Question

Can we turn negative thoughts like “I never do anything right” into positive ones like “I can succeed”? Is there power in positive thinking?
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 the opposite effect: it can simply emphasize how unhappy they are.
The study’s authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterloo and Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, begin by referring to older research showing that when people get feedback which they believe is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better.If you tell your friend that he may be an Einstein, you’re just underlining his faults.In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologist Joel Cooper of Princeton asked participants to write passages opposing funding for the disabled.When they were later praised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written.
In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured 68 students’ self-esteem（自尊）.The participants were then asked to write down their thoughts and feelings for four minutes.Every 15 seconds, one group of students heard a bell.When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, “I am lovable.”
Those with low self-esteem didn’t feel better after the experiment.In fact, their moods turned significantly darker than those of members of the control group, who weren’t urged to think positive thoughts.
The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy（心理治療） that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them.In the fighting, we not only often fail but can make things worse.Meditation（靜思） techniques, on the contrary, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a large, more realistic perspective（視野）.Call it the power of negative thinking.

1. 1.
   The Canadian researchers find that _____.
   1. A.
      encouraging positive thinking may do more harm than good
   2. B.
      there can be no simple cure for psychological problems
   3. C.
      unhappy people cannot think positively
   4. D.
      the power of positive thinking is limited
2. 2.
   What does the author mean by “… you’re just underlining his faults”（Line4, Para3）?
   1. A.
      You are not taking his mistakes seriously enough.
   2. B.
      You are pointing out the mistakes he has made.
   3. C.
      You are emphasizing the fact that he is not clever.
   4. D.
      You are trying to make him feel better about his faults.
3. 3.
   What do we learn from the experiment of Wood, Lee and Perunovic?
   1. A.
      It is important for people to continually improve their self-esteem.
   2. B.
      Thinking positively can bring a positive change to one’s mood.
   3. C.
      People with low self-esteem seldom write down their true feelings.
   4. D.
      Forcing a person to think positive thoughts may lower their self-esteem.
4. 4.
   What do we learn from the last paragraph?
   1. A.
      The effects of positive thinking vary from person to person.
   2. B.
      Meditation may prove to be a good form of psychotherapy.
   3. C.
      Different people tend to have different ways of thinking.
   4. D.
      People can avoid making mistakes through meditation.

Answer 1

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