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 generally things 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 well be successful atwork 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 in your face. That's bitter reality.
Now a book has been published which confirms what we 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 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 a 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.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．A book that has recently been published.

B．The dangers of being too optimistic.

C．The benefits of defensive pessimism.

D．How to become successful in life.

【小题2】The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” in paragraph 4 means     .

A．he cost is not so high	B．there is no real proof
C．it’s not a dangerous thing to do	D．it is quite simple to understand

【小题3】The writer would probably describe himself as          .

A．an optimist

B．a realist

C．a defeatist

D．a scientist

【小题4】Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?

A．“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

B．“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

C．“Whatever will be, will be.”

D．“The glass is half full not half empty.”

Answer 1

【小题1】C
【小题2】D
【小题3】B
【小题4】A

解析试题分析：本文是一篇说明文，说明了防御性悲观主义的积极力量，防御性悲观使用一个管理策略的恐惧、焦虑和担心。防御性悲观主义者为自己准备设定低的结果，他们仔细考虑处理这些问题的方法，这给了他们一个控制感
【小题1】推理题。由本文的主要意思“防御性悲观主义的积极力量，防御性悲观使用一个管理策略的恐惧、焦虑和担心。防御性悲观主义者为自己准备设定低的结果，他们仔细考虑处理这些问题的方法，这给了他们一个控制感”可以推出答案，故选C。
【小题2】推理题。由后面的句子Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on a date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan.可以推出很容易理解，故选D。
【小题3】细节题。由最后一段最后一句You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full可以知道作者是个现实主义者，故选B。
【小题4】这是细节理解题。由倒数第二段第三行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.故选A。
考点：这是一说明文
点评：本文以问句的形式，能吸引读者的注意力，并唤起读者对文章的阅读兴趣等， 根据你对文章的理解，来判断各个选项的正误。最重要的就是读懂句子的意思，找出文章的中心，抓住主要句子和相关句子的意思就可以解决了，要注意题目中的一些关键词和文章中的句子的对比