1 . When your best friends are upset, sad, or disappointed, all you want to do is lift their spirits. Here are some easy ways to cheer them up.
Help your friend clean their room.
Being surrounded by a mess doesn’t do much for your mental state.
Encourage them to talk it out.
Talking is effective. Teenagers usually want someone to talk to when they are stressed.
Practice gratitude.
Thinking about and focusing on the good things in your life can do wonders for lifting your spirits. Help your friend turn their attention to those things.
Staying active can help get depression (抑郁) away. Invite the person to join you in a dance class or anything else they may have mentioned before that they wanted to try out but never have. Fun time with friends is surely helpful.
Do an aimless act of kindness together.
A.Try new things together. |
B.Plan for your future together. |
C.Just be there for them and listen to them. |
D.Together, you can each list all the things you’re grateful for. |
E.Science has shown just being in nature naturally improves one’s mood. |
F.Meanwhile, having a tidy space can help you feel more in control and calmer. |
G.Oftentimes when we do things for other people, we are the ones that benefit. |
Come Back to Me
I’d always wanted a dog. But the answer was always no. Then when I was eight years old, my aunt came back from her daily run with a saved puppy.
After weeks of unsuccessfully looking for the owner and begging to keep him, we finally made “Pepper”, a black-and-tan Beagle mix, a member of my family. And, like many children with a new thing, l became obsessed (着迷). Learning everything about a dog was at the center of my world.
Pepper was there for me as I grew up. When I felt sad, he cheered me up and gave me unconditional love. His tail uncurled (伸直) and recurled with every movement of the tail and made me smile. His welcoming “tippy-tap dance” let me forget all the sadness. The way he cocked his head when I talked to him made me feel as if he understood every word. He’d perform tricks to win a treat or two...or four.
Then, when Pepper was sixteen, I got the call that I’d hoped would never come. I was unhappily married, living hours away, barely making ends meet, and trying to balance (平衡) life with a newborn son. The phone rang with unexpected news that it was time to say goodbye to Pepper. I anxiously tried to save enough money so that I could drive home and see him one last time. But I couldn’t.
The realization that I wasn’t going to be able to say goodbye tore my heart apart. I imagined my Pepper wondering why I was not there for him when he had been there for me for so many years. Within days, he was gone. For years, I didn’t pardon myself. Every time I remembered it, the tears returned as if the wound in my heart was fresh. That old saying, “Time heals all wounds,” was a terrible lie. How could I heal? I didn’t get to say goodbye. The only thing I could do was cry, telling his picture, “I’m so sorry,” and “I love you so much.”
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。
When my son was eight years old, another dog, Preston, came into our lives.
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It was as if Pepper had come back to me again.
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I began to lose hope. It seemed that there was little chance that my great-grandmother was able to heal (康复). My blind, 94-year-old great-grandmother was sleeping soundly in the hospital bed. As l sat quietly with my family, I listened to the sounds of the machines that kept her alive. Her face was pale and empty. She was no longer the cheerful person I had always known.
It seemed that every day she got worse. She might not make it through Christmas. I tried to think of a present to give to her. Since she was blind, I would have to get her a gift that she didn’t have to see to appreciate, but that she could feel with her hands. I remembered that when she lived with us she always wanted to touch and play with my stuffed animals (填充动物玩具). Her favorites were my unique stuffed bears.
I knew right then what to get. She always wanted one for herself! I would have a teddy bear made especially for her. “Great-grandma’s Bear” is what I named the brown, stuffed animal — “Bear” for short. The bear was quite charming with his tiny black button nose and big chocolate eyes. I looked forward to visiting my great-grandmother on Christmas morning and seeing the look on her face when I gave Bear to her. The clay came more quickly than I thought. I carried Bear in my arms as I walked to Room 208 with my family.
There was my great-grandmother, sitting in her bed. Her eyes were wide open. I think she was sensing that we were coming. A smile grew on her face as we sat on her bed, close to her weak body hidden under the covers. “Merry Christmas!” my dad said. We talked with my great-grandmother for a while until it was time to give her the gifts we had brought. My mother gave her fresh-smelling baby powder because she could never have enough of it. My father brought her favorite candies. Now it was my turn.
Paragraph 1:
I placed the bear in her gentle, skinny hands.
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Paragraph 2:
From that day on, amazingly, my great-grandmother started to heal.
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4 . A cousin sent an email saying she had been out cutting her lawn (草坪) for two hours in the hot Nebraska sun and the smell of grass was in her nose. She said it reminded her of her dad working outside.
“Not a breath of cool air out there, unbearable for all the crew but Dad. During their lunch break, Dad would have a couple of sandwiches and skip the iced tea. He’d have creamed coffee. That was my hero—loyal, very, very hard-working, so wonderful. Funny what a smell can remind you.”
Her dad and my dad were brothers. There were five boys in the family. The boys were cut from the same cloth. Every one of them enjoyed hard work.
It wasn’t easy raising a large family during the Depression (大萧条), yet their farm was the first one for miles around to have electricity. Their dad made a small power station using batteries. Resourcefulness (足智多谋) was second nature.
When my parents married, they didn’t have much. When they got a dog, he managed to build a doghouse from wood.
I think of my dad when I see a barbecue. He loved to grill (烧烤). Burgers, hot dogs, steak. For years, he and Mom hosted a huge Fourth of July brunch and grilled pancakes and sausages before the neighborhood parade.
He loved grilling out especially when it was hot — 90℉ (about 32℃) was good, even 100℉ (about 37.8℃) wasn’t too high. That was also his favorite time to mow (割草). He and all his brothers were most comfortable outside. It came from the farm imprint, spring planting, summers in the fields and fall harvest.
At my dad’s retirement party, at a large university where he had worked his way up to purchasing director, he was standing by himself, looking at the crowd, having a good time when he laughed and said, “I never did want a desk job.”
I don’t think I realized until that moment how much our dad loved us. He had enjoyed his career and the people he worked with, but until the day he died, there was nothing as beautiful as a stand of wheat or a field of corn.
Here’s to dads everywhere who work hard and do what needs to be done for the love of family.
1. What made the cousin think of her Dad?A.The hot sun. | B.The smell of grass. | C.The unbearable crew. | D.The hard work. |
A.They had similar sizes. | B.They had similar clothes. |
C.They had similar hobbies. | D.They had similar qualities. |
A.Humorous. | B.Creative. | C.Devoted. | D.Demanding. |
A.To show her respect for fathers. | B.To stress the importance of working hard. |
C.To show that raising a family is never easy. | D.To describe the important role a father plays in a family. |
We’ve all heard that laughter is the
Humor plays
Sharing the pleasure of humor
Shyness is avoiding human contact, often because of a feeling of not being as good as others and fear of taking risks. Shyness is a force
On the basis of research that he
The Right Thing
My mother worked as a housekeeper and she was often given used toys as well as many other goodies by her clients. My elder sister and I always loved sharing the recycled books and board games brought home by my beloved mom, which we considered great gifts life presented us.
The long-awaited Christmas finally approached. One December day, an old model toy car arrived in the load of goods. It was as long as my forearm and took both hands to lift. My sister didn’t want it, so it was all mine. I immediately set down to wiping it clean and polishing it to a bright candy-apple red. It turned to be a thing of beauty, and I became overjoyed at possessing it. My elder sister was amazed at the newly-polished, refreshing toy car, with a hint of regret and envy in her eyes.
As was planned, our relatives from France came to visit us that Christmas. It was a time when the family bond got strengthened. I shared the prized toy car with Alex, my young French cousin. Eyes glued to it, he fell in love with the wonderful, shiny red automobile the instant he saw it. It was a rare moment to see him feeling so relieved and happy. He’d been unlucky so far in life, suffering severe, life-threatening illnesses as a child, leaving him mentally and physically stuck and the family starved of cash. Of course, such lovely toys like my dear model car were unreachable dreams for him.
Seeing Alex’s consuming thrill brought by the red car, I was seized by immense joy as well. But contrary to Alex’s excitement, a voice inside me constantly reminded, “Watch out! He’d keep it for himself.”, which got me faintly worried. I followed my cousin for fear of something.
My mother also noticed Alex’s fondness for the car. Approaching me, she asked gently in a low voice, “Would you like to give it to Alex?”
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。
Giving or keeping? I struggled with myself.
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In the moment of parting, my model car went with Alex.
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8 . There are countless articles online that will give you advice on how to deal with homesickness. Here are some of my favorite tips that have helped me.
Learn to cook with your friends or find new places to eat. Eating with friends makes things so much better. It’s a way to bond and an excuse to get closer. You even get rewarded for it.
Call home—but not every minute of every day.
I saw so many online sources express it in this way, “Talk to your parents—but not too much. Call home—but not too often.”
Explore.
Find a way to deal with your emotions.
I got a guitar during my sophomore (大学二年级) year of university because that’s what I like doing when I’m by myself. I keep a journal because it makes me feel better and productive if I need time by myself but I don’t want to feel lonely.
An outlet(发泄方式) for your emotions can take any shape or form. Whatever it is, it’s important that you find a way to deal with your emotions. Don’t avoid them, but try to understand them.
Talk to someone.
There is nothing wrong with finding someone to talk to about how you’re feeling.
There is nothing wrong with being homesick. It’s normal. It’s part of the experience. We all feel things differently, but everything you learn while you are abroad will help you grow.
A.Make food from your home country. |
B.Going abroad may cost you a lot of money. |
C.It’s good to keep in touch with your family and friends. |
D.It’s also a good way to distract(使分心) you in a healthy way. |
E.After the first few weeks abroad, many students will feel a little worse. |
F.On that line of thought, truly try to explore the city that you’re studying in. |
G.It can be friends, family, mentors or professors who you feel can understand you. |
9 . “Are you OK, Cassie?” Jonah asked, from the doorway of the Sea Holly Cafe.
Cassie had been sitting on a chair outside for the past 10 minutes, but not really taking in the beauty of the sea.
“Oh, I should be getting back to work.” She rose hurriedly.
“We’re not busy, take your time.” Jonah came with a cappuccino for her. “Thanks.” She accepted the coffee, “Everything’s fine.” Then Jonah nodded, revealing a comforting smile, and went back inside.
He was a great boss, but Cassie didn’t feel like telling him what was wrong.
Cassie had gone to study fine art hopefully but dropped out after only a year due to the unbearable homesickness. Since then, she hadn’t touched her paints for a whole year. Today was doomed to be a sad date, the anniversary of her exciting plans turning to dust. She felt a crushing sense of disappointment. In her painting, she had captured a good likeness of the cloudy sky and the reflection of the dying light upon the water, but the picture did have a sad, dreary (沉闷的) quality.
About 20 minutes later, she was shocked by a voice at her shoulder, “That’s beautiful.”
Cassie turned, and there was a woman wearing a blue coat. The woman eyed it again. “You have talent, but there is much sadness in it, for one so young.” Cassie’s eyes were filled with tears. “My name’s Willow,” the woman said kindly, “Why not try painting the sunrise instead, my dear? You might find it helps.”
With Willow’s words echoing in her brain, Cassie rose an hour earlier the next day, caught a bus to the beach and began to paint again.
When she finished, Jonah was just opening up. He picked the painting up and appreciated it at eye height. “Hey, this is good. It’s really —“For a moment he struggled for the word, then found it and turned to her, beaming, “Optimistic!”
In her picture the sun was powering into the sky, casting a clear, golden pathway across the sea.
1. Which of the following best explains “He was a great boss” underlined in paragraph 5?A.Jonah offered a coffee to Cassie. |
B.Jonah ran a successful cafe business. |
C.Jonah figured out what was wrong with Cassie. |
D.Jonah was considerate of Cassie’s emotional upset. |
A.That her paints were covered with dust. |
B.That her homesickness was aroused again. |
C.That her original plan was abandoned midway. |
D.That her painting was full of a sorrowful and dull quality. |
A.It was more beautiful. | B.It might cheer Cassie up. |
C.It had artistic inspiration. | D.It made a difference to Willow. |
A.The Sun Always Rises | B.Every Man Has Its Price |
C.Strike While the Iron Is Hot | D.A Good Medicine Tastes Bitter |
10 . Being positive doesn’t mean only having happy thoughts all the time. Everyone has bad days.
You can practice gratitude(感激). Make a list of things you’re grateful for. Write down a few things that make you feel happy or grateful in a gratitude journal.
You can enjoy expectation. Find something to look forward to each day. Researchers have found that having something positive to look forward to helps improve mood and reduce stress. Whether visiting your favorite bookstore or enjoying a cup of coffee with your friends, make sure to find something to look forward to each day.
You can use positive self-talk.
A.You can practice smiling. |
B.They don’t have to be special or great things. |
C.Thinking about happy things is good for our health. |
D.You can make yourself be around with positive people. |
E.Even the most positive people sometimes experience sadness and anger. |
F.This will help keep you positive even when things aren’t going your way. |
G.The things that you say to yourself influence the way you think about yourself. |