1 . How do you express gratitude in your everyday life? For me, it sometimes feels worrying: hand-writing hundreds of thank you cards after an anniversary, or making sure to eat every last bite on my plate so my grandma wouldn’t think I was ungrateful for the meal.

    1    Here are some tips about how to be better at showing gratitude.

Start a gratitude journal or write a letter. Make it a habit to put down the things that you’re thankful for.     2     There’s also some evidence that it could lower your risk of heart disease and symptoms of depression for some people. Think of someone in your life who you have not had the chance to thank. Think of a specific instance when they helped you. Then, it’s a good idea to send them a letter.     3    

    4     Look around in your immediate space, and take notice of everything that makes up your environment: the sky, the cool wind, the warmth of your sweater. The act of simply noticing and naming things is a great way to stretch your gratitude muscle as well as obtain some clarity on the strength of all the unique connections in your life.

Bear in mind the difference between saying “thanks to” and “thanks for”. Being grateful “for” something can be a little unclear or general.     5     It encourages specificity and reminds you of your connection with and responsibility to that person or thing.

A．Stretch your gratitude muscle.

B．Notice the world surrounding you.

C．Better still, deliver it in person and read it to them.

D．A habitual gratitude journal will certainly benefit us.

E．But experts say it doesn’t have to be that complicated.

F．In fact, this habit reduces materialism and enhances generosity.

G．Being grateful “to” something or someone implies a direct relationship.

2 . Asking for or accepting help can bring up a wide range of complicated emotions, like there’s the fear of being seen as needy or weak. Although accepting help from others is difficult, giving and receiving is a necessary part of life.

    1    . For many people, the difficulty in asking for or receiving help is tied to childhood. As psychologist Lisa Firestone points out, these feelings often develop from having our requests go unnoticed at an earlier age.

Sometimes these unnoticed requests are a result of neglect or because parents are too busy to notice. Maybe they were undertaking some jobs to make ends meet or didn’t have additional family support to spare.     2    . When your needs go unnoticed, it can create feelings of shame about asking for or receiving help, while also forming an extreme sense of independence.

How do you get better at accepting help? One way to get better at accepting help is to start with small requests, such as asking for directions.     3    . Practicing this in good environment can ease some of the emotions that can appear suddenly.

    4    . If you feel very uncomfortable, wait a few moments to let these feelings calm down before accepting or denying the help.

Helping others feels good. Although asking for help is hard, one way to make it a little easier is to focus on how it feels when you help others.     5    .

A．Start small and make it a habit

B．It can feel like a burden to ask for help

C．Whatever the cause is, it may affect you

D．Having needs ignored can make asking for help difficult

E．We grow up in situations where help comes with duties attached

F．And remember that the same thing applies when others are helping you

G．Another way to get better at accepting help is to listen to your internal reactions

3 . Awe (敬畏) is that feeling we get when something is so vast that it stops us in our tracks. Often, it expands our thinking, increases positive emotions and brings overall satisfaction in life.     1    

Most of us associate awe with something rare and beautiful: nature, music or a spiritual experience. But people can trigger awe too, and not just famous people, such as athletes or astronauts.     2     Psychologists call this interpersonal awe.

Often, this interpersonal awe is a response to life’s big, sweeping charges, such as witnessing a baby’s first steps. For Lynn Heady, a retired educator, it’s watching a friend fight cancer and still embrace life.     3     John Bargh, a psychologist and professor, said he was truly awestruck by his then-5-year-old daughter. When she heard another child crying, she grabbed her toy, walked over toyer toy, walked over to the boy and handed it to him.

    4    But we can prepare ourselves to notice it when they do and take steps to boost the emotion’s positive effects. Here’s how:

Blurting (脱口而出) out “Wow, that was awesome!” is a simple way to help you identify and remember a special experience.     5     Another way is to thank the person who awed you. This makes the other person feel good and can give your relationship a boost. And it helps you too: Studies show that people who practice gratitude have significantly higher levels of happiness than those who don’t.

A．Below are some useful tips.

B．This will enhance your positive emotions.

C．But interpersonal awe happens in smaller moments, too.

D．An awe experience can make us feel small in the vast universe.

E．We can be awed by our nearest and dearest-the people around us.

F．Unfortunately, we can’t make someone else behave in a way that’s awesome.

G．It can also help our relationships, making us more understanding and supportive.

4 . Healthy relationships with your partner and family members can improve your life and make everyone feel good about themselves.     1     Healthy relationships take time to build and keep. The more positive effort you put into a relationship, the healthier it should be.

People in healthy relationships love and support each other.     2     They are there for each other in the good times and the bad times.

    3     They are less likely to have physical and mental ( 精神的) health problems. Healthy relationships can increase your sense of worth and belonging, give you confidence and encourage you to try new things and learn more about yourself.

People who are in a healthy relationship talk to each other regularly and listen to each other too. Misunderstandings can happen.     4     Making a real effort to understand what the other person is saying also helps. Double checking that you have understood correctly can avoid misunderstandings. To encourage more open communication in your relationship, you can set aside time to speak to each other, without interruptions (打断) and put yourself in the other person’s shoes.

Building healthy relationships with partners, friends and family is good for you.     5     Keeping good relationships with others takes time and effort. No relationship is perfect, but it is important that it brings you more happiness than stress.

A．They don’t just happen though.

B．Continuing them is also important.

C．It is best to be clear about what you want to say.

D．It is important that you both accept your differences.

E．They help each other practically as well as emotionally.

F．There are other things to consider besides having common interests.

G．People who have healthy relationships are more likely to feel happier.

5 . Meeting strangers is probably one of most people’s biggest fears, only second to speaking in front of a crowd. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be an experience as scary as you might think.     1     .

Go out alone. Don’t always go to events with a friend or family member.     2     . If you go with someone you’re familiar with, you’re more likely to stay and talk to the person you already know rather than try to talk with strangers.

    3     . Most people’s favorite topics are about themselves. Even if you don’t have an interesting icebreaker, you can always ask people to talk about themselves—they’ll be more than happy to oblige you. For example: ask what they do for a living, where they’re from, or what they studied in school.     4     . They’ll be excited to share their hobbies, and you might find that you have something in common!

Don’t be embarrassed if you’re visibly nervous. If your voice cracks or your handshake is sweaty, laugh it off. If you’re an amateur comedian and can make it into a joke, point it out and get people laughing with you. If it’s something that makes you feel less confident, just ignore it. Everyone gets nervous sometimes, so push past and continue on with the conversation.     5     .

A．Start by introducing yourself.

B．Encourage people to talk about themselves.

C．People can come to you when you’re alone.

D．By going alone, you’re forced to meet other people.

E．Don’t let it embarrass you enough that you have to walk away.

F．These few easy tips will help you talk with strangers more comfortably.

G．If you get someone talking about their interests, eventually you’ll see their true personalities come out.

7 . Think about that. If you are anything like me, you struggle to ask for help when you need it. It’s something a lot of humans battle with. You don’t want to be a burden on others. You are afraid to speak up, or want to prove that you can do it yourself.

You don’t ask for help when you don’t know how to do something or can’t manage it on your own, because you might be afraid of looking stupid or incompetent. You might pretend like you know what you’re doing when you’re really drowning. Perhaps you think asking for help is a sign of weakness; that if you ask for help you’re admitting you’re inadequate in some way; that you lack knowledge, skill or experience to do something yourself. You don’t want anyone to see that you’re struggling and you want people to think that you’re in control and can handle things.

There are tons of reason you won’t ask for help, but not to do so can be a mistake. You get in your own way if you make asking for help mean something negative about you when it doesn’t. Asking for help doesn’t mean you’re stupid or inadequate. It simply means you need help with something specific for a time.

Confident people often ask others for help. They do so not only because they’re secure enough to let it be known they need help, but they know that trying to do everything themselves is not always the best use of their time, skills or energy. They recognize it can leave them feeling overwhelmed and stressed and then they can’t do things properly. Confident people find someone who’s good at what they need to learn or get done and then ask for their help and guidance. They know that asking, “Can you help me?” shows respect for the other person’s knowledge and abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn’t ask.

1. What is the author’s personality like?

A．He shows great love to others.	B．He hesitates to ask others for help.
C．He looks down upon other people.	D．He dislikes those who pretend to know.

2. What does the underlined word “incompetent” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Indifferent.

B．Unqualified.

C．Determined.

D．Devoted.

3. Confident people will find it quite natural to ________.

A．offer help to other people	B．respect others’ abilities
C．promote their abilities	D．turn to others for help

4. Through this text, the author is trying to ________.

A．advise us to learn more knowledge	B．encourage us to bravely ask for help
C．show our respect to the people around us	D．encourage us to be more confident in our life

8 . How to Manage Conflict

●Use neutral(中立的)language.

Neutral language keeps the discussion objective and non judgmental. Inflammatory(煽动性的)language only makes the conflict worse.    1     Rephrase negative statements into neutral comments and ask sincere questions to get your coworker’s side of the story and use a calm, even-tone of voice.

●Reflect on the situation.

Show all parties that you hear and understand their concerns. Often, conflict comes from one party feeling as though they’re not being heard or understood. Take time throughout your conversation to restate what the other person says.     2    

●Work together to compromise(妥协)and find a solution.

    3    Resolve the conflict by working together and brainstorming solutions to the conflict that addresses everyone’s concerns. Write down your ideas and see if there’s one solution that both of you find fair and reasonable. A good resolution usually involves compromise—meeting half way so that you both leave satisfied.

●Make a resolution plan.

A plan defines each party’s responsibilities and prevents more conflict. After finding a solution everyone can agree on, sit down together and figure out what you’ll all do to resolve the conflict.     4    What other practices might help avoid future conflict and maintain positive communication? Ensure everyone involved cooperates on the win-win solution.

●Pick your battles.

Not all conflicts are worth holding onto at the cost of your energy. Some issues can’t be solved to the satisfaction of both parties, especially if one person rejects any negotiation. In those cases, ask yourself how much the issue at the core of the conflict matters to you. Are you willing to give in or keep dialoguing to reach a different resolution?     5    If you decide the conflict isn’t worth your energy, give the other person a simple concession.

A．Is this conflict worth your time and energy?

B．How will the immediate problem be fixed?

C．Giving in doesn’t mean saying, ”You’re right, and I’m wrong. “

D．This will help you clarify your understanding of the situation.

E．Focus on finding a solution rather than determining who is ”right".

F．Cooperation encourages everyone to stop blaming each other.

G．Instead, keep the discussion less emotional by using objective language.

9 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. alert                    B. connected             C. correspond             D. dismiss             E. embarrassed F. invaluable             G. judgement             H. piloted                    L. respectful             J. urge                    K. wellbeing

Are you listening? But are you really listening?

You’d think we’d be very good at listening, but do we deeply listen? Sometimes we quickly    1    another’s opinion if it doesn’t fit neatly with our own. The British Council has launched a project Crossing Divides aimed to train young people to listen and understand other people with very different perspectives.

Practicing deep listening means tuning into empathy(同理心), resisting the    2    to judge people who are distinct from oneself. It develops important skills that will make anyone a better listener: empathy, silence and becoming aware of our    3    .

The project was    4    in Lebanon, where it helped local people find common ground with each other, in a society divided by bitter years of conflict. People taking part in the project said they felt that they were being heard, helping them to feel recognized and understood, which opened communication between communities. All the participants greatly improved their listening skills, which proved    5    in their working and personal lives.

They have also had a chance to be listened to and heard, which research shows can improve    6    . This is because we all feel accepted, valued and more    7    to others when we sense that we are being truly listened to, and the person listening to us doesn’t have to agree with us for those benefits to be enjoyed.

The project is also an opportunity for participants to feel the benefit of stepping outside their own “echo chamber (回声室)”. Echo chambers are created by our natural tendency to seek out people and opinions, in person and online, that we agree with, so we mainly see and hear information and opinions that    8    to our own. Not surprisingly this leads us to think our views are definitively correct, so we become    9    or even angry when we encounter perspectives that our worldview suggests arc wrong, because they don’t agree with our own echo chamber.

So, training young people with deep listening skills can encourage many more people to take part in challenging and    10    conversations. Scott McDonald, the organization’s CEO said: “The deep listening training gets to the heart of what we do by providing opportunities for people to step out of their echo chambers, to cross divides, and build trust and understanding.”

10 . Part of me has always wanted to be the kind of person who breaks the ice with a stranger. When I witness that kind gregariousness (合群) in others, I feel_________; I assume their lack of reserve means they lead more exciting lives. How many tales of adventure began because someone had the_________to say hello? Talking to someone I don’t know_________low-level fear, and I avoid it entirely.

I’m not alone. In a 2022 study, Gillian Sandstrom, a psychologist, noted that people are “remarkably_________” about talking to strangers, despite research linking frequent social interactions with happiness. We tend to_________the potential for negative consequences in such encounters, and actively avoid them. As a countermeasure, she gave participants “missions” that involved initiating conversations with strangers who met certain_________(e.g., “Find someone who’s wearing a hat”). The results were_________Sandstrom s assumption: these interactions were far more pleasant than people expected them to be.

Eager to test her theory, I gave myself a week to reproduce Sandstrom’s assignment, which meant speaking to around 30 people. I had no_________not 10 try: I live in New York City and encounter hundreds of strangers.

One of my missions was to speak to someone who was eating. “Is that cream cheese?” I asked a guy on a park bench who was eating stuff. It_________a little more disrespectful than I intended, but once he realized that I wasn’t crazy, we had a(n)__________conversation. When I spoke to an attractive woman on crutches (拐杖) for my task of engaging someone who “looks sad,” I was worried she’d think of me as a pickup artist.__________, she humored me when I told her about my knee issues.

Here’s a tip: asking strangers about the bonuses of talking to strangers can be an effective strategy. I used this__________with people required to interact with the public as part of their job. Among the waiters I spoke with, a common response was that chatting with customers was one of the most enjoyable aspects of their day, providing a little burst of__________. A cafe worker told me that he was an expert at guessing a customer’s order based on their appearance—yoga clothes? black coffee—but felt a distinct joy whenever he got it wrong.

My__________didn’t transform me into a fearless extrovert (外向者). But it was a useful reminder that when it comes to keeping life interesting, it__________to make room for the occasional surprise.

1.

A．sacred

B．distressed

C．disapproving

D．envious

2.

A．nerve

B．willpower

C．sympathy

D．vision

3.

A．masks

B．eases

C．inspires

D．taps

4.

A．informed

B．pessimistic

C．expectant

D．confused

5.

A．overstate

B．demonstrate

C．exploit

D．suffer

6.

A．identification

B．resistance

C．profile

D．scale

7.

A．at the mercy of

B．in contrast to

C．for the sake of

D．in line with

8.

A．excuse

B．means

C．authority

D．regrets

9.

A．set about

B．came out

C．stood by

D．ended up

10.

A．delightful

B．awkward

C．one-sided

D．initial

11.

A．Likewise

B．Therefore

C．Plus

D．Instead

12.

A．bonus

B．receipt

C．approach

D．patent

13.

A．unpredictability

B．resolution

C．discrimination

D．inaccessibility

14.

A．persistence

B．ritual

C．experiment

D．convention

15.

A．turns out

B．pays off

C．goes on

D．falls short