1 . My grandfather was a rigid perfectionist. Everything had to be orderly, precise and punctual. I was frightened of him until the day he died. Growing up, my mother desperately wanted to please him. She probably thought he might leave if she didn’t.

In fact, I now think the fear of being left alone, abandoned, was a current throughout much of her life. A few years into my father suffering from Alzheimer, my mother’s voice on the phone sounded so upset that I had to tell her, “Just be with yourself for a little while.”

“No, I can’t do that. I don’t want to do that,” she said abruptly, closing the door on the subject. A while after my father died, she told me that she kept the television on all the time because it made her feel less lonely. “It makes the house seem more lived in,” she said. I had given in to my annoyance and either turned the volume down or turned it off. But after she told me that it filled in some of the loneliness, I never reached for the remote again.

We have had a long journey together, she and I. Over a half-century of memories, now that the journey has ended, I have a choice which ones to study which ones to turn over in my hands and dust off.

I choose to look at the ones that ache with a sweet truth not told often enough: there was love between us. It was just hard to find sometimes. I choose to remember her face on that winter day in Manhattan, when I came to her with a broken heart. I choose to remember walking on the shore with her in summers when we rented a beach house; somehow the sea always transformed us. And how she looked on my wedding day when she handed me a bracelet that had belonged to my grandmother. “Something old,” she said.

1. From the author’s point of view, what did her mother feel in her much time of life?

A．A sense of relief.	B．A sense of excitement.
C．A sense of being deserted.	D．A sense of being pleased.

2. How does the author support the theme of the text?

A．By giving examples.	B．By stating arguments.
C．By interviewing her father.	D．By visiting her grandfather.

3. The author writes the story to ________.

A．express regret for her grandfather

B．show her sympathy toward her mother

C．reveal her deep feelings for her mother

D．emphasize her concern about the generation gap

2 . Over the years working as a psychologist, I have found that the following habits seem to be the most important for developing a happier, healthier mind,

    1    
By nature, most of us are critical of our emotions—especially the difficult ones: You feel anxious and afraid and then immediately criticize yourself for being weak. Though something feels bad, it doesn’t mean it is bad.     2     When your muscles are painful after a good workout, your pain is a sign of growth and health. Sometimes pain is helpful. By avoiding it or trying to get rid of it, you could be making things worse on yourself.
Be realistic with your expectations.

When you create an expectation in your head—which is really just you imagining the thing you want to be true—it relieves some of that anxiety and uncertainty for the time being. But in reality, your expectations are merely fictions in your own mind.

Expectations have their place.     3     If you want a calmer and more peaceful mind, get into the habit of checking on your expectations regularly and make sure they aren’t too far outside of reality.

Practice compassion (同情) in your self-talk.

    4    When you’re too negative and particular about yourself, you turn normal embarrassment into intense shame; everyday depression into anger; ordinary sadness into desperation. If you want to start being kinder toward yourself, follow The Other Golden Rule:     5     The next time you feel bad, imagine that a good friend felt the same way and came to you for support and advice... What would you say to them?

A．Acknowledge your emotions.

B．Try to avoid painful emotions.

C．Negative self-talk worsens your emotions.

D．In much of life, pain is actually a good thing.

E．Treat yourself like you would treat a good friend.

F．But they may run wild and cause negative effects if ignored.

G．They teach your brain that your emotions are bad and dangerous.

3 . The Happy Man

The happy man lives objectively, and has free love and wide interests, through which he secures his happiness. To be the receivers of love is a vital cause of happiness, but the man who demands love is not the man to whom it is given.     1     But it is useless to attempt to give love as a calculation, for it is not sincere and is not felt.

What then can a man do who is unhappy because he is enclosed in self? If he is to get out of the vicious (恶性的) circle of unhappiness, it must be by true interests. But before that, he should analyze his trouble first.     2     If fear is his trouble, let him practice exercises designed to give courage.

Admit to himself every day at least one painful truth.     3     Exercises of this sort will enable him to admit facts and will free him from the fear to a large extent.

    4     Do not say to yourself in advance, “I should be happy if I could become interested in stamp-collecting,” and thus set to work to collect stamps, for it may well happen that you will altogether fail to find stamp-collecting interesting. You may be pretty sure that true objective interests will grow up as soon as you have learnt not to be self-centered.

All unhappiness depends upon lack of integration (融合). There is disintegration within the self,consciously and unconsciously or between the self and society.     5     Such a man feels himself a citizen of the universe, enjoying what it affords, untroubled by the death because he feels not separate from those who will come after him.

A．There is much he can do about it.

B．The man who receives love is the man who gives it.

C．The interests will arise when you overcome being self-centered.

D．The happy life is to an extraordinary extent the same as the good life.

E．Teach himself life is worth even not having great virtue or intelligence.

F．Self-denying leaves a man self-absorbed and aware of his own sacrifice.

G．Neither divided against the self nor the world, the happy man never fails to unite.

4 . Positive emotions don’t just feel good—they’re good for you. Research shows that people feel and do their best when they experience at least three times as many positive emotions as negative ones. Here are some ways to increase positive emotions in everyday life.

    1     Make a list. Add new emotions as you notice them. You also can look over your list of emotions at the end of the day and write down when you felt different positive emotions. Did you feel proud after playing well on the soccer field?     2     Tracking these positive emotions helps us be more aware of the positive feelings we already experience, and the situations or activities that bring them.

Identify a positive emotion you want to increase.     3     Think of situations or activities you’ve experienced that made you aware of your joy. Write down as many as you can. Focus on small, simple things, like a song that makes you feel joyful whenever you hear it. Any time you notice you’ re feeling joyful, consider adding that situation or activity to your list.

Sometimes we forget the way back to feeling positive. We might need a reminder that can lead us back to a happier emotional place.     4     A positivity box is a collection of reminders of positive experiences we’ve had. These reminders bring back the feelings associated with the good moments in our lives, our strengths, joys and accomplishments, the fun we’ve had, the books or music that have meaning for us, the people who are important to us.     5    

A．It’s a positivity “treasure chest”.

B．Let’s say you want to feel more joy.

C．Happy to see a film with your best friend?

D．That’s when a positivity box is really helpful.

E．Happy when your friends remembered your birthday?

F．Collect things that remind you of positive emotional moments.

G．Name the positive emotions you’ve experienced in your daily life.

5 . In your daily life negative emotions (负面情绪) can do great harm to you. If you want to stay away from bad feelings, you can train yourself to let the light in.     1     To achieve it, you should keep to the following points.

Start smiling more. When you smile, your brain start neural (神经系统的) messages that actually make you feel more positive. Even if you’re feeling kind of unhappy, make your face do the work of smiling to have a good day.

    2     It’s easy for you to say something that can bring you down. Using positive (积极的) words has a good effect on your mood and your view.

Do nice things for others. Sometimes you may have a day with bad feelings.     3     You can choose to spread heart-warming things around, and the smiles you get will surely make you feel joyful. To lighten someone else’s day, you can clean up the house before your partner or roommate gets home or pickup coffee for your office.

Be with people you enjoy. If you want to think positively, make yourself stay with other positive thinkers, and with people who bring out the best in you.     4    

Keep a diary and record each day. If you sometimes end the day on a unpleasant note, train yourself to turn that around. Instead, sit down and pour yourself a cup of tea.     5     What happened? What went right? What went wrong? Put it all down.

A．That doesn’t mean you have to be like that.

B．Make some changes in the words you use.

C．Don’t judge yourself simply by others’ feelings.

D．Just think over it and start writing about your day.

E．Hangout with those who are supportive and friendly.

F．It is important to find the bright side and stay positive.

G．Talk about things that went along well and explain why.

6 . When I was in school, I participated in an internship (实习期) with a hospital chaplain (牧师). This largely included me visiting certain hospital patients and then discussing the communication with the chaplain.

I had no special training in this, and introducing myself to strangers was not my natural talent. On one visit, I cautiously entered a darkened room to find an elderly man lying lonely in the bed. He was awake, but very weak, confused and anxious. He badly wanted to communicate something, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He obviously didn’t want me to leave, but I felt so lost and uncomfortable that I had to leave the room after only several minutes.

The next time I was at the hospital, I was arranged to make follow-up visits with the same list of patients. I expected my time with the old man to be just as short as the last time. As I arrived at the room, the first thing I noticed was that the lights were on. His daughter was there visiting him. He was sitting in the bed and looked much better. I was certain the man didn’t remember me at all, but he recognized me immediately, saying, "I remember you. You were the angel that gave me hope in my darkest hour!" I was so amazed that I didn’t know how to respond.

       I may never be able to explain it, but somehow he found in me something he needed at an important point in his life, just because I was there. I have thought about this encounter (相遇) often over the past 25 years. It has shaped the way I see life, the way I see myself, and the way I see others. Obviously, we can’t know the effect our actions, or even just our presence, will have on life.

1. Why did the writer leave the elderly man soon on the first visit?

A．They had a short and boring conversation.

B．The elderly man wanted to stay by himself.

C．The writer was frightened by the elderly man.

D．The writer didn’t know what he could do to help.

2. What happened on the writer’s second visit to the elderly man?

A．The elderly man’s condition turned much better.

B．The elderly man could hardly remember the writer.

C．The writer planned to communicate more deeply with the elderly man.

D．The writer wasn’t surprised at being called an angel by the elderly man.

3. The elderly man regarded the writer as his angel most probably because _______.

A．he was encouraged by the writer’s words

B．the writer’s second visit moved him deeply

C．he was impressed by the writer’s friendliness

D．the writer’s first visit gave him much strength

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Getting a New Talent.	B．An Angel by Accident.
C．Saving a Lonely Old Man.	D．Communication Makes Life Better.

7 . Ways to Show Gratitude (感激)

COVID-19 has a way of making people feel like their world was turned upside down overnight. They struggle with feeling frightened and feeling like everyone is overreacting (反应过度).     1    

Give thanks for everyday things

    2     In fact, being grateful for something as small as a fresh cup of coffee, a sunny day, or a perfect parking spot can give you a better mood and train your brain to see the good rather than the bad.

    3    

One way to make gratitude a regular part of your day is to make it a habit to think of three things you are thankful for each day. It doesn’t really matter whether you perform this exercise first thing in the morning or just before you go to bed. The important thing is that you’re taking time and reflecting on what you are grateful for.

Keep track of everything you’re grateful for

Using a phone app like Gratitude Plus, you can record the things you’re grateful for. Another option is to use social media or even post-it notes to express your gratitude.     4     This way, when you’re feeling down, you can reflect on the things that previously (以前) brought a smile to your face.

Reflect on past negative experiences

Look back on the worst moments in your life.     5     Consider not only what you suffered, but also what you learned through the experiences. When you find the positive in negative experiences, you have turned them into something positive that does you good in the end.

A．Make gratitude a daily habit.

B．Stick to expressing gratitude in public.

C．Then, compare those with where you are now.

D．Gratitude doesn’t have to be over the top or something significant.

E．You can hardly stay strong while recalling the moments that ever happened.

F．But learning to practice gratitude every day can bring some changes to your life.

G．The key is to use a method to help you remember the things you are grateful for.

8 . Express Yourself

If you do think you've been bottling up your emotions, here are some tips for connecting with your feelings.

Let go of shame.     1     It means you're a human being experiencing feelings. Being able to express those emotions in healthy ways, like shedding tears, is OK.

Explore your reactions in the moment. Facing a challenging situation can bring up difficult emotions or thoughts that you might not want or feel able to deal with.     2     Wherever possible, try to be with and face your reactions as they come up.

Make room for emotions. Not everyone is comfortable crying in public and that's OK. Make sure you find a safe place where you can work through your feelings in whatever ways to feel right and safe.     3    

Find what works for you. Of course, crying isn't the only way to express how you feel.     4     Remember it's completely normal to have a whole range of reactions and that even the difficult ones are a natural part of life.

    5     If you find it difficult to connect to your emotions, you could try listening to a sentimental piece of music or watching a tearjerker movie to help unlock them. But remember that what feels normal for one person might not feel the same as another, so if the tears don't roll, don't worry.

If you experience long periods when you can't stop crying, or feel you can't connect with your feelings, try to talk to a guardian, or another trusted adult—maybe an auntie or uncle. You could also ask to speak to a school counselor or nurse. If that feels too much, visit youngminds.org.uk.

A．Get in the mood.

B．Adjust your mood.

C．Crying doesn't mean that you are weak.

D．Ignoring or pushing them away, however, can become a habit.

E．Crying sometimes can be the best way to deal with your pressure.

F．You could go to your room or to a quiet place in nature, or perhaps go to places with good memories.

G．You could try finding words to describe your emotions and talk to someone you trust, or you could express how you feel through drawing.

9 . “I think kawaii, or cute feelings, can remind us of human connection that we sometimes forget,” says Hiroshi Nittono, director of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory at Osaka University.

“Viewing cute images of baby animals gives us a desire to act tenderly and responsibly to protect them,” he explains. “This idea holds that weak and defenseless but cute things set off caregiving behavior in the beholder.” Cute things make us feel protective, and when we’re protective, we might be naturally more focused.

Engineers, advertisers, and developers have taken advantage of this phenomenon, using kawaii to control user experience and consumer behavior. Researchers call it cute engineering. It’s a way to harness positive feelings and emotions to motivate (激励) and shape the user’s behavior in a positive way.

Sometimes cute engineering is subtle (微妙的), but it’s often quite obvious. Engineers use kawaii in the field of robotics, for instance—the cuter the robot, the more humans will want to engage with it. There’s also the iMac, which over the years, Apple designed to be subtly adorable (可爱的). It persuaded traditionally non-computer users to buy into the world of computing so that they could sell more units.

There’s also “cute filtering (萌物滤镜)”, a component of cute engineering that allows consumers to personalize their kawaii experience, just like the way iMac users could choose the color of their units. In this way, users can create their own kawaii experience. Using a “cute filter”, users can freely choose the cuteness parameters (参数) such as color, size, motion, smell, and taste to adjust their desired cute output.

1. Why would people like to protect cute baby animals according to Hiroshi Nittono?

A．People have no choice but to do it.

B．People are taught to protect animals.

C．Cute things motivate people to protect them.

D．Cute baby animals are too weak to protect themselves.

2. What does the underlined word “harness” probably mean?

A．Focus on.

B．Figure out.

C．Throw light on.

D．Make use of.

3. Why was the iMac designed to be adorable?

A．The iMac could shape people’s preference.

B．Computer producers could make more money.

C．Engineers could design computers to their taste.

D．Consumers would like to have more kawaii experience.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Power of Kawaii.	B．Protect Cute Animals.
C．A New Discovery.	D．Control Cute Feelings.

10 . Alex Zhang, a 26-year-old male engineering worker, has been working at one of China’s leading telecommunication companies for years. He believes that the current situation at his company has become stagnant, despite the fact that his co-workers are staying later and later in the office and volunteering more frequently to work on weekends.

“At first people would try to work like a horse, but gradually the rising number of working hours doesn’t mean a higher reward anymore but will only bring anxiety and stress,” Zhang added. “Also, as some people realize they have to stay overtime anyway, they become slack (懈怠的) during the day.”

“Involution,” or nèi juǎn in Chinese, is a rising buzzword (流行语) in China, referring to the status of not making any progress and development. It was first used to describe the unreasonable amount of work every student has to face to get competitive grades inside Chinese universities. Later it has spread fast and come to refer to the abnormal work culture of big companies where 996 ― working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 6 days a week ― is common. More and more tired workers have begun to talk about similarly depressing working conditions they face, fueling heated discussions online.

Facing such an exhausting and unrewarding competition, Generation Y and Z are beginning to choose “lying flat” — a new phrase popularized within the last few weeks, meant to reflect the unresisting and unbothered attitude. Besides being used in the workplace, other areas that “lying flat” happens include marriage, consumption (消费), and social activities. Feeling more and more powerless, some young people have had a complete lack of interest in getting married, having kids, and making large purchases. When China’s “the three-child policy” is making waves on the internet, some netizens are responding with comments that point to the deep causes within education, housing, and the unfair treatment that female employees face, all of which are reasons behind people’s “lying down” attitude.

What is on earth the right attitude towards life? Among the heated discussion online, “I lie down. You involute. Neither of us is the other’s business.” was one of the most popular comments. But are there only two options? Instead of thinking about how to make a difficult choice, what you need to think about is how to adjust your mind and get rid of anxiety. Live your own life based on reality and shoulder the responsibility. That’s it.

1. What does the underlined word “stagnant” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Energetic.	B．Inactive.
C．Competitive.	D．Exhausted.

2. In which of the following contexts was the term “involution” first used?

A．Workplace.	B．Politics.
C．Education.	D．Marriage.

3. According to the text, why are some young people beginning to choose “lying flat”?

A．They follow the crowd blindly.

B．They develop a sense of incapability in the race.

C．They are indifferent to real life by nature.

D．They become less fit for lack of regular exercises.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce the origin of the term “involution”.

B．To criticize the young Chinese who are “lying flat”.

C．To stress the importance of the unresisting attitude.

D．To inspire a positive attitude in the involuted people.