Why do people drink too much, eat too much, smoke
cigarettes or take drugs? What’s to blame for all the bad behavior? Most people
would say that, while these self-destructive (自我毁灭的)
acts can have many root causes, they all have one obvious thing in common: they
are all examples of failures of self-control, lacking the will power to resist
them.
According to a recent study, however, if you really
think about it, something about that simple answer doesn’t quite make sense. In
fact, it turns out that sometimes it’s having will power that really gets you
into trouble.
Think back to the time you took your very first sip (啜饮) of beer. Disgusting, wasn’t it? When my father gave
me my first taste of beer as a teenager, I wondered why anyone would
voluntarily drink it. And smoking? No one enjoys their first cigarette — it
tastes awful. So even though smoking, and drinking alcohol or coffee, can
become temptation (诱惑) you need will power to resist, they
never, ever start out that way.
Just getting past those first horrible experiences
actually requires a lot of self-control. Ironically (讽刺的是), only those who can control themselves well, rather
than give in to them, can ever come to someday develop a “taste” for Budweiser
beer, Marlboro cigarettes, or dark-roasted Starbucks coffee. We do it for
social acceptance. We force ourselves to consume alcohol, cigarettes, coffee
and even illegal drugs, in order to seem experienced, grown-up, and cool.
These bad habits aren’t self-control failures — far
from it. They are voluntary choices, and they are in fact self-control
successes. Self-control is simply a tool to be put to some use, helpful or
harmful. To live happy and productive lives, we need to develop not only our
self-control, but also the wisdom to make good decisions about when and where
to apply it.
1.What do most people think causes bad behavior?
A.Being forced
by others. B.Enjoying
their first experiences.
C.Not having
enough will power. D.Following the
examples of their friends.
2.The author mentions his experience in the third paragraph
to prove ____.
A.will power
helps develop bad habits sometimes
B.drinking beer
is harmful to the health of teenagers
C.self-control
should be developed when one is young
D.everyone can
be challenged by different temptations
3.In the last paragraph, the author stresses that
____.
A.without
self-control, no one can succeed
B.applying
self-control correctly is important
C.bad habits
don’t always lead to bad results.
D.people can
develop wisdom from bad behavior
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.My First Sip
of Beer B.Do You Have
Will Power ?
C.Will Power
Benefits Us D.Dark Side of
Self-control