1 . When is a kid not a kid anymore? If you asked my 12-year-old daughter, the magical age would be 13, when you can no longer be considered a “child”. If you asked my 15-year-old niece, the age would be 16, when she will be able to drive a car and get an after-school job. According to the U. S. government, a child officially becomes an adult when they turn 18. That’s when they can vote. But even though an 18-year-old starts paying taxes, the government does not consider that person mature enough to buy a beer. Still, even a kid who can buy a beer is not old enough to rent a car.
Scientists have learned from a new study that when kids are around 18, their prefrontal cortex, which helps control impulses, solve problems, and organize behavior, is only halfway developed. That’s not to say that kids in their late teens and early 20s can’t take on these tasks, but it means that it’s harder for them to do so - at least until around age 25 or so when this area of the brain fully develops.
“What we’re really saying is that to have a definition of when you move from childhood to adulthood looks absurd,” Peter Jones from the University of Cambridge said. “It’s a much more nuanced (微妙的) change that takes place over thirty years.”
This isn’t a news flash for parents who have watched their teens take crazy risks while seeming unable to get their lives together until they’re older. But this information throws new light on the way kids without as much support are treated. In the foster (寄养的) care system, once a child turns 18, he can no longer receive state-backed support. And many people think this is too early for a teen to be on his own, especially a teen who has experienced a painful childhood. Because of this, some foster care advocates think it makes more sense for 25 to be the new legal age of adulthood.
1. What does the author want to show us in Paragraph 1?| A．Different age groups have different needs. |
| B．Becoming an adult means you can do a lot of things. |
| C．People have different opinions on becoming an adult. |
| D．Children need to learn basic life skills to become an adult. |
| A．To explain why teenagers are at risk. |
| B．To suggest a way of helping teenagers develop. |
| C．To explore the characteristics of different age groups. |
| D．To discover when the human brain is fully developed. |
| A．Impossible. | B．Invaluable. |
| C．Unreasonable. | D．Uninteresting. |
| A．It may inspire teens to be independent. |
| B．It may allow a 20-year-old to get government support. |
| C．It may drive the government to protect the foster care system. |
| D．It may encourage parents to stop supporting their children at college. |
2 . Tips to help you overcome people-pleasing
Considering other people’s feelings and treating them with kindness is something we strive to do.
When this happens, people-pleasing has crossed the line from kind and generous to self-abandonment — not being the authentic self because we’re afraid others will disapprove, criticize, or reject us. Here are tips for you to overcome such behaviors.
Self-care is a necessity, not a luxury. It’s not something you do if you have time or if you deserve it. Taking care of your emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical needs keeps you healthy. Without it, you’ll get sick, stressed, and irritable. Try putting self-care activities (exercise, socializing, hobbies, etc.) on your calendar to ensure that self-care is a priority.
Not everyone’s opinion matters.
One big mistake people-pleasers make is acting as if everyone’s opinion matters equally. You don’t differentiate whose opinion matters more. Generally, the closer the relationship, the more you’ll value their opinion and want to please them. Thus, it’s natural to want to do things to make your loved ones happy.
Healthy conflict can improve relationships.
Most people worry that painful conflicts will destroy relationships.
| A．Be aware of your inner needs. |
| B．Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish. |
| C．This indicates that we’re People-Pleasers. |
| D．It’s understandable and common to want to avoid them. |
| E．But sacrificing our wellbeing to make others happy is not. |
| F．However, you don’t need to please acquaintances in the same way. |
| G．It results in greater understanding and ultimately strengthens the relationship. |
3 . Self-confidence is about trusting your judgement and your ability to do something well. It is also about being willing to consider the possibility that you are wrong and change your mind. It is a combination of courage and humility, which leads to open-minded thinking.
·One of the reasons is the home environment where children grow and develop. They may find it difficult to develop self-confidence if their parents are critical or overprotective. Once they fail to fulfill expectations, they may feel bad about themselves and get trapped in the cage of self-doubt.
·
Self-confidence can be improved
·Work on positive thinking. A positive attitude will lead to positive results. Go for it and don’t worry about letting others down.
·Set realistic goals for yourself and visualize yourself achieving these goals.
| A．Instead, try to make up for lost time |
| B．All they expect is that you do your best |
| C．Confidence is built an a sense of accomplishment |
| D．Children spare no effort to satisfy parents’ expectations |
| E．Negative experiences also have a huge impact on self-confidence |
| F．Low self-confidence, in contrast, will make you feel unmotivated |
| G．The reasons for low self-confidence often differ from person to person |
4 . It’s natural for people to compare themselves with their peers. Peer pressure is a force that nearly everyone has faced at some point. If it’s not well handled, there might be some destructive consequences.
Find positive influence
At any age, it’s beneficial to stay involved with extracurricular activities like sports, music, art, or other hobbies. Team building activities can help increase self-confidence and create a support system that allows an individual to succeed. Additionally, enjoying hobbies and other harmless pastimes like exercising can release feel-good hormones.
Plan ahead
Experiencing peer pressure, especially when in an unfriendly environment, can cause a person to panic and make impulsive decisions.
Positive influences, usually parents or siblings, can teach you how to deal with peer pressure directly. Having a trusted friend, family member, or another resource to call on can relieve some of the everyday life stresses. They can be there to give advice or just support the decisions you’ve made that you feel are right for you.
Convey feelings and emotions
Honesty goes a long way in reducing the harmful effects of peer pressure. Speak to the person or group of people who may be causing feelings of unease or uncertainty and kindly ask them to stop.
| A．Talk to a trusted resource. |
| B．Don’t be afraid to find new groups. |
| C．Unfortunately, peer pressure is difficult to avoid. |
| D．Therefore, it’s essential to know how to deal with it. |
| E．So, it’s best to have a plan that can help map out a response. |
| F．They can help reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. |
| G．It’s ok to distance yourself from those who are not serving you in a positive aspect. |
Most of us haven’t been taught how to apologize. That’s
When you’re apologizing for something, it’s critical to show true sorrow and regret. It feels
Your attention when apologizing should be on the impact of your words or deeds, not on your
An apology isn’t the only chance you ever get to address the underlying issue. The apology is the chance you get to establish the ground for future communication. When
6 . We are now having face-to-face chats with friends instead of talking online. But have you ever been in a conversation that you wish you could run away from? Scientists have proved that you might not be alone.
A research team surveyed 806 participants about a recent conversation they had with someone close to them. The participants were asked about the actual length and their expected length of the conversation, and how long they thought the other person wanted to talk for.
About one-third of the conversation length was unwanted, according to the team’s paper published in the journal PNAS. Also, more participants believed that they wanted to end the conversation first. On average, they continued talking for 3.87 minutes before they found that the other speaker wished the same thing. Situations are similar when it comes to strangers. Only about 1.6 percent of the conversations ended when both parties wanted them to.
The paper pointed out that when they talk to strangers, what makes people “mask their desires” may be their politeness. When talking to close friends and family, it may be their kindness as ending the chat too soon may hurt the other’s feelings.
So, what is the best way to end a conversation? Saying you only have a certain amount of time to talk at the start of the chat is a good place to start. “Remember conversations don’t end because people don’t know when the other person wants to go,” Adam Mastroianni who led the study told the Inverse website. You should make your partner feel good about the end of the chat by “clearly communicating that you had a nice time and would like to talk again”.
Mastroianni also suggested that the difficulty in ending conversations may be a “coordination (协调) problem”. It’s hard to tell your grandma you want to get off the phone just because you want the conversation to be over, for example.
However, in some ways, this dilemma (困境) may not be a bad thing. People need social connections, and conversation is a good way to make these connections happen.
1. What did the research team survey the participants about?| A．Their favorite conversation topics. |
| B．Their expected length of a recent conversation. |
| C．Their attitudes toward face-to-face chats. |
| D．Their ways of ending an unwanted conversation. |
| A．Nearly half of the length of conversations was unwanted. |
| B．Most conversations ended when both speakers wanted. |
| C．Ending conversations with strangers was easier than with friends. |
| D．Many people tended to talk longer than they wanted in a conversation. |
| A．Searching for a good excuse. | B．Saying you want to leave directly. |
| C．Showing your willingness to talk next time. | D．Waiting until the other speaker wants to end. |
| A．To introduce a method to start a conversation when both parties are ready. |
| B．To analyze why people are unwilling to have conversations with strangers. |
| C．To suggest that people hesitate to stop talking in an unwanted conversation out of curiosity. |
| D．To explain the reason why people are trapped in an undesired conversation and how to end it politely. |
7 . I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．The author was very willing to stay with Kate. | B．Kate always helped the author to clean her bed. |
| C．The author felt proud to have such a roommate. | D．The author didn’t get along very well with Kate. |
| A．The author placed her shoes under Kate’s bed. | B．The author refused to listen to Kate’s advice. |
| C．The news of Kate’s grandma’s illness spread. | D．The author was very tired of Kate at school. |
| A．Because she realized the importance of tidiness. | B．Because she would like to express her concern. |
| C．Because she was required by other roommates. | D．Because she expected to be inspected by school. |
| A．They never quarreled with each other about anything again. |
| B．They separated at once and never wanted to see each other. |
| C．They completely understood the principle of being roommates. |
| D．They gained a deeper understanding of each other’s personalities. |
Healthy relationships can be of great
Research shows that healthy relationships benefit us in many ways. A review of 148 studies found that people with strong social relationships are 50% less likely
Good relationships also help us deal with stress. The support
Moreover, you may feel richer
9 . Feel exhausted after a party? Rather see one close friend than a group of acquaintances? Enjoy your own company? In our world, that makes you an introvert (内向的人). However, there’s another possible explanation — vertical attachment. If you are closer to your parents and family members than to your peers, you are vertically attached, which means you rely more on family for comfort.
If you are closer to your peers, then you are peer attached. We live in a peer-oriented world. We believe that having lots of friends means that we are well-adjusted. We put our kids in playgroups and daycare for peer interaction. We expect teenagers to want to hang out with their friends, thinking it is the natural way of things.
Result? Generations often feel worlds apart. We use different language, dress, and technology apps. Even if multiple generations are invited to the same party, the kids go to the basement playroom while the parents stay upstairs.
Vertically-attached individuals can feel out of place in this context, demonstrating the traces of introversion. Will they be exhausted after a party with same-aged acquaintances? Absolutely. Would they rather spend time with one close friend? Sure. Do they enjoy alone time? Yes, more than they enjoy time fitting in with peers.
It’s normal that many people need alone time to recharge. However, vertically-attached people often label themselves as introverted. They feel insecure that others have more friends and live richer lives. They claim that their family attachments arise from their loved ones being stuck with them.
If you feel these insecurities, know that there is nothing wrong with you, and you are not missing out on anything. Your attachment style is just different from the culture where you live. Have confidence in the strength of the relationships you have, whether it is with a mom who feels more like a best friend, or a grandmother with whom you can share anything. They are meaningful, enriching relationships, even if they look different from the cultural norm.
1. Who is vertically attached according to the text?| A．Mike, who feels at ease with his teachers. |
| B．Maggie, who enjoys film time alone at weekends. |
| C．Tom, who feels burnt out after a family get-together. |
| D．Lisa, who often turns to her dad when things are hard. |
| A．Younger generations should be self-disciplined. |
| B．Being sociable is a desired quality for their children. |
| C．Their children need more friends than they themselves do. |
| D．Different generations should have different circles of acquaintances. |
| A．Be that as it may, just leave it as it is. |
| B．Never underestimate your inner power. |
| C．Hang out more with friends and adjust to it. |
| D．Treat others the way you want to be treated. |
| A．Biased. | B．Objective. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Critical. |
10 . How would you feel if you were invited to the moon? If you found a gold coin, would you save it, give it to charity or use it for a holiday? Personality quizzes of this kind, known as “psychometrics”, have bothered many job seekers. Now, it is being applied to the oldest problem in finance: will a borrower repay?
In rich countries, lenders use credit scores to weigh risk. But just 7% of Africans and 13% of South Asians are covered by credit bureaus (征信机构). Bailey Klinger of the Entrepreneurial Finance Lab (EFL), which explores new kinds of credit data, argues that psychometrics could include many more people in the financial system. Everyone has a personality, after all.
Judging character is not new. Psychometrics attempts to make it a science. The model developed by EFL has undergone many tests and adapted to different cultures. Its collected data reflect something unnoticed. For instance, young optimists are risky, but old ones are safe.
Clever design cuts cheating. There are no obvious right answers; responses are cross-checked for consistency. The model monitors mouse movements for signs of indecision or distraction. When borrowers lie to get a loan, they often do so in predictable ways. In an EFL test, people are shown pictures of five drinks and asked which one they would be. Choosing water over something with small bubbles may be a sign of cheating.
This sounds fanciful, but there is evidence that it works. In one Indonesian bank, combining psychometrics with existing customer data cut default (违约) rates for small businesses by 45%. A study by the World Bank found that EFL’s model increased lending to those without a credit history.
The technique needs further development. At present, turning to credit bureaus is still the best way to tell if somebody will repay a loan. But bureaus improve more slowly than technology. Lenders will find ever more ways to look into their customers’ souls.
1. What are the figures intended to show in paragraph 2?| A．Uncertain property of poor people. | B．Racial discrimination from lenders. |
| C．Current weakness of credit bureaus. | D．Great risks brought by credit scores. |
| A．Its data confirm some ideas. | B．It has been greatly improved. |
| C．Its effects vary with cultures. | D．It can’t tell characters exactly. |
| A．Lenders’ answers. | B．Drinks with bubbles. |
| C．Borrowers’ responses. | D．Pictures of five drinks. |
| A．It is beyond the expectation | B．It will replace credit bureaus. |
| C．It will be mature in the future. | D．It has won most lenders’ love. |
