1 . Improve Your Relationships

Having stable and positive relationships in your life can make you happier and more fulfilled. Whether it's your friends, family, or significant other, improving a relationship can sometimes be confusing.     1    

Express your appreciation for the person.

    2     Notice the positive things that the person is doing and go out of your way to show your appreciation for them. You can also show your appreciation by remembering important events like anniversaries or birthdays.

    3    

If you hardly see each other or talk to each other, it can be difficult to maintain a relationship. Take extra time out of your day and devote it to the person that you want to improve relations with. Try to work around the other person's schedule so that you can spend the time together. You can share a meal, watch a show, listen to music, or go shopping with them.

Turn off distractions.

Distractions like a cell phone, social media, or video games can create a division in between you and another person. If you notice that you are always distracted, you should turn off your cell phone or computer and talk to them.     4    

Seek therapy(心理治疗) if you can't get along.

To fix or improve family relationships or relationships with your significant other, you can turn to therapy. If you notice that you and the person are always arguing over the same kinds of things, and nothing has worked, you should consider seeking therapy with them.     5     And family therapy may be able to restore bonds between family members.

A．Spend more time with the person.

B．Maintain a relationship if possible.

C．People often like to be praised for achievements.

D．A specialist can help solve long­term issues in the relationship.

E．If they are the one always distracted, ask them if they can do the same.

F．Follow the tips and you can develop good relationships with your family.

G．Luckily, by adjusting your behaviour, you can improve any relationship in your life.

2 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写一段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。 续写词数应为80左右。

Wind whistled round the corner of the house, thunder rolled and rain beat against the windows — not a night to be outside but rather to sit by the fire. Thanks to the solid walls and roof overhead, I could imagine Dr. Frankenstein's frightening creation wandering on such a night. I was alone, my husband away and the nearest neighbor a quarter miles down the road. Alone, that is, except for Lassie, a hairy, black and white dog, who sat with her head on my lap, her intelligent, brown eyes gazing up at me as if to say, don't worry, we'll be all right.

Through the years she was with us, she proved time and time again to be a superb judge of character. We never knew if it was a result of her sense of smell or sound-but, whatever it was, she definitely possessed a talent we humans lacked. On first meeting she would either wag the tip of her tail a couple of times to indicate that the visitor was acceptable, or slightly curl her top lip, exposing her sharp teeth which told you to be alert. Always accurate, her gift was never more obvious than on this night.

The doorbell rang. I decided not to answer it. It rang again, much longer this time. Whoever was there was not going away. Still I hesitated. On the fourth ring, with Lassie by my side, I finally answered the door. My heart beat fast and my mouth went dry, for there, stood the monster himself. A twisted body under a heavy overcoat, one shoulder bumped higher than the other and his head leaned slightly forward and to one side.

“May I use your phone?” The voice came from somewhere back in his throat and, although the request was polite, his tone was rude.

Reaching in his pocket and producing a piece of paper, he handed it to me. I refused to take it. Believing he might try and force his way in, I looked at Lassie to see if she was ready to defend the home.

Surprisingly, she sat by my side, the tip of her tail wagging.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . 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。

Last year I graduated from college and landed a job in the local company. I was lucky because the economy was declining and a lot of companies went out of business. There were many unemployed graduates. That was a difficult time for everyone. I cherished my precious job and worked so hard. One day, I walked on the street after finishing my work. I saw many beautiful decorations, such as colorful lights, the familiar song and so on. I suddenly realized Christmas was coming. I had promised my nephew that when I found a job, I would send him a Christmas gift. Fortunately I still had a little time to buy one for him. And on that very day I witnessed how people cared for each other,

I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in a toy store. A nicely dressed little girl was looking through the teddy bears beside her father when she saw a little boy walk in and stop in front of the Pokemon toys. His jacket was obviously too small. He had money in his hand. However, it looked no more than five dollars at most. He was with his father as well, and kept picking up the Pokemon video games. Each time he showed one to his father, his father shook his head, “No”.

Rather disappointed, the boy gave up the video games and chose a book of stickers instead. After they walked away, the little girl ran over to the Pokemon video games. She excitedly picked up one lying on top of the others, and raced down toward the checkout. I picked up my purchases and followed the girl and her father.

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。

Then, much to the little girl's delight, the little boy and his father got in line behind her and me.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The boy could only stare in disbelief.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Tips for Submitting a Good Letter of Recommendation

If you consider applying for any colleges abroad, one of the most important parts is the recommendation letter. Its purpose is to give universities a complete picture of you.

    1    

But a credible (可信的) reference saying you’ve consistently worked hard on a project can be the difference between getting accepted or rejected.

Choose the right references

Universities want to know how well you work under pressure and how you react to criticism, basically your characteristics, abilities and mentality. A good referee (推荐人) should have a solid professional relationship with you and be able to communicate your academic and personal strengths.

    2    

Most universities ask for two recommendation letters. They are regularly split between a school professor and an extracurricular (课外的) source. Undoubtedly, it’s good to show your skills in the subject you want to study.     3    

Time

Professionals can sometimes find it hard to make time for writing recommendations.     4     So give them plenty of time and send them a link of your university’s recommendation letter guidance page, if possible.

Clear goals

Don’t be afraid to ask your referees to include certain qualities or examples you want to highlight. You should inform at least one of your referees about your career goals, grades and recent projects. They may not be referenced. But giving referees additional evidence to back up their points can make the letter more convincing.

    5     It’s where you can find what a university lays stress on, as well as some important information such as deadlines and so on.

A．Make sure to know more about your university.

B．You can write that you’re hard-working yourself.

C．They can be quite occupied during application season.

D．The more information you include, the better it may be.

E．Don’t forget to check each university’s guidelines for reference letters.

F．Examples of how you have demonstrated them are needed to add more credibility.

G．But other abilities that may not be apparent in the classroom can be equally valuable.

5 . Years of exposure to Americans has, at last, convinced me of something about their food culture. I now think they’re correct in one of life’s great dilemmas: when eating at a restaurant, it is really fine to politely send your food back if it is not what you ordered, or covered in cheese when you asked for no cheese, etc.

Of course, the idea makes me feel anxious; the British fear of making a scene is planted in my soul. But what persuaded me, in the end, was realizing how self-centered that fear actually is. Are you really such a big deal that your no-cheese request will embarrass your fellow diners, ruin the waiter's day, and send waves of shock through the kitchen? Face it: you're not. Instead, you're in the situation of what might be termed “egocentric reticence (以自我为中心的沉默).”

Egocentric reticence raised its head again the other day in a study about gratitude, which found that people underestimate how much delight a thank-you note can bring. The psychologists Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley had people send grateful messages to someone who'd made a difference to their lives. Again and again, they found, senders assumed their words would lead to less happiness and more awkwardness than they really did, and that recipients would judge their letter-writing competence cruelly, too. Even in the seemingly selfless context of expressing gratitude, senders couldn’t help giving too much weight to their own perspective. So if you stop yourself from sending someone a thank-you note because you're worried you'll make them feel awkward or annoyed, you are letting egocentrism prevent an action that would have made both of you happier.

The most acute form of egocentric reticence, surely, is extreme shyness. “Shyness is just egotism out of its depth,” famous actress Penelope Keith once told an interviewer. The quote was later regarded as a line the writer Sadie Stein credits with curing her own shyness. “For some reason, the clear cruelty of that quote was what I needed, ” Stein wrote. “OK, I thought... No one is looking at you.”

1. Before contacting Americans, the author thought sending restaurant food back was ________.

A．certainly a customer's right

B．fine to do just in some cultures

C．acceptable but not worthy sometimes

D．embarrassing and would cause trouble

2. If someone is in a situation of egocentric reticence, he might ________.

A．hesitate to do something due to self-centered reasons

B．keep sending waves of shock to others

C．be ignorant of other people's feelings

D．do something extremely embarrassing

3. What did the study about gratitude find?

A．People may regard sending grateful messages unimportant.

B．It's common for Americans to send a thank-you letter.

C．It's important to thank others after being helped.

D．People often take a thank-you note for granted.

4. What does Sadie Stein's story tell us?

A．We sometimes need shyness to behave well.

B．We should pay no attention to other people's thoughts.

C．We can overcome our shyness by removing our egotism.

D．We should avoid being exposed to other people's focus.

6 . Ruby Kate, 11 likes to spend time with residents at the local nursing homes where her mother Amada works as a nurse.

One day last summer, Ruby_______that a resident named Pearl was staring out of the window and looking very_______. Ruby and Amanda learnt that Pearl’s dog had just left. She couldn't _______to have someone take care of her dog and it was basically homeless. After a little more _______, Amanda and her daughter found out that Pearl only gets $40 each month from her Medicaid check. Many of the other residents received just as little — if _______ — spending money at all.

Pearl’s story_________Ruby. She wanted to do something to_________her and the other residents. So she got out a_________and wrote down a simple question: “What are three things you wish you had?”

Amanda was_________of Ruby’s broad question. She didn't think her daughter would ________with anything helpful. “In my adult mind, that question is not going to ________” said Amanda. “They're going to tell you that they want things you can't give them.”

She went door to door at the nursing home, __________residents to list their three wishes. When Amanda saw what her daughter wrote in her notebook, she was__________that the list was filled with just________ requests like new pillows, books, razors and peanut butter.

Ruby and Amanda________all of the items on the first list and that started a chain reaction of ________ and kindness. They launched a GoFundMe page to__________money to fulfill more wishes. Soon after, Ruby's story went viral and she's now collected more than $250,000 and__________ her own nonprofit called Three Wishes for Ruby's Residents.

“I'd like it to go on ________ and ever and ever,” she said. “Because I just want it to go________and I want it to go around the states and even in different countries.”

1.

A．warned

B．noticed

C．screamed

D．worried

2.

A．upset

B．curious

C．exhausted

D．satisfied

3.

A．expect

B．bother

C．afford

D．agree

4.

A．discussing

B．examining

C．sharing

D．digging

5.

A．any

B．so

C．not

D．ever

6.

A．moved

B．struck

C．changed

D．depressed

7.

A．comfort

B．compensate

C．help

D．protect

8.

A．brochure

B．pen

C．diary

D．notebook

9.

A．skeptical

B．aware

C．tired

D．confident

10.

A．put up

B．bring up

C．end up

D．show up

11.

A．matter

B．work

C．inspire

D．arise

12.

A．persuading

B．ordering

C．asking

D．advising

13.

A．delighted

B．confused

C．frightened

D．shocked

14.

A．simple

B．demanding

C．unreasonable

D．strange

15.

A．collected

B．bought

C．made

D．removed

16.

A．curiosity

B．anxiety

C．sympathy

D．generosity

17.

A．raise

B．earn

C．save

D．borrow

18.

A．managed

B．founded

C．advertised

D．invested

19.

A．temporarily

B．cheaply

C．forever

D．efficiently

20.

A．richer

B．higher

C．faster

D．bigger

7 . Volunteering offers great help to people in need, but the benefits (好处) can be even greater for you, the volunteer.

    1    . Being a volunteer helps you make new friends and improve your social skills. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. It develops your ties to the community, broadens your support network and offers you chances to know people with common interests and fun activities.

    2    , others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests.

Volunteering is good for your mind and body.     3    . Nothing reduces (减少) stress better than a meaningful connection to another person. Working with pets and other animals has also been shown to improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have found that older volunteers are likely to walk more and find it easier to sleep regularly.     4    .

If you’re considering a new job, volunteering can help you get experience in your area of interest and meet people in the field.     5     , volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork communication, problem solving and organization. You might feel more comfortable stretching (伸展) your wings at work once you have improved these skills in a volunteer position first.

A．Volunteering increases self-confidence

B．Volunteering connects you to others

C．Even if you're not planning on changing your job

D．While some people are naturally outgoing

E．It provides many benefits to both mental and physical health

F．Many people volunteer in order to make time for hobbies outside of work

G．Volunteering can also reduce the risk of heart disease

8 . Like the rest of us, scientists have long suspected the healing capacity (修复能力) of a good hug. Unlike the rest of us, they’ve gone about trying to prove it.

“Laboratory studies suggest that things like hugs help us feel safer. They can also make us less sensitive to physical pain and less reactive when we’re faced with threatening experiences,” says Michael Murphy. He is a research professor in the department of psychological sciences at Texas Tech University. “This lab work has shown that hugs and other touch behavior are related to stress. The more stress we have, the more our heart rates and blood pressure go up. At this time, hugs and other forms of personal touch may give off all sorts of feel-good chemicals, so that stress can be reduced.”

“There’s a lot that we still need to learn, and there’s a lot we don’t know,” Murphy says. “However, what seems to be rising up is that hugs, as well as other forms of loving and gentle touch, are really powerful. They remind people that they’ re cared about and that they have someone in their corner.”

We expect touch. When we were born, we were placed in our mothers’ arms almost immediately. In that first year of our life, we spend a lot of time being held by other people. And as we grow up, we seek out hugs and touch as a way of connection. I think what we have lost in the past few years are these really easy opportunities to be reminded of connection.”

While he was at Carnegie Mellon, Murphy was the lead author of a hug-centered 2018 article in the scientific journal PLOS One. In a series of interviews with 404 adults over a two-week period, the researchers found that receiving a hug is associated with the attenuation of negative emotions that occur on days with interpersonal conflicts. That is to say, generally, hugs help to reduce the negative impacts that personal conflicts may cause in our daily lives.

1. What can we infer about hugs from the laboratory studies?

A．They show people’s good social relationships.

B．They can cure us of our mental disease.

C．They can put much pressure on people.

D．They make us feel calm and at ease.

2. Why do people seek out hugs and touch as they grow up?

A．To recall childhood memories.

B．To keep connected with others.

C．To solve relationship problems.

D．To express their social politeness.

3. What does the underlined word “attenuation” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Expression.	B．Influence.
C．Suffering.	D．Reduction.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Power of Hugs

B．How to Reduce Stress

C．How to Care for Others

D．The Importance of Interpersonal Relations

9 . Officer Galen Hinshaw heard the call over the radio: a fellow officer was in trouble. A crowd _________ police around the country had _________ a police car at Memorial Bridge. The officer inside radioed for help as these crowds _________ his car. Hinshaw, part of police Department’s Special Response Team, drove to the _________. As he got out of his car, he was also immediately surrounded by the crowd. Some yelled rudely, while others _________ their fists. As the crowd _________, Hinshaw, wearing a vest, a helmet, made his way to keep his back to the wall. He needed to be sure that _________ could get behind him.

The crowd yells _________, “We do care, man, we do care,” Hinshaw yelled back. It was then that a man wearing a red mask that _________ the lower half of his face put himself between the __________ crowd and Hinshaw. Day care operator Lee had also noticed the crowd __________ Hinshaw. He jumped in and __________ arms with the stranger in the red mask. __________, one man shouted “We’re supposed to protect the police!” and the people __________ him. Then Ricky, a factory worker, __________ up and stood to Lee’s left. As the crowd around them grew larger and louder. He heard Lee yell, “__________ arms!” At that point, local businessman Julian joined in. “I saw the guys link up, and I saw a weak spot,” he says. He took up a position on the end of line, feeling nervous and __________ his hands trembling. Finally, five men __________ a human shield (屏障) to protect Hinshaw. Three were Black, one was White, and one was Dominican—all linking arms to keep __________ away from Hinshaw.

The standoff lasted just two minutes, though it felt __________ to those who were there. “It was a moment where strangers came together to help another stranger, and that stranger was me.”

1.

A．in memory of

B．in fear of

C．in resistance of

D．in favor of

2.

A．surrounded

B．used

C．advertised

D．allocated

3.

A．repaired

B．damaged

C．appreciated

D．cleaned

4.

A．scene

B．court

C．country

D．department

5.

A．patted

B．grasped

C．scratched

D．balled

6.

A．grew

B．declined

C．appeared

D．faded

7.

A．nobody

B．anybody

C．somebody

D．everybody

8.

A．surprisingly

B．angrily

C．ashamedly

D．depressingly

9.

A．stuck

B．exposed

C．protected

D．covered

10.

A．noisiest

B．furthest

C．closest

D．calmest

11.

A．relying on

B．focusing on

C．advancing on

D．calling on

12.

A．separated

B．waved

C．touched

D．linked

13.

A．Abruptly

B．Properly

C．Normally

D．Politely

14.

A．waited for

B．turned to

C．sent for

D．gave up

15.

A．got

B．stepped

C．cheered

D．woke

16.

A．lift

B．unfold

C．lock

D．straighten

17.

A．excited

B．delighted

C．scared

D．frustrated

18.

A．formed

B．organized

C．dismissed

D．shared

19.

A．support

B．punishment

C．pressure

D．harm

20.

A．calm

B．temporary

C．terrible

D．long

10 . When I was seven, my parents explained to me that my sister would be different.     1     But now I realize I see the world in a much different way, all thanks to her.

Throughout our lives, my sister has often got stared at because she has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征), which makes her appear abnormal. There were times when I had to struggle with her.     2     I simply thought. “Everyone else is just staring and that is wrong. They should offer us help instead of staring at us like it’s a circus act (马戏表演).”

I had this in mind when I was traveling alone recently and saw a mother and a son with special needs at the airport gate.     3     They were heading towards the gate of their second departure of the day. The mother was obviously stressed out and trying to keep her son calm while some items were falling out of her un-zipped (拉开拉链的) backpack. The son was pulling strangers’clothes, and she appeared to be embarrassed about it. Then the boy began to scream, looking very scared and confused.

Some people gave the son and mother strange looks, the same kind of looks my sister and I would sometimes get.     4     I tried to help calm the boy down by assuring him he was going to see his grandmother as his mom kept telling him. When the boy finally calmed down, I returned to my seat. At the time, an older gentleman turned around and said to me. “I thought about doing what you did, but I just thought about it. You did it.”

To be honest. I didn’t even really regard what I did as something different or good.     5    

A．They had got off another plane.

B．People would stare at us even more.

C．I don’t know what I should do to help.

D．But I went up and asked if I could lend a hand.

E．I just consider it as the only choice in that situation.

F．I was so angry that I shouted loudly at the strangers.

G．I had no idea what impact she would have on my daily life.