1 . The therapy (疗法) program “changed my entire way of thinking, and I was able to apply it to other parts of my life as well,” says Genova, who spent 20 years conducting clinical research on anxiety disorders and other behavioral and public health issues before founding Socially Speaking, a social performance and anxiety coaching business.
Anxiety — as it refers to a set of disorders including social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, which Genova also has — affects more than 18% of the U.S. adult population each year. That makes it the most common mental illness in the country, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
“Anxiety is definitely becoming more common. Chances are, you know someone who suffers from it,” says Angelique Mason, a family nurse practitioner with Penn Medicine at Woodbury Heights in New Jersey, who often sees patients with a range of anxiety disorders.
Incidence of anxiety was on the rise before the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病), but that global health crisis (危机) and following financial and social disorders just threw gas on the anxiety fire for a majority of Americans. An October 2020 survey from the American Psychiatric Association found 62% of Americans feel more anxious than they did at the same time the previous year, a sizable increase over APA surveys conducted over the past three years, in which the number had ranged between 32% and 39%.
Moe Gelbart, director of behavioral health at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrance, California, mentions that “we’re experiencing the highest rates of anxiety we have ever seen. Reasons include fear of the unknown and feelings of helplessness and lack of control.”
Lawrence Lovell, a licensed mental health adviser based in New York City, and founder of Breakthrough Solutions, points to a 2021 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation that found during the pandemic 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, up from 1 in 10 who reported those symptoms from January to June 2019.
1. What do we know about Genova?| A．She has been free from anxiety. |
| B．She thinks anxiety affects most young people. |
| C．She set up Socially Speaking 20 years ago. |
| D．She benefited from the therapy program. |
| A．The worldwide financial crisis. | B．The COVID-19 pandemic. |
| C．The increase of adult population. | D．The lack of skilled family nurses. |
| A．More Challenges on the Way | B．More Health Advisers in Need |
| C．Anxiety Affects You? | D．Patients Suffer from Anxiety |
| A．Global mental health. | B．America’s pandemic control. |
| C．Tips for relieving anxiety. | D．Types of disease symptoms. |
2 . According to a survey, more young people are killed each year by sleepy drivers than by drunk drivers. This proves one thing. Getting enough sleep can be tough. How are we dealing with the problem? Sleep clinics (诊所) are appearing all over the United States.
Driving when tired can be very dangerous. During the daytime, over half of drivers report feeling sleepy at some point. At night, over 80 percent drivers sometimes get drowsy (昏睡的). And here is the most frightening of all.
What is going on here? One thing is that people are not getting enough sleep. One person out of three gets by on less than six hours a night. Lots of people have trouble falling asleep.
What if you are a person with real sleeping problems? What if you have tried all the home remedies (治疗法) like hot milk? You might consider going to a sleep clinic.
| A．Here are some facts to remember. |
| B．Many such clinics look for volunteers. |
| C．Too much sleep may make you tired as well. |
| D．Sleep is part of a person’s daily activity cycle. |
| E．They are always working to find out more about sleep. |
| F．Others fall asleep easily, but then wake up time after time. |
| G．Almost one-quarter of all drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel. |
3 . In the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, the athletes were fighting hard to win glory for themselves and their country. Do you care about the gold medal count? Shouldn’t we just enjoy the game? Readers share their opinions.
George
The spirit of the Olympic Games is about sportsmanship and performing your personal best, which brings the whole world together under peace and competition. It was never purely about winning gold medals and dominance, as no single athlete can dominate (统治) the whole Olympic Games. The spirit of the Olympics also give an important message to the world that no single country should seek to dominate over others.
Eric
None of the athletes who fail to win a gold medal have anything to be ashamed of. If they win a medal, great! If they don’t, we know they did their best. One minute on stage, 10 years of practice off stage. The small medals contain their countless efforts. Gold, silver, bronze, even if they didn’t win any medal, we cheer for them and are proud of them. Go China!
Allende
The Chinese delegation has been put on too much pressure, which is unfair to all hard-working athletes. A gold medal is not everything. Think about those players who lost the gold but tried their best, most people do not show friendly sympathy to them, but even lightly blame them, and I was one of these people. I have to take this occasion to apologize for my behavior. Don’t create unreasonable pressure, you are not the one playing the game!
1. What do George and Eric have in common?| A．They are excellent athletes. | B．They are lack of sportsmanship. |
| C．They look at win and loss objectively. | D．They care about medals too much. |
| A．He is sorry for what he did. | B．Chinese players hope for mercy. |
| C．Pressure results in unfair competition. | D．Most people feel pity for the losers. |
| A．A personal diary. | B．A research paper. |
| C．A newspaper report. | D．A story collection. |
4 . A hotel that calls itself the world's first "polar bear hotel" has opened in northeastern China. The Polar Bear Hotel is part of the Harbin Polarland amusement park in Harbin, the capital and largest city in Heilongjiang province.
It opened earlier this month and promised that guests would be able to see live polar bears from all 21 guest rooms. "Whether you're eating, playing or sleeping, polar bears will keep you company," Harbin Polarland said in a statement on the WeChat messenger service. Photos and videos from Chinese state media showed people watching two polar bears in a closed, indoor space with artificial ice and small pools of water.
Yang Liu is a spokeswoman for Harbin Polarland. She told Reuters that the indoor area is the only part of the bears' total living space. She said they are also let outdoors when temperature and air quality permits. Liu added there has been "very high" interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms cost from about $ 290 to $ 351 a night.
But some animal rights activists have criticized the hotel. Jason Baker is vice president at animal rights group PETA. He told Reuters, "Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums - and certainly not in hotels." He added, "Polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day in nature，roaming home ranges that can scan thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life."
In 2016, a shopping center in the southern city of Cuangzhou drew worldwide criticism after videos showed a polar bear named Pizza lying on her side in a glass-walled area.
Harbin Polarland was established in 2005. It calls itself the world's first polar performing arts amusement park.
1. What makes the Polar Bear Hotel in Harbin unique?| A．Guests can watch polar bears in their room. |
| B．Polar bears will play with tourists. |
| C．Tourists have chances to film videos with polar bears. |
| D．Guests can touch polar bears in outdoor space. |
| A．Objective. | B．Critical. | C．Positive. | D．Favorable. |
| A．It's secure for them to stay in the zoo. |
| B．They can enjoy a happy life in glass boxes in aquariums. |
| C．They fall asleep in most of the time in nature. |
| D．The range of their activity can cover thousands of miles. |
| A．A science report. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A textbook. | D．A news report. |
5 . Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world, in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.
The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.
It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed at which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is smart phones, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.
1. What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?| A．The exercise of rights is a luxury. |
| B．The practice of choice is difficult. |
| C．The right of choice is given but at a price. |
| D．Choice and right exist at the same time. |
| A．Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product. |
| B．People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion. |
| C．Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items. |
| D．Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice. |
| A．Advanced products meet the needs of people. |
| B．Products of the latest design flood the market. |
| C．Competitions are fierce in high-tech industry. |
| D．Everyday goods need to be replaced often. |
| A．The helplessness in purchasing decisions. |
| B．The variety of choices in modern society. |
| C．The opinions on people’s right in different countries. |
| D．The problems about the availability of everyday goods. |
6 . Priors Court is a school in Berkshire, southern England for children with autism (自闭症). It cares for around 95 young people with more severe signs of autism. Some cannot speak or communicate their needs. The school set up a project aimed at finding a new use for virtual (虚拟的) reality (VR) headsets, to help those autistic children become familiar with alien places and feel safe there. The workers involved in the project at the school are also using high technology to learn more about individual students.
People with autism may find it hard to deal with places and situations they have not experienced before. VR headsets make the wearer feel like they are in a different place. For example, someone wearing a VR headset can have a 360-degree view of a place as they turn around. With video, they can even hear the sounds of the place.
Nuno Guerreiro is a computing teacher at Prior’s Court School. He said: “Our young people, they have difficulties with sensory issues (感知问题), so they can find it overpowering going to very busy places.” Guerreiro added that children with autism find it hard to be in a new place. “They like what is familiar, they like their routine.” The school officials hope the VR experiences will help children feel better about changes from their routine. The charity is also hoping data can help. They are trying a new data collection system. The system, called Prior Insight, puts together information about each young person’s day: what they have eaten, how much sleep and exercise they have had and all their activities.
Project leader Elaine Hudgell said the school hopes to share what it has learned. “We’re hoping to not only increase our knowledge and awareness of the world of young people with autism at Priors Court, but also to be able to, in time, share that with the wider autism world."
1. What do we know about the children in Priors Court?| A．They dislike talking in public. | B．They feel unsafe at school. |
| C．They suffer language barriers more or less. | D．They are very strange to VR headsets. |
| A．Play videos. | B．Recreate a new sound. |
| C．Provide more virtual scenes. | D．Present familiar situations. |
| A．By adjusting people’s senses. | B．By changing people’s routine. |
| C．By arranging various activities. | D．By collecting daily behavior data. |
| A．Care for Children with Autism | B．Make Good Use of High Technology |
| C．VR Headsets Are Popular with Schools | D．VR Takes Autistic Children to New Places |
7 . If you're someone who looks in the mirror every day and concentrates only on any little flaws(瑕疵) , you're not alone. For many people, struggling with body image issues is a continuous battle.
How hostile the world is to unattractive girls became a trending topic on Sina Weibo in March. The topic resonated with many girls who shared their personal experiences. One internet user talked about how her friends would often cut her image out of group pictures because they thought she was too fat.
“My nose is not high enough, my chin is short and flat, and my eyes are small,” Tang Yuqi, a college student, told China Youth Daily. She doesn't even answer the door without putting on makeup first. “I just can't accept myself if I'm not wearing it,” Tang added.
What promotes this anxiety among young people?
As the country's economy has developed rapidly, people are more likely to be affected by what others think of them. Greater time spent online also means greater exposure to advertisements promoting “paper-thin waist” or “chopstick legs”. Such unrealistic ideals only further young people's anxiety and lead to an unhealthy mindset of perfectionism.
The anxiety over appearance and shape has pushed some people into physical and mental illness. According to Beat, the UK's leading eating disorder charity, the idealization of thinness is a key factor in worsening the illness and preventing recovery. Some people even go through surgery just to achieve what they believe society considers "beautiful".
But beauty doesn't come from a makeup brush or a thinner waist. Growing taller and having perfect skin isn't the solution to insecurity. The fact that every person is different is something to be celebrated.
1. What does the underlined part “resonated with" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Hurt. | B．Shocked. | C．Was understood by. | D．Was changed by. |
| A．Beauty contests. | B．Unrealistic perfectionism. |
| C．Economic development plans. | D．Health product advertisements. |
| A．Thinness. | B．Health. | C．Plastic surgery. | D．Social opinions. |
| A．Growing up safely. | B．Accepting a difference. |
| C．A light makeup. | D．A perfect appearance. |
8 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860-1935)Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community (社区) by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness(意识) of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and in 1981, the first woman to join the U. S. Supreme Court (最高法院). O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913-2005)On December 1,1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott (抵制). It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.
1. What is Jane Addams famous for in history?| A．Her social work. | B．Her teaching skills. |
| C．Her efforts to win a prize. | D．Her community background. |
| A．Not having training in law. | B．Her little work experience in court. |
| C．Her identity as a woman. | D．Her poor financial conditions. |
| A．Jane Addams. | B．Rachel Carson. |
| C．Sandra Day O’Connor. | D．Rosa Parks. |
| A．They are highly educated. | B．They are truly creative. |
| C．They are pioneers. | D．They are peace-lovers. |
9 . The Internet plays a big part in human life. We use it for work and pleasure. We use it to learn a new language. We find advice on it. We use it to connect with family and friends. We use it to stay in touch with events we care about.The list goes on and on.
As far as the Internet being a part of our lives, well, that train has left the station. There is no going back to an Internet-free life. But can using the Internet too much be bad for our health? It might be, say researchers. A new study finds that heavy Internet use may be connected to high blood pressure in a young group: teenagers.
The study results show that teens who spend at least 14 hours a week only online may cause high blood pressure, which makes their hearts and blood vessels(血管) work too hard. Over time, this extra pressure increases the risk of a heart attack. High blood pressure can also cause heart and other diseases.
The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan did the study. 335 young people, from 14 to 17 years old, took part in it. 134 of the teens were described as “heavy Internet users”. And researchers found that out of these 134 teens, 26 had high blood pressure. The researchers said the study was the first to connect heavy Web use with high blood pressure.
The lead researcher is Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow. She says, “Using the Internet is part of our daily life, but it shouldn’t ruin(毁坏) us.” Ms. Cassidy-Bushrow adds that it is important for teens to stop to have a rest regular from their computers or smartphones and do some kind of physical activity. She also suggests that parents shouldn’t let their children use the Internet for more than two hours a day, five days a week.
1. What does the underlined part “that train has left the station”mean in Paragraph 2?| A．The train has changed its course. |
| B．Life without the Internet is nowhere to be found. |
| C．The Internet brings great changes to people’s life. |
| D．The Internet has improved people’s life. |
| A．There was no similar study like it before. |
| B．Most of the young people had high blood pressure. |
| C．Adult people aged above 17 took part in the study. |
| D．Over half of the teens in the study were heavy Internet users. |
| A．That teenagers shouldn’t use the Internet. |
| B．That the Internet will ruin human life in the future. |
| C．That smartphones are more harmful than computers. |
| D．That regular breaks are necessary when using the Internet. |
| A．Heavy Internet users are mostly teenagers. |
| B．Every coin has two sides—so does the Internet. |
| C．Too much Internet use may be bad for teenagers. |
| D．How to prevent teenagers from using the Internet. |
10 . A University College London study looked at car use to conclude that cities have to become car-free to survive. Simply put, if we don't reduce the number of cars in our cities then they will just completely clog up and stop moving.
The study notes the number of cars is actually increasing faster than that of people. In 2019, 80 million cars were built while the population increased by 78 million. And the mass production of those cars was responsible for 4% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (排放) ,which is bigger than aviation (航空) and that's before you even fuel them up.
The study authors construct a mathematical model, and residents choose driving their car or taking public transport on the basis of the time it takes to do the trip. “All individuals decide their commuting (通勤) mode trying to reduce their costs, but the result is the overall worst-case situation, where the average commuting time is longer and all people decide to use their car.” write the authors of the study.
Besides, policymakers tend to construct even more car infrastructure (基础设施) and invest even more in private cars, which then encourages more private vehicle use and results in even more traffic jams.
Possible solutions have to be actively encouraged, with more travel options, plus local shops and services.
Also, increasing the costs could be achieved by reducing the space devoted to cars, with more public transport lanes, wider sidewalks, and pedestrian roads, for example.
Dr. Humberto, one author of the study said: “If our goal is to have more liveable and developed cities then we must take part of this land and give it to other modes of transportation: walking, cycling and public transport.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined words “clog up”?| A．Turn down. | B．Break down. |
| C．Make troubles. | D．Get stuck. |
| A．The number of cars is larger than population. |
| B．Car production creates more CO2 than aviation. |
| C．CO2 emission is largely affected by car production. |
| D．Global CO2 emission is more serious than expected. |
| A．It is hard for people to keep a balance. |
| B．It takes more time to drive cars to work. |
| C．More cars can be used to save time. |
| D．Driving cars can keep the cost down. |
| A．Building parking lots. | B．Saving land for cars. |
| C．Producing less cars. | D．Riding a bus to work. |
