Question

    I waited until my Ph. D. committee had left the room to break down. I had just failed my dissertation proposal defense (学位论文答辩)－a poor start to my fourth year of grad school (研究生院). My committee members had told me that my experiments were too small-scale, my ideas not deep enough. I realize now that they were pushing me because they believed in me. But at that moment, all I could hear was the voice in my head telling me that I’d failed.

For the next 4 months, I lacked focus at work. I no longer double-checked my experiments, and I had trouble finding the energy to even think about re-writing my proposal.

Actually, the outcome of my proposal defense wasn’t the only cause of my slump. After some thought, it dawned on me that I had been putting undue pressure on myself throughout grad school. To believe I was making good progress, I needed external validation-an award, positive results, or praise from professors I respected. When I didn’t get those things at every opportunity, I felt I was not on the right track. When I didn’t pass the defense, the failure confirmed my self-doubts. Eventually, as my loss of confidence became a bigger problem, I knew that I had to do something about it.

I decided that I needed to set healthier standards for myself. I did not have control over how much praise I received. The only thing I had control over, I realized, was the effort I put forth.

I went into my second proposal defense with a much more positive mindset (思维模式) along with grander experiments in my proposal and passed. I’m pleased to report that my new approach has helped me regain confidence in myself — and my work — and I’m more productive as a result. I hope that I can help other students realize that external validation is not always guaranteed, and if they are doing their best, that is good enough.

1.What directly leads to the failure of the author’s first defense?

A.Imperfection of his proposal.

B.His negative mindset.

C.The committee’s lack of confidence.

D.The choice of his experiments.

2.What can we learn about the author from paragraph 3?

A.He was under a lot of pressure from his parents.

B.He made progress with the help of his professor.

C.He used to overemphasize the recognition he got.

D.Getting positive results helped him get over shyness.

3.Which word can best describe the author?

A.Adaptable.

B.Ambitious.

C.Generous.

D.Outgoing.

4.What does the text mainly tell us?

A.We should spend more time reflecting.

B.We should be thankful for our failures.

C.We should focus more on our own effort.

D.We should keep calm in the face of failure.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章通过作者论文答辩的经历，告诉我们应该更专注于自己的努力。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中I waited until my Ph. D. committee had left the room to break down. I had just failed my dissertation proposal defense (学位论文答辩)－a poor start to my fourth year of grad school (研究生院). My committee members had told me that my experiments were too small-scale, my ideas not deep enough.可知，我一直等到我的博士委员会离开了房间，我的精神崩溃了。我的毕业论文答辩刚刚失败，这对我读研究生的第四年来说是一个糟糕的开始。我的委员会成员告诉我，我的实验规模太小，我的想法不够深入。由此可知，作者的建议的不完善直接导致了他第一次辩护的失败。故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中To believe I was making good progress, I needed external validation-an award, positive results, or praise from professors I respected. When I didn’t get those things at every opportunity, I felt I was not on the right track. When I didn’t pass the defense, the failure confirmed my self-doubts.可知，要相信自己取得了良好的进步，我需要外部的认可——一个奖励、积极的结果，或者来自我尊敬的教授的表扬。当我没有抓住每一个机会得到这些东西的时候，我觉得我没有走在正确的道路上。当我没有通过答辩时，这次失败证实了我的自我怀疑。由此可知，作者过去常常过分强调自己得到的认可。故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段中Eventually, as my loss of confidence became a bigger problem, I knew that I had to do something about it.(最终，当我失去信心成为一个更大的问题时，我知道我必须要做些什么)，第四段中I decided that I needed to set healthier standards for myself. I did not have control over how much praise I received. The only thing I had control over, I realized, was the effort I put forth.(我决定为自己设定一个更健康的标准。我无法控制自己得到了多少赞扬。我意识到，我唯一能控制的就是我的努力)和最后一段中I went into my second proposal defense with a much more positive mindset (思维模式) along with grander experiments in my proposal and passed.(我带着更积极的心态和更宏大的实验进入了我的第二个提案答辩，并且通过了)可知，作者适应能力很强。故选A。

4.主旨大意题。根据第四段中I decided that I needed to set healthier standards for myself. I did not have control over how much praise I received. The only thing I had control over, I realized, was the effort I put forth.(我决定为自己设定一个更健康的标准。我无法控制自己得到了多少赞扬。我意识到，我唯一能控制的就是我的努力)和最后一段中I went into my second proposal defense with a much more positive mindset (思维模式) along with grander experiments in my proposal and passed.(我带着更积极的心态和更宏大的实验进入了我的第二个提案答辩，并且通过了)可知，这篇文章主要讲述的是我们应该更专注于自己的努力。故选C。