Question

 

Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that things generally turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply “yes” to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may be successful at work and in love.

But you may be misguided because things don’t turn out for the best. You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example, you may fail to obtain a new job; another chance will come around soon). Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams (砰然关上) in your face. That’s bitter reality.

Now a book has been published which confirms what pessimists (悲观者) have suspected all along. It’s called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for the things by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, “What’s interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation’s outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better.”

So far, so good. This is not rocket science. Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And “Don’t count your chickens until they hatch.” To have a confident and optimistic approach to life’s problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien, the American comedian says, “Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”

There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don’t feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A. The benefits of defensive pessimism.

B. A book that has recently been published.

C. The dangers of being too optimistic.

D. How to become successful in life.

2.The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” (Para. 4) means __________.

A. there is no real proof                  B. it is quite simple to understand

C. the cost is not so high                                  D. it’s not a dangerous thing to do         

3.Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?

A. Whatever will be, will be.             B. The glass is half full not half empty.

C. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.    D. Every cloud has a silver lining.

4.The writer would probably describe himself as __________.

A. a realist                     B. an optimist                   C.  a   defeatist                    D. a scientist

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：文章主要阐述的是乐观和悲观各有优缺点，不要太在乎。

1.A主旨大意题。文章在第一段提出了人应该乐观一点会更好，接着主要讨论了要做一个有意识的

悲观者，因为这样的悲观者才会对以后的事情做好充分的准备，会有详细的计划和安排。那样才能有更好

的结果。旨在说明所谓的悲观主义的益处。

2.B推理判断题或语意理解题。谚语This is not rocket science.中的rocket science指困难的事情，指

那些很难以理解的事情。本句话的意思就是指这很好理解，不是那么难以理解的事物。

3.C推理判断题。根据文章倒数第二段：There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example,

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket(不要把所有的鸡蛋都放在同一个篮子里)”说明该谚语就是指那些表示

谨慎的谚语，故C项符合那些pessimists(悲观者）的特点。

4.A推理判断题。根据第二段的最后三句：当上帝关上一扇门的时候，他会为你打开另外一扇门。

但是实际上并不是总是如此，说明作者对待一切是很现实的。以及文章后一段的内容“其实无论是乐观主

义者还是悲观主义者都各有优缺点。觉得水杯是半空的也没什么不好，毕竟这很现实。但是重要的是找到

一个认为水杯是半满的人与你互相弥补不足。”可知A正确。