Question

【題目】 Imagine there is a glass on a table in front of you. It has water in it but it is not full. How do you describe the glass? "Half full or half empty?"

If you say half full, you might be an optimist. If you say half empty, you might be the opposite - a pessimist.

Optimism and pessimism represent your general attitude toward certain situations or to life in general. And your attitude about life may be more important to living than you think.

A new study suggests that your level of optimism may affect your health. People who are optimistic may live longer than those who are pessimistic.

Researchers at Harvard University's School of Public Health in Boston did the study. They compared women with "a general expectation that good things will happen" to women who were less optimistic. They found that the optimists had a much lower risk of getting several deadly diseases, including cancer, heart disease and certain types of infection.

Eric Kim is one of the study leaders. He says there is increasing evidence that strengthening psychological (心理的) resilience may help prevent disease. Kim says that these new findings suggest that people should make efforts to increase their resilience and optimism. He says optimism is connected with healthier behaviors and healthier ways of dealing with difficulty. Optimists tend to take better care of themselves by exercising, eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep.

However, the researchers say that healthy behaviors of optimistic people only partly explain the connection with reduced risk of disease.

For the study, researchers looked at information gathered on 70,000 women in the Nurse's Health Study. This massive study began in 1975. It collects health information on those involved in the study every two years. The Harvard researchers looked at the level of optimism of the women, as well as other factors such as race, diet, physical activity level and overall health. They found the most optimistic women had nearly a 30 percent lower risk of dying from disease.

Kaitlin Hagan, another study leader, says earlier studies show that a person can use simple, low-cost methods to increase optimism. For example, thinking about and writing down the best possible outcomes for areas of their lives, like their careers or relationships.

Leslie Ralph, a clinical psychologist and counselor, has several ideas about how to increase optimism. She says each night you might plan to do two or three simple, enjoyable activities the next day, such as watching the sun rise, visiting a friend, dancing to a favorite song or reading a story with your child. And the counselor adds offering praise or support to someone can also improve your own outlook. A smile and "thank you" from another person may help you feel more optimistic.

【1】What do we know from the passage?

A.Relations lie among optimism, pessimism and a glass of water.

B.Good expectations increase risk of dying from disease.

C.An optimist is more likely to live healthily.

D.Supporting someone may receive praise of a pessimist.

【2】What does the underlined word "resilience" mean in Paragraph 6?

A.The ability to recover from difficulty or change.B.A way of thinking and reacting to things.

C.Factors that influence one's health.D.The ability to experience the sense of touching body.

【3】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.To Be Optimistic or PessimisticB.To Look on the Bright Side or the Opposite

C.Increasing Optimism Keeps You More ActiveD.Looking on the Bright Side Might Help You Live Longer

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】A

【3】D

【解析】

文章通過一杯水的實驗告訴我們保持樂觀的心態(tài)，這對我們的健康有著重要的意義。

【1】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第六段“optimism is connected with healthier behaviors and healthier ways of dealing with difficulty. Optimists tend to take better care of themselves by exercising, eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep.”可知，樂觀與更健康的行為和更健康的解決困難的方式有關。 樂觀主義者傾向于通過鍛煉，飲食健康的食物和充足的睡眠來更好地照顧自己。故選C。

【2】詞義猜測題。根據(jù)第六段“Kim says that these new findings suggest that people should make efforts to increase their resilience and optimism.”可知，研究發(fā)現(xiàn)人們應該努力提高他們的應變能力和樂觀情緒。這樣有助于預防疾病。故resilience指的是恢復、適應的能力。故選A。

【3】最佳標題。根據(jù)文章尤其是最后兩段可知，作者主要告訴我們保持樂觀的心態(tài)對我們的健康有著重要的意義。故選D。