1 . Both my husband and I will celebrate birthdays in the next few weeks, and we are wondering where all the time has gone. Then we start to rethink about our years together, and the time before our relationship, and the memories flood back along with more smiles than tears. As a great deal of psychological research confirms, we actually recall more positive than negative memories as we age.

New research by Erika Sparrow and colleagues, just published in the journal Psychology and Aging, reviewed 16 studies on aging and altruism(利他主义), asking whether people become more open-handed and are more willing to give as they get older. The answer is yes — regardless of financial status, the level of education, or gender, older people responded more willingly when asked to give resources or help others than younger people.

So maybe all of us simply need to think happy thoughts. Can it really be this easy? Mara Maher reports, in the journal Memory and Emotion, that the focus on positive aspects of our past as we get older seems to be intentional, a specific goal-directed process to create more positive memories in order to increase our sense of well-being. So there are at least some good things about getting old! But must we age to obtain these benefits?

Perhaps not. Ernst Bohlmeijer and colleagues found that people who experience even mild depression or daily stress benefit from “gratitude exercises”, daily diaries where individuals write about positive experiences of their day and reflect on past experiences for which they are grateful. Taking time to actively think about and reflect on the positive experiences in our lives provides perspectives and improves our sense of well-being, regardless of our age.

And we can start this process with our children! Research from The Family Narratives Lab has demonstrated many benefits of recalling happy memories between parents and children, including helping children learn to meet challenges and regulate their emotions.

This birthday season, my husband and I will share our positive experiences as a gift to each other. In doing this, we will increase our sense of belonging and caring for each other, our family and our community.

1. What did the new research from Erika’s team find about older people?

A．They have a more open mind.	B．They are more generous to others.
C．They are more likely to be tricked.	D．They have a better financial situation.

2. What can we know about older people’s thinking happy thoughts?

A．It is difficult to be achieved.	B．It is limited to certain age groups.
C．It may be performed purposefully.	D．It can be helpful for people to focus on goals.

3. How do gratitude exercises benefit people according to Ernst’s team?

A．By improving their mental well-being.	B．By raising kind and considerate children.
C．By teaching them ways to meet challenges.	D．By strengthening their relationship with others.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Aging has both advantages and disadvantages.

B．Reflecting on grateful memories can decrease stress.

C．Keeping a diary helps increase our sense of well-being.

D．Remembering positive experiences is beneficial across age.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

    1    (volunteer) is very important. The benefits of volunteering extend(延伸) far beyond the reach of the community and the individual     2    is being directly helped. There are many studies     3    (indicate) that volunteering is     4    (physical) and mentally beneficial to volunteers’ well-being. The    5    (benefit) are significant even if you have just started to explore the world of volunteering.

Choose     6    agency (like the Aging & Disability Resource Center of Central Wisconsin) that is in line with     7    (you) interests. Call them and explain what you     8    (look) for now, including your interests, skills and time. After thinking about what you can do, give some thought to how much. Do you want a brief, weekend long project? Do you want to give two hours a week or even an hour or two every day? You also need to give some thought to why you want to volunteer. Most people want to help someone, but since there are great rewards     9    volunteering, you need to really think about the why.

Volunteering can be extremely     10    (reward). Everyone has a different reward and reason to continue.

3 . The post-vacation syndrome (综合症) affects the majority of students.     1     Symptoms can last a few days, a week, or up to 15 days. Here are some tips that will help you manage it.

Ease into your schedule

After a long vacation, it is necessary to plan the schedule. The ideal is to fulfill your schedule 100%, but you must be realistic: be flexible during the first weeks and do not arrange your schedule too tight.     2    

Start with small goals

Starting with small tasks will allow you to achieve small objectives and gain satisfaction with what has been completed. Always, now more than ever, it’s important to break down big goals into small daily or weekly goals to motivate you to keep going.

Make your space free from distractions

    3     Rearrange your study area, put it in order, and avoid wasting hours on mobile phones. Remember that, after a distraction, it takes us an average of 25 minutes to refocus on what we were doing.

Maintain leisure activities

Experts recommend not to return suddenly to studies but to do it a few days before to adapt schedules, routines and even diet. During the first days, it will also help you to maintain some leisure activities.     4    

Rest to be more productive

It is likely that, during your vacations, you have slept in a disorderly way: some days little and other days more than 12 hours. To get back into the routine, you need to get back to sleep in an orderly and sufficient way.     5     Sleeping 8 hours a day will help you improve your attention and concentration and consolidate (巩固) the knowledge acquired during the day.

A．Stop yourself from being distracted by any noise.

B．Your mind and body need time to adjust back to the routine.

C．It’s time for you to avoid being distracted during your study time.

D．Sport, for example, will help reduce stress, and release muscle and mental tension.

E．We must accept that the holidays are over and face the new semester with optimism.

F．One way to adapt is to go to bed earlier and progressively advance the wake-up time.

G．Its most common symptoms are psychological discomfort and difficulty concentrating.

4 . Do you think of your parents? “Yes, of course,” you may answer. “I buy a present for my mother on ________. And I give my father a present on Father’s Day ________.” Then what about the other days of a year? Always ________ to think of your parents, not just on some important days.

I have a friend who ________ alone, because her parents live in another city. One day I went to see her. We had a nice chat. Then she wanted to make a ________. She dialed (拨号) the number, but then she put the phone ________. After about ten seconds, she dialed the number again. “Hi, Mum...”

Later I asked, “Why did you ________ the number twice?” She smiled, “My parents are old. They can’t get close to the telephone ________. I always do so when I call them. I just want to give them ________ time to answer the call.”

My friend is a good girl. She is always ________ her parents. You also want to be a good child, right? So why not learn from her?

1.

A．Father’s Day

B．Mother’s Day

C．Teachers’ Day

D．Children’s Day

2.

A．too

B．also

C．either

D．very

3.

A．refuse

B．forget

C．remember

D．regret

4.

A．live

B．lives

C．lived

D．living

5.

A．face

B．card

C．head

D．call

6.

A．up

B．off

C．down

D．in

7.

A．write

B．dial

C．send

D．draw

8.

A．lonely

B．slowly

C．quickly

D．lowly

9.

A．less

B．little

C．few

D．enough

10.

A．thinking about

B．laughing at

C．picking up

D．giving up

5 . Technology has really improved my life over the past years. For example, the _________ that the iPhone brought have been dramatic (巨大的). We _________ our phones as music players, cameras, flashlights, and entertainment (娱乐) devices. We can use Siri, or Google on our phones to _________ to our voice requests. Phones have _________ become a way to pay for items. And the saying “There’s an app for that” has become a serious _________ to many of our questions and problems.

The Amazon Echo voice assistant (Alexa) has also had a dramatic _________ on my life. With a few Internet-connected light bulbs and switches, I can now _________ Alexa to turn lights and devices on and off. When I get into bed at night, I tell Alexa what time to _________ me. In the morning, Alexa _________ the alarm clock and gives me the weather and news.

A more recent ____________ to my home, the Google Home voice assistant, has also made my life ____________ . With the addition of a $35 Chromecast device for my TV and a subscription (订阅) to Netflix, I can tell Google to play a certain Netflix movie or television show by ____________ . For example, I can say, “Hey Google, ____________ The Crown on TV.” My TV will display the show and ____________ right where I left off. No more ____________ the series in the Netflix app or trying to remember what I watched last.

1.

A．prices

B．voices

C．problems

D．changes

2.

A．require

B．use

C．look

D．copy

3.

A．agree

B．relate

C．respond

D．compare

4.

A．still

B．even

C．never

D．seldom

5.

A．way

B．discussion

C．plan

D．answer

6.

A．push

B．recovery

C．decision

D．impact

7.

A．ask

B．allow

C．beg

D．force

8.

A．teach

B．warn

C．invite

D．wake

9.

A．switches

B．sounds

C．sets

D．tests

10.

A．addition

B．direction

C．connection

D．description

11.

A．safer

B．longer

C．worse

D．easier

12.

A．time

B．order

C．name

D．example

13.

A．watch

B．play

C．film

D．buy

14.

A．organize

B．record

C．close

D．start

15.

A．thinking about

B．turning to

C．searching for

D．giving up

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

John could not shut out his wife’s complaint anymore. He was tired of hearing her laughing at him, for example, what a bad husband he was. Mary was never satisfied with anything that he did. If he brought home $ 4,000, she would tell him stories of how much her colleagues’ husbands earned. If he had bought her flowers, she would still complain about how other people received diamonds instead. She was impossible to please.

He decided to take a walk along the quiet banks of the lake. It was always a good way to calm down himself after an argument with his wife. As he walked towards the bus stop, he thought over his life. Sometimes, he wondered that it must be a mistake for him when he married Mary. Perhaps, they had been happy in the early days, but those days were definitely behind them now.

As he approached the bus stop, he spotted a white basket on the seat. Curiosity caught him, so he walked closer to take a look. To his surprise, it was a baby all wrapped up in a rough white towel. As he reached out to touch the baby, it suddenly stretched out to try to hold his fingers. John was amused. As he laughed with happiness at the beautiful face of the baby, waves of being gentle washed over him. What a beautiful baby! He wondered who could have the heart to abandon (抛弃) such a joy.

Suddenly, John picked up the basket and ran quickly to the police post just some distance away. He reported finding the baby and, when it was discovered that no one had come to report a missing baby, he was asked to keep the baby for the time being. Although doubtful at the beginning, the policeman soon gave in to John’s obvious honesty. Somehow, John knew that Mary would welcome this baby into their childless marriage.

注意：续写词数应为150左右。

True enough, she got over her complaint and started to smile at the baby.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Weeks later the baby was returned to its parents.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Work, family and world events can be so stressful that it feels like optimism and joy are far out of reach. Anyone can get stuck in a bad mood — but you don’t have to stay there!     1    

Once you’re in a mood you need to shake, start by going to your happy place.     2     If not, keep a photo on your phone or computer of a beautiful, favorite place and take a moment to imagine yourself there. What’s the weather like? What does the air smell like? What are you doing while you’re there? How does being there make you feel? You’ll instantly feel calmer, lost in the daydream or the memory of your happy place.

We can make our situations worse by keeping thinking about negative thoughts.     3     “Bad things always happen to me,” becomes “What lesson can I learn from this situation?” “I wasted the whole day,” becomes “I still have 5 more hours left to make today a great day!”

Whether it is going for a coffee at your favorite café, or catching a movie in the theatre, make sure that once a week you schedule some “me” time.     4     That may mean getting less done during the day, but you deserve to take a mental break, regularly. So give priority to the time you need to recharge.

    5    Whether it’s the rare bit of easy traffic on your way to work or the break in the weather, you won’t have time to complain about the negative things because you’re so busy being grateful.

A．You can also volunteer at your local shelter.

B．It helps focus on the present and clear your mind.

C．Thankfully, there are ways you can get back on track.

D．If you’re able, get into nature and breathe the fresh air.

E．Relieve your stress and refresh your mind, body and spirit.

F．When a negative thought flashes, replace it with a positive one.

G．When a negative attitude takes over, shake it off by practising gratitude.

8 . A

	http://www.vancouver. youropinion.org
VANCOUVER:YOUR OPINION!
Should Vancouver have free wireless internet?
Vancouver is thinking about providing a Wi-Fi network for the downtown area. The city hasn’t decided yet, but the network will probably be free. What do you think of the idea? Post your comment!

It’s a good idea—but I’m sure it won’t be free. Other cities have already tried it and it hasn’t stayed free. Most of them charge about $10 a month. But people are happy to pay because then they can use Wi-Fi in their gardens or in Wi-Fi lifts. I’ve already said this, but I’ll say it again: Wi-Fi is a good idea, but I’ve never heard of a city where it’s stayed free for very long.

Comment by Mike

I’ve just read Mike’s post. Unbelievable! I don’t want to write emails from a lift or my garden! I think this is going too far. There are other things the city government could spend them oney on, aren’t there?—for example, more sidewalks or a better bus system.

Comment by Anna

I agree with Anna. A lot of people have already bought Wi-Fi for their homes—they don’t need it in the street, do they? Spend the money on things for teenagers! The city hasn’t built enough schools or parks yet.

Comment by Tim
1. What’s the main point of Mike’s comment?

A．Mike is in favor of the idea of Anna.

B．Mike doesn’t think Wi-Fi will be free.

C．People are unhappy about paying for Wi-Fi.

D．Wi-Fi in other cities has stayed free for long.

2. What does the underlined word “them” in the first comment refer to?

A．Cities.	B．People.
C．Gardens.	D．Lifts.

3. What is Tim’s opinion of the post?

A．People plan to buy Wi-Fi for their homes.

B．People would like to pay for Wi-Fi in streets.

C．The government should spend money on things for teenagers.

D．The government should spend money on sidewalks or bus systems.

4. What are the three comments mainly about?

A．Free Wi-Fi.	B．Holiday.
C．Computers.	D．Vancouver.

5. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A textbook.	B．A magazine.
C．The Internet.	D．A research report.

9 . Research has shown that people tend to get more happiness from spending their money on experiences, such as travel and entertainment (娱乐), than on things like clothes and electronic products. But are people happier during the purchased (购买的) experience itself? Or does the happiness come more from expecting or remembering the experience?

A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, offers an answer. Our experimental purchases not only bring us greater pleasure in terms of expectation and remembrance than do our material (物质的) purchases, but they also bring us greater in-the-moment enjoyment, the study found.

For the study, the researchers recruited (招募) 2,635 adults who agreed to receive texts at any time during the day. The texts began with a happiness question, which asked the participants (参与者) to tell how they felt “right now”, ranging from very bad to very good. Half of them were then asked if they had made a material purchase within the past hour, such as clothing or electronic goods. The others were asked if they had made an experimental purchase within the past hour, such as eating in a restaurant or attending a concert.

The researchers found that the purchasers of the experiences express higher levels of happiness than the purchasers of the material goods, no matter how much the purchases cost.

To deal with possible differences in types of purchasers, the researchers carried out a second study in which they researched more than 5,000 adults. “We still found the same result,” said Amit Kumar, the study’s lead author (发起人).

“If you want to be happier, it might be wise to shift some of your spending away from material goods and a bit more towards experiences,” Kumar said. “That would probably lead to greater happiness.”

1. Why does the writer put forward two questions in paragraph 1?

A．To make a fact clear.

B．To introduce a new study.

C．To compare different researches.

D．To doubt the view of researchers.

2. What did the researchers text the participants for?

A．To ask them about their spending plans.

B．To understand their needs and spending habits.

C．To know the change in their purchasing choices.

D．To find out their purchasing behavior and feelings.

3. Which has the similar meaning to the underlined word “shift” in the last paragraph?

A．satisfy.

B．apply.

C．change.

D．increase.

4. What does the new study find about people’s purchases?

A．People prefer to purchase material goods instead of experiences.

B．People get more pleasure from spending money than making money.

C．The level of happiness from purchases depends on how much they cost.

D．Experimental purchases bring people greater happiness than material ones.

10 . What does the man advise the woman to do?

A．Go to bed earlier.

B．Study hard in class.

C．Do outdoor activities.