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 things generally 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 be successful at work 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 ( 砰然关上 ) in your face. That’s bitter reality.

Now a book has been published which confirms what 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 the 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 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.

1.What’s the passage mainly about?

A. The benefits of defensive pessimism.

B. How to become successful in life

C. The dangers of being too optimistic.

D. A book that has recently been published.

2.The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” ( Para.4 ) means ______.

A. it’s not a dangerous thing to do

B. there is no real proof

C. the cost is not so high

D. it is quite simple to understand

3.Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?

A. Whatever will be, will be.

B. The glass is half full not half empty.

C. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

D. Every cloud has a silver lining.

4.The writer would probably describe himself as ______.

A. an optimist   B. a realist

C. a defeatist   D. a scientist

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：残酷的现实有时不容乐观，而悲观防御有时却是一种能促使成功的人生方式，作者在文中列举了悲观防御的作用和好处。

1.A主旨大意题。文章从乐观主义者引出残酷的现实有时不容乐观，而悲观防御却是一种能促使成功的人生方式，文中列举了悲观防御的作用和好处，故选A.

2.D句意猜测题。上文解释了悲观防御的概念及作用，下文讲悲观防御的具体做法。划线句子指悲观防御并不是特别深奥的科学问题不好理解，它只是很简单的问题，故选D.

3.C 细节推理题。根据文中对悲观防御的描述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.”可知悲观防御是想到问题可能出现的不好结果，然后加以避免来预防，C项符合此观点，故选C.

4.B 推理判断题。根据第二段That’s bitter reality.倒数第二段But listen to what Woody Alien, the American comedian says ,” Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”和最后一段You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.可知作者把自己描述成现实主义者，故选B.

考点：考查人生哲理类短文阅读。