Question

Mom was right! If you say thank you, for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness, you’ll feel happy.

    Gratitude, says Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, is an important element of happiness. In his recent book, Thanks!, Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom’s point.

    As one of the leading scholars of the positive psychology movement, he admits gratitude may be difficult to express. He advises you to begin by admitting that life is good and full of events and elements that make daily existence a wonder. Second, recognize that the source of life’s goodness is more than just you. That source may be your mom, a friend, partner, child, colleague at work or play.

    Gratitude is always other-directed, notes Emmons. You can be pleased or angry with yourself and feel guilty about doing something wrong, but you can never be grateful to or for yourself.

    Expressing gratitude shouldn’t be a reaction; it should be a state of mind. To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy. To feel grateful in time of crisis—anger, hatred and bitterness—is easier. Also, too many people are aware of life’s blessings only after these are lost.

    It’s crisis and chaos—danger, disease, disability and death—that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others. Yet it’s the way each of us begins life and ends it. It’s too bad that so many people waste those decades in between laboring under the illusion(幻觉) they are self-sufficient, says Emmons.

    The abundance of voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals with chronic health problems is many. But Emmons goes beyond his “groundbreaking” science to make his case for gratitude by including the inspirational writings of philosophers, novelists and saints, as well as the beliefs of various religious and their respective scripture(经文). Taken together, these observations are summed up quite nicely by famous humanist Albert Schweitzer, who said the secret of life is “giving thanks for everything”.

    To enable and embrace gratitude, Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! to keep a gratitude diary. He even provides easy-to-follow directions on how to practise and develop gratitude.

    I’m not a reader or advocate of self-help books, but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients. The chance discovery led me to this book.

    Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving, receiving and repaying. So I’ll pay attention to her professional advice and say: Thank you, professor Emmons.

1.. What is the text mainly discussed?

A. There are many ways of being thankful.

B. Gratitude is important to happiness.

C. Mom is great for her being thankful.     

D. Being thankful will keep you fit.

2.. The author mentions Robert A. Emmons’ book Thanks! in order to prove that __________.

A. Professor Emmons supports mom’s study on psychology.  

B. mom is as great a psychologist as Professor Emmons.

C. Professor Emmons is a famous psychologist.

D. mom is right about her viewpoint on gratitude.

3.. It will be easier for you to feel grateful when___________.

A. you live a comfortable life    

B. you receive gifts on your birthday

C. you get help during your hard times

D. you are congratulated on your success

4. What is the opinion of Professor Emmons?

A. It is enough to thank others orally

B. Whether you are thankful is always up to you

C. Remember to be thankful anytime and anywhere

D. It is easier to be thankful for yourself than for others.

5. In the writer’s opinion, Emmon’s book Thanks! On gratitude is________.

A. one-side   B. reasonable  C. puzzling  D. helpful

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.C

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：文章介绍了充满感激之情是人们所必须具有的一种感情，也是人们感觉幸福的必要因素。同时感激之情也是人们最难表达的一种感受。表达感激不应是一种形为，而应该是一种心理的状态，始终要有感恩之心，感谢生活，感谢我们身边的人等等。

1.B大意理解题。Gratitude, says Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, is an important element of happiness 加利福尼亚大学心理学教授Robert A. Emmons说，感激之情是人幸福的一个重要元素。下文围绕这一主题展开，故答案应为B。

2.D细节理解题。Mom was right! If you say thank you, for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness, you’ll feel happy. Gratitude, says Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, is an important element of happiness. In his recent book, Thanks!, Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom’s point. 两个自然段的大意为：妈妈是正确的，那怕是因为最小的礼物和最轻的善举，如果你道了声谢谢，你就会感到幸福。Robert A. Emmons,说，感恩之心是人幸福的必要因素之一。所以是为了证明妈妈的话而引用了这本书，故答案应为D。

3.C细节理解题。To feel grateful in time of crisis—anger, hatred and bitterness—is easier. Also, too many people are aware of life’s blessings only after these are lost.大意为：在危机之时如生气，憎恶，苦涩也要充满感激，所以是指在有困难的时候，获得别人的帮助要有感激之心。故答案应为C。

4.C细节理解题。文章的第一自然段讲到妈妈教导我，再小的礼物，再小的善举也要说声谢谢。最后一自段我要牢记妈妈的建议在充满给予，付出，回报的社会中，我要学会说声谢谢。所以是无论何时何地我们都要有感恩的心。故答案应为C。

5.D细节理解题。作者在第一自然段提到，人们也感到幸福，感恩之心也是必不可少的，所以感恩之心也是有助于我们幸福的，同时下文中无论生活中遇到什么问题，我们都要怀有感恩的心，所以作者对感恩的态度就是它有助于我们生活幸福。故答案应为C。

【考点】考查人生百味类文章的阅读理解。