1 . One of the keys to doing well in school is staying positive. Positivity will make you feel better and give you some good attitudes to be more productive with your schoolwork. By staying positive, you can do well in your classes and earn the grades you want.

Be optimistic about school

    1     Instead, try to be positive about what you feel good about and are looking forward to in the future. You can create a list of things you are grateful for or write down one thing every day that you are looking forward to. These can help you appreciate the future and what it has to offer.

    2    

Sometimes taking the focus off yourself can help you to be more optimistic. Help make others feel better and often you’ll feel better as well. Try to share any encouraging thoughts if you have them. Then, you can give small, thoughtful gifts to your friends. People appreciate it when others are thinking of them. Even you can buy a coffee for your friend.     3    

Take feedback(反馈) positively

Though it may sometimes be difficult, it’s important to not get down when teachers offer you feedback. Take what they say and learn how to apply it to be better in the future. When you get any potentially negative feedback, you can take a deep breath. Take a minute to calm down your first response before you react. Be thankful for feedback.     4     Consider it as an opportunity to improve yourself.

Be around positive people when you’re at school

Positive friends can make you feel better about yourself.     5     Negative people can often waste your energy, especially in difficult environments like school. Pay attention to how you feel around people. Positive people should make you feel energetic and excited about the future.

A．Encourage other students.

B．Take advantage of extra help.

C．Don’t get tense by being too impatient.

D．Thank your teacher for giving you feedback.

E．It can encourage them to stay positive at school.

F．Make sure not to focus on the negative in every situation.

G．Seek out friends that are optimistic and positive about their lives.

2 . Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to express our gratitude and affection for the incredible women who have shaped our lives, whether that’s your mum, your grandma, your friend or whoever else you’d like to celebrate.     1     But figuring out what to say can be tough! Wondering what to write in your Mother’s Day card that could possibly capture your love for your mum?     2    

Expressing gratitude and appreciation

Start with a classic expression of gratitude. Thank your mother for her unwavering love, support, and the countless sacrifices she’s made.     3     Highlight specific memories or actions that showcase your mother’s love and care. Whether it’s her comforting words during challenging times or the delicious meals she prepares, acknowledging these small but significant gestures adds a personal touch.

Affectionate closing

    4     Common phrases like “With all my love,” or “Forever grateful” reinforce the depth of your feelings. After you’ve finished crafting your masterpiece of a Mother’s Day card message, sign it with a flourish! A personal touch, such as a heart or a smiley face, adds an extra layer of authenticity to your message.

A Mother’s Day card is a chance to convey the love and appreciation you feel for the remarkable women in your life.     5     Whether your style is poetic, humorous, or emotional, the key is to be sincere and genuine. As you put down your feelings into words, remember that the most meaningful messages come from the heart, creating a lasting keepsake (纪念品) that your mother will treasure for years to come.

A．Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

B．There are countless ways to create a heartfelt message.

C．Express your excitement about creating more memories together.

D．End your message with warm and affectionate closing expressions.

E．If you have plans for the day or future adventures, mention them in your card.

F．A simple “Thank you for everything you do” sets a warm and appreciative tone.

G．While selecting the perfect Mother’s Day card is important, the affections written inside hold even greater significance.

3 . One thing you’ll probably notice about being a teenager is that your body isn’t completely used to the changes. In fact, the changes in your brain don't completely settle in most people until their mid-20s. Your body changes in many ways and most of these changes are brought about because of chemicals released in the body.     1    This can be unsettling, as anything happening beyond your control can be.

First, take the moment when no one is talking to you to think about your breathing. By asking that step back from how you’re feeling and examining why you’re feeling it, it is easier to process these emotions. If you’re feeling awkward and embarrassed at school, the easiest thing to do is to ride that emotional wave even if it means a private release of emotions.    2    

Fortunately, this isn’t the only way. A mindful approach can be one of the best tools you have. When your mind feels more settled, allow one of the emotions to approach you .    3     If you are feeling stable, perhaps consider why you are feeling it, reminding yourself of the situation—your brain is changing. You’re in a stressful situation, and your body is full of new chemical levels that are creating a mess.     4     You can process it later, when you’re at home, or somewhere more peaceful.

Now, you’ve let it go! It doesn’t need to be a part of you, or control any part of you right now. This can be a very hard trick to master, because your brain is used to being affected by the emotion, and you’re trying to change course now,

    5     Even by practicing, you’re acknowledging to yourself that you want to be in control, and that’s the most important first step.

A．Don’t be depressed if it takes practice.

B．Admit what it is, but don’t be controlled by it.

C．As you focus on the present, try focusing on your breathing.

D．Having a sincere conversation with yourself is also a good idea.

E．Letting your tears flow can be a useful and mindful activity.

F．If, after all that, you still feel a need to blame yourself, simply let the emotion go.

G．This means your emotions can be unstable, making your mood change suddenly.

4 . When you have negative (消极的) emotions and physical symptoms (症状) like stress and anxiety over a long period of time, to the point that it affects your everyday life, you may be experiencing sadness.     1    , like losing a job or having to plan a big event. The good news is that there are ways to prevent feelings of discomfort from changing into sadness.

    2    

If you’re feeling anxious or you’re having trouble focusing — find a way to remove it. Go outside, go to the bathroom, call a friend, or take a few deep breath. Your nervous system is being flooded with stress hormones (荷尔蒙), making it hard to calm down and see things clearly. So you need to change your environment.

Relate what happened

Go over your situation again.     3    . Do this with a friend, a family member or even yourself, by writing a diary or talking out loud while walking your dog. By doing this, you can remind yourself of details you may have paid no attention to.

Name your emotions

As you describe what happened, name your emotions.     4    . For example, instead of saying you simply feel annoyed, maybe you actually feel disappointed. You can use the feelings wheel, a tool that can help you express your emotions more accurately.

Examine what gives you discomfort

If you have terrible road rage (狂怒), have a conversation with yourself about it. You might ask yourself: Why am I so angry on the road? Is it because I am in a rush? Or is it because I hate sitting in traffic? Then, find ways to lessen the situation.     5    . To avoid traffic, ask your boss if you can work from home a couple times a week.

A．Learn new words

B．Change the situation

C．It may result from a major life challenge

D．Anger can influence your daily life greatly

E．This can help find what is giving you discomfort

F．To avoid being rushed, you can leave the house a half hour early

G．The key is that you should express your emotions more specifically

5 . How to gain happiness? Aristotle, a famous Greek philosopher (哲学家), believed that happiness is achieved through the development of certain virtues, stressing a balanced lifestyle.     1    .

Balancing Personal Strengths and Relationships

Aristotle combined virtues like modesty, honesty, and sociability into one principle: balance knowing yourself with getting along with others. Modesty (谦虚) involves recognizing both your true strengths and weaknesses clearly.     2    . Honesty means being true in your expressions. Sociability stresses the necessity of making and keeping friends.

Managing Emotions and Actions

    3    . Aristotle said it’s normal to feel emotions like anger, but the key to happiness is how you handle these feelings. Justice (公平) involves treating others fairly and balancing one’s needs with the needs of others. Strength involves facing fears and carefully considering risks before acting, which helps you achieve your goals confidently.

Practicing Kindness and Tolerance (宽容)

Generosity, tolerance, and grace are virtues that Aristotle considered to be part of kindness. Generosity isn’t just about giving things to others, but also about doing so thoughtfully.     4    . Grace combines a sense of humor with the seriousness required in certain situations, helping to keep a pleasant and supportive presence around others.

    5    . He teaches us that happiness is not just about seeking pleasure or avoiding pain, but about developing a balanced character. By developing these virtues and finding a balance in everything we do, we can lead truly happy and satisfying lives.

A．Aristotle stressed the importance of knowing oneself

B．This principle combines self-control, justice, and strength

C．Such realistic self-view makes you more confident and happier

D．Tolerance involves excusing others’ mistakes while keeping self-respect

E．In short, Aristotle’s approach to happiness is about finding balance in life

F．Here’s a simple explanation of his ideas designed for high school students

G．A person who knows how to be happy needs to develop a balanced sense of justice

6 . A Sweet Soul

Hopie was a beautiful black and white dog. She was such a gentle soul. She was let out of the house in extreme heat and attacked by another dog. I tried to save her but it was too late. My heart breaks every day missing her.

Hopie used to follow me around the yard when I was mowing (割) the grass; even if it was hot. She’d take a break and go back in the shade for a while, but always felt like she had to stay near me and she’d come back and walk along behind me.

After I lost her I couldn’t even bear to go out and mow the grass. One day I finally realized I had better get out there and do it because it was looking like a field. As l walked along slowly thinking of her and missing her, a black and white dragonfly (蜻蜓) started following me and then flying in front of me. It finally landed on the handle of the mower right near my hands and just sat there looking at me. I said out loud, “Hopie, is that you?” and the dragonfly just sat there and continued to look straight at me.

I have not ever seen a dragonfly with those colors: black body, white eyes and black and white wings. I knew in my heart that it was my Hopie coming to tell me. She was still there watching over me and tears came to my eyes. 1 told her I loved her and she flew away up into the sky as free as she could be. I still miss her every day and every time I see a dragonfly, I think of her.

1. According to paragraph one, what happened to Hopie?

A．She was saved by the author.	B．She was killed by another dog.
C．She saved another dog’s life.	D．She was lost on a hot day.

2. What’s the author’s purpose in paragraph two?

A．To make us know his dog got used to hot weather.

B．To show us that he had a beautifully managed yard.

C．To tell us the sweet memories shared with Hopie.

D．To tell us how annoying it was to be followed by Hopie.

3. Why couldn’t the author bear to go out and mow the grass?

A．It was very hot out there in the yard.

B．He couldn’t help missing his dog, Hopie.

C．His yard had no grass at all.

D．There were so many annoying dragonflies.

4. Why did the author imagine the dragonfly as his dog, Hopie?

A．The dragonfly behaved like his dog.

B．He was lacking in the common sense.

C．The dragonfly looked the same as Hopie.

D．How happy he was to see Hopie again.

7 . All students have bad times. What do they usually do when they get into trouble?

My mom is like my friend. I talk about everything to her. Whenever I have some trouble, I can get good advice from her. I have another good friend — my diary. It knows all my secrets. Talking with my two friends always makes me feel better.

                                                                                             —— Linda

Laughing helps me when I’m upset. I usually watch funny movies and TV shows. I also love spending my hard time with my best friend Dave. He is humorous and always makes me laugh.

                                                                                               —— Peter

Every time I feel bad, I go climbing alone. The study says exercising can help cheer one up (精神振奋). And the beautiful view at the top of the mountain makes me forget all my troubles. Sometimes I shout at the mountain top. It feels fantastic.

                                                                                                 —— John

1. Linda’s ________ knows all her secrets.

A．sister

B．teacher

C．diary

D．computer

2. The underlined word “humorous” probably means “________”.

A．quiet

B．funny

C．careful

D．serious

3. John always ________ when he feels bad.

A．goes climbing	B．watches movies
C．talks with his friends	D．reads books

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Linda often asks her teacher for advice.

B．Dave often helps Peter with his homework.

C．John likes climbing mountains with his friends.

D．Exercising can help people feel good.

8 . People often say your feelings are “written all over your face” because our facial expressions are a main way we communicate emotions. Now according to a recent research led by Patty Van Cappellen of Duke University, besides our faces, our body posture (姿势) also plays a role.

In one study, Van Cappellen and her colleagues asked a group of participants to show four faceless mannequins (人体模型) in postures that represented four different emotions: dominance (支配), joy, hope and respect. The research assistants then looked at photos of the mannequins that participants had created and assessed their head positions, arm positions, and degrees of expansiveness — how much space they took up by standing straight or opening up different parts of their bodies. Then, the researchers compared these positions to the feelings they supposedly expressed.

Van Cappellen found that people viewed an expansive posture as representing dominance. But joy and respect were also represented by expansive postures, with hope involving the least expansive posture. “We’re finding that positive emotions are also marked by expansiveness — especially joy,” she says.

Besides, arm and head positions also mattered. For example, joyful postures were described by arms raised above the head, while respectful postures showed hands touching the face. Dominant postures, on the other hand, tended to show arms akimbo (双手叉腰) with the head facing forward.

To know if other people seeing the mannequins could recognize the feelings being expressed by different postures, Van Cappellen had a new group of participants look at photos of mannequins posed in many different ways. The participants found that expansive postures with arms held high represented positive emotion — with arms akimbo representing dominance and negative emotion.

Her research suggests that our body posture helps express our emotions and may help us feel certain emotions, too. This could be consequential — not just in the lab, but in real life, where it’s useful to know how we and other people are feeling in a certain situation.

1. Which emotion is most probably expressed by the least expansive posture?

A．Dominance.

B．Joy.

C．Hope.

D．Respect.

2. What does a man tend to do when he feels happy according to the text?

A．Hold his arms high.	B．Touch his face.
C．Have his arms crossed.	D．Shake his head.

3. Why did Van Cappellen have new participants look at the photos of mannequins?

A．To find why the participants showed the different feelings.

B．To know how people communicate with facial expressions.

C．To figure out what different body postures may represent.

D．To see if others can feel the same about the body postures.

4. What does the underlined word “consequential” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Embarrassing.

B．Important.

C．Flexible.

D．Unusual.

9 . If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive thoughts.     1     Here are a few examples for you to practice. Say them out loud and with feeling!

★Begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful day!”

★When you see the gas prices hiking, say “    2    ”

★When you are late for work, say “I am so happy and grateful for my job as I know that many don’t have one.”

★    3     “I really do appreciate my eyes that see, my ears that hear, my mouth that tastes, my legs that walk, my arms that lift, my hands that write, my mind that thinks, my knees that bend and my tongue that talks.” The possibilities here are endless: be thankful for what does work for you and feel good about it!

★Write down what you’re grateful for each day. In moments when you’re feeling really down, read what you wrote before.     4     If you keep doing this regularly, you will find that your list will get longer and longer.

The key is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough to make it a moment of peace.     5    

A．This will help uplift your spirits.

B．The more you practice, the happier you’ll be.

C．If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work.

D．I am so glad that I am blessed to have a car in which to get around.

E．No matter what you have experienced, just enjoy your life every day.

F．But we can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.

G．Life seems so unfair sometimes.

10 . It’s normal to feel anxious during stressful times in life, but if you’re experiencing continuous anxiety that disturbs your daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder.     1     However, anxiety is typically manageable or treatable with a little effort. This article will provide several ways to cope with and treat anxiety.

    2     Keeping track of things that bring on or worsen anxiety symptoms will allow you to recognize when they are happening and what causes them. Is something in your environment the primary source? Is a pressing activity, meeting, or event the cause? You can handle a fear much easier when you are clear about what it is.

Breathe deeply. When you get anxious, your breathing quickens, which reduces the amount of oxygen your brain gets.     3     Take a moment to focus on taking deep belly breaths. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds, and then release it for 4 seconds. Doing this for 1 — 2 minutes should help to calm your nerves quickly. If you are confused about where you should be breathing from, put your hands on your stomach. Feel it rise and fall as you breathe.

Socialize. Anxiety can make it tempting to isolate, especially when symptoms are at their worst. Staying in touch with friends and loved ones serves as a protective factor against anxiety. Try planning at least one social event per week and following through even as your anxiety increases.     4     It can be found online or by asking a mental health provider for recommendations.

Try not to jump to conclusions. If you lack facts and have yet to experience your worry or fear, then jumping to conclusions about what might happen will do you no good. If an uncertainty lays before you, you can reduce your anxiety by realizing (and admitting) that you don’t know what may happen.     5    

A．Identify the source of your anxiety.

B．Track the relief strategies you tried.

C．Attending an anxiety support group can also be helpful.

D．It can have a negative influence on your health and well-being.

E．This makes it unable to think clearly and form logical reasoning

F．Consider all possible outcomes, rather than come up with the most unlikely.

G．Having the ability to cope with anxious thoughts is the key to overcoming it.