Two brothers, Ruby and Harry lived in Sp...

Social Phobia

It is natural to feel nervous, or shy in front of others at times. Most people manage to get through these moments when they need to. 1. It’s probably more than shyness. It may build up into a powerful fear. As a result, people feel uncomfortable participating in everyday social activities. This is called social phobia (also called social anxiety).

2. It prevents them from chatting with friends in the lunch time, joining an after-school club, or going to a party. Sometimes, they even feel too nervous to ask a question in class or go to a teacher for help. Social phobia not only prevents people from trying new things. It also prevents them from making the normal, everyday mistakes that may help people improve their skills even further

It is really sad, isn’t it? But the good news is that people with social phobia can learn to manage fear, develop confidence and communicating skills and stop avoiding things that make them nervous. Of course it’s not always easy. Dealing with social phobia takes the willingness patience and courage to face fears. 3.

Therapists (治疗师) can help people create a plan for facing social fears and build the skills and confidence to overcome it. And family or friends are especially important for them. 4.They can encourage them to pick a small goal to aim for, remind them to go for it, and be there when they might feel discouraged.

Little by little, someone who decides to deal with extreme shyness can learn to be more comfortable. 5. As shyness and fears begin to melt, confidence and positive feelings build. Pretty soon, the person is thinking less about what might feel uncomfortable and more about what might be fun.

A. Friends can overcome their fears easily.

B. But for someone, the anxiety can be extreme.

C. They are not able to make eye contact with classmates.

D. Social phobia makes people lonely or disappointed over missed opportunities.

E. Each small step forward helps build enough confidence to take the next small step.

F. It also takes an action to go forward rather than back away when feeling shy.

G. The support from those key people helps them gather the courage to try something new.

    Thanks to exchange programmes an increasing number of young students are following educational courses in foreign countries. The Erasmus Programme, which started in 1987, is a European Union student exchange programme. It provides opportunities for young people from Europe to study in a foreign country for shot An intercontinental version of the programme, known as Erasmus Mundus, has existed since 2003, providing non-Europeans the opportunity to study in Europe.

1.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A. Student Exchange programmes.    B. World-wide Programmes.

C. Educational Programmes.    D. Continential Programmes.

2.What do you know from the passage?

A. Erasmus Mundus lasts for nearly 32 years up to now.

B. Beatrice Giletti went to Dublin from Rotterdam.

C. Erasmus Mundus lasts for 16 years up to now.

D. Paul Dupont studies together mostly with Italians.

3.Paul Dupont thought highly of the Erasmus Programme except ________.

A. seasons in the sun    B. a completely new life

C. living with new friends    D. the apartment heating

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

A. People in the city of Naples speak many languages.

B. Beatrice’s lifestyle was greatly changed after her experience in Dublin.

C. Naples was so beautiful that Wilmie Boot loved it at the first sight.

D. If Wilmie had a choice again, she would choose no other places than Naples.

    Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on We Chat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name—phubbers (低头族).

Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. a doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfe in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone, a chain of similar events eventually leads to a series of destruction.

Although the ending sounds overstated, the damage phubbing can bring is real.

Your health is the first to bear the consequence (后果) of it. “Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. “The neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.

1.For what purpose does the author give the example of a cartoon in Para. 2?

A. To advertise the cartoon made by students.

B. To inform people of the bad effects of phubbing.

C. To show the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers.

D. To warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients.

2.Which of the following is NOT a risk a phubber may take?

A. His social skills could be affected.

B. He will cause a lot of destruction.

C. His neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed.

D. He might get separated from his friends and family.

3.Which of the following may be the author’s attitude towards phubbing?

A. Opposed.    B. Supportive.

C. Objective.    D. Optimistic.

4.What will the passage most probably talk about next?

A. Consequences of phubbing.    B. People addicted to phubbing.

C. Advice on how to use a cell phone.    D. Measures to reduce the risks of phubbing

    British scientists have discovered the willow trees planted at an angle could increase sugars for biofuel production.

Willow is a fast-growing species. It is already used to produce fuels for the renewable heating and power market. In future it could also help to produce biofuel to power vehicles. It has been known that when willows growing in the wild are blown sideways, they tend to produce more sugars. But for a while it has not been known why this happens.

Researchers at Imperial College London, led by Dr Nicholas Brereton and Dr Michael Ray of the Department of Life Sciences, have now solved the mystery. When the tree is blown sideways, its genes (基因) produce large numbers of sugar molecules (分子) to straighten the tree upwards.

“This is an important breakthrough. Our study now shows that natural genetic changes are related to these differences. And this could well be the key to unlocking the future for green energy from willow,” said Dr Brereton.

The research was carried out under lab conditions. The willows were grown at an angle of 45 degrees. They were compared to willows which grow naturally straight upwards. The team then looked for the same effect among the willows growing on the Isle of Orkney where strong winds cause the trees to bend at extreme angles. They discovered that the Orkney trees produce five times the amount of sugars found in willows grown in sheltered conditions.

Willow is widely planted across the UK. The results show that biofuel crops such as willows could be grown in climatically changeable conditions where chances of growing food crops are limited.

The study is published in Biotechnology for Biofuels.

1.What may happen when willows are planted in strong winds?

A. They stop growing.    B. Few sugars are produced.

C. They try to grow sideways.    D. Changes in genes take place.

2.The Orkney willows ________.

A. are unusually rich in sugars    B. grow naturally straight upward

C. look taller than ordinary willows    D. are stronger than those growing in labs

3.Farmers living in changeable climate _______.

A. use biofuel for heating and power    B. are encouraged to grow biofuel crops

C. can plant different kinds of food crops    D. should make their willows grow straight

4.Where does this passage most probably come from?

A. A personal diary.    B. A travel magazine.

C. A scientific journal.    D. A newspaper advertisement.

    I first began experiencing anxiety and depression at the age of 14, after being bullied (欺凌) at school for years. While at first anxiety and depression would come and go, it eventually became a constant part of my life.

I was so eager to find the solution to overcoming my anxiety and depression that I tried everything from when I was in college to graduate school: mood-changing medication, special teas, yoga, anything I read about in books, and advice given by doctors. Despite this, I still felt I hadn’t even come close to managing the problem.

But one afternoon, my eyes fell upon an article in a magazine I was reading that talked about how dogs were able to help people with anxiety and depression. The very next day, I decided to get a dog—a corgi. When I brought my little corgi, Buddy, home. I didn’t realize how much he would change my life. It didn’t happen right away, however.

Once the “puppy excitement” went away, my anxiety and depression came back as usual. One morning, I woke up with those familiar feeling again. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I turned to pull the covers back over my head and give up. That’s when I saw Buddy.

Buddy started jumping all over me, licking my face, letting me know that it was time to go outside. It was as if he were saying, “There’s no time to be sad; the world is amazing!” And for the first time in my life, my life was changing. I really was a new person. This was my new beginning.

It’s been more than a year since that day, and I’ve never spent another morning unable to get out of bed. I’ve not cried myself to sleep or spent my days stuck with fear and regret. Sure, I still have days when I feel sad or anxious. But with Buddy, my best friend, by my side, I’ve finally learned how to manage these feelings and emotions.

1.According to the first two paragraphs, the author ________.

A. has been a school bully for years

B. suffered from depression since college

C. tried many ways to fight depression but nothing worked

D. felt less depressed after taking medication and doing yoga

2.How did the author know having a dog might help with her depression?

A. a doctor put it forward to her.

B. She read it in an article by chance.

C. She heard it from some other depression sufferers.

D. She found out herself after spending some time with a corgi.

3.How does the author feel in the last paragraph?

A. hopeful    B. Anxious

C. Confused    D. Doubtful