The word “spiritual” comes from the Latin spiritus, which means “breath.” Originally, that which was spiritual was simply that which was breathtaking. From this perspective, a spiritual experience is anything that is awe-inspiring. People of all religions—or none at all—can equally experience such awe-inspiring events. Spirituality doesn’t rely on a set system of teachings or beliefs; it is merely the joy of being present in the moment and experiencing the awe (敬畏) and wonder of living.
Definitions of ecospirituality include “an expression of the spiritual connection between human beings and the environment” and “understanding the interrelationships between all living beings on earth and recognizing their interdependency while appreciating their value for maintaining ecobalance.” Others feel ecospirituality is the connectedness between the science of ecology and spirituality. Put simply, it is the personal experience of spirituality in nature. Although definitions may vary, all point to a sense of oneness with nature, and address our basic need for reconnecting with the environment.
Although there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to ecospirituality, there are a few common concepts throughout the practice. Things like feeling connected with the universe, knowing the risks involved in creating an imbalance in the ecosystem, protecting nature—and most importantly—sensing a feeling of “awe” in learning about our environment and ecosystem are all included in ecospirituality. Embracing a way of life that honors all living beings on our planet is what ecospirituality involves.
At this point, you’re probably wondering what you can do to integrate ecospirituality into your life. And the answer is simple! Start with a daily gratitude practice, focusing on what you are grateful for in nature every day. This simple exercise will not only positively benefit your outlook on life, but it will also motivate you to take actionable steps in preserving Earth’s many gifts.
Once you have a solid gratitude practice in place, consider spending more time in nature. Studies show that something as simple as taking a mindful walk outdoors can reduce stress and overthinking. And remember to be mindful while participating in nature! The key to ecospirituality is to let our beautiful planet take your breath away. And how can you do that if you don’t stop to smell the roses?
1. What is spirituality?2. How does a daily gratitude practice affect people?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▷Ecospirituality involves various aspects such as experiencing a sense of connection with the universe and ignoring the risks of creating an imbalance in the ecosystem.
4. What else can you do in daily life to better connect with nature? (In about 40 words)
2 . A letter written to a 12-year-old girl in Lithuania was delivered in December, almost 51 years after it was sent by a pen pal in Poland. “I thought that someone was pranking me,” said Genovefa Klonovska after being handed the letter, which included a handmade colored rose and two paper dolls.
The letter, together with 17 others, fell out of a ventilation hole (通风口) this summer, dirty and wrinkled, as a wall was taken down in a former post office on the suburb of Vilnius. Jurgis Vilnius, owner of the building immediately called the post office. “I’m so happy they got interested,” said he.
Street names and their numbering have changed in Vilnius, and post office workers spent months looking for the right houses and talking to current renters and neighbors, tracking down where the recipients moved to. Only five were found. In several cases children of late recipients were handed a lost letter.
“We felt a moral duty to do this,” said Deimante Zebrauskaite, head of the customer experience department at Lithuania Post.
One lady compared the experience to receiving a message from a bottle thrown into sea. People were emotional. “Some felt they saw a part of daily life of their deceased parents,” Zebrauskaite said.
In the letter to Klonovska, sent from Koezary in Poland and stamped in 1970, a girl named Ewa complains buses no longer reach her village, so she has to walk in minus 23 degree Celsius cold, and asks for pictures of actors.
Now in her 60s, Klonovska has no memory of Ewa. She probably wrote Ewa after finding her address advertising for pen pals in a newspaper, and the relationship ceased after the letter got undelivered.
“So good that the letter didn't matter much. The loss was not life-changing,” said Klonovska “What if they delivered a lost letter from a suitor (求婚者) to his love, and their wedding never happened?”
1. What does the underlined word “pranking” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Brightening. | B．Embarrassing. | C．Tricking. | D．Pleasing. |
| A．They were accidentally found. |
| B．They remained well-preserved. |
| C．They were delivered by the former post office. |
| D．They were hidden by the owner of the building. |
| A．Generous. | B．Dutiful. | C．Honest. | D．Cautious. |
| A．Klonovska refused a suitor. |
| B．Klonovska stopped the wedding. |
| C．The undelivered letter ruined the relationship. |
| D．The undelivered letter made little difference to her. |
3 . Top Tips on Staying Warmer in Colder Months
With the rising cost of living affecting all of us, staying warmer this winter feels like it’s going to be a difficult task. The government has already brought in measures to help with the cost of living.
Love layers
Rather than snuggling into one big jumper, think about wearing plenty of thin layers instead.
Warm from the inside out
Winter is a great time for rustling up soups and stews, but even a bowl of hot porridge can set you up from breakfast onwards. Eating hot, nutritious dishes can keep you warm and healthy.
Heat carefully
If you’re able to heat all of your rooms, keep your main living room at 18-21 ℃(64-70℉F) and the rest of your house around 16 ℃(61°F).
Staying active is good for your health in general, but if it is too cold to walk outside, then catching up on the household chores is a great way of making sure you’re getting up and about. Even light exercise can keep you warm, so grab that vacuum cleaner or duster, get moving and make your house shine.
| A．Do the housework |
| B．Exercise regularly |
| C．Given the price of fuel, if this isn’t possible, be selective |
| D．However, there are still other things you can do to keep the heat in |
| E．Therefore, try to eat at least one hot meal a day with regular hot drinks |
| F．Multiple thin layers allow warm air to become trapped between the layers |
| G．Along with layers, make sure you wrap up in a scarf, hat and gloves when you are outside. |
What makes some people incapable of apologizing even when they’re clearly in the wrong?
People who cannot apologize often have deep feelings of low self-worth. When their delicate ego(自我) cannot absorb the blow of admitting they were wrong, their defense mechanisms kick in—they may place blame and even argue about basic facts to prevent the threat of having to lower themselves by offering an apology.
Unfortunately, many of us mistakenly interpret these people’s defensiveness as a sign of psychological strength. That’s because outwardly they appear to be tough individuals who refuse to back down. But this doesn’t show that they’re strong—it shows that they’re weak.
Admitting that we’re wrong is emotionally uncomfortable and painful to our sense of self. In order to take responsibility and apologize, our self-worth needs to be strong enough to absorb that discomfort. Indeed, if our self-worth is higher and more stable, we can tolerate the temporary discomfort that such an admission involves—without the walls around our ego falling down.
But if our self-worth is seemingly high but actually breakable, that discomfort can go through our defensive walls and score a direct hit to our ego. Indeed, the more fixed one’s defense mechanisms are, the more delicate the ego they’re protecting.
The mistake we often make when faced with someone who’s habitually incapable of apologizing is to become angry and try to win our argument with them. But the sad reality is that we can never win. In these situations, the best we can do is make our points as calmly and as convincingly as we can and then disengage from the argument when it becomes unproductive—like when they disagree with the facts, come up with silly excuses or turn to mean remarks.
1. Why can’t some people apologize?2. What do many people mistakenly think of a non-apologizer’s defensiveness?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
►When you are trying to win an argument with a non-apologizer, the best way is to express your anger and make your point as calmly and convincingly as possible.
4. In addition to what is mentioned in the passage, what else can you do if your friend refuses to apologize to you? (In about 40 words)
Being able to laugh at yourself isn’t always easy. However, making light of your weaknesses and life challenges can have a number of benefits. While it might sound surprising, being able to make fun of yourself can be good for your self-esteem(自尊).
Making fun of yourself is a form of self-critical humor, which can involve being too modest, or even laughing at yourself humorously.
Laughter has been shown to have a number of stress-fighting benefits.
Making fun of yourself can have some benefits, but it’s important not to take things too far. If making fun of yourself starts negatively impacting your mental health or well-being, it’s time to take a step back.
| A．Find a balance that works for you. |
| B．Laughing at yourself helps accept yourself. |
| C．People are more drawn to others who can laugh at themselves. |
| D．Being able to laugh at yourself can relieve stress by changing your view. |
| E．Making fun of yourself in difficult situations can reduce your stress greatly. |
| F．People with such a sense of humor are sometimes regarded as having low self-esteem. |
| G．It might even improve your relationships and help you face challenges more effectively. |
Over the years, I've been guilty of hurriedly shutting the front door to many strangers when they came to my home knocking with the intention of selling things. I hated it when they tried their best to persuade me to buy the things they promoted. But earlier this year, around Easter time, a dear friend of mine, Linda, had an experience that changed my mind and attitude towards these "intruders".
Last winter, Linda went through a very messy divorce and was very depressed. So she quit her job and left Los Angeles, where she encountered her ex-husband in college. She flew to Boston on the east coast of the US. Later, she settled in a new neighborhood in East Boston. However, shortly afterwards, the company where she worked went bankrupt（破产）. Suffering a series of bitter blows. she fell ill, a severe case of flu. She had to stay at home for the whole week, feeling extremely bad and hopeless.
Early one morning, Linda lay in bed, feeling painful all over. Then all of a sudden, there was an upsetting knock on her front door. Struggling out of the bed, she dragged herself to the window. There, outside, she saw a young lady carefully holding some leaflets（传单）and a TV set model. She knew of a large TV set establishment nearby and assumed a message was about to be gently delivered. "This is the last thing I need today." She muttered to herself and hesitantly opened the door.
Coughing bitterly, Linda stuck her head out. "Excuse me, madam…" the young lady said with a smile. "I'm sorry but I am not the slightest bit interested in any TV whatever." Linda interrupted her impatiently. "As a matter of fact, I am feeling terribly awful." "Is there anything I can do for you, madam?" the young lady asked with concern. "No thanks, just leave me alone." Linda then shut the door in her face. The young lady politely turned and left in silence.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1:
A few hours later, another knock.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Linda was surprised by this lovely action.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Japanese composer who died on March 28, 2023, was a talented musician. For many, his combination of noisy notes and joyous ones made him timeless and avant-garde (前卫的). But for me, Sakamoto was first and foremost a creator of complex emotions.
Before I learned to love Sakamoto, my mother loved him. After her days studying textiles (纺织) at a women’s college in our hometown of Nagoya, Japan, she would come home and play the Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence theme over and over. When she sat at her piano bench, she was trying to mold herself into the most attracting woman that she could be. Still, her childhood desire for a bigger life never died. Years later, when she played it again on that same piano, now transported to our Chicago home, her hands would crash down on Sakamoto’s drumming and upset bridge. It seemed that she buried herself in her younger dream and at the same time got lost in the reality of living away from her home and family. Both the joy of a fulfilled dream and the sorrow of its harsh realities mixed in Sakamoto’s score, pervading (弥漫) our living room.
Following in my mother’s footsteps, I too learned to play Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. I played it in an open music room at college, where I was quite depressed under the gaze of strangers as well as excited about becoming my own adult. I played Sakamoto again in my then-boyfriend’s grandparents’ sitting room, the piece now reflecting my struggle to see how my Japanese and American self could fit into this white family, even though I was in love.
Sakamoto’s genius for telling the contradictions (矛盾) of existence arises again and again. I’m still playing Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, now at the electric piano in my living room, as I puzzle through becoming a new mother, frightened and thrilled at the same time. Maybe someday my daughter will play Sakamoto’s music, and it will help her understand her life too.
1. The author loves Sakamoto for_________.| A．his Japanese identity |
| B．his talent as a composer |
| C．his way to combine notes |
| D．his creation of mixed emotions |
| A．Contented with her current life. |
| B．Joyful and sorry at the same time |
| C．Annoyed with the difficult bridge |
| D．Lonely and upset away from home. |
| A．The life and accomplishments of Ryuichi Sakamoto. |
| B．The challenges of being a Japanese-American woman. |
| C．Contradicting emotions aroused by Sakamoto’s music. |
| D．A mother and daughter’s shared love for playing the piano. |
8 . •While people don’t always like the old saying “the early bird gets the worm”, getting up early is actually the secret to the success of many people.
•Improve your cognitive (认知的) function. People who get up early in the morning can concentrate better, are more attentive, and stay energetic throughout the day. Since people’s brains are more active in the morning, focusing on important tasks earlier will allow you to make better decisions than people who work later. Morning people have better problem- solving skills.
•Help you sleep better. Waking up early makes going to bed early easier and helps you get consistent sleep and wake times.
•Give you more time to eat breakfast.
•
| A．Give yourself more time to get relaxed. |
| B．Get you to do exercise early in the morning. |
| C．And thus this can lead to a better quality of sleep. |
| D．Setting your alarm clock early will give you extra time. |
| E．Nothing starts a day better than eating a healthy breakfast. |
| F．That’s because they can do more while the world is still sleeping. |
| G．So they can get better grades in school and obtain higher paying jobs. |
9 . Fall is our favourite hiking season. It’s not too hot. The bugs are gone. Solitude (无人居住的地方) is easier to find. But fall hiking has its own complications, especially when it comes to weather.
Protect your feet. Pamper your feet, and they’ll take you around the world.
Backpacks.
Stay hydrated (含水的). Yes, the heatwaves of summer are probably gone for the year, but packing enough water is vital in any season.
| A．Number one criterion? |
| B．Keep warm and dry. |
| C．Like only cheep shoes? |
| D．Just going short distances? |
| E．Having enough water will keep you energetic. |
| F．Before heading out, check out this handy fall hiking checklist. |
| G．For shorter hikes, this might just mean filling up your favourite water bottle. |
10 . Everyone knows how to fake a smile. We learn when to show and hide our genuine emotions from early face-to-face exchanges. As we grow, we have been developing a social smile to hide unacceptable emotions.
The social smile is often activated automatically. We may not be fully aware of it. We might smile to put the brakes on showing too much negative emotion in public. We may maintain a calm, relaxed smile to prevent fear from upwelling and getting the best of us. We can also intentionally use the social smile to pepper our communication.
Now that many of us are wearing face masks in public, how does it influence our communication of emotion?
Some people are finding it a relief. Those suffering from social anxiety may welcome wearing face masks precisely because they prefer to veil their emotional state from the outside world as much as possible. Others appreciate the freedom from the obligation to put others at ease with a warm, friendly smile. By wearing a face mask, you don’t have to smile if you don’t feel like it.
However, without the social smile, it may be more challenging to manage others’ reactions to us. How do we react to seeing someone wearing a mask? Research finds that observers rely mostly on the eye and mouth regions to recognize emotions successfully. Different emotions are most easily detected in different areas of the face. When the whole face is visible, we focus on the eyes to spot sadness and fear, whereas disgust and happiness are more reliably detected by concentrating on the mouth area. These two parts of the face can work in isolation or complex coordination.
The face mask only hides the fake smiles, not the real ones. Consider that by only seeing the eyes, it may be easier to get an accurate read of people’s genuine emotions.
1. Why do we fake a smile sometimes?| A．To be socially acceptable. |
| B．To show one’s kindness. |
| C．To prevent hurting others. |
| D．To take up a positive attitude. |
| A．It relieves some people of social obligation. |
| B．It puts one at ease with a decent manner. |
| C．It may bring some trouble in communication. |
| D．It allows people to express emotions at will. |
| A．Mouth area reflects positive emotions while eyes negative. |
| B．True feelings can’t be recognized without observing the eyes. |
| C．Eyes and mouth regions work separately to express one’s emotions. |
| D．Eyes are the window to the soul and reveal one’s true emotional state. |
| A．What is Social Smile? |
| B．Smile: Real or Fake? |
| C．To Wear or Not to Wear? |
| D．Masking Genuine Emotions? |
