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 generally things 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 well 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, and another chance will come around soon). Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams in your face. That’s bitter reality.

Now a book has been published which confirms what we 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 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 a 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 Allen, the American comedian says, “Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”

There are pros and cons of 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. The writer would probably describe himself as ________.

A. a realist                  B. a scientist

C. an optimist                D. an artist

2.Defensive pessimists are likely to make use of ________ to help achieve success.

A. the final outcome       B. their low opinion

C. people’s motivation     D. their performance

3.The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” in Paragraph 4 means “________”.

A. it is out of the question

B. it is quite simple to understand

C. it is far beyond reach

D. it is not a worthwhile thing to do

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

A. “Every cloud has a silver lining.”

B. “Whatever will be, will be.”

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

D. “The glass is half full not half empty.”

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：试题分析：本文是一篇说明文，说明了防御性悲观主义的积极力量，防御性悲观使用一个管理策略的恐惧、焦虑和担心。防御性悲观主义者为自己准备设定低的结果，他们仔细考虑处理这些问题的方法，这给了他们一个控制感

1.

2.B推理判断题。根据第三段最后两句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.对防御性悲观主义者感兴趣的往往是非常成功的人，他们对形势结果的低评价是不现实的。They use it to motivate themselves to perform better. ” 他们用它来激励自己更好地表现。可知利用their low opinion来帮助取得成功。故选B。

3.B推理题。谚语This is not rocket science.中的rocket science指困难的事情，指那些很难以理解的事情。本句话的意思就是指这很好理解，不是那么难以理解的事物。故B正确。

4. are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,”说明该谚语就是指那些表示谨慎的谚语，故A项符合那些pessimists (悲观者）的特点。故C正确。

【名师点拨】

推理判断题所涉及的内容可能是文中的某一句话，也可能是某几句话，所以，推理题的答案只能是根据原文表面文字信息一步推出的答案：即对原文某一句话或某几句话所作的同义改写或综合。推理判断题的题干中通常含infer,suggest,imply,conclude indicate等标志性词语。比如第32小题C推理题。根据文章倒数第二段3,4行There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,”说明该谚语就是指那些表示谨慎的谚语，故A项符合那些pessimists (悲观者）的特点。故C正确。

考点：考查说明文阅读