September is an exciting month in every college freshman’s life. For many, it’s the first time that they’ve left home to live in a new environment. But after the hustle and bustle of a few weeks, excitement gives way to a less enjoyable emotion— homesickness.
Homesickness manifests itself in many ways. You may miss mum’s cooking, your pets, or even your old bed. All this becomes a fond memory of the past. Homesickness can be a bitter feeling for many students, especially when faced with the challenges of settling into an unfamiliar environment.
But remember, you’re not alone. According to a recent BBC article, 70 percent of British college students experience homesickness. In this increasingly globalized world in which people migrate to faraway places for a relationship, education or work, homesickness is a feeling shared by many adults.
Homesickness can have similar symptoms to depression and in extreme cases it can develop into a panic attack. As for the term, homesickness or nostalgia wasn’t invented until the 17th century. It was considered a disorder by a Swiss physician, who attributed soldiers’ mental and physical discomfort to their longing to return home, “nostos” from Greek, and the accompanying pain, “algos”.
Studies in recent years, however, have shown that nostalgia may have some benefits to our mental health. After a decade of surveys and researches, Constantine Sedikides, a US social psychologist, found that nostalgia is what makes us human. He explains that nostalgia can resist loneliness, boredom and anxiety. Therefore, it’s necessary for college students to learn some ways to overcome the uncomfortable feeling.
小题1: From the first two paragraphs, we can infer that __________.
A．homesickness means a fond memory of the past
B．only a few students will experience homesickness
C．homesickness is an enjoyable emotion among freshmen
D．college freshmen usually suffer from homesickness after weeks小题2:According to the passage, we can know that _________.
A．homesickness may cause mental diseases
B．homesickness is a feeling only shared by adults
C．homesickness won’t do any good to our health
D．homesickness is also called nostalgia in Switzerland小题3:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
A．some benefits about homesickness
B．other problems in college freshmen’s life
C．how to make campus life more meaningful
D．some tips on how to cope with homesickness小题4:The attitude of Sedikides towards homesickness is _________.
A．negative
B．supportive
C．skeptical
D．critical小题5:What is the best title for the passage?
A．Let’s embrace homesickness
B．How to fit into the college life
C．A harmful emotion—homesickness
D．The disadvantages of homesickness
