeling that spirit of giving and the connection it can bring is what the holidays are all about.

1. Why does the author mention his own experience in paragraph 1?

A．To make a prediction.	B．To introduce the topic.
C．To present a reason.	D．To clarify a concept.

2. How does Norton illustrate his opinion in paragraphs 5 and 6?

A．By listing data.	B．By giving examples.
C．By making comments.	D．By telling personal experiences.

3. Why is preparing a gift sometimes an emotionally fraught chore?

A．It’s difficult and expensive.	B．It happens frequently.
C．It’s not valued by others.	D．It requires much effort.

4. What can we learn about giving gifts from the text?

A．It is not worth the effort.

B．It is a must to enhance a relationship.

C．It brings about emotional benefits.

D．It gains popularity during holidays.

2 . How Using A Mood Tracker App Could Help Your Mental Health

You track your nutrition and your workouts, but why wouldn’t you track your mood?    1    They can be used by everyone, from those dealing with mental health conditions such as depression or mood anxiety to those who just want to keep an eye on their stress levels.

    2    .

Many of them allow you to record factors that may be affecting your mental health, such as sleep, nutrition, and exercise. You can also see how changes are affecting your mental health. Mood trackers can also keep you honest about your self-reporting bias.

How Does a Mood Tracker App Work?

Firstly, research shows that mood tracker apps can help people better identify their moods and in turn, understand them. Awareness of one’s mood has been linked to better mental health outcome.    3    By recording the data that someone can refer back to during an appointment, apps can also help people feel more empowered rather than be a passive consumer.

Who Should Use Them?

Generally speaking, a mood tracker app can be helpful to most people.    4    Research shows at the mood tracker apps that are the most helpful in reducing symptoms are the ones that provide education on things like cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and tools, rather than ones that only record symptoms.

Mood tracker apps are one of the most popular categories or smartphones app stores, so you have no lack of choices with a simple search for mood tracker.    5    

A．Why Use a Mood Tracker App?

B．Mood tracker apps are gaining in popularity.

C．And those who are dealing with mood disorders will benefit most from it.

D．Research on apps using predictive technology is incredibly encouraging.

E．Mood tracker apps are often more than just a place to record your emotions.

F．Additionally, apps can help people better communicate with mental health professionals.

G．If you don’t have as art phone or don’t want to download an app, there are web-based trackers to consult.

3 . The nature of compassion fatigue (同情疲劳) means that many working in traditional care-giving roles are likely to experience its symptoms. This includes first responders, medical professionals, social workers, journalists, and lawyers specializing in family law or criminal law.

Kelli Collins, a licensed family therapist, remarks “Think about muscle fatigue—if you work out too hard, your muscles might simply give out. In the same way, compassion fatigue means your ability to offer compassion to others is dramatically affected.”

Collins herself experienced compassion fatigue as a young therapist working in a community mental health setting, where she “had the strong desire to help” but quickly realized some things were out of her “rang of influence”. She felt herself becoming easily annoyed with loved ones, sleeping very little, and fantasizing about changing careers. It was an overwhelming time, during which she felt she was failing her clients.

“I thought that by giving endless compassion to my clients, I was ‘leaving it all on the field’. In fact, bearing the responsibility for my clients’ pain without consideration for my own needs and limits meant that I wasn’t a particularly effective therapist,” she says.

Lynne Hughes, who founded Comfort Zone in 1999 and now serves as CEO, lost both her parents as a child, experiencing first-hand the lack of resources and support for grieving children. Hughes expresses similar feelings about the challenge of compassion fatigue, stressing the importance of looking inward.

“Suffering from compassion fatigue does not mean you’re bad at helping or caring, it only means the scale between caring for others and caring for yourself is no longer balanced,” she says. “When you’re in a role where you’re nurturing and caring for others — it’s crucial to extend that nurture and care to yourself so that ‘your well’ does not run dry.”

But both Hughes and Collins emphasize that it’s not only traditional caregivers who experience compassion fatigue. “It is applicable to anyone in a caring role,” says Hughes, while Collins believes it is a uniquely human condition, occupational or not.

1. Why does Collins mention the muscle fatigue?

A．To describe she is in a bad mood.

B．To show she is eager to give a hand.

C．To suggest she has limited pity for others.

D．To explain she is much tired of her customers.

2. Which of the following do Hughes and Collins agree with?

A．Care for yourself while caring for others.

B．Compassion fatigue has nothing to do with career.

C．Those with compassion fatigue are poor at helping.

D．Shy persons always tend to suffer compassion fatigue.

3. What does “your well” in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A．Pity.

B．Nurture.

C．Symptoms.

D．Occupation.

4. How does the author develop the text?

A．By giving examples.	B．By quoting arguments.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By analyzing reasons and causes.

4 . We all want to know what happiness means and try to find ways to help make our life better. Happiness — you know it when you see it, but it’s hard to define. You might call it a sense of well-being, optimism or meaningfulness in life, although those could also be treated separately.     1     we know that we want it, and that is just somehow good.

We also know that we don’t always have control over our happiness. Research suggests that genetics may play a big role in our level of happiness, so some of us may start out at a disadvantage. On top of that, environmental factors can bring down mood and dry up our thirst for living.     2    . Many studies have found a connection between psychological and physical well-being.

A 2022 review of more than 200 studies found a connection between positive psychological features, such as happiness, optimism and life satisfaction, and a lowered risk of heart disease.

    3    . If you have a good sense of well-being, it’s easier to maintain good habits: exercising, eating a balanced diet and getting enough sleep.

    4    , and they do not provide hard evidence of cause and effect. But some researchers believe that positive mental states do have a direct effect on the body, perhaps by reducing damaging physical processes. For instance, they found that optimism is associated with lower levels of inflammation (炎症).

If what you mean by happiness is specifically “enjoyment of life”, there’s newer evidence to support that, too. A study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that people aged 60 and over who said they enjoyed life less were more likely to develop disability over an 8-year period.     5    . This study does not prove that physical problems are caused by less enjoyment of life, but suggests a relationship.

A．But whatever happiness really is.

B．It might take more work if your mood is low.

C．For now these studies can only show associations.

D．That refers to the person, and the situation he or she is in.

E．Being able to travel around was also related to enjoyment of life.

F．To manage our emotions is important for both our body and mind.

G．It’s not as simple as “you must be happy to prevent heart attacks”, though.

5 . It’s hard to please everybody all the time. Whatever you do, and no matter how hard you try, there will always be certain people who dislike you. There are often times you can overlook them and go on with your life. Sometimes, however, a person’s negative feelings for you might affect your grades or your ability to meet and get along with other people.     1     .

Have an open conversation

This might be awkward, but sometimes the only way to know what is going on or why someone has a problem with you is to speak out straightforwardly.     2     . That means instead of saying “Why don’t you like me? ”, say something like “I feel like there is some tension between us. Is there anything I have done or anything I can do to help? ”

    3    

If you’ve done something to hurt or offend someone and that is the reason why the person dislikes you, the best course of action is to try to make it right. Clearly say the words, “I’m sorry. ” Be sure not to say “I’m sorry you were offended. ” or “I’m sorry you felt that way. ” or anything else that places the blame on the other person for misinterpreting your intentions.     4     .

Learn to let it go

    5     . Importantly, you have to choose not to allow the person who dislikes you to influence you or get you down. It is OK to be disliked. Remember that even the most popular and well-loved celebrities are disliked by some people!

A．Build self-confidence

B．Apologize and make it right

C．Try to redirect feelings of anger by breathing deeply

D．In these situations, it might be time to deal with the problem

E．Instead, be humble and own to the fact that you’ve hurt someone

F．It’s OK to be disliked if you’ve done everything and are still disliked

G．Try to express your ideas with “I-phrases”, which focus on your feelings

6 . Based on his own research at Washington University in St. Louis and other scientific studies, psychology lecturer Bono offers the following tips for getting and staying happier in your life.

    1     Looking forward to an enjoyable experience can make it all that much sweeter. Wait a couple of days before seeing a new movie that just came out, plan your big vacation for later in the summer, and try to take time to enjoy each bite of dessert. On the opposite, get negative tasks out of the way as quickly as possible — any delay will only make them seem worse.

People who focus more on process than outcome tend to remain motivated in the face of setbacks. They’re better at sticking with major challenges and prefer them over the easy route.     2     Because it celebrates rewards that come from the work itself. Focusing only on the outcome can lead to premature burnout if things don’t go well.

    3     Find an activity that allows you to get together with friends on a regular, ongoing basis. A weekly happy hour, poker night, or TV show ensures consistency and motivation in your social interactions. People with high-quality relationships are not only happier, but also healthier.     4    

The next time you are attracted to use your phone to look through social media, look through your list of contacts instead.     5     The happiness you get from a real connection with another person will be far greater than any comments or likes you get on social media.

A．Anticipation itself is pleasurable.

B．Decrease unnecessary socializing.

C．Find someone to call or FaceTime.

D．This “growth mindset” helps people stay energized.

E．Facebook and Instagram often overstate how much better off others are.

F．Nothing is more important for our psychological health than high-quality friendships.

G．They recover from illnesses more quickly, live longer, and enjoy more enriched lives.

7 . From Marie Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion (鬼屋) to horror-themed escape rooms, haunted house attractions have terrified and delighted audiences around the world for more than 200 years.

These attractions turn out to be good places to study fear. They help scientists understand the body’s response to fright and how we perceive some situations as enjoyably thrilling and others as truly terrible. One surprising finding: having friends close at hand in a haunted house might make you more jumpy, not less so.

Psychologist and study co-author Sarah Tashjian, who is now at the University of Melbourne, and her team conducted their research with 156 adults, who each wore a wireless wrist sensor during their visit. The sensor measured skin responses linked to the body’s reactions to stress and other situations. When the sensor picked up, for example, greater skin conductance — that is, the degree to which the skin can transmit an electric current — that was a sign that the body was more aroused and ready for fight or flight. In addition to this measure, people reported their expected fear (on a scale of 1 to 10) before entering the haunted house and their experienced fear (on the same scale) after completing the haunt.

The scientists found that people who reported greater fear also showed heightened skin responses. Being with friends, Tashjian and her colleagues further found, increased physiological arousal during the experience, which was linked to stronger feelings of fright. In fact, the fear response was actually weaker when people went through the house in the presence of strangers.

Other investigators have used haunted houses to understand how fear and enjoyment can coexist. In a 2020 study led by Marc Malmdorf Andersen, a member of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark, scientists joined forces with Dystopia Haunted House. The Danish attraction includes such terrifying experiences as being chased by “Mr. Piggy”, a large, chain-saw-wielding man wearing a bloody butcher’s apron and pig mask. People between the ages of 12 and 57 were video recorded at peak moments during the attraction, wore heart-rate monitors throughout and reported on their experience. People’s fright was tied to large-scale heart-rate fluctuations; their enjoyment was linked to small-scale ones. The results suggest that fear and enjoyment can happen together when physiological arousal is balanced “just right”.

1. Studying haunted house attractions helps scientists to learn about ________.

A．the psychological effects of fear on individuals

B．the history of horror-themed entertainment

C．the body’s response to material rewards

D．the impact of technology on people’s enjoyment

2. How did Sarah Tashjian and her team conduct their research on haunted house experiences?

A．By surveying participants.	B．By analyzing historical records.
C．By employing wireless wrist sensors.	D．By using virtual reality simulations.

3. What did Tashjian and her colleagues discover in their study?

A．Being with friends elevated level of physiological arousal.

B．The fear reaction was stronger in the company of strangers.

C．Psychological effect was unrelated to intensified feelings of fright.

D．Those reporting lightened fear showed increased skin responses.

4. It can be concluded from the 2020 study led by Marc Malmdorf Andersen that ________.

A．fear and enjoyment can not happen at the same time

B．large-scale heart-rate fluctuations were linked to enjoyment

C．the age of the participants was not related to the study’s findings

D．fear and enjoyment can coexist under certain conditions

8 . Recent studies have found that good things really do come to those who wait. Some, of these science-backed benefits are detailed below, along with three ways to develop more patience in your life.

    1    . This finding is probably easy to believe if you call to mind the typical impatient person: face red, head steaming. Patient people tend to experience less depression and negative emotions, perhaps because they can deal better with upsetting or stressful situations.

Patient people are better friends and neighbors.     2    . Think of the best friend who comforts you night atter night over the heartache that just won’t go away, or the grandchild who smiles through the story she has heard her grandfather tell countless times.

Patience helps us achieve our goals. The road to achievement is a long one, and those without patience may not be willing to walk it. Patient people make more effort and progress toward their goals.     3    .

Patience is linked to good health. Patient people are less likely to report health problems like headaches and pneumonia.     4    . If patience can reduce our daily stress, it’s reasonable to infer that it could also protect us against stress’s damaging effects.

And how to develop patience? Reframe the situation. Patience is linked to self-control, and consciously trying to regulate our emotions can help us train our self-control muscles.

Practice mindfulness. Taking a deep breath and noticing your feelings of anger or overload can help your respond with more patience.

    5    . If we’re thankful for what we have today, we’re not desperate for more stuff or better circumstances immediately.

A．Practice gratefulness

B．Patience is a form of kindness

C．Patience can be achieved through training

D．As virtues go, patience is a quiet one

E．Patient people enjoy better mental health

F．They are also more satisfied when they realize them

G．But impatient people have more health complaints and worse sleep

9 . “You’re as stupid as a goat.” It is a common insult (侮辱) in Nigeria. Recently a study published in Animal Behaviour suggested that’s just not true.

Alan McElligott, associate professor of animal behavior and welfare in City University of Hong Kong conducted a study in cooperation with Marianne Mason, an expert in the cognitive (认知的) abilities of goats in England.

In the experiment, a speaker was hidden to play a recording of a human saying “Hey, look over here!” with two versions—a happy one and an angry one. When the study’s 27 goat participants entered the pen one by one, the speaker would play either the positive or negative version 9 times in a row. At first the goats would respond by looking up and even looking for the source of the sound. But after a few repetitions, they would just stop paying attention. Then the speaker switched to play the opposite version three times. 71% of those disinterested goats lifted their ears and looked up in the direction of the sound. Among those newly engaged goats, some started to investigate the source of the sound longer than in the initial stages of the experiment, suggesting they noticed the emotions had changed.

The finding is a case in point of the intelligence of goats. Actually, experienced goat farmers have already known that their livestock (家畜) are discriminating listeners and respond well to kind treatment. So why do such a study if that’s already known? “By showing this ability in goats, we’re trying to move the needle in terms of opening people’s eyes to the cognitive abilities of livestocks. Our overall goal is to get people to think about animals in a different way, to treat them a little bit better.” says Mason. The two researchers hope that people will start to understand these livestocks deserve to be nicely treated, especially as we are using them for our milk products and meat.

1. What did Alan McElligott and Marianne Mason work together on?

A．The intelligence of goats.	B．Social abilities of animals.
C．Distinctive behavior of goats.	D．Animal welfare in HongKong.

2. What do we know about the experiment?

A．The 27 goats paid no attention to the voice all the time.

B．The majority of goats noticed the change of the emotions.

C．The speaker kept playing the positive version throughout the experiment.

D．The goats kept responding to the source of the sound in the initial stages.

3. Which is closest in meaning to the underlined words “move the needle” in paragraph 4?

A．Adjust a study goal.	B．Shift the public’s attention.
C．Make a positive change.	D．Change the original structure.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The background of the study.	B．The main purpose of the study.
C．The farmers’reactions to the study.	D．The wisdom of some goat farmers.

10 . The voice within can guide you toward development and optimism. But sometimes, that inner dialogue also presents a critical voice.     1     Having control of your inner voice can be a powerful tool for creating cycles of positive thinking. Here are some good ideas that help control your thoughts in a healthy way.

    2     People who don’t believe in themselves can go through life allowing negative thoughts to guide them. So, have you ever realized that negative chatter is filling your head? For example, “I’m not worthy” or “I have no skills to take on this challenge”. Write down all negative thoughts that may be coming to your mind so that you may begin to replace these with healthy ones as you begin to change your way of thinking.

Choose your friend circle wisely. If you want to live a happy life, it’s important to surround yourself with people who want to see you do good.     3     Well, science backs this up! So surround yourself with friends who express healthy thoughts and a positive mindset.

Shift your mindset toward growth. A growth mindset is a belief that your talents are developable over time. A person with a growth mindset tends to be less likely to suffer mental health problems. So do develop a growth mindset!     4    

Choose to respond rather than react. Often, when someone feels triggered (激怒), they react without thinking.     5     However, by choosing to respond carefully rather than react, you’re exercising control over your thoughts in healthy ways. So next time you notice a strong thought coming up, do reflect before responding.

A．Identify negative thoughts.

B．Learn from negative thoughts.

C．It points out shortcomings, limitations and worries.

D．As a result, they usually end up saying something they may regret.

E．Are you feeling there are repetitive thoughts circling around your head?

F．In this way, you’ll be more determined to achieve happiness and success.

G．A saying goes that you’re the average of the five people you spend time with.