Question

Everyone has good days and bad days.

Sometimes, you feel as if you’re on top of the world and all the questions on your maths test might seem easy. But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and cannot focus on our schoolwork.

For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem(自尊) is the key to success.Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can make people less likeable or more upset when they fail in something.

“Forget about self-esteem,” says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, US. “It’s not the important thing.”

Feeling good

Crocker’s advice may sound a bit strange. After all, feeling good can be good for you.Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.

However, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.

He believes that violent people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said:“ There’s no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school.”

Problems

All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos(自我) that can make them less likeable, said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, VOhs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.

What to do

Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail in something, try to learn from the experience. “The best therapy(藥方) is to recognize your faults,” Vohs says. “It’s OK to say, ‘I’ m not so good at that,’ and then move on.”

1. What does the underlined part “on top of the world” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Quite helpful. B. Extremely happy.

C. Very unlucky. D. Rather upset.

2. The conclusion drawn from the new research shows that high self-esteem_____.

A. is not important at all

B. makes people more likeable

C. helps you do better at school

D. may not be the key to success

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to Vohs?

A. Feeling good doesn’t mean you lead a happy life.

B. People with high self-esteem always seek others’ help.

C. People with high self-esteem tend to be selfish.

D. People with low self-esteem are often more popular.

4. We can infer from the text that the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for people_____.

A. with high self-esteem

B. with low self-esteem

C. who contribute significantly to society

D. who are in need of support

Answer 1

1.B

2.D

3.C

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：本文主要反駁了強大的自尊心是成功的關鍵這一論點。擁有強大的自尊心的人不一定比擁有弱小自尊心的人更優(yōu)秀；自尊心過高的人容易自大，不招人喜歡，自尊心不高的人遇到問題時更喜歡求助于朋友；不管是哪類人，處理問題最好的方法應該是傾聽和支持其他人。

1.文中第二自然段“But occasionally you feel horrible,”意思是但有時你感到非常可怕，可知“on top of the world”的意思應該是與“horrible”相反，故選擇B。

2.“Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful.”意思是現(xiàn)在，新的研究表明只注重加強自尊心可能是沒有作用的。故選擇D。

3.第八自然段“People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves”意思是自尊心過高的人更多想到的是他們自己�？芍�自尊心過高的人是自私的。故選擇C。

4.“People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves”提到自尊心過高的人更容易想到他們自己；“ What to do”部分第一句“it is best to listen to and support other people.”意思是最好的做法是傾聽和支持其他人�？芍�這部分主要針對自尊心過高的人，故選擇A。

考點：考查議論文閱讀。