1 . Many people are enjoying the advantage of increased brain functions as     1     result of using nootropics (健脑药). Nootropics are also called limitless drugs because it’s said we can     2     (free) add them to our diets. Is this real?

Neurotransmitters (神经介质) have the power to not only affect our mood, energy levels,    3     (concentrate), memory, and sleep, but they also have the ability to positively     4     negatively affect our health.    5     (proper) balance and lack in any of these neurotransmitters can lead to serious health problems.

Trying to change neurotransmitter pathways in your brain     6     (achieve) a particular effect is not a decision to be taken lightly. You can create serious health problems for yourself in the future     7     changing the delicate and complex balance of chemicals in your brain, so     8     is a good idea to talk to your doctor about taking any nootropic drugs before experimenting with them yourself.

Remember that all pills have their own side effects. With so many nootropic products available, each of     9     has the potential to help or harm your health, your doctor can help you figure which one may be best for you. The effects of nootropics     10     (be) different because everyone is unique.

2 . The real power of healing is not about curing diseases. This was ______ to me by a ______ nurse who spent a lot of time with a woman in a nursing home who hadn’t been able to ______ for six years. Edward lifted her in and out of her chair or into the bed, depending on her ______.

She always wanted to talk about God and forgiveness.______ Edward had had a near-death experience, he felt comfortable doing this.

One ______ it was so late that Edward slipped out without being the one to put her to ______. He was ______ for his car in the parking lot when he heard her call, “Edward!” he snuck back inside and into her room.

“Are you sure God forgives us ______ everything?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m sure, from my own ______,” he said. “You know the gospel song that tells us ‘He knows every lie that you and I have told, and though it makes him very ______ to see the way we live, he’ll always say’ I forgive’”.

She ______. “When I was young, I stole my parents’ silver and sold it ______ I would have enough money to get married. I’ve never told anyone and no one ever found out. Will God forgive me?”

“Yes,” Edward reassured her. “God will forgive you. Good night.”

When Edward returned to work the next morning, he was told to see the administrator who asked what he had told the woman the day before.

“As usual,” Edward explained, “we talked about God and ______. ______?”

“At 3:00 A.M. the woman came out of her room and, with ______ walked the entire length of the nursing home, put her Bible and teeth on the nurse’s desk and said, “I don’t need these any more. Then she returned and walked back to her room and lay down and ______”

This is what the soul of nursing is all about, the ______ God created a world where we can all be ______ by showing our pity and empathy for ______.

1.

A．responded

B．revealed

C．entitled

D．submitted

2.

A．voluntary

B．concerned

C．female

D．male

3.

A．speak

B．walk

C．hear

D．see

4.

A．approval

B．reaction

C．schedule

D．emotion

5.

A．When

B．Unless

C．Because

D．For

6.

A．night

B．morning

C．noon

D．afternoon

7.

A．bed

B．chair

C．work

D．stay

8.

A．walking

B．accounting

C．bidding

D．heading

9.

A．with

B．for

C．by

D．toward

10.

A．imagination

B．principle

C．explanation

D．experience

11.

A．unbelievable

B．sad

C．patient

D．unbearable

12.

A．answered

B．sobbed

C．sighed

D．whistled

13.

A．and

B．or

C．so

D．nevertheless

14.

A．forgiveness

B．kindness

C．treatment

D．devotion

15.

A．What

B．How

C．When

D．Why

16.

A．no effort

B．no wonder

C．no help

D．no doubt

17.

A．died

B．slept

C．relaxed

D．settled

18.

A．motivation

B．religion

C．experience

D．reason

19.

A．nurses

B．doctors

C．administrators

D．advisers

20.

A．the sick

B．the wounded

C．the elderly

D．the public

3 . The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future.     1    ”

After centuries, this statement is still true. People are filled with anxiety, as they struggle to make a living, or to keep up with society’s standards.    2     They are stressed because of what awaits, yet ignoring what they must do at the moment to establish a better-future for themselves. Sadly nearly one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents have clinical depression. In my view the encouragement of unhealthy competition and perfectionism has led to this problem.

    3     From an early age, my parents taught me to settle for nothing less than an A on my tests and papers, I was persuaded that my grades would determine my worth. Therefore, I denied all my friends’ invitations to their parties and practiced math over the weekend. I was embarrassed at the sight of a low A and felt pressured to keep an outward image of perfection. One day, my friend Neha said, “    4     You’re president of orchestra, an All-State violist (中提琴演奏手), an amazing tennis player, a straight A student, I mean, you’re perfect.” I smiled at Neha, though I knew that I wasn’t really perfect.    5     Preoccupied with viola, tennis, and keeping my high grades, I hadn’t given enough attention to my health. I didn’t experience depression or anxiety during this time, but I wanted to lie on the grass, on a summer day, just watching the clouds move and to walk by the shore, watching the waves lap at the sand. I wanted to live in the present.

A．Michelle, I wish I were you.

B．I avoided pleasures and studied hard.

C．On the inside, I was stressed and anxious.

D．Anxiety problems affect one in eight children.

E．If you are at peace you are living in the present.

F．Certainly, I have experienced both the guilt and anxiety that Lao Tzu described.

G．They regret their past decisions, though they cannot change what has already occurred.

4 . A few months ago, I found myself in a bad situation with an old friend. For some mysterious reasons, he had suddenly turned against me.

I had no idea what to do. Part of me felt self-pitying, part of me felt like I was being oversensitive and should just shake it off, and part of me was so angry and just wanted to beat that friend. At first I wondered who all these voices in my head were to send me such contradictory messages about how to feel and behave. And which voice represented my true self? Thankfully, I have discovered the work of a therapist (治疗专家) named Richard Schwartz who suggests that perhaps none of us is really a single unified self, but instead a combination of various selves. Schwartz reassures us that containing all these different parts doesn’t make us crazy; it only makes us human. He also suggests that if we can identify and name the different parts of ourselves, we might have an easier time managing our lives.

Inspired by this idea, I did some deep diving to try to identify the most important selves living within me. I was able to find and name three.

Meet Lizzy. Lizzy is an anxious little kid who lives in terror of conflict and abandonment. Lizzy annoys me because she’s so helpless, but she also has great strengths. She feels compassion (怜悯) toward everyone because she knows how hard life is.

Meet Elizabeth. Elizabeth is my inner creator. She’s a grand and passionate risk taker. I love Elizabeth because she’s so artistic (she’s the reason why I’m a writer). But she also has a defect: She stubbornly refuses to accept reality.

Meet Ms. Gilbert. Ms. Gilbert is my most grown-up self. She’s the emotional opposite of both Lizzy and Elizabeth. She’s responsible, brave，organized，and independent. But she can also be a strict and an unforgiving critic of herself and others.

If we can find a way for all our parts to peacefully coexist, we might actually have a chance to live in harmony. And that, in the end, is what all of us want.

1. What Was the author’s reaction to the bad situation with her old friend?

A．She had complex feelings about it.

B．She couldn’t stop feeling self-pitying.

C．She wanted to figure out the cause first.

D．She felt like turning to a therapist for help.

2. What do we know about Lizzy in the author?

A．She is brave and kind-hearted.

B．She is really useless to the author.

C．She easily gets frightened but is kind.

D．She is the one that makes the author’s life hard.

3. What is the genre (writing style) of the passage?

A．Argumentation.	B．Narration.
C．Description.	D．Exposition.

4. What does the author probably want to show through the text?

A．We should live in harmony.

B．We should give up a bad friendship.

C．We should talk to ourselves at times.

D．We should make our various-selves coexist.

5 . One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried ______ for hours as the farmer tried to figure out ______ to do. Finally he decided the animal was ______ and the well needed to be ______ up anyway, so it just wasn’t ______ it to rescue the donkey.

He invited all his ______ to come over and help him. They all grabbed (握起) a shovel (铁铲) and began to shovel ______ into the well. At first, the donkey ______ what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s ______, he was quiet.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked ______ the well and was ______ at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that ______ his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would ______ it off and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors ______ to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take another ______ up. Pretty soon, everyone was surprised as the donkey stepped up over the ______ of the well and ran off.

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The best way of ______ out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our ______ is a stepping-stone. We can get out of the deepest ______ just by not stopping, never ______! Shake it off and take a step upward!

1.

A．sadly

B．confidently

C．frequently

D．gradually

2.

A．how

B．what

C．that

D．which

3.

A．strong

B．old

C．stubborn

D．powerful

4.

A．dug

B．flowed

C．covered

D．emptied

5.

A．important

B．possible

C．necessary

D．worth

6.

A．neighbors

B．relatives

C．partners

D．friends

7.

A．dust

B．pain

C．stone

D．dirt

8.

A．determined

B．recognized

C．realized

D．allowed

9.

A．relief

B．surprise

C．fear

D．joy

10.

A．down

B．around

C．for

D．after

11.

A．annoyed

B．delighted

C．surprised

D．disappointed

12.

A．attacked

B．packed

C．recovered

D．hit

13.

A．shake

B．blow

C．take

D．wash

14.

A．decided

B．continued

C．pretended

D．volunteered

15.

A．base

B．stage

C．step

D．breath

16.

A．bottom

B．track

C．appearance

D．entrance

17.

A．holding

B．getting

C．sorting

D．sticking

18.

A．troubles

B．happiness

C．successes

D．losses

19.

A．reality

B．distance

C．caves

D．wells

20.

A．setting up

B．blowing up

C．giving up

D．picking up

6 . It was a very cold Friday. When I observed the ____ falling onto my car, I really began to wonder if I was going to ____ it on lime. Of course I must, because I have no ____.

About two weeks ago, what my ____ Ellen bad talked about was her Christmas concert to be held in her school and some rumors about it. “Mom, Rachel was ____ to sing alone, but she’s not! Linda will replace her to do it.” “Mom, you won’t believe it, ____ Lexie’s whole family is coming to the concert, even from another ____!” Making a long way out of state to see third graders sing Christmas carob seemed to be a pretty big deal (待遇) for her.

When I sat in traffic, I thought about all the school ____ I had attended alone. Ellen never mentioned it, but I wonder ____ she fell about me being the only one who ever came to her events. My own family lived out of town, and her father and his family       ____ quite succeeded in filling those things into their schedules. I ____ if it bothered her.

At eight o'clock the ____ was scheduled to begin. With only a few minutes to ____, I found myself running: first, though the snow-drifted parking lot, then through the school passage. I entered the ____ hall and found a vacant seal near the front. From her place onstage, Ellen saw me ____ for the chair, and she smiled. 1 was ____   enough to hear the loud conversation of the children onstage.

“Look, Ellen, there is my uncle and my cousin. They came all the way from West Virginia. I can’t believe my whole family is here!” Ellen ____ at Lexie and said, “My whole family is here, too! Look, there she is!” Ellen gave me a big smile. I smile back at her, never once ____ the melting snow dripping off my head. It ____ occurred to me that while we tried lo teach our children all about ____，they actually taught us what life was all about.

1.

A．snow

B．rain

C．leaves

D．dust

2.

A．do

B．see

C．make

D．appreciate

3.

A．idea

B．choice

C．chance

D．time

4.

A．niece

B．nephew

C．son

D．daughter

5.

A．supposed

B．reminded

C．forced

D．persuaded

6.

A．so

B．but

C．or

D．and

7.

A．slate

B．country

C．town

D．city

8.

A．meetings

B．exercises

C．events

D．exams

9.

A．which

B．what

C．how

D．when

10.

A．always

B．never

C．occasionally

D．regularly

11.

A．hesitated

B．ignored

C．imagined

D．wondered

12.

A．concert

B．class

C．party

D．competition

13.

A．start

B．use

C．remain

D．spare

14.

A．huge

B．empty

C．crowded

D．special

15.

A．walk

B．run

C．wander

D．head

16.

A．happy

B．eager

C．prepared

D．close

17.

A．glared

B．smiled

C．glanced

D．laughed

18.

A．considering

B．stopping

C．noticing

D．getting

19.

A．suddenly

B．eventually

C．gradually

D．secretly

20.

A．love

B．music

C．school

D．life

7 . As a boy I was always small for my age. I was also five years younger than one of my brothers and seven years younger than the other. _______, I often felt left out when their friends came over to _______. I was too _______   for whatever they were doing and they didn’t want their younger brother listening in on their conversations either. More often than not I found myself outside playing _______ and feeling forgotten.

I remember one spring afternoon feeling especially _______ as I sat in the yard behind our house. We lived miles from town and I _______ saw my own friends outside of school. I _______ my brothers laughing from _______ the house and felt a single tear coming down my cheek. At that moment I saw a large brown dog _______ me. He was wagging(摇摆)his tail ________.He greeted me like a long lost ________ , licking(舔)my hand and sitting beside me on the grass, ________ he didn’t know me. I petted and ________ this four-legged angle(天使).He let me pour out all my troubles and ________ my deepest thoughts before he kissed me goodbye. I went back inside feeling happy, ________ that no matter what life might hold I was loved. I ________ that the dog was sent in that moment of ________ to remind me just how much I was loved.

In truth, nothing brings us greater ________ than knowing we are loved. Knowing we are loved gives us the ________ to love others as well. It also helps us to be the people the world meant for us to be. Remember how much the world loves you and share your ________ with the world.

1.

A．For example

B．As a result

C．In fact

D．At the beginning

2.

A．discuss

B．fight

C．play

D．work

3.

A．young

B．quick

C．nervous

D．noisy

4.

A．excitedly

B．alone

C．secretly

D．hard

5.

A．relaxed

B．anxious

C．strange

D．lonely

6.

A．regularly

B．even

C．hardly

D．always

7.

A．heard

B．found

C．made

D．imagined

8.

A．behind

B．over

C．outside

D．inside

9.

A．walking to

B．barking at

C．passing by

D．keeping off

10.

A．quietly

B．happily

C．slightly

D．naturally

11.

A．child

B．friend

C．toy

D．chance

12.

A．because

B．if only

C．when

D．even though

13.

A．picked up

B．thought of

C．learned from

D．talked to

14.

A．form

B．record

C．share

D．have

15.

A．doubting

B．wondering

C．showing

D．knowing

16.

A．decide

B．prove

C．believe

D．explain

17.

A．sadness

B．peace

C．madness

D．silence

18.

A．changes

B．honor

C．ideas

D．joy

19.

A．pride

B．freedom

C．strength

D．possibility

20.

A．appreciation

B．love

C．faith

D．growth

8 . The shower, I find, is the best place to cry. The water ______ the sound of my sadness，while washing away any ______ of my pain. I shower ______ the kids have gone to bed it’s the only time I can he ______.

I encourage my two boys to cry. My 7-year-old ______ himself on never crying at school. “Oh, but you must cry,” I ______. “Crying is good. It gets the sadness out. Never hold ______ your tears.” But what might ______ do to them to see their mother upset? I ______ did my best to protect my two children from my ______. If I needed to cry, I cried by myself, until...

Then my father died, and there was no ______ I could schedule my ______ and keep my feelings inside.

I tried to get on with things, but the sadness still came. The realization that my dad was actually gone ______ me with an intensity (强度) that was impossible to cover up.

To my surprise, my boys didn’t seem too alarmed. They found me hiding in the bedroom one afternoon,______. “It’s OK, mommies get sad too,” I told them, smiling ______ my tears.

“Don’t be sad, mommy. Granddad’s coming back as a baby,” my 7-year-old said, his tiny arm stretched ______ my shoulders. “Think about love,” he went on. “Think about all the people who love you.”

I realized that in hiding my pain, I was only ______ what it means to be human. It’s ______ thing to tell my children it’s OK to cry. It’s another to show them ______ it’s done.

Our job is not to protect our children, to keep them perfect. Our job is to look and say, “you are ______, and you’re made for struggles, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”

1.

A．exposes

B．covers

C．changes

D．reduces

2.

A．emotion

B．expression

C．evidence

D．dust

3.

A．after

B．before

C．until

D．when

4.

A．asleep

B．awake

C．alive

D．alone

5.

A．concentrates

B．prides

C．depends

D．bases

6.

A．request

B．command

C．order

D．insist

7.

A．up

B．on

C．back

D．out

8.

A．them

B．it

C．that

D．this

9.

A．always

B．rarely

C．seldom

D．often

10.

A．thoughts

B．difficulties

C．tears

D．problems

11.

A．doubt

B．point

C．need

D．way

12.

A．sadness

B．surprise

C．disappointment

D．anger

13.

A．inform

B．remind

C．hit

D．make

14.

A．weeping

B．wept

C．sweeping

D．swept

15.

A．for

B．at

C．in

D．through

16.

A．on

B．across

C．by

D．to

17.

A．explaining

B．denying

C．proving

D．expecting

18.

A．the other

B．other

C．the one

D．one

19.

A．how

B．what

C．that

D．why

20.

A．upset

B．perfect

C．imperfect

D．painful

9 . How to Look and Feel Beautiful

Life can be much easier if most people are not too hard on themselves about their own appearance and personality.

    1    .

1. Spend time for yourself.

Everyone needs to spoil himself or herself once in a while. Going to a spa or trying something simple can improve greatly on how you feel.

2.Eat healthy and exercise.

Keeping your body in shape and eating healthy food can do wonders for you not only physically, but give you great energy to be active and fit.    2    .

3.Stay less stressed.

    3    . Try yoga, soothing (抚慰人心的) music to ease and relax your mind and body. Do whatever that works for you to prevent constant worries.

4.     4    .

Treat yourself by buying a new outfit, a pair of shoes or a beautiful necklace or earrings to give an extra boost in the way you look.

5. Be content with yourself.

The best method to stay beautiful is being comfortable in your own skin by having confidence and thinking highly of yourself (but not to the extreme where you are arrogant). Accepting that you are an unique individual with great gifts can definitely change your life for the better.

6.Smile, laugh, and stay positive.

    5    . And it also gives you a beautiful glow (容光焕发) that make others want to be around you.

A．Go shopping

B．Wear makeup

C．Read more on different ways to look and feel beautiful

D．Ignore negative comments and stay away from negative souls

E．Remembering these three factors helps draw the right people in your life

F．Also taking vitamins and supplements is good for your body, skin, and hair

G．Situations in our life at times can make us feel physically, mentally, and emotionally stressed

10 . As a child, I was generally happy, singing and dancing to my favorite songs, smiling and laughing with my friends and family. But as far back as second grade, I noticed a “darkness” about me. I didn’t enjoy engaging in many things.

In middle school things in my life began to get even worse. I began withdrawing from everything I once enjoyed—swimming, tennis, family. I hated going to sleep knowing I had to wake up to another day. I was always tired. Everything was horrible. Finally, midway through eighth grade, I was told I had a chemical imbalance, diagnosed with clinical depression, and put on medication. It took months for me to feel the effects of the medication.

When I began to feel happy again is when I realized that I had to take the responsibility for getting better myself, rather than relying on medicine. Aristotle said, “To live happily is an inward power of the soul,” and I believe that this quote describes what I had to do to achieve happiness. Happiness is a journey. Everyone seems to need different things to be happy. But I believe people are blinded from what truly makes one happy.

“The essentials to happiness are something to love, something to do, and something to hope for,” a quote from William Blake sums up what I believe people need to realize to be truly happy in life. People need love; I feel they need their family and their friends more than anything in the world. People need work to do, something to make them feel they are making a difference in the world. People need to know that more good is to come in the future, so they continue to live for “now” instead of constantly worrying about the bad that could come. And most importantly, people need to know that happiness is not something that happens overnight. Love and hope are happiness.

1. What can we know from Paragraph 2?

A．He was diagnosed with clinical depression in Grade Six.

B．He hated going to sleep because he couldn’t sleep well.

C．He suffered a lot from clinical depression.

D．He spent months recovering from the clinical depression.

2. What made the author feel happy again?

A．His understanding of happiness.	B．The medicine’s effect.
C．Aristotle’s words.	D．His families’ love.

3. People who want to be truly happy should have the following EXCFPT       , according to the author.

A．hope	B．belief
C．love	D．work

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Ways to overcome depression.	B．The importance of being happy.
C．The essentials to happiness.	D．Love and happiness.