1 . Armed with a toolkit of techniques and tricks to calm the mind and bring focus back to your body, you can stop stressful situations from sabotaging your day, says Katy Georgiou.

GROUND YOURSELF

Making contact with the ground is your baseline go-to response for stress. This technique can be especially helpful if you find your stress regularly turns into panic. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, place your feet flat on the ground so that you feel stable, and then close your eyes. If you’re able to sit on the floor cross-legged or to lie down flat, then even better.

Think of this as earthing: really connect with the ground beneath your body. Some studies suggest that this simple act can help reduce or relieve symptoms of stress such as pain and fatigue, reduce blood pressure, and improve sleep. If you’re feeling disconnected from the world, it can also remind you that you belong to it and are a crucial part of it — the ground will always be there for you.

LOVE THYSELF

Adopting regular, daily or weekly routines for self-care can be very containing, creating consistency amid all sorts of stressful life events happening around you. Looking in the mirror each day can actually remind you that you exist, so feel free to factor some reflective gazing into your daily routine, whether it’s while applying moisturiser, shaving, or brushing your hair. Studies have shown that being confronted with your reflection can have powerful effects, taking us out of our heads and into the immediate present. For added effect, pay attention to the way your products interact with your hair and skin as you apply them.

Playing around with smells, colours and textures in your hands will also engage your senses. Using a scented shampoo or smoothing on body lotion after a warm bath can be easy ways to do this.

CLEAR YOUR MIND

Abandon all your thoughts and try to focus only on your surroundings. What can you see, hear, smell, taste and touch? Identify three things you can hear, one thing you can taste, four things you can see and two things you can feel on your skin. Pick out colours in the room you are sitting in, notice textures and different kinds of light. If somebody is with you, tell them what you are experiencing. The point here is that your senses are your best and easiest route back to feeling calm, by coming out of your head and rooting yourself back in the present. This is incredibly helpful if you’re having a panic attack or flop response.

1. If your friend Jane always feels worn out and suffers from sleep deprivation, which of the following techniques will you especially recommend to her?

A．Connect her body to the ground beneath her.

B．Adopt a daily gaze at her reflection in the mirror.

C．Exchange her scentless shampoo for an aromatic one.

D．Focus on what she can see, hear, smell, taste and touch.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Lying down flat can better relieve your stress.

B．Grounding yourself can give you a sense of belonging to the world.

C．Brushing your hair while looking in the mirror can remind you of your existence.

D．Those having a panic attack should shut their senses down.

3. The passage is intended to __________.

A．help people understand themselves better

B．introduce some practical methods for stress management

C．emphasize the significance of exploiting multiple senses

D．promote a mindset of living in the moment

2 . Boredom is a common human experience. It’s almost impossible to fully avoid it, especially when you’re living a fast-paced life. You may be bored from time to time and feel like you need something new or exciting in your life. It’s perfectly natural to feel this way from time to time, but feeling bored often can also mean that your present life isn’t satisfying you as much as it can.

When you feel bored, think about what activities bring you joy and happiness. Perhaps you find that hobbies are what help improve your spirits. After all, having interests and pursuing (追求) them can often have a great effect on the quality of your life and how satisfied you feel. If this sounds like something that would be good for your life, we have some great ideas for hobbies to pursue when you’re bored!

One of the easiest and most effective (有效的) ways to relieve (解除) boredom is to take exercise. Exercise is not only good for your body but also your mind. When your body is moving, it releases (释放) certain chemicals that make you feel good. Learning a new language is another way to challenge yourself and become more creative. It can also open up a whole new culture and way of thinking for you! Many people find that learning a new language gives them a sense of achievement that they don’t get from other hobbies.

Furthermore, reading is a hobby that can be enjoyed by almost anyone. It’s inexpensive, easy to fit into your plan and can be done just about anywhere. It doesn’t require special equipment or supplies, and you can do it alone or with others. The last way to avoid feeling bored inside is to spend time outdoors. Find a place to go where you can get away from the noise and other troubles. You may find that being outside offers a sense of peace and calmness.

Boredom is a common part of life, so we shouldn’t try to avoid it completely. Boredom can be a sign that you need a change in your daily life and something new to try. If you find yourself feeling bored, use these ideas to find new hobbies. After all, hobbies can greatly enrich your life and help you feel more satisfied!

1. Which will make us bored according to the text?

A．Our life is exciting.

B．We don’t have a fast-paced life.

C．Our present life doesn’t satisfy us.

D．We live a peaceful and happy life.

2. What can we learn from the text?

A．Most people feel satisfied with life all the time.

B．Reading a book requires special equipment and supplies.

C．All of us should try our best to avoid boredom completely.

D．Taking exercise is an effective way to keep off boredom.

3. How many ways to relieve boredom are mentioned in the text?

A．Five.

B．Four.

C．Three.

D．Two.

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

A．It is possible to avoid boredom

B．Several activities can help relieve boredom

C．Learning a new language makes us more creative

D．Our body can release chemicals when we are moving

3 . A new study published by Dan Johnson of Washington and Lee University shows experimentally that reading fiction increases empathy (共情).

The participants were asked to read a short story and report their mood. Then, in a staged accident, the experimenter knocked over several pens and recorded whether the participants helped pick them up. They found that the more people were transported into the story, the more likely they were to help pick up the dropped pens. Those who engaged more deeply with the fictional characters also showed more empathy for the real-life person.

Empathy, like patience appears to be a character that can be improved with practice. Study has shown the more students read books, especially storybooks, the better they are at understanding the emotions of others. However, researchers at the University of Michigan reported last year that empathy among college students had declined during the past 30 years, with an especially steep drop in the last decade. The reason is plain to see.

It’s important to understand where empathy comes from in the first place. Looking at the evolution of the human mind, it has been suggested that the ability to process hypothetical scenarios (假设情景) of what another person might be thinking provided an advantage to our early ancestors. Empathy may have arisen from one of the most fundamental human characteristics—the ability to cheat.

Storytelling is essentially just a kind of art. Is Harry Potter real? No, but by projecting ourselves into his story, we’re engaging a very real part of our brain. That sense of escape or social participation often is what makes books so enjoyable. Unfortunately, books are falling out of style. The cause of this is partially due to e book sales, which have arisen greatly over the past few years and taken a share out of the physical book market without necessarily indicating a decline in reading.

Even though some of us would like to, we can’t blame the digital retailers for our decreased empathy. In fact, some people probably read more with their more convenient e-readers than ever before with hard copies. It’s the culture of reading in general that needs to change.

1. What did the experiment show?

A．The participants stressed teamwork.	B．The participants were forced to pick up pens.
C．A story might have an instructive effect.	D．A person lost in a story paid less attention to real life.

2. What probably causes the decline of college students’ empathy?

A．Limited patience

B．The lack of reading

C．Diverse emotions.

D．The social practice

3. What does empathy essentially result from according to the text?

A．The art of lying.	B．The culture of reading
C．The escape from the society.	D．The ability to process real information

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Reading stories can increase empathy.	B．Paper books have edges over digital ones.
C．Writers play a trick on readers by cheating.	D．College students tend to lack understanding.

4 . From sunny yellows to pretty pinks, this summer’s trending colours are rooted in hope and optimism. But just how powerful can a colourful wardrobe be for influencing our emotions?

THE FIRST SIP of coffee in the morning. Your favourite song playing on your journey home from work. A glass of Aperol Spritz on your holiday. These things all have something in common—they release dopamine(多巴胺).

Dopamine acts as a messenger between the neurons in the brain and strongly affects our mood. When we have high levels of dopamine going back and forth between neurons, we feel great. On the other hand, low levels of dopamine have been linked to reduced motivation, decreased enthusiasm and depression.

Luckily, there are many ways we can boost our dopamine levels, and one of these — “dopamine dressing”— suggests that the clothes hold the power to boost our mood.

Personally, I’m fully on board. Earlier this year, I attended the wedding of one of my oldest friends in a floral-print midi dress by Rixo. After a year of working from home, often foregoing getting dressed in favour of staying in my pyjamas, it was my first taste of dressing up in a while. And honestly, I haven’t felt so great in a long time, so much so that I kept the dress on all day, long after the reception ended.

The concept of dopamine dressing-actively choosing clothes that bring us joy—is nothing new. A 2012 study found that when participants wore clothes of symbolic meaning to them, their perceived confidence increased. The fashion world surely seems to think so with many designers harnessing the mood-boosting power of colour. Sunshine yellows brightened up the runways of a number of brands, with luscious lemon dresses at Versace and hints of yellow among accessories at Fendi. And, head-to-toe red ensembles(全套服装) were a common theme at Balenciaga and Givenchy.

So is it possible to dress ourselves happy? I think so. But, instead of prescribing to centuries-old colour theories, dopamine dressing in 2021 should be about wearing what makes us feel good. So, whatever garment it is, go out and find the colours that spark joy for you!

1. What’s the function of paragraph 2?

A．To lead to the topic.	B．To arouse readers’interest.
C．To show people’s different preferences.	D．To introduce some background information.

2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 5 mean?

A．I don’t think so.	B．I approve of it.
C．I worry about myself.	D．I insist on my opinion.

3. Why are Versace, Fendi, Balenciaga and Givenchy mentioned in paragraph 6?

A．To show that they are leading fashion brands.

B．To imply what the following fashion trend is.

C．To argue that dopamine is in relation to fashion.

D．To prove that the fashion world holds the same opinion.

4. What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Does dopamine-dressing refer to fashion?

B．Does dopamine-dressing effective for treatment?

C．Does colorful clothes lift mood?

D．Does colorful clothes follow fashion?

5 . 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。
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。

I was backpacking in Panama over Christmas in 2018, and planned to climb Volcán Barú. It is one of the only places on earth from where you can see the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans at the same time.

I set off before sunrise. It was a bit cold, so I had pulled on leggings under my trousers. I’ve always felt safe travelling as a solo (单独) woman. I love the freedom. When I got to the base at 7 am, the ranger (护林员) was unwilling to let me go alone, but relented (缓和) because an American couple were behind me.

The first part of the climb was beautiful. I walked for an hour and had reached a fair height. The views were impressive, so I stopped to take a photograph. Suddenly I heard violent barking behind me.

I turned and saw two dogs running aggressively towards me. I could see their teeth looked sharp, and they looked angry. There was nowhere for me to run. I tried to keep calm, but my heart was racing. They stopped a dozen feet from where I stood and kept barking. I knew they could move fast, so I didn’t want to try to outrun them.

I kept walking, saying, “Good dog, calm down,” as evenly as possible. But I was terrified. Then one dashed up and sunk his teeth into my leg below the knee. I was shocked. He held on for a few seconds. The pain took my breath away as I felt his fangs (犬牙) in my flesh. I considered bending down to get a rock to fight him off, but was nervous in case he went for my neck or the other one launched at me.

I tried to keep walking, and he finally let go. Then he was behind me, growling (嗥叫). I kept going, my body shaking, until after about 15 minutes I was out of their sight.

When I thought it was safe, I stopped.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A pickup truck appeared, driven by the ranger.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Regret is a very real reaction to a disappointing event in your life, a choice you made that can’t be changed, something you said that you can’t take back.     1     Regret can increase our stress, negatively affect physical health and disturb the balance of our immune systems.

    2     One is what researchers refer to as the action path and the other is the inaction path. That is, we can regret the things we did or we can regret the things we did not do. Research suggests that action-related regret, although painful, encourages people to learn from their mistakes and move on.     3     This kind of regret is more likely to lead to depression and anxiety.

As with other negative emotions, it doesn’t work to avoid, deny or try to destroy regret.     4     Rather than stay put, people can manage these emotions in four steps: First, accept the fact that you are feeling them; determine why you are feeling them; allow yourself to learn from them: and, finally, release them and move forward.

You can help release these feelings of regret by practicing self-compassion (自我同情).This means reminding yourself that you are human, you are doing the best you can and you can learn from past decisions and grow.     5    

Noticing, acknowledging and then forgiving your thoughts are a powerful step towards overcoming regret.

A．Dealing with regret is even more difficult.

B．Regret is not only unpleasant, but also unhealthy.

C．There are basically two ways to experience regret.

D．But regret related to the inaction path is harder to fix.

E．Seeing the situation in a different way may help reduce regret.

F．In the long run, these strategies only increase negative feelings.

G．Showing this compassion to yourself can help you accept and move past the regret.

7 . Everyone wants to be happy.     1     You must find it in your journey on your own and decide what it is that makes you happy. Therefore, you are the one to light it up and spark it. To give you more happiness, I have provided several habits that you can work on to live an inspiring life that will change you and those around you forever.

See the light in all situations. There’s a bright side to everything.     2     But when it hides from the clouds, remember that you are the one that lights up the sky even brighter than the stars.

Stop comparing yourself with others. Comparing yourself to others is a waste of who you are.     3     There is no one in this world that is exactly like you. You have many special qualities that can’t be compared to others. Be yourself and keep at it.

    4    Who are the people in your life that is important to you? Does the person bring the best out of you? Spend time with these people. It’s worth it.

Be confident. Your confidence can uplift your mood. Whether it’s your posture, smile, eye contact, or voice, work on it and you will not only feel better but be better. Write yourself five things that you love about yourself and put it on your wall or read it every morning you wake up.     5    

You really are the one who can make this world better. As you work on all these steps to become happier, you will see the world a lot better than it used to be.

A．Just be yourself.

B．It can really count.

C．On the darkest of days, the moon still shines.

D．Spend time with people that make you better.

E．What makes you feel like you’re flying in the sky?

F．However, happiness doesn’t come to you naturally.

G．You can create your own happiness and spread it to others.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Navigating human emotions can sometimes feel like walking through minefields(布雷区), especially when these emotions are negative.

Envy is one of such emotions with certain negativity when it     1     (direct) at our loved ones. However, just like all other emotions, envy is human and normal and its morality depends on     2     we do with the way we feel. It only becomes negative when it is handled     3     a weapon or an excuse for bad behaviour.

Envy could cause serious damage to relationships if     4     (leave) to worsen, because people dislike to admit they feel that way towards someone they love, which tends to get worse and transforms into     5     (hate) when you silently think over it.

It’s impractical to completely prevent envy, but it is possible to refine the way we process it. Envy is not something to hide away. Being honest with ourselves about the way we feel     6     (help) us better understand what exactly were envious of and makes communicating with our partners     7     (easy).

We have all     8     (collective) got better at processing our emotions but there’s still a lot of work to be done. The goal is to get to a point     9     discussing envy becomes as casual as discussing excitement and can serve as     10     motivator in our life.

9 . Perhaps you’ve stopped doing what you want because you’re afraid of what others think of you. You feel that you must do what they expect and that you must meet their expectations, otherwise you’ll lose their approval.     1     Then, you’ll be able to do what you want freely.

Think about yourself, about what you really like and are interested in. You must lead your life independently.       2     However, you might feel afraid to do it because you’ ve always done everything to gain the approval of others. You need to get out of that zone, move to new places, and explore your full potential.

By surrounding yourself with people who think like you, you’ll realize that you don’t feel judged. Then, you’ll start doing what you really want.     3     Your new friends will integrate into your life and you’ll also keep your genuine friends. On the other hand, those who are always ready to see the negative and question what you’ re trying to do will drift away.

To overcome your fear of what others think and of their non-approval, you should start talking about your plans, For instance, you might want to tell a handful of friends about your wishes and dreams.     4     You’ll feel confident in yourself and you’ll be able to go on your new path without any fear.

It’s unavoidable that not everything will be plain sailing, and you’ll find obstacles along your way.     5     People in your environment often don’t understand what you do no matter how much you explain it, so ignore them.

A．There is no need to think about what you want.

B．You don’t have to change your circle of friends.

C．Your life belongs to you, as well as your actions.

D．By talking to them, you’ll be able to organize your plans and ideas.

E．If this is the case, it’s time to start working on your self-esteem (自尊).

F．You must do what you want without being affected by what others think.

G．However, you must trust in yourself and seek the necessary strength to move forward.

10 . For my daughter's 19th birthday, we bought her tickets to go and see Linkin Park, as they were playing in our city. We didn't really have the ________ but we knew how much this band meant to her.

The night before she was like a ________ at Christmas. Every so often she got up and came to ________ with us, because she couldn't ________ . On the night of the concert it was good to see her so ________ and excited, as she and her boyfriend set off.

Needless to say when they ________ after midnight, with T-shirts and lots of pictures of the band, ________ her telling about how fantastic they had been, we knew the money had been well ________ . This will be a memory she would never forget, and nor would we.

________ full of excitement from the night before, the following day they ________ to go shopping on the other side of the city. My husband and I laughed, loving the fact that she had not ________   that quality as she grew up.

Later that day they returned, with faces full of happiness and warmth. They presented my husband and me with a ________ each. On each present were the words "Because you are the ________ mum/dad in the world. "When we expressed our thanks and told her she didn't have to, we asked her why she had bought us gifts. Her answer was simply "Just because I love you."

This wasn't something ________ from our daughter; she had always given us gifts when she wanted to express her ________ , and each gift was always a welcome surprise. It could have been anything, it wouldn't have mattered, and it was the act itself and the feelings behind it.

1.

A．money

B．time

C．interest

D．news

2.

A．worker

B．baby

C．kid

D．parent

3.

A．dance

B．learn

C．walk

D．sit

4.

A．speak

B．sleep

C．stand

D．leave

5.

A．healthy

B．happy

C．pretty

D．surprised

6.

A．stayed

B．left

C．returned

D．turned

7.

A．worrying about

B．caring for

C．looking at

D．listening to

8.

A．lent

B．earned

C．saved

D．spent

9.

A．Still

B．Only

C．Just

D．Also

10.

A．continued

B．tried

C．decided

D．struggled

11.

A．kept

B．lost

C．realized

D．discovered

12.

A．gift

B．prize

C．ticket

D．picture

13.

A．richest

B．oldest

C．best

D．cleverest

14.

A．important

B．ordinary

C．new

D．valuable

15.

A．feelings

B．concerns

C．understandings

D．opinions