The $ 11 billion self – help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “I never do anything right” into positive ones like “I can succeed.” But was positive thinking advocate Norman Vincent Peale right? Is there power in positive thinking?

Researchers in Canada just published a study in the journal Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.

The study's authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by citing older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tell your dim friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, you're just underlining his faults.

In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton asked participants to write essays opposing funding for the disabled. When the essayists were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.

In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students' self-esteem. The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, "I am lovable."

Those with low self-esteem didn't feel better after the forced self-affirmation. In fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren't urged to think positive thoughts.

The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse. Meditation (静思) techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.

1.What do we learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry?

A. It is based on the concept of positive thinking.

B. It is a highly profitable industry.

C. It was established by Norman Vincent Peale.

D. It has produced positive results.

2.What is the finding of the Canadian researchers?

A. There can be no simple treatment for psychological problems.

B. Encouraging positive thinking may do more harm than good.

C. Unhappy people cannot think positively.

D. The power of positive thinking is limited.

3.What does the author mean by “you're just underlining his faults” in the third paragraph?

A. You are not taking his mistakes seriously enough.

B. You are pointing out the errors he has made.

C. You are emphasizing the fact that he is not intelligent.

D. You are trying to make him feel better about his faults.

4.It can be inferred from the experiment of Wood, Lee and Perunovic that .

A. it is important for people to continually keep their self - esteem

B. self-affirmation can bring a positive change to one’s mood

C. people with low self-esteem seldom write down their true feelings

D. forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem

完形填空

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从1~20各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Some people are afraid of starting a casual(随意的) conversation with a stranger because of a fear of not having anything interesting to say. Fear of refused is also a _________ for keeping silent. Small talk in a conversation can _________ as a way of warming up and getting to _________ each other. Most people, no matter _________ successful they are at work, will find the process of _________ small talk uncomfortable, even meaningless. _________ , you will have a pretty small world _________ you refuse to let others in. Starting off with a casual comment or question will make others _________, and even just greeting them with a simple “hello” will often be enough.

Once you have made the first _________ , there is no turning back. You need to keep things _________ before you can politely say goodbye. Think about what you would like to _________ with a new friend and that is what you can ask the other person about. Work, family, hobbies or interests are some _________ points of discussion. To keep the ball rolling, you can show that you are really _________in what they are saying. Once you find common _________ of interest, things will certainly _________ off from there.

Small talk can _________ out to be a pleasant experience. The conversation _________ be brief and casual without turning into a long and boring discussion. Do not let yourself _________ the conversation. Stop worrying about how big of a fool you may appear to be. You may _________ find out later on that you have the “ _________ ” of getting people to open up to you by engaging them in small talk.

1.A. right B. reason C. result D. sign

2.A. take B. use C. mean D. act

3.A. know B. learn C. recognize D. realize

4.A. what B. whether C. why D. how

5.A. giving B. leaving C. making D. forcing

6.A. So B. Instead C. However D. Besides

7.A. unless B. until C. if D. Though

8.A. comfortable B. upset C. nervous D. satisfied

9.A. decision B. plan C. wish D. move

10.A. changing B. rising C. improving D. going

11.A. know B. share C. do D. show

12.A. private B. present C. important D. general

13.A. careful B. surprised C. interested D. encouraged

14.A. ideas B. experiences C. points D. senses

15.A. take B. put C. get D. set

16.A. come B. turn C. find D. figure

17.A. should B. can C. will D. may

18.A. start B. complete C. consider D. control

19.A. still B. even C. ever D. almost

20.A. right B. advantage C. talent D. habit

I grew up in a family that ate dinner together every evening. Although my parents enjoyed wine, they rarely drank during the week and always in moderation(节制).As for myself,1 wasn't interested in alcoholic drinks and neither were my high school friends.

So when I arrived on campus for my first year of university life, I was a bit shocked. Many different events had been organized for the freshmen, but they all had one thing in common-alcohol, and plenty of .it wanting to be left out, I joined a few of the events. But I always returned home early, feeling disappointed. Your personality, interests and experiences didn't matter at all, only how many alcoholic drinks you could absorb before passing out(喝醉). It seemed shallow to me. I wanted to get to know my new coursemates, not how fast they. could down a pint of beer.

Gradually, however, I realized that real friends don't judge you by how much you can drink and there were other ways of making friends. I joined a photography society, took a first aid course, and every weekend l went cycling with a coursemate. I found that by engaging in these activities and sharing the fun of learning new skills together in a group ,I formed much stronger bonds with my new friends than even the strongest alcoholic drinks could encourage.

Another valuable lesson I learned is that it's perfectly okay to say "No" if you don't want to drink. However, in many Western societies, especially the UK, binge drinking(狂喝)has become the norm. Many people who drink don't necessarily want to, but they give in to the peer pressure(同伴压力)-they're afraid to say "No".

1.What shocked the author when he entered university?

A. The strange campus. B. The popularity of alcohol.

C. The drunken coursemates. D. The limited activities.

2.Why did the author return home early from the events at first?

A. He wasn't good at drinking.

B. He had no familiar coursemates.

C. He hated the way people got along.

D. He was left out by the organizers.

3.How did the author finally make real friends at university?

A. By saying "No" to alcoholic drinks.

B. By staying away from group activities.

C. By giving in to the peer pressure.

D. By joining people with common interests.

Guide dogs help blind people who cannot get around by themselves.Although Yorkshire terriers and poodles are good companion dogs,guide dogs are chosen from lager breeds(品种)such as German shepherds,golden retrievers,and Labrador retrievers.The young dogs are raised by families until they are eighteen months old.During this time,they get lots of love and attention,but they are also taught to obey.Then the dogs go to a special school where,for four months,they work with a sighted trainer,an individual who can see.The dog forms a close relationship with this person who teaches it how to follow directions such as right,left,straight ahead,and stop.The young dog also learns to watch out for dangerous traffic and wait until it is safe to cross a busy street.

When the dog is two years old,it starts training with the blind person it will live with. The dog and its new owner make many trips from downtown to where the blind person lives so the dog becomes familiar with the normal atmosphere.During the training,a sighted trainer always remains with them. A blind person who is getting a guide dog for the first time will train for about a month. If the individual has had a dog before,the training takes about three weeks.After the training,the blind person depends on the guide dog for between seven and twelve years.At that point,the working dog become a family pet and the owner needs to train with a younger guide dog.

1.Which breed would NOT be trained as a guide dog?

A.A Yorkshire terrier. B.A golden retriever.

C. A German shepherd. D.A Labrador.

2.What does the guide dog learn to do during the training?

A.Associate directions with food.

B.Play with young children.

C.Stay away from busy streets.

D.Look out for traffic problems.

3.Who gives the dogs training at the special school?

A. A sighted trainer. B.Other blind people.

C.A traffic peliceman. D.The school director.

4.What’s this passage mainly about?

A.The time spent training a guide dog.

B.The importance of having a guide dog.

C.The process of training a guide dog.

D.The way of choosing a guide dog.

完形填空

阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、 B、C和D)中,选出可以填入的空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

We have a small back garden with several trees,so bird nest in abundance. Therefore, it is ________ year after year to find many young birds don’t________ .

One morning two years ago, I found a young blackbird sitting still, very cold, in a corner. I ________ it up and moved it to a raised warmer spot, ________ it with tissue and made silly bird noises in the hope that it would ________ . It was breathing, though very weak and wouldn’t open its beak (喙). I knew it had ________ and was dying but it did start to feel warmer so there was________ .

I kept coming to check on it, keeping our three ________ inside the house, as I didn’t want them to ________ it, as Toby, my cleverest dog had already spotted it. One time, I went to see the bird, it had ________ down, legs outstretched (伸直), so I placed it ________ back onto the tissue. Its eyes opened ________ and it seemed to look in my direction, ________ at times its head also moved round, which was not a good sign. I kept making bird noises and ________ it, saying “Come on, be strong.” I just felt so ________ , but I wanted it to know that there was someone who ________ . Unfortunately, it died. I did feel so regretful because I tried my best but I ________ .

To my ________ , last year I spotted two young blackbirds keeping each other company in one of our trees, and I’m ________ one of them had at least survived as one has been visiting ________ since and helping itself to seed from our feeders.

1.A. obvious B. strange C. usual D. special

2.A. leave B. survive C. fly D. adjust

3.A. picked B. put C. hung D. held

4.A. provided B. connected C. hid D. covered

5.A. play B. reply C. breathe D. wake

6.A. kept up B. made up C. given up D. turned up

7.A. hope B. life C. luck D. fun

8.A. birds B. dogs C. cats D. boys

9.A. visit B. annoy C. bother D. attack

10.A. fallen B. pulled C. lain D. showed

11.A. quickly B. happily C. gently D. carelessly

12.A. in vain B. in return C. in time D. in response

13.A. since B. although C. while D. unless

14.A. encouraging B. saving C. amusing D. calming

15.A. excited B. curious C. moved D. desperate

16.A. counted B. preferred C. cared D. differed

17.A. stopped B. failed C. declined D. missed

18.A. delight B. disappointment C. sorrow D. amazement

19.A. proud B. afraid C. sure D. grateful

20.A. casually B. unexpectedly C. suddenly D. regularly

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