1 . Women interpret emojis differently to men, research suggests. Scientists say this is because these small digital emojis, used to express an idea or emotion, can be ambiguous and be understood differently by different people.
The researchers recruited 523 adults (49% men and 51% women) to review 24 different emojis. Each emoji — taken from Apple, Windows, Android, and WeChat platforms — represented one of the six emotional states labelled by the team: happy, disgusted, fearful, sad, surprised, and angry.
They found women were able to more accurately interpret happy, fearful, sad and angry emoji labels compared to men. No gender differences were observed for surprised or disgusted emoji, the team said. Dr Ruth Filik, associate professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Nottingham, said: “What I found most interesting and surprising is that there are so many individual differences in how people interpret these emojis.
“It is important to note that the results reflect how often participants labelled the emoji in the same way as the researchers. So, we should think of the results in terms of there being differences across people in how they interpret emojis, rather than some people being better at it than others. We should keep these differences in mind when using emojis in our messages.”
The researchers said that those emojis can add both slight differences as well as potential ambiguity to messages sent via texts, emails or even social media. To understand more about how emojis are interpreted, the team recruited 270 people from the UK and 253 from China, who were aged between 18 to 84 years old.
Each emoji was assigned an emotion label by the researchers, which they say may not correspond exactly with the emoji as used in real life. In addition to gender, the team also found age to play a role in how emoji are interpreted, with younger adults faring better than the older ones in matching the emoji with their assigned labels. Those in the UK were also better at labelling the emoji in the same way as the researchers compared to their Chinese counterparts.
The researchers say ambiguity of emojis is worth further research, “especially when communicating across gender, age, or cultures.”
1. Which aspect of the team’s research is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 and 3?| A．Its participants. | B．Its samples. | C．Its conclusion. | D．Its significance. |
| A．Researchers are not better at labelling emojis than participants. |
| B．Females are better at perceiving the meanings of emojis than males. |
| C．Proper caution is necessary when sending emojis to different people. |
| D．Males and females have different understandings of disgusted emojis. |
| A．To make ambiguous emojis have concrete and clear meanings. |
| B．To explore how emojis are interpreted by extending research angles. |
| C．To figure out how young adults do well in matching emojis with labels. |
| D．To prove that Britons are better at labelling emojis than Chinese people. |
| A．Ambiguity of emojis deserves further research. |
| B．Age and culture play a role in how emojis are perceived. |
| C．Secrets behind different understandings towards emojis. |
| D．Pay attention to differences of emojis when sending messages. |
Are You Ready to Hug a Robot?
Getting hugged tends to be a powerful positive emotional experience. Hugs have been shown to enhance social bonding and emotional well-being. However, not everyone can get a hug
How can this problem be solved?
A new study, which
The findings of the study indicate that it is possible to design a robot that people enjoy to hug. Details matter here, as the intra-hug gestures played a significant role in determining how much the human volunteers enjoyed the hug.
Being a sensitive girl, Helen
1. 我写信感谢您任命我为学生会主席。
2. 我会是第一个帮助那些有困难的同学解决他们困境的人。
3. 我将耐心回答其他人的问题，并且不遗余力地提供许多实用的建议。
4. 我不害怕面对各种困难。(be scared to do)
5. 通过我巨大的努力，我相信没人比我是更负责、更称职的主席了。(“否定词＋比较级”表达最高级含义)
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5 . When we feel disappointed with what might have been or we wish we could change a choice we made in the past, we have regrets.
Regrets can be harmful when we don’t want to accept them. Too many negative (消极的) thoughts and continuous consideration can lead to stress and anxiety. This kind of spiritual and emotional pain also affects our bodies. For example, maybe you didn’t stand up for your friend when someone attacked him by saying something derogatory. You didn’t speak up at the time to clear his name. You end up feeling disappointed in yourself and don’t want to be reminded of that. Or you may remember the situation all too well, but don’t know how to overcome your regret. Whatever it is, you may suffer from negative thoughts or even sleepless nights, thus putting pressure onto your body and mind.
But as the old saying goes, a coin has two sides. Regrets have advantages too. When we reflect (反思) on regrettable choices we made in the past, that’s a good thing. We grow from self-examination and can learn from our missteps. Inspired to be better, we improve on our decision-making so we don’t repeat our mistakes.
Another positive side of regret is that it can move you closer to being your best self. A study about people’s most long-lasting regrets was published in the journal Emotion, where scientists looked at the connection between regret and an individual’s self-concept (自我认知). The results showed that people were more likely to regret not living up to being that best person and thus try harder to use their full potential (潜力), when regrets about their best selves were not achieved.
If you’re feeling regretful about something from your past, know you’re not alone in feeling this way. Everyone has something (or many things) that they regret. However, there are ways to move forward by showing yourself understanding. If that’s too difficult, get the help of a health professional. He or she can help you manage feelings of regret so they no longer hold you back.
1. What does the underlined word “derogatory” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Confusing. | B．Usual. | C．Informal. | D．Mean. |
| A．Avoidance of stress. | B．Positive self-concept. |
| C．Greater efforts to better oneself. | D．Longer time to reflect on the past. |
| A．Leave those regrets as they are. |
| B．Discuss regrets with the like-minded. |
| C．Stop reflecting on your daily events. |
| D．Turn to experts for help if necessary. |
| A．How to Fight Regrets | B．Get to Know Our Regrets |
| C．Why Regrets Are Harmful | D．The Positive Sides of Regrets |
1. 我是李华，谨代表我校写信对你们的努力和帮助表示真诚的感谢。否则我们的城市可能会遭受更大的破坏。
2. 令人震惊的是，重庆受高温和干旱袭击，导致烈火发生。
3. 你们来了，及时提供了援助。
4. 尽管许多志愿者极其疲惫，依然专心于运送物资。
5. 正是你们不懈的努力和决心结束了这次自然灾害。（强调句）
6. 我们被你们深深感动，我们决定竭尽全力使我们的城市更美好。
Dear volunteers,
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Yours,
Li Hua
Dear Sir/Madam,
A few days ago,
I can’t express my gratitude too much.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
8 .
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. |
| A．By listing data. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making comments. | D．By telling personal experiences. |
| A．It’s difficult and expensive. | B．It happens frequently. |
| C．It’s not valued by others. | D．It requires much effort. |
| 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. |
9 . 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?
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.
Who Should Use Them?
Generally speaking, a mood tracker app can be helpful to most people.
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.
| 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. |
10 . You might have heard of the expression “a guilty pleasure”—maybe it’s the chocolate bar you buy on the way home from work, or the new clothes that you don’t really need.
Perhaps not. Psychologists have suggested that buying things for yourself can make you feel better as it provides an opportunity to take control of your situation.
Of course, there are also examples of people turning to destructive behaviour when faced with stressful circumstances. People might spend money that they don’t have or turn to dangerous addictions. Psychologist Leon Seltzer considers the difference between self-indulgence and self-nurturing.
| A．Exams are vital for students. |
| B．Self-indulgence can have negative consequences |
| C．The difference becomes evident when students manage exam pressure |
| D．They also recommend embracing activities that could dampen your spirits |
| E．Besides, you should avoid things that may make you feel worse afterwards |
| F．It comes from the idea that when we treat ourselves, it can sometimes leave us feeling guilty |
| G．It can give you social contact as well as a confidence boost from changes you make to your self-image |
