I suffered from mental illness and depression when I was younger, and it totally affected my teenage years. But after a long struggle, I found a hobby that changed my life.
My depression really kicked in after my parents moved to the UK when I was about 11 years old. Having to get used to life in a foreign country was very difficult. The friends I knew were gone, and the changes in my environment led to my depression. I had problems in many parts of my life, which made it feel impossible for me to carry on.
At that time, I didn’t understand that depression was an illness. I remember a particular day when I couldn’t find enough strength to get myself home from playing in the park—it felt like I was carrying the world on my shoulders.
Other times, I even thought about killing myself —I just felt so trapped. I never really reached out for help either, as I felt that there wasn’t anyone who could have helped with my situation.
What turned my life around, however, was discovering street dancing. I was introduced to it by a friend, and I started taking classes at a studio in London. After a few weeks, I began to go out and meet a lot of other dancers to practice and train with them on a regular basis. It gave me a purpose, and eventually the happiness I gained from it helped me manage my depression. The dancing helped me get my life back, focus on my studies, and get through university.
My advice to anyone who might be going through something like I was is to reach out for help. The thing about life is that it changes, and you never know what might come your way. If someone had said to me during those dark moments that I would have gone on to achieve the things I have, I wouldn’t have ever believed it.
Just take each day as it comes, and remember that there’s always someone, or something, out there to help you.
1.How did the author deal with his depression at first?
A. He turned to his old friends for help.
B. He talked about it with his parents.
C. He put up with it by himself.
D. He read many articles about it.
2.How did street dancing benefit the author?
A. It helped him find a good job.
B. It taught him how to control his emotions perfectly.
C. It let him find many true friends.
D. It cheered him up and made him feel positive.
3.What does the author suggest people do when they feel down?
A. Always be confident in themselves.
B. Find someone or something to rescue them.
C. Wait for help to come patiently.
D. Accept everything that life sends their way,
4.How might the author feel about his future?
A. Hopeful. B. Fearful. C. Satisfied. D. Uncertain.
My Favourite Books
Jo Usmar is a writer for Cosmopolitan and co-author of the This Book Will series(系列) of lifestyle books. Here she picks her top reads.
Matilda
Roald Dahl
I once wrote a paper on the influence of fairy tales on Roald Dahl’s writing and it gave me a new appreciation for his strange and delightful words. Matilda’s battles with her cruel parents and the bossy headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, are equally funny and frightening, but they’re also aspirational.
After Dark
Haruki Murakami
It’s about two sisters—Eri, a model who either won’t or can’t stop sleeping, and Mari, a young student. In trying to connect to her sister, Mari starts changing her life and discovers a world of diverse “night people” who are hiding secrets.
Gone Girl
Gillian Fynn
There was a bit of me that didn’t want to love this when everyone else on the planet did, but the horror story is brilliant. There’s tension and anxiety from the beginning as Nick and Amy battle for your trust. It’s a real whodunit and the frustration when you realise what’s going on is horribly enjoyable.
The Stand
Stephen King
This is an excellent fantasy novel from one of the best storytellers around. After a serious flu outbreak wipes out 99.4% of the world’s population, a battle unfolds between good and evil among those left. Randall Flagg is one of the scariest characters ever.
1.Who does “I” refer to in the text?
A.Stephen King. B.Gillian Flynn.
C.Jo Usmar. D.Roald Dahl.
2.Which of the following tells about Mari and Eri?
A.Cosmopolitan. B.Matilda.
C.After Dark. D.The Stand.
3.What kind of book is Gone Girl?
A.A folk tale. B.A biography.
C.A love story. D.A horror story.
假定你是李华，得知2020年第18届世界中学生运动会(World Middle School Games) 将在中国福建晋江举行，组委会正面向全国招募志愿者。请写一封申请信，内容包括:
1. 申请理由； 2. 自身优势； 3. 表达期待。
注意:1. 词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯.
Dear Sir/Madam,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（
），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（
）划掉。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多改（从第11处起）不计分。
This morning I happened to meet a foreigner when I was taking walk in the park. It was a good chance for me to practise my spoken English, but I went up to him, introduced himself in English and expressed my wish to have a talk with him. In my surprise, he just stared at me, looking puzzling. I thought I had not made myself understand, so I repeated what I had said it. But he just said anything that I didn’t understand. I suddenly realize he was not an English speaker! Not all foreigner speak English.
The student _____ in the games on the phone didn’t notice his teacher behind him.
A.absorbing B.be absorbed C.to absorb D.absorbed
Only after his death _______ considered correct.
A.his theory was B.was his theory C.did his theory D.had his theory
