1 . Ways to Show Gratitude (感激)

COVID-19 has a way of making people feel like their world was turned upside down overnight. They struggle with feeling frightened and feeling like everyone is overreacting (反应过度).     1    

Give thanks for everyday things

    2     In fact, being grateful for something as small as a fresh cup of coffee, a sunny day, or a perfect parking spot can give you a better mood and train your brain to see the good rather than the bad.

    3    

One way to make gratitude a regular part of your day is to make it a habit to think of three things you are thankful for each day. It doesn’t really matter whether you perform this exercise first thing in the morning or just before you go to bed. The important thing is that you’re taking time and reflecting on what you are grateful for.

Keep track of everything you’re grateful for

Using a phone app like Gratitude Plus, you can record the things you’re grateful for. Another option is to use social media or even post-it notes to express your gratitude.     4     This way, when you’re feeling down, you can reflect on the things that previously (以前) brought a smile to your face.

Reflect on past negative experiences

Look back on the worst moments in your life.     5     Consider not only what you suffered, but also what you learned through the experiences. When you find the positive in negative experiences, you have turned them into something positive that does you good in the end.

A．Make gratitude a daily habit.

B．Stick to expressing gratitude in public.

C．Then, compare those with where you are now.

D．Gratitude doesn’t have to be over the top or something significant.

E．You can hardly stay strong while recalling the moments that ever happened.

F．But learning to practice gratitude every day can bring some changes to your life.

G．The key is to use a method to help you remember the things you are grateful for.

2 . A group of researchers in South West England suspected that young teens who were remote schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic might be feeling more anxious. When they conducted a survey, however, what they found was surprising to them: the students were actually experiencing less anxiety.

The study, which was carried out by researchers at the university of Bristol, made use of an already ongoing study dealing with social media use and teen mental health. The participants had already done a baseline survey before the pandemic in October 2019. To assess the impact of the pandemic, another survey was done during the April/May time frame. Over 1000 year-nine students from 17 secondary schools in South West England were involved in the study.

The team found that 54 percent of 13-to14-year-old girls were at risk of anxiety prior to the pandemic, with that figure dropping by 10 percent during lockdown. Twenty-six percent of boys in the same age group were at risk during the initial survey, compared to 18 percent during lockdown.

Many of the teens also reported an increased sense of well-being while they were in lockdown.Boys reported a bigger improvement than girls.Also, those who reported the lowest sense of well-being prior to the pandemic experienced the greatest improvement. Emily widnall MSc, who was the lead of author of the study, said that she and her team were surprised when they said the results of the survey. “However when taking a step back,” she said, “we know that school for many young people can be quiet anxiety-provoking in terms of exam pressure and challenging peer relationships including bullying. This has been a really rare opportunity to understand how younger teenagers feel without the day-to-day pressures of school life. ”   

Many students also reported feeling a greater connection to their schools with increased opportunities to talk with their teachers despite not physically being at school. “It may be because digital platforms could play a bigger role as a learning tool.”

1. Why did Emily carry out the research?

A．To figure out why the teens were anxious during lockdown.

B．To evaluate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on teen mental health.

C．To find out to fight with the COVID-19 pandemic.

D．To know how social media use affect teens.

2. What does the underline words “ prior to ” probably mean in paragraph 3?

A．Junior to.

B．Precious to.

C．Equal to.

D．Familiar to.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Boys suffered from high level of anxiety than girls.

B．Girls reported a bigger improvement in the sense of well-being than boys.

C．The study was made up of data collected on two different occasions.

D．Remote schooling can help teens get rid of pressures.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Teens felt greater connections to schools.

B．The pandemic had influence on teens.

C．Teens reported mental improvements in lockdown.

D．Social media helped the teens relieve stress.