2."Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity,"said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey.I've never watched her show,but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it's probably worth listening to.
Her point is that blind luck is very rare.You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you.If you're a Chinese,you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump (樹樁) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.
A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman,called The Luck Factor,argues we can all make ourselves luckier.It's not about going to a temple to burn some incense (香) in hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it's practical advice you can follow each day.
Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies.First he divided volunteers into two groups:those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not.He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside.On average,the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds.Why?On the second page of the newspaper,a command,"Stop counting.There are 43 photographs in this newspaper,"was written in big letters.The unlucky people mostly did not spot the message.
It's easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper.They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity.People who are"lucky",in fact,keep an open mind and don't go through the same routine every day.
I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do.Like many foreigners,my plan was to teach English for one year.Seven years later,and still here,I've had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines.I did not dream these would have been possible.I've also never been sick,had an accident,got into a fight or had problems with the police.Coincidence?After reading about Professor Wiseman's studies I think not.
As Wiseman advises,I usually trust my own judgment.Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational thinking,but it's important to consider how you feel about each choice you make.Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential problem.
Finally,try to turn bad luck into good.Even if you do fall down and break a leg,the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.
57.Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer's point?A
A.Make the best of a bad job.
B.Rome was not built in a day.
C.All is not gold that glitters.
D.A good heart conquers ill fortune.
58.What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?D
A.She became famous through her family background.
B.She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks in her life.
C.She is a British talk show host.
D.She became successful by her own effort.
59.The writer quoted the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to showC.
A.luck is in your own hand
B.bad luck can turn into good
C.you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you
D.man can conquer nature
60.From the experiment,Wiseman drew the conclusion thatC.
A.lucky people are quick-minded B.unlucky people are slow to read
C.lucky people often have an open mind D.unlucky people are more creative.
分析 本文講到了幸運和不幸產(chǎn)生的原因--正如奧普拉所說:"運氣是你的準備撞上了機遇!"她的話旨在說明"盲目的幸運幾乎是沒有的."就像中國的一個寓言故事"守株待兔"一樣啟發(fā)人心.
本文還舉例一個英國心理學家Richard Wiseman所做的一個實驗,叫做--幸運的要素.他將一群人分成兩組進行測試,一組人是認為自己很幸運的,另一組人是認為自己很不幸的.他給出的指示是--請每個人找出報紙中一共有多少張照片?
實驗結(jié)果是--認為自己很幸運的人兩秒鐘就找到了答案;而認為自己不幸的人花了兩分鐘.幸運的人很快就識別出報紙中出現(xiàn)的一張照片中的信息文字--別找了,這里一共有43張!而認為自己不幸的人卻沒有發(fā)現(xiàn),只是按指示數(shù)照片.
將這一實驗結(jié)果與年輕人找工作聯(lián)系起來.很多年輕人在找工作時固守常規(guī),導致錯過好的機會;而一些幸運的人常常是保持開放的心態(tài),因此能有很好的機會.
作者結(jié)合自己的經(jīng)歷進一步證明Wiseman實驗的正確性.自己一開始想在國外當一個老師,從未改變自己的想法,導致自己錯過很多機會--為報社或雜志寫作.自己本來打算教一年的英語,沒想到一直在教英語.
作者通過這些事例說明,人的想法改變?nèi)说倪\氣.人的積極的想法可以改變運氣,比如即使因為壞運氣摔傷在家,也要讀一讀英語,說不定學習英語能夠讓你碰上好的機遇.
總的來說,好運氣是有準備以及有積極的想法.
解答 57.A 主旨大意題.通過對全文的理解,作者想表達的是通過努力以及保持積極的心態(tài),來讓壞運氣轉(zhuǎn)變成好運氣,具體根據(jù)最后一句可知Finally,try to turn bad luck into good.作者的寫作意圖.因此最接近作者寫作意圖的諺語應該是A.
58.D 細節(jié)理解題.作者舉例奧普拉的事例是想說明好運氣需要有準備,需要個人努力.具體可根據(jù)奧普拉的話"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity,"以及對她的話的評價Her point is that blind luck is very rare.體現(xiàn)出來,故答案為D,表明個人努力的重要性.
59.C 內(nèi)容理解題.文章第二段通過舉例"守株待兔"來進一步說明個人努力的重要性,因此C符合文意.
60.C 內(nèi)容理解題.通過Wiseman的實驗,得出的結(jié)論是幸運的人不會固守常規(guī),按照指示去行事,有著開放的思想.因此答案為C.
點評 此類閱讀理解需在通讀全文的基礎(chǔ)上,把握文章寫作結(jié)構(gòu),理清文章線索,注意細節(jié).