本篇来自于time magazine（时代周刊）2009年7月8日题为yes, i suck: self-help through negative thinking（是的，我糟透了：消极思维益于自助）文章，原文略有删减。

文章题目中的i suck可能会令考生困惑，意为“很烂”、“很差”、“糟透了”。suck 一词在英语(论坛)口语中使用频率很高，在英语电影中经常听到。文章首段第一句提出自助的理论基础是变消极思维为积极思维，但之后的连续两个问句让读者对此论述提出了质疑。第二段阐述了加拿大科学家的研究结果，即积极思维的效果适得其反。3-5段分别用两个实验论证了这一研究结果的正确性：90年代的作文案例（第三段）和68名学生的自我肯定案例（第三、四段）。作者在最后一段推荐了一种新的心理疗法：静思法。

原题：62.what do we learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry?

a)it is a highly profitable industry.

b)it is based on the concept of positive thinking.

c)it was established by norman vincent peale.

d)it has yielded positive results.

答案：62. b it is based on the concept of positive thinking

原文定位于首段第一句“the $ 11 billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negative thoughts like “i never do anything right”into positive ones like “i can succeed.”属于细节理解题。选项中的based on与文中的built on同义。

原题：63.what is the finding of the canadian researchers?

a)encouraging positive thinking may do more harm than good.

b)there can be no simple therapy for psychological problems.

c)unhappy people cannot think positively.

d)the power of positive thinking is limited.

答案：63. a encouraging positive thinking may do more harm than good

原文定位为第二段：“researchers in canada just published a study in the journal psychological science that says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have opposite effect;”之后，作者在下一段又再次强调了这一观点“older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse , not better.” cause of a tragedy与选项中的cause of the crash一致。抓住关键词“opposite effect；feel worse , not better”，答案即可一目了然。

原题：64.what does the author mean by“…you’re just underlining his faults”（line4,para.3）？

a)you are not taking his mistakes seriously enough.

b)you are pointing out the errors he has committed.

c)you are emphasizing the fact that he is not intelligent.

d)you are trying to make him feel better about his faults.

答案：64. c you are emphasizing the fact that he is not intelligent

与答案较为相近的是选项b。本题关键是正确理解文章中两个单词“underline（加强，强调）”与“dim（迟钝的，愚笨的）”。选项b中的point out是“指出”之意，与文章中的underlining意思不符。

原题：65.what do we learn from the experiment of wood,lee and perunovic?

a)it is important for people to continually boost their self-esteem.

b)self-affirmation can bring a positive change to one’s mood.

c)forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem.

d)people with low self-esteem seldom write down their true feelings.

答案：65. b forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem

原文定位于第五段those with low self-esteem didn’t feel better after the forced self-affirmation. in fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren’t urged to think positive thoughts。抓住关键词“didn’t feel better；darker”。

原题：66.what do we learn from the last paragraph?

a) the effects of positive thinking vary from person to person.

b) meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy.

c) different people tend to have different ways of thinking.

d) people can avoid making mistakes through meditation.

答案：66. b meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy

原文定位于最后一段。作者在最后一段提出了新的心理疗法，建议人们接受消极思维，而不要一味用积极思维去反抗。in contrast这一短语的应用，说明meditation是积极思维的对立面，即消极思维的一种方式。只有把自己的不足放到更广泛、更现实的层面去思考，才会大事化小，小事化了。选项d中的内容文中并未提及。