1 . Looking back, I spent many unhappy days. In middle school I didn’t think I was as smart as everyone else; I didn’t have cool enough clothes. Junior high was the same. I wasn’t as tall and thin as all the other girls; my baby teeth hadn’t fallen out yet. Fast forward to high school. Still everyone was smarter; still everyone dressed better. Eventually, in my first job out of college I wasn’t making as much money as my friends did.

I come from a long line of people who’ve suffered from depression. When I was single, I thought that was just who I was — it was the genes (基因) I was born with. When I was twenty-six, I got married, and three years later I had my first child.

Once we had kids, my excuse of “it’s-in-the-genes” didn’t work so well for me anymore because that meant my kids would be depressed. Although I realized that still might be the case, I began looking at my unhappiness in new ways.

Over the years many things helped me fight depression: healthy eating, exercise, fresh air, friends and medicine. They all helped. But I had a little secret, too. It’s an exercise I did every night before bed. By the side of my bed, I had a small datebook — every day I only had enough space to write one line.

Every night I asked myself: “What made me the happiest today?” Because I didn’t have space to write a lot, it only took me a few seconds. But in those seconds I replayed my day and decided on its happiest moment.

Some days it was “reading before bed with the kids” or “laughing with a friend on the phone”. And other days it was “finally getting to get into bed” or “not having to cook dinner again”. Anyway, I actively sought the positive every day. Today, when I have a difficult day, I look back through the datebook, read and remember those happy moments in the past.

1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?

A．The author led a poor life.

B．The author got a high-pay job.

C．The author challenged herself bravely.

D．The author usually compared herself with others.

2. What changed the author’s mind?

A．Her first career.	B．Her happy marriage.
C．Her care for her children.	D．Her knowledge of genes.

3. Why did the author keep a datebook every day?

A．To ease her loneliness.	B．To have a sound sleep.
C．To recall happy moments.	D．To serve as bedtime stories.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.

B．Mother should set a good example for kids.

C．There could be a solution to any problem.

D．We should appreciate life’s bright aspects.

2 . My smartphone gave me access to music, information and videos. I would repeatedly refresh my email, shop online and look through the latest bad news. I’d often complain. I felt trapped by it.     1     I bought a phone with no touch screen. I can’t get access to social media. The benefits are fantastic.

I am more connected in my relationships.

Earlier, while texting with a friend who had moved, I finally got frustrated (懊丧的) and called her. I realized I hadn’t spoken to her since her move.     2     I learned that when people connected voice to voice, they felt more bonded.

I consume news on my own.

    3     But that didn’t happen. Instead of spending hours sifting (筛) through feeds, I use my laptop to selectively visit a handful of news sources. With the saved time, I’m reading more books. I realized being “in touch” with society doesn’t require constant monitoring of the Internet.

    4    

During the lock-downs, I filled boredom by visiting stores sending newsletters to my email. I found myself repeating lines from department store copywriters. Every time I clicked “buy”, I’d get a dopamine (多巴胺) hit. Now I’m online about 10 times less, I’m more thoughtful about what I need and I’ve had the time to take up knitting and needling—making what I once would have “added to cart”.

I am calmer.

When I first quit using my phone, I’d search for it at times. I went through withdrawals. Thankfully, that sense of dependence is false. I’ve found you can find other ways to do all the things.     5    

A．I shop less online.

B．So I decided to change.

C．I spend my time with my family.

D．But over time, I became worried about its role in my life.

E．I worried that I would miss out important discussions of the day.

F．It made a difference to hear both the awe and sadness in her voice.

G．It’s not always convenient, but I’m much calmer without my smartphone.

3 . One day my 10-year-old son, Kavi, left his typewritten math homework at school. He came to me in ________ . “What should I do?” he asked.

Together, we ________ that he could ask his friend to send a photo of the homework so that he could ________ the content by hand. The problem got solved, right? Wrong. He remained anxious. Soon, I discovered what really ________ him: He was afraid that his teacher would   ________ the homework left on his desk at school and be upset with him. He begged me to email the teacher to offer a(n) ________ .

I wanted to help—which parent doesn’t want to make the ________ go away, especially when the solution is as ________ as sending an email? Yet, that would have been a(n) ________ thing to do. Research shows parents’ helping to avoid worry-causing ________ may comfort anxious children at the moment, ________ it prevents them from learning to cope in the long run.

I never sent that email to Kavi’s teacher. I ________ to talk Kavi through his worry, but he still felt restless at supper. However, the next day, he got an A+ on his homework along with a note: “You did a good job ________ how to get your homework done.”

I think it’s necessary for parents to let their children stay with worry but ________ them in seeking solutions, and that children’s gaining mastery over their worry is just the key to their growing up ________ .

1.

A．silence

B．comfort

C．panic

D．amazement

2.

A．convinced

B．remembered

C．announced

D．considered

3.

A．copy out

B．clear away

C．point at

D．pass down

4.

A．touched

B．inspired

C．bothered

D．probed

5.

A．replace

B．ignore

C．correct

D．notice

6.

A．cooperation

B．explanation

C．guarantee

D．definition

7.

A．embarrassment

B．homesickness

C．hurt

D．dream

8.

A．simple

B．essential

C．ridiculous

D．intense

9.

A．complicated

B．permanent

C．illegal

D．wrong

10.

A．principles

B．comments

C．situations

D．contests

11.

A．otherwise

B．but

C．because

D．nevertheless

12.

A．tried

B．spotted

C．hesitated

D．pretended

13.

A．setting aside

B．benefiting from

C．figuring out

D．focusing on

14.

A．criticize

B．support

C．assign

D．contact

15.

A．willingly

B．flexibly

C．crazily

D．healthily

4 . I seldom cooked before the isolation (隔离). I thought little of cooking either. But in troubled times I’ve been _________ to cook every day and thus _________ my feelings about it.

First, I’ve realized how the _________ of cooking goes beyond food itself. We exchange recipes and _________ cooking experiences in the group chat of our community. There’s always a shared _________ when we help each other and cook a dish successfully. In other words, we are _________ to each other during the lockdown.

However, the deeper change came from’ ’my understanding of cooking. When I tried to bake biscuits, what started out as a simple thing _________ a three-hour’ struggle, from preparing ingredients to putting the finishing touch on the biscuits. And the dough! A heavy hand or wrong timing can _________ its failure. All these remind me I was so _________ before, taking for granted (认为理所当然) the effort, creativity and skills which cooking routine meals __________. Cooking __________ is a fun and novel experience, but cook every day and you __________ the importance of organization, preparation and efficiency.

I’ve recently learned nine different countries __________ our dinner ingredients. So we also need to appreciate the __________made by so many people across the world! It’s their work that helps to offer us nutritious food.

Now I’m grateful for everything prepared for dinner. To __________ is an exercise in patience, commitment and creativity.

1.

A．asked

B．forced

C．advised

D．guided

2.

A．developed

B．evaluated

C．changed

D．displayed

3.

A．ways

B．value

C．basics

D．love

4.

A．share

B．gain

C．offer

D．grasp

5.

A．vision

B．interest

C．concept

D．pride

6.

A．fairer

B．politer

C．closer

D．stranger

7.

A．made up

B．ended up

C．called for

D．stood for

8.

A．result in

B．build up

C．expose

D．maintain

9.

A．unwelcome

B．unfriendly

C．untrue

D．ungrateful

10.

A．required

B．gave

C．produced

D．stressed

11.

A．frequently

B．perfectly

C．skillfully

D．occasionally

12.

A．realize

B．doubt

C．favour

D．predict

13.

A．introduce

B．supply

C．study

D．register

14.

A．effects

B．choices

C．efforts

D．connections

15.

A．improve

B．create

C．succeed

D．challenge

5 . Being loved isn't always best.

Mrs. Farren was an English teacher no one _________ . There was a strong sense of urgency (紧迫) in her class. When you entered her classroom, your heart started beating faster. Was it _________ ? Not exactly. But it seemed that what you were about to experience was going to be very _________ . Under Mrs. Farren's direction, learning words and sentences felt like _________ for battle. To her, grammar and written expression were _________ business.

Once, I made the _________ of saying that I hated a movie I'd seen. " Did you hate it?" Mrs. Farren asked. "Hate is a(n) _________ word. Be careful how you use it."

I backtracked (改变说法) and said, "Okay, I strongly _________ the movie."

I will never forget the smile on Mrs. Farren's face when I _________ my words, learning that language is powerful and that it is my responsibility to use it __________ .

Like most teachers, I want my students to like me. But research shows that teachers __________ with students aren't always the ones who produce the most long-term learning.

Don't confuse popularity with proficiency (水平). If I pay more attention to what students think of me, I may be __________ their long-term learning.

Maybe there's a Mrs. Farren in your life whom you now appreciate in ways you couldn't __________ at that time. Maybe there were moments when you "very much disliked" them, __________ they asked you to do things you couldn't yet do — now you are ever __________ for that.

1.

A．wanted

B．respected

C．trusted

D．cared

2.

A．shock

B．excitement

C．anger

D．fear

3.

A．hard

B．strange

C．boring

D．annoying

4.

A．calling

B．training

C．leaving

D．arranging

5.

A．special

B．serious

C．regular

D．necessary

6.

A．promise

B．speech

C．decision

D．mistake

7.

A．difficult

B．unpleasant

C．strong

D．cold

8.

A．misunderstood

B．refused

C．disliked

D．doubted

9.

A．retold

B．translated

C．added

D．changed

10.

A．properly

B．naturally

C．perfectly

D．frequently

11.

A．satisfied

B．familiar

C．popular

D．patient

12.

A．going against

B．focusing on

C．building up

D．giving up

13.

A．find

B．understand

C．believe

D．expect

14.

A．but

B．because

C．so

D．although

15.

A．eager

B．admirable

C．thankful

D．sorry