Question

Stay on the brighter side of life

One very important component of optimism is gratitude or feeling grateful. In fact, there is a strong connection between a grateful attitude and a heightened sense of well-being. Appreciate all the positives in your life by starting a gratitude journal in order to remember what you’re grateful for. 1.

Feeling down? Instead of feeling sorry for yourself waiting for the universe to throw you a bone, try acting like you’re happy—even if you aren’t. A sincere smile and a forced smile will cause the same chemical reactions in your brain, so you can actually fool your mind into feeling better by making it react chemically as if things were going well. 2. Reassure yourself that everything is good—even if you don’t feel it.

“3. If you’re stuck in traffic, then everything else must be going horribly too,” says Anne Parker, a wellness counselor. By blowing negative events out of proportion, you’re setting yourself up for feeling down all day. Instead, acknowledge that you’re stuck in traffic, but also bring to mind something good, like the beautiful scenery outside the window. That way, you’ll get in the habit of forbidding negative circumstances from blanketing your whole day.

Swearing to lose 20 pounds or to run a marathon seems like goals leading to happiness, but they take time to achieve. 4.You may even end up admitting that you have been defeated. However, if you focus on the small milestones that occur along the way, you will feel positive about your progress, which will give you the strength to keep going.

5. Try making someone else’s day better. A report by United Healthcare and Volunteer Match found that volunteers are 72% more likely to characterize themselves as optimistic compared with non-volunteers. Plus, 89% of volunteers say that volunteering has improved their sense of well-being, and 92% say that it enriches their sense of purpose in life.

A. Try to help someone in need.

B. Want to give your attitude a lift?

C. People tend to think in an either-or way.

D. Act in an optimistic way—smile, laugh, tell a joke.

E. You’ll fail to appreciate more important things in your life.

F. By focusing on not having accomplished them yet, you will start to feel down on yourself.

G. By remembering the pleasant things in your life, you can actually turn a negative attitude around.

Answer

1.G

2.D

3.C

4.F

5.B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章告诉我们应该站在生活积极的一面，乐于助人成就人生。

1.根据空前“by starting a gratitude journal in order to remember what you’re grateful for. ”通过写感恩日记是为了记住你感恩的事，可知，要记住一些愉快的事来获得幸福感，所以选G

2.根据空前“so you can actually fool your mind into feeling better by making it react chemically as if things were going well.”你可以骗你自己的心装作很快乐，就好像事情进展顺利一样。以及空后“Reassure yourself that everything is good—even if you don’t feel it.” 告诉自己一切都好——即使你没有感觉到。可知，以乐观的态度行动。故选D项。

3.根据空后“If you’re stuck in traffic, then everything else must be going horribly too,” 如果你被困在交通堵塞中，那么其他一切也会变得很糟糕。可知，人们倾向于非此即彼的思考方式。故选C项。

4.根据空前“Swearing to lose 20 pounds or to run a marathon seems like goals leading to happiness, but they take time to achieve.” 发誓要减肥20磅或跑马拉松似乎是通往幸福的目标，但实现它们需要时间。和空后“You may even end up admitting that you have been defeated.”承认自己失败。可知集中于你不能完成的事情，你会感到失落，故选F项。

5.根据空后“Try making someone else’s day better.” 试着让别人更高兴。和“Plus, 89% of volunteers say that volunteering has improved their sense of well-being, and 92% say that it enriches their sense of purpose in life. ” 89%的志愿者提高了他们的幸福感，可知，别人快乐也会使得自己的生活态度得以提升，故选B项。