Question

A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really ture. Words have the power to build us up or knock us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else’ or ourselves—the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too shy to admit it, though. In fact, more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

This “self-talk” helps us encourage ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

Often, words come out of our mouths without thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or hash (刻薄的) and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

Words have power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

Words have power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem (自尊) and encourage others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

1.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.

A. nothing but words will hurt us    B. positive words give us confidence

C. negative words may let us down    D. words have a lasting effect on us

2.There is no need for us to feel shy when we talk to ourselves because ______.

A. we can benefit from talking to ourselves

B. talking to ourselves always give us courage

C. it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone

D. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves

3.The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should aslo timely ______.

A. remind ourselves    B. praise ourselves

C. relax ourselves    D. amaze ourselves

4.The author would probably hold the view that ______.

A. people will always remember to be friendly

B. encouraging words surely lead to kind offers

C. it is better to think twice before talking to others

D. negative words may help us make more progress

Answer

1. D

2. A

3. B

4. C

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文，很多人认为话语对别人是没有影响的，实际上无论我们说的话是消极的还是积极的，这些话都会对我们带来持久的影响，文章还提出了self-talk的做法。

1.段落大意题。根据第一段最后一句“It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else’ or ourselves—the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.”可知无论我们说的话是消极的还是积极的，这些话都会对我们带来持久的影响。故D项正确。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段第一句“This “self-talk” helps us encourage ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down.”可知“self-talk”帮助我们鼓励自己、记得事情、解决问题并让我们镇定。说明“self-talk”对我们有积极的影响，所以我们不必害羞。故A项正确。

3.猜测句意题。根据横线后一句“The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!””可知下一次当我们完成一个项目、考试表现好、或者清洁好房间的时候，都要鼓励自己。此句是对前句的解释说明，可知划线部分应该指“表扬/鼓励自己”，故B项正确。

4.判断推理题。根据倒数第二段最后两句“Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.”可知在我们和别人说话之前，我们应该仔细考虑是否应该说这些话？这些话会不会对别人带来影响，要三思而后行。故C项正确。