问题 阅读理解

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.

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

A.It is a highly profitable industry.

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

C.It was established by Norman Vincent Peale.

D.It has yielded positive results.小题2:What is the finding of the Canadian researchers?

A.Encouraging positive thinking many do more harm than good.

B.There can be no simple therapy for psychological problems.

C.Unhappy people cannot think positively.

D.The power of positive thinking is limited.小题3:What does the author mean by "… you’re just underlining his faults" (Line 4, Para. 3)?

A.You are not taking his mistakes seriously enough.

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

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

D.You are trying to make him feel better about his faults.小题4: What do we learn from the experiment of Wood, Lee and Perunovic?

A. It is important for people to continually boost their self-esteem.

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

C. Forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem.

D. People with low self-esteem seldom write down their true feelings.

Section C.

Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading that you do not need. (请注意题号,将答案填涂在答题卡相应的位置)

答案

小题1:B

小题1:A

小题1:C

小题1:C

小题1:首段第一句“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.”属于细节理解题。选项中的based on与文中的built on同义。

小题1:第二段:“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 opposite effect;”之后,作者在下一段又再次强调了这一观点“older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse , not better.” cause of a tragedy与选项中的cause of the crash一致。抓住关键词“opposite effect; feel worse , not better”,答案即可一目了然。

小题1:本题关键是正确理解文章中两个单词“underline(加强,强调)”与“dim(迟钝的,愚笨的)”。选项B中的point out是“指出”之意,与文章中的underlining意思不符。

小题1:第五段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。抓住关键词“didn’t feel better; darker”。

单项选择题 A3/A4型题
单项选择题