Can feeling of nostalgia (懷舊) be good for you? or is it unhealthy to have a strong love for the past?
For years, medical experts have studied nostalgia and the reasons for it. Many experts warn that too much nostalgia is harmful. They say linger (徘徊) in the past shows that a person is unhappy with his present life. These feelings keep the person from living his life to its fullest.
Dr. Louise Kaplan has written several books about nostalgia. She says these feelings often begin when a young person is between 13 and 19 years old.
"This is the time when you must face the loss of your childhood, " Kaplan says. "You see your new life is easily destroyed. But you think romantically about a golden
past. You remember your childhood as a time when life was perfect."
These feelings continue as a person gets older, Kaplan adds. She says many grown persons have a hard time keeping up with changes in the modem world, so they think back to their younger years. At that time the world seemed simple and more harmless.
Kaplan says these feelings are not always actually existing. The good old days weren't always good. However, she says nostalgia can be helpful, if used properly.
"Feelings of nostalgia can cause you to remember a time when you had high hopes and dreams, " Kaplan says. "It might give you the strong wish to catch those dreams today, in your present life." She adds that nostalgia can prevent you from "cutting yourself off from your aim."
"At its best, " Kaplan says, "nostalgia has the ideas for the future."
【小題1】According to the passage, feelings of nostalgia _____.

A．can cause you to think of your past which was full of hopes and dreams

B．can make you succeed in life

C．fill one with hopes for the future

D．bring about a love for the past and a hope for the future

【小題2】The reason for grown persons to think back to their past is that _____.

A．they can hardly keep up with changes in today's world

B．times are hard, so they can not keep up with changes

C．many grown persons have little time keeping up with changes in the modem world

D．they lived in the past, of which they are always proud

【小題3】Which of the following is not talked about in the passage?

A．Too much nostalgia is harmful.

B．Nostalgia shows that a person is not satisfied with his present life.

C．Only women have feelings of nostalgia.

D．A little nostalgia can make a person's life more colorful.

【小題4】According to Kaplan's idea, _____.

A．nostalgia is sure to be harmful

B．nostalgia can be helpful

C．nostalgia is always very good

D．nostalgia is bad indeed

【小題5】We may also use _____ as the topic of the article.

A．Thoughts on Nostalgia

B．The reasons for Nostalgia

C．Why Do They Think Back to the Past

D．Nostalgia, Good or Bad

There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.

People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation (模仿). It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.

Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.

63. People who are unhappy _______.

A. always consider things differently from others

B. usually are affected by the results of certain things

C. usually misunderstand what others think or say

D. always discover the unpleasant side of certain things

64. We can conclude from the passage that _______.

A. we should pity all such unhappy people

B. such unhappy people are dangerous to social life

C. people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness

D. unhappy people can not understand happy persons

65. If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should _______.

A. prevent any communication with them

B. show no respect and politeness to them

C. persuade them to recognize the bad effects

D. quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes

66. In this passage, the writer mainly _______.

A. describes two types of people

B. laughs at the unhappy people

C. suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness

D. tells people how to be happy in life

There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.

People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend(hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing(批評) and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation(模仿). It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.

Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact(接觸) with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.

People who are unhappy _______.

A. always consider things differently from others

B. usually are affected by the results of certain things

C. usually misunderstand what others think or say

D. always discover the unpleasant side of certain things

The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “_______”.

       A. have a good taste with social life            B. make others unhappy

       C. tend so scold others openly                  D. enjoy the pleasure of life

We can conclude from the passage that _______.

A. we should pity all such unhappy people

       B. such unhappy people are dangerous to social life

       C. people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness

       D. unhappy people can not understand happy persons

If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should _______.

       A. prevent any communication with them

       B. show no respect and politeness to them

       C. persuade them to recognize the bad effects

       D. quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes

In this passage, the writer mainly _______.

A. describes two types of people

B. laughs at the unhappy people

C. suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness

D. tells people how to be happy in life

Gallows humor（黑色幽默）seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress. “Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it's not,” says James M. Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.

Psychologists say that just because you're laughing doesn't mean you’re wasting time. Occasional teasing among colleagues, particularly if it revolves around things associated with the job, can boost creativity, departmental cohesiveness（凝聚力）and performance.

“There are a lot of stressors out there,” says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist with the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning in Chicago. “But gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”

This is true as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people --- not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale（士氣）in terms of the company would be good humor,” says Thierry Guedj, a professor of business and psychology at Boston University. “Before you say or do anything, think about, ‘How is this helping my employees’ morale?’”

You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance, or faith. If you have any doubt, it's appropriate, don't go through with it.

Or you can take aim at the one person you know won't be offended（冒犯）:Yourself. “If there's going to be a joke or story, it should be you,” Mr. Dunkelblau says. For example, if you're a marketing manager reviewing a failed campaign that you led, begin with a line like, “The guy who gave permission to this deal might just be looking for work next week.”

“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves too,” Mr. Jones says. “And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”

1.According to the text, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT ________.

A. improving performance

B. reducing pressure

C. leading to a big mistake

D. making people more creative

2.What is Ed Dunkelblau’s attitude towards gallows humor?

A. Negative.          B. Positive.         C. Uncertain.          D. Neutral.

3.Which of the following would Dr. Guedj most probably agree with?

A. Gallows humor allows people to laugh at others.

B. Gallows humor is the basic source of morale.

C. Anything that may lift morale can be called gallows humor.  

D. Gallows humor may sometimes be used for the wrong purpose.

4.When people use gallows humor, they should ________.

A. show a sense of belonging

B. observe who is aggressive

C. try to avoid irritating others

D. doubt about the result of humors

5.What can we infer from the text?

A. Laughing at ourselves can help relieve the stress of others.

B. People tend to laugh at others rather than themselves.

C. People who laugh at themselves are hard to be friends with.

D. People can’t avoid offending others with gallows humor.

 

There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.

People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend (hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing(批評) and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation(模仿). It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors(擁有者). The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.

Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend(冒犯) many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact(接觸) with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.

1.People who are unhappy________.

A．a(chǎn)lways consider things differently from others

B．usually are affected by the results of certain things

C．a(chǎn)lways discover the unpleasant side of certain things

D．usually misunderstand what others think or say

2.The underlined phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means________.

A．make others unhappy	B．have a good taste with social life
C．tend to scold others openly	D．enjoy the pleasure of life

3. We can conclude (推斷) from the second paragraph that________.

A．we should pity all such unhappy people

B．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness

C．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life

D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons

4. In this passage, the writer mainly________.

A．describes two types of people

B．suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habit of unhappiness

C．laughs at the unhappy people

D．tells people how to be happy in life