1 . While we enjoy the convenience the modern technology has brought to us, there has been a growing realization that while we may have innumerable followers and friends on social media, those in the real world are far more limited. Sharing feelings and problems in real conversations and confrontations is increasingly hard. Therefore, we feel lonely. The only way to break away from it is to reconnect with the self and the people who surround us.     1    . Here’s what we can do.

Connect with your own self

    2    . Developing a conscious and mindful approach is an essential element towards ensuring there is no disconnectedness from people who surround you and the life you build for yourself.

    3    

Learning to say ‘no’ to the people and activities that are beyond your ability. Doing this does not mean you are being unfriendly or irresponsible. It is a necessary reallocation of energies to provide emotional help to oneself and others.

Do the things you love

Invest in yourself by engaging with your interests and passions.     4    , but taking care of what you need is also essential.

Make time.

    5    . Learn to make full use of it and invest time in the people you love and care about. Career goals are often not enough to provide complete fulfilment. Building meaningful relationships is vital.

A．Draw boundaries

B．Offer help whenever possible

C．Do not allow time to become something missing

D．This requires us to relook, reconsider and adapt

E．Life is always full of opportunities and challenges

F．Self-awareness is a key to understanding your needs and desires

G．It is significant to work towards being available for people around you

2 . For making contact and communicating with a person, effective eye contact is essential to our everyday interaction with people, and also to those who want to be effective communicators in public places.     1    .

Generally in Western societies and many other cultures, eye contact with a person is expected to be regular but not overly persistent.     2    , causing the person who’s the object of a person’s stare to feel overly studied and uncomfortable.

    3    . The New Zealand Medical Journal reported that one reason so many young children fall victim to attacks by pet dogs is their overly-lasting eye contact with pets, which causes them to feel threatened and defensive.

Overly lasting eye contact is also a sign of a person’s over-awareness of the messages they are giving. In the case of people who try to lie to someone, they may distort (扭曲) their eye contact so that they’re not avoiding it.     4    . But on the contrary, evasive (逃避的) eye contact is a sign of discomfort. Why do we avoid looking at a person? It may be because we feel ashamed to be looking at them if we’re being dishonest of trying to take them in. Evasive eye contact may also a sign of dishonesty.

However, Scotland’s University of Stirling found that, in a question-and-answer study among children, those who maintained eye contact were less likely to come up with the correct answer to a question than those who looked away to consider their response.     5    , when this energy could be spent on deep thinking.

A．This is a widely recognized indicator of lying

B．Constant eye contact is often considered to be rude

C．Eye contact is the act of looking into someone’s eyes

D．But there’s something you may not know about eye contact

E．Overpowering eye contact can make the other person excited

F．Even between humans and non-humans, lasting eye contact is sometimes unadvisable

G．Eye contact, as a socializing device, can take a surprising amount of effort to maintain

3 . A smart thermostat(恒温器)is a Wi-Fi enabled device that automatically adjusts heating and cooling temperature settings in your home for the best performance.

While system designs may vary, common smart thermostat features include:

Convenience

Many smart thermostats learn your temperature preferences and establish a schedule that automatically adjusts to energy-saving temperatures when you are asleep or away.

Geofencing allows your smart thermostat to know when you’re on the way home and automatically adjusts your home’s temperature to your liking.

Control

Wi-Fi enabled thermostats allow you to control your home’s heating and cooling remotely through your smartphone.

Energy star certified(达到标准的)smart thermostats quickly enter a low-power standby mode when inactive.

Insight

Smart thermostats provide equipment use and temperature data you can track and manage.

Periodic software updates ensure your smart thermostat is using the latest algorithms and energy-saving features available.

More Ways to Save

Energy star certified smart thermostats are also designed to be compatible(兼容的)with the programs that some local public services offer, providing home owners in their service areas with encouragement to help them manage reliability.

For the average American household,almost half the annual energy bill goes to heating and cooling-more than $900 a year. Being smart about how you control your temperature settings will help you save money and stay comfortable in your home.

1. What do we know about a smart thermostat?

A．It is Wi-Fi enabled.

B．It often breaks down.

C．It is often used in large factories.

D．It can make the house smell good.

2. What can a smart thermostat do when users are sleeping?

A．Turn off itself quickly.	B．Record energy savings.
C．Be in a energy-saving mode.	D．Offer temperature data.

3. Where can you most probably find this text?

A．In a textbook.	B．In a product handbook.
C．In a fashion magazine.	D．In a travel guide.

4 . “Man up.” That’s the “advice” that some guys hear from their family and friends when they’re not _________ “manly” enough because they’re showing “too many” emotions.

And, frankly, it’s the kind of advice that ends up doing great _________. Love and support are what strengthen a person; toxic masculinity (有毒的男子气概) is what _________ some problems in the future.

A 16-year-old boy told his _________ about how he cried after not getting into a soccer team. It was a pretty big _________ to him and, naturally, he was upset. And _________ his mom and his sisters comforted him, his dad had a _________ attitude towards the entire situation. A big fight followed full of accusations of the boy not being enough of a man.

The boy’s dad _________ him for “not doing enough” to get into the soccer team. He then went on to give the boy some _________ on how to be more athletic and take care of his diet more.

__________, the dad said that it was stupid to cry over a thing like this, and that it was time that he “manned up”. What followed was a long __________ and afterwards, the boy ignored his dad for a week.

The boy’s behaviour can be __________. Men, just like women, experience depression and anxiety. However, men are __________ told to control their emotions and not to __________ their problems with others, as it’s seen as being weak. Actually, for men, it is good to __________ their emotions properly.

1.

A．appearing

B．acting

C．responding

D．offering

2.

A．harm

B．failure

C．confusion

D．anxiety

3.

A．deals with

B．runs into

C．brings about

D．looks into

4.

A．opinion

B．story

C．secret

D．trip

5.

A．loss

B．change

C．shame

D．blow

6.

A．unless

B．if

C．because

D．while

7.

A．different

B．positive

C．friendly

D．flexible

8.

A．praised

B．thanked

C．forgave

D．blamed

9.

A．information

B．inspiration

C．suggestions

D．demands

10.

A．However

B．Besides

C．Therefore

D．Instead

11.

A．silence

B．separation

C．conversation

D．argument

12.

A．glorious

B．practical

C．understandable

D．impressive

13.

A．traditionally

B．originally

C．immediately

D．simply

14.

A．combine

B．share

C．handle

D．compare

15.

A．hide

B．generate

C．release

D．control

5 . I have a birthday coming up soon, but I decided not to put any candles on my cake this year. I thought that 46 of them might _________ the icing (糖霜) or set off the smoke alarm. When I looked in the _________ this morning I didn’t see a middle-aged man _________ me. Sure there was gray in the hair and wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. Yet, when I saw his _________ and the twinkle in his eyes I felt as vital (有活力的) and _________ as I ever had.

It is such an amazing thing that we can grow younger on the inside _________ we grow older on the outside. Some of the most loving, _________ and vital people I know live inside ancient bodies that have seen far better days. They have _________ for life. They smile often, laugh a lot, and take life one day at a time. On the inside they are far younger than I could ever _________ to be. They remind me that old bodies don’t always __________ old hearts.

I hope then that when your own __________ comes around, your heart will feel as __________ as ever. I hope that you will remember that you are not __________ on a calendar or candles on a cake. You are __________ a forever young spirit. Your body may age, weaken, and __________ die, but you never will.

1.

A．remove

B．decorate

C．build

D．ruin

2.

A．candles

B．mirror

C．sky

D．eyes

3.

A．looking back at

B．catching up with

C．getting rid of

D．keeping away from

4.

A．smile

B．hands

C．sweat

D．tears

5.

A．guilty

B．romantic

C．alive

D．disappointed

6.

A．until

B．or

C．while

D．because

7.

A．joyous

B．pitiful

C．special

D．painful

8.

A．principles

B．enthusiasm

C．fear

D．plans

9.

A．refuse

B．wait

C．agree

D．hope

10.

A．reason with

B．leave out

C．make for

D．wake up

11.

A．birthday

B．dream

C．opportunity

D．holiday

12.

A．quiet

B．lucky

C．young

D．close

13.

A．pictures

B．numbers

C．tools

D．tasks

14.

A．never

B．once

C．therefore

D．instead

15.

A．casually

B．eventually

C．unluckily

D．immediately

6 . Raquel Montes, a Spanish national, moved to China last November, where she said she had her first lockdown (封闭) experience during the COVID-19. “I think I’m just being patient. I’m totally connected all the time with people. I have many friends calling me all the time. And I’m working at home. So it’s OK for me,” said she. She has also been keeping positive and happy. She does dance every day.

It’s her neighbor Melinda who invited her to do voluntary work. The Spaniard said, “I’m happy to help because the security guys are bringing packages to us all the time and they must be exhausted. I also want to feel that I’m doing something for others.” Montes and other volunteers delivered bakery products to their neighbors, put the boxes in front of the door, knocked and left.

“It was quite fun,” she recalled. “When I went home that day, I felt much better because I did something and I got some fresh air. It was a good feeling. I told Melinda, if they need me, I can go every day and help out.” Through voluntary work, Montes has come to know more Chinese and foreigners, and became friends with them.

Montes also celebrated a very special birthday on April 11—under lockdown. “For me, my birthday is a big day and I always celebrate it like a party,” she stated. “I wasn’t expecting much this year. I wasn’t expecting flowers or any feast. But it was so much fun because I got surprises.” A friend who was locked down in her office managed to get flowers for her. Montes gushed, “I also had many phone calls from my friends around the world. ” Before midnight that day, Melinda knocked on her door and asked her to check the chair outside. Surprisingly, she saw a small cake and candles prepared by neighbors.

“I have everything, a cake, candles, and flowers. It was great, ” she said.

1. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 1?

A．Why Montes moved to China.

B．How a city’s lockdown affected its foreigners.

C．what Montes did at home every day during the lockdown.

D．How Montes kept in touch with her friends during the lockdown.

2. What did Montes think of her first voluntary job?

A．Ideal and easy.

B．Fun and rewarding.

C．Exhausting but refreshing.

D．Challenging but decent.

3. What was Montes’ birthday like this year?

A．She had a big feast with her friends in her office.

B．She got surprises from friends and neighbors.

C．She received some flowers from Melinda.

D．She held a big birthday party.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Foreigners Fitting in well in China

B．A Special Birthday Celebrated During the Lockdown

C．Building Relationships and Wholeness Through Sharing

D．Experiencing Joy and Togetherness Through Volunteering

7 . The tomato is definitely one of the most popular of all home grown vegetables and for good reason.     1     They can be grown in garden beds, grow bags, potted vegetable gardens or even hanging baskets. Though buying commercially grown plants from a garden center or online is quite handy, some just prefer growing tomatoes the other way.

    2     The trick is to start your seed raising early either in a green house or indoors,especially in colder climates.

SOW your seeds about four weeks before the last expected frost. Fill some seed trays or small pots with a good quality potting soil.     3     Actually even some soil from the garden will work. After anywhere from 3-15 days you should start to see little shoots sprouting out of the soil.

TRANSPLANT your seedlings once two true leaves have formed. Gently take out your seedling and plant it into the new pot but plant it up to just below its first leaves.     4    

WATER your plants frequently enough when required to try and keep the soil evenly moist.

FEED your tomato plants with a good quality tomato feed every 10-14 days.     5    

HARVEST your tomatoes when they are fully ripened on the vine and enjoy what your hard work has provided you with.

A．But don’t worry if you can't get this.

B．This ensures a deeper and stronger root.

C．They are vibrant, delicious and easy to grow.

D．Growing tomatoes from seed is easy and quite rewarding.

E．Or you can make your own homemade organic liquid fertilizer.

F．This means you should keep them 50cm/20 inches apart from each other.

G．Tomatoes are warm season plants and can be planted with others like eggplants and potatoes.

8 . Sometimes we just can’t avoid a discussion turning into an argument. If you do start arguing with someone.it is important to keep things under control and there are ways to do this.

The most important thing: don’t raise your voice. That will just make the other person lose their temper too.     1     Say “I’m sorry” and continue to talk calmly and quietly, and then your partner will be more ready to think about what you are saying.

    2     Try to keep to the topic you are talking about. Just concentrate on solving the one problem you are having. For example, if you’re arguing about the housework, don’t start talking about mobile phone bills as well.

And my final tip is that, if necessary, you can call “Time out”, like in a sports match. If an argument is getting out of control, you can say to the other person, “listen, I’d rather talk about this tomorrow when we’ve both calmed down”. You can then continue the discussion the next day when perhaps both of you are feeling less tense and angry.     3     Also, you may find the problem much easier to solve when you’ve both had a good night’s sleep.

I want to say one last important thing.     4     This is not true. Conflict is a normal part of life, and dealing with it is an important part of any relationship. If you don’t learn to argue properly, then when a real problem comes along, you won’t be prepared to face it together. Think of the smaller arguments as training. Learn how to argue cleanly and fairly.     5    

A．It is also very important to stick to the point.

B．Some people think that arguing is always bad.

C．You may believe that arguing is impossible to avoid.

D．The second thing is that you should find a good topic.

E．It will help your relationship become stronger and last longer.

F．You are more likely to reach an agreement when you are both calm.

G．If you find yourself doing this, stop for a moment and take a deep breath.

9 . 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。

It was a very cold morning as it had been raining very heavily the previous night. As my mother was feeling a little under the weather, my sister volunteered to drive me to school. I had overslept and as a result, was running a bit late for school. We got into the car hurriedly. The road was already crowded with traffic. It appeared that everyone was late as well.

My sister was a careful driver and despite the fact that I was already late, she refused to drive fast on the slippery road. I was lucky she was such a resolute and careful person because a few hundred meters away from the school, we witnessed a tragic accident. It all happened very quickly, as most accidents do. A car full of school children had made a left turning without signaling and as a result, a school bus crashed into it. A few cars behind the school bus rammed into the bus as they could not brake in time and soon it became a pile-up. The already crowded road became jammed with vehicles that came to a crawl. I told my sister that I wanted to help the victims and she nodded silently. She stopped the car not too far from the accident spot.

The scene that greeted us was something I would never forget. It left an unforgettable memory in my mind to date. The impact of the accident had made the school children seriously injured in the car. The driver, a lady, lay on the steering wheel. I rushed to the children who were preschoolers. Two of them were seriously hurt and bleeding from the heads and hands. They were conscious although too weak to realize what had happened. In the meantime, passers-by had called the ambulance and while waiting we tried as best as possible to help the victims.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

The passengers on the school bus were injured too.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I arrived at school, I was already late for half an hour.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . If being late were an Olympic sport, some people would win medals. Being late can send a stressful ripple (连锁反应) through an entire day.     1    .

    2    

It’s very important to be on time. Being on time shows respect for the person you’re meeting with. Punctuality also can be a reflection of how well   you are respecting your own time and your own well-being. You can always let time pass, but you can’t get it back once it’s already gone.

Know that departure time doesn’t equal arrival time

    3    . So pack your bag, find your good shoes and get your travel mug ready all before you need to leave. Another tip is to work backward from when you need to be somewhere to give yourself time. There’s a lot of steps that people just don’t consider. So if you need to buy a metro card or print something, leave time for that stuff.

Get comfortable with being early

Arriving somewhere early may make some people super-anxious, uneasy and extremely uncomfortable.     4    . For example, you can try to tell yourself that you will in fact find something to do with your hands, or think of it as a moment to catch your breath and give yourself a second to get settled.

Be honest about your lateness

Everyone is late sometimes.     5    . Either calling or texting is acceptable. By doing this, you can avoid unnecessary misunderstanding and handle the situations better.

A．Think of being on time as a way of showing respect

B．Be aware lateness often causes serious consequences

C．So here are some tips that can help you stop being late

D．It may sound simple, but it’s one of the hardest ones for people

E．If you’re in the habit of being late, you need to learn to plan ahead

F．In this case, you should learn to be comfortable with the passage of time

G．If you’re going to be late, the best thing you can do is communicating right away