1 . When I was a teenager, I was invited to a formal dance party. I was _________, but also nervous about what to wear. Mom suggested I wear high heels (高跟鞋).

“Mom, I don’t know if I can wear these,” I said, feeling _________. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Just take small _________ and keep your weight centered,” she suggested.

As I arrived at the party, I tried to be _________ and act like everything was fine. But _________ struck when I stepped onto the dance floor. I _________ my own feet, falling to the ground in front of everyone.

I quickly got up and laughed it off, pretending like it was _________. But deep down, I felt like a tomato, wanting to _________.

My friend Lilly helped me _________ that incident and managed me another high heels as a support so that nobody would understand my hesitation. But a little bit __________ continued in my mind.

When I returned home, I told Mom I felt like a complete __________ at the party. “It’s okay. You tried something new, and it didn’t go as __________. But that’s how we learn and grow. Don’t be too __________ on yourself and wear what you feel __________ in,” Mom said, giving me a hug.

From that day forward, I stuck to flat shoes. I learned to __________ my true self and not worry about what others thought.

1.

A．surprised

B．excited

C．relaxed

D．satisfied

2.

A．unsure

B．unsafe

C．unusual

D．unhappy

3.

A．breaks

B．turns

C．steps

D．attempts

4.

A．genuine

B．polite

C．serious

D．cool

5.

A．danger

B．injury

C．disaster

D．wonder

6.

A．landed on

B．tripped over

C．kicked up

D．ran into

7.

A．a hot potato

B．a big fish

C．no luck

D．no big deal

8.

A．fight

B．argue

C．disappear

D．struggle

9.

A．tackle

B．avoid

C．prevent

D．identify

10.

A．patience

B．bravery

C．worry

D．anger

11.

A．fool

B．hero

C．stranger

D．dancer

12.

A．suggested

B．expected

C．promised

D．directed

13.

A．dependent

B．easy

C．careful

D．hard

14.

A．fashionable

B．tight

C．comfortable

D．special

15.

A．analyse

B．accept

C．trust

D．refuse

2 . How We Talk about Fear Matters

Lately, there seems to be plenty to fear in the world. How we talk about what we fear might offer clues to how we perceive that emotion socially and culturally.

Get the root of fear.

    1    . In Anglo Saxon times, “fear” primarily referred to sudden danger. The root of the word dates back to “pēr” from Indo-European about 6,000 years ago. This root suggests that fear developed from a sudden (frightening) experience you passed through.

Figure out the emotional meaning of fear.

Whether emotions are viewed positively or negatively varies from culture to culture.    2     . For instance, in English, the word “anxious” can be used to mean “worried” or “eager”. But the word meaning “anxious” just means “regret” in Dargwa. Therefore, many English speakers may not view anxiety as negatively as Dargwa speakers.

Find out a fearful pattern.

In looking at such patterns across the major language families, researchers found that the word “fear” was often associated with anxiety, envy and grief in Indo-European languages. But in Austronesian languages, “fear” more often was associated with surprise.     3     .

    4    

How we talk about fear changes how we react to it. When we talk about what frightens us, it may be useful to disrupt associated meanings. In addition, how our language categorizes an emotion seems to impact whether we perceive those emotions negatively or positively.

In conclusion, fear is something that can be changed by cultural and linguistic experience.    5     . Perhaps Roosevelt was right when he in famously said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

A．Talk more about fears

B．Change our perception of fear

C．The word fear has a long history in English

D．There seemed a fearful pattern across the major language families

E．This is based on what people have learned to associate with emotion words

F．It opens the door to potential ways to change how we talk about and react to it

G．This makes speakers of the latter languages associate this emotion with a less negative sense

3 . Expressive writing or journaling is one way to help you heal from trauma (创伤).    1    . It can help you process what you’ve been through and assist you as you envision a path forward.

Why does a writing intervention work?    2    In fact, narrating the story of an ongoing anxiety “frees up” cognitive resources. When you write down the emotions associated with a traumatic experience, you may be changing the way it is organized in the brain. You are then able to detach from the emotion, making it easier for you to talk about and process the event.

However, for most people, the thought of acknowledging emotions and admitting that there’s something wrong with us is difficult. This is because expressing emotions can bring up feelings of guilt and shame.    3    That is what sets journaling apart. This is between you and your journal — you don’t have to share it with anyone unless, of course, you choose to.

If you’re interested in trying out writing as a tool for healing, start your writing by setting a timer for ten minutes.    4    Think of one object in your home that signifies a moment for you. See it in full color. Feel the weight of it. Use all your senses. Now, write about that object and see how large its meaning can become.

    5    How you heal from trauma can be different from person to person as well. It all depends on what works best for you. Remember, one size does not fit all. Writing may not work for everyone, but you won’t know if you don’t try.

A．Despite that, expressive writing remains an accessible tool.

B．Of course, expressive writing is hardly a panacea (灵丹妙药).

C．Also, seeking help for emotional stress is often seen as a sign of weakness.

D．It may seem abnormal that writing about negative experiences has a positive effect.

E．Once you have a better handle on your problems, you can move forward and get on with life.

F．It is writing from your heart and mind and about the emotion associated with a certain event.

G．Let your mind go to the detailed, specific moments to get to the feelings and truth of your experience.

4 . If you suffer from social anxiety, you will fear certain situations. Some fear speaking in front of groups of people, while others fear going to parties or other types of social events. In whichever situation your fear arises, you’ll probably experience sweating, flushing, feeling your heart race, or other symptoms of anxiety.     1    

Number one: Deep muscle relaxation.

Learning to physically relax is one of the best ways to combat anxiety.     2     For deep muscle relaxation, you will tense and then relax the major muscle groups of your body, beginning with your feet and working your way towards your head and face.

Number Two: Slow breathing.

    3     When you’re anxious, your breathing becomes faster and more shallow and as a result, you’ll feel light-headed and dizzy, bringing on more anxiety. Learning to breathe slower and more regularly through your nose will help you calm down.

Number Three: Visualization.

The key to visualization is to remember a place where you felt safe and comfortable. Once you remember this place, get a picture of it in your mind so clearly that you can feel, see, smell and even taste that place.     4    

Number Four:     5    

Most people with social anxiety want to hide, avoid, or run away from whatever they’re scared of. But by facing your anxiety instead you’ll find that it is usually something you can tolerate after a few exposures. When using this method, focus on what’s going on around you instead of what’s going through your mind. That should help you distract yourself from those anxious thoughts.

A．Facing your anxiety.

B．Controlling your thoughts.

C．This takes practice and patience.

D．It’s impossible to feel both relaxed and anxious.

E．This technique will help you better handle the situation of being desperate.

F．Whatever your symptoms, there are things you can do to deal with your social anxiety.

G．Controlling your breathing when you suffer anxiety is another good way to deal with your emotions.

5 . Finland was known as a rather quiet country. Since 2008, the Country Brand Delegation (国家品牌代表团) has been looking for a national brand that would make some noise to market the country as a world-famous tourist destination. In 2010, the Delegation issued a “Country Brand Report,” which highlighted a host of marketable themes, including Finland’s famous educational system. One key theme was brand new: silence. As the report explained, modern society often seems intolerably loud and busy. “Silence is a resource,” it said.

Silence first appeared in scientific research as a control or baseline, against which scientists compare the effects of noise or music. Researchers have mainly studied it by accident, as physician Luciano Bernardi did in his study of the physiological (生理学) effects of music. “We didn’t think about the effect of silence,” he said. Bernardi observed two dozen test subjects while they listened to six musical tracks. He found that the impacts of music could be read directly in the bloodstream, via changes in blood pressure, carbon dioxide, and circulation in the brain. “During almost all sorts of music, there was a physiological change with a condition of arousal (兴奋),” he explained.

This effect made sense, given that active listening requires attention. But the more striking finding appeared between musical tracks. Bernardi and his colleagues discovered that randomly added stretches of silence also had a great effect, but in the opposite direction. In fact, two-minute silent pauses proved far more relaxing than either “relaxing” music or a longer silence played before the experiment started. The blank pauses that Bernardi had considered irrelevant, in other words, became the most interesting object of study. Silence seemed to be heightened by contrasts, maybe because it gave test subjects a release from careful attention. “Perhaps the arousal is something that concentrates the mind in one direction, so that when there is nothing more arousing, then you have deeper relaxation,” he said.

This finding is reinforced by neurological (神经系统的) research. Relevant research shows when our brains rest quietly, they integrate external and internal information into “a conscious (意识的) workspace.” Freedom from noise and goal-directed tasks, it appears, unites the quiet without and within, allowing our conscious workspace to do its thing to discover where we fit in.

Noora Vikman, a consultant on silence for Finland’s marketers, knows silence well. Living in a remote and quiet place in Finland, she discovers thoughts and feelings that aren’t detectable in her busy daily life. “If you want to know yourself, you have to be with yourself, and discuss with yourself, and be able to talk with yourself.”

1. Why does the author mention the Country Brand Report in Paragraph 1?

A．To present how Finland viewed silence.

B．To highlight the need of noise in Finland.

C．To explain why Finland issued the brands.

D．To indicate the authority of the Delegation.

2. What can be inferred about Luciano Bernardi’s discovery?

A．It challenged the calming effect of music.

B．It emphasized the role of silence between sounds.

C．It illustrated the loss of attentiveness after silence.

D．It stated brains’ information processing in the quiet.

3. As for Noora Vikman’s attitude to silence, the author is ________.

A．doubtful

B．supportive

C．disapproving

D．unconcerned

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Silence: A Limited Resource	B．Silence: A Misunderstood Tool
C．Silence: The Unexpected Power	D．Silence: The Value by Contrasts

6 . This morning, a former student sent me a message, telling me he is living a happy life. He said he often thinks of me and that he especially misses my _________ classes.

My thoughts went back to that shy, overweight boy who _________ to our school in his fifth grade. He was quiet and _________. Some of the boys teased him about his lack of _________ ability. When they played games, Gibby would often be left standing alone. Several times I went to the playground and asked to _________ a team. I would call out several _________ and then, around the fourth or fifth spot, I would call Gibby and a few others who never seemed to get _________ by their peers. My team may not have been the best, but we were the happiest and definitely the most _________ and loyal.

That spring I decided to give my students more _________. We began by running, but after one or two circles around the playground, Gibby would lag far behind, __________. However, after a month, he lost a few pounds and could __________ the group easier. Then we added floor exercises to the program. Gibby was still there, stretching and bending, lifting and kicking, as __________ as ever. He never gave up or made __________. Many students admired his __________ and in time, he gained confidence and began to smile and talk more. He was no longer the new kid.

Messages of this kind always call up sweet memories. Yes, as a (n) __________ teacher, I love all my students and help them become what they can be.

1.

A．literature

B．exercise

C．language

D．physics

2.

A．transferred

B．turned

C．applied

D．belonged

3.

A．careless

B．curious

C．friendly

D．withdrawn

4.

A．logical

B．expressive

C．athletic

D．calculating

5.

A．join

B．make

C．coach

D．inspect

6.

A．names

B．numbers

C．teachers

D．helpers

7.

A．abandoned

B．promoted

C．caught

D．selected

8.

A．modest

B．creative

C．committed

D．respected

9.

A．encouragement

B．training

C．concern

D．assistance

10.

A．out of breath

B．out of sight

C．out of practice

D．out of shape

11.

A．get along with

B．put up with

C．fit in with

D．keep up with

12.

A．flexible

B．relaxed

C．enthusiastic

D．intelligent

13.

A．mistakes

B．excuses

C．changes

D．comments

14.

A．determination

B．potential

C．optimism

D．competence

15.

A．ambitious

B．professional

C．confident

D．caring

7 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1 个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Gratitude is more than just saying “thank you”. Gratitude is a deeper appreciation for someone or something. Expressing gratitude makes us feel a positive emotion. Over the past thirty years, there    1     (be) many studies showing that writing a gratitude letter to another person offers us an opportunity    2     (escape) from negative emotions. Even if we don’t share our writing with anyone, the act of completing the exercise alone makes us happier and    3     (satisfied) with life. The more we express gratitude, the more positive we feel.

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Rick, a ten-year-old boy, was constantly angry at everything around him. He always fought in school with the other kids. Once he had an outburst in school. Upset by something a classmate said to him, he pushed the boy, and a fight happened. When the teacher stepped in to break it up, Rick went crazy, throwing papers and books around the classroom and rushing out. His teachers couldn’t say anything that would comfort the kid. And the parents of his schoolmates were getting concerned. Rick was earning quite the reputation. After talking with school officials, Rick’s mom tried everything she could to calm Rick down.

She tried different methods until one day she came home with a canvas (画布) and paint. “What’s this?”, Rick asked. Rick’s mom handed over the painting equipment and said, “Whenever you feel angry, paint whatever you’re angry about instead of bursting out.” Rick wasn’t that happy about it but he gave it a try anyway. Over the next few weeks, the young boy created several artworks. They mostly showed disturbing images though. So his mom took all of the paintings and called Rick over so that they could talk about them. “Tell me, Rick. What are these paintings about?”

“Well, the first painting is about how some of the kids show off their new clothes and pencil cases. The next painting is about my teacher who keeps telling me about how I’m doing things wrong. And the last painting is about how one of my schoolmate’s father suggested that I change my attitude. All of them make me so angry.” Rick’s mom, in a calm voice, took Rick by her side and told him: “Don’t you see it, Rick?” “See what?” Rick asked. “You’re so angry at all of these things but not once did you try to understand why you’re getting so angry. What have all these people done to you, really?”

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。

Rick was lost in thought.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rick knew it was time to change.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . I was cleaning out a cupboard the other day when I made an amazing discovery. Inside I _________ the manuscript (手稿) for a novel. It included an outline of the _________ and a pile of typed pages telling a story. It was written, to my _________, by my father who has been dead for more than 50 years. It isn’t _________, as novels go, perhaps fifty or sixty typed pages, but without my _________ it has somehow accompanied me through my years of _________, several jobs, a marriage, the birth of my children and grandchildren, retirement and even a relocation across the country where I live.

Yet there it was, resting under a lot of paper to be recycled. I might have _________ my father’s legacy (遗产). I was truly _________ by my discovery.

I’m in the middle of reading another book _________ my dad’s novel has a place on my bed-side table. I want to have some __________ time for it so I haven’t __________ examined it yet. I’m going to spend a whole afternoon to give it the __________ it deserves. As yet I don’t know what the story line is about and I don’t even know if it is complete but I __________ a highly emotional process of finding out.

I find it fascinating to think that this could happen; that after more than fifty years my father could __________ his only son through the mists of time. It’s one of those things that we don’t see coming and that make life so __________.

1.

A．locked

B．found

C．placed

D．hid

2.

A．notes

B．reviews

C．chapters

D．references

3.

A．regret

B．relief

C．satisfaction

D．amazement

4.

A．long

B．fun

C．popular

D．romantic

5.

A．support

B．knowledge

C．approval

D．reach

6.

A．life

B．writing

C．reflection

D．education

7.

A．cleared away

B．passed down

C．counted on

D．handed out

8.

A．bothered

B．caught

C．shaken

D．disturbed

9.

A．or

B．so

C．but

D．for

10.

A．easy

B．quick

C．rough

D．clear

11.

A．briefly

B．closely

C．happily

D．calmly

12.

A．honor

B．comment

C．reward

D．attention

13.

A．design

B．anticipate

C．evaluate

D．record

14.

A．touch

B．raise

C．help

D．protect

15.

A．peaceful

B．successful

C．interesting

D．smooth

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I still remember the day when we decorated the house, I was ten and it was two weeks before Christmas. I was looking forward to my presents. Since I’m the youngest in the family, all of the family members would give me a gift one way or another. Sometimes it was a cookie or a hug but it was always there. I was the only center of attention and it was feeling good.

My uncles usually would ask me what I wanted before Christmas and that year I knew what I wanted. It was the spaceship I saw in the ads. I was dreaming of opening a big gift box, and it was there. But that year it came in a way that I wasn’t expecting.

It was two weeks before Christmas. Just two weeks. She couldn’t wait. My dear mother told my father that it was time, and then we went to the hospital. After an hour, they told me that I had a sister now. But I didn’t want a sister. I wanted a spaceship. The next few days went so fast. No one was caring about me. Everyone was talking about her and I knew that my life is never going to be the same ever again. I wasn’t ready to grow up, to be a big brother. But it just happened in an instant.

On the day before Christmas, everyone was in our home, talking only about my newborn sister. My family was becoming hers. Even my uncles didn’t ask me anything about the gift. She stole everything I’d ever had, my life and my presents. Thinking about this, I cried to sleep. I had a nightmare (噩梦) and woke up at the middle of the night. Shadows were all around me, and I was defenseless and so weak. I ran into my parents’ bedroom but couldn’t wake up my poor parents who were just too worn out. I was standing near their bed, trying not to cry when I saw her. She was awake and looking at me with her big eyes in her small bed.

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。

Suddenly a long shadow came into the bedroom and she started crying.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After having comforted her, something slowly changed inside me.

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