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  3. We like to think of ourselves as rational creatures. We watch our backs, weigh the odds, pack an umbrella. But both neuroscience

We like to think of ourselves as rational creatures. We watch our backs, weigh the odds, pack an umbrella. But both neuroscience

admin2016-10-21  36
问题     We like to think of ourselves as rational creatures. We watch our backs, weigh the odds, pack an umbrella. But both neuroscience and social science suggest that we are more optimistic than realistic. On average, we expect things to turn out better than they wind up being. People hugely underestimate their chances of getting divorced, losing their job or being diagnosed with cancer: expect their children to be extraordinarily gifted: envision themselves achieving more than their peers: and overestimate their likely life span.
    The belief that the future will be much better than the past and present is known as the optimism bias. It abides in every race, region and socioeconomic bracket. Schoolchildren playing when-I-grow-up are rampant optimists, but so are grownups: A 2005 study found that adults over 60 are just as likely to see the glass half full as young adults.
    You might expect optimism to erode under the tide of news about violent conflicts, high unemployment, tornadoes and floods and all the threats and failures that shape human life. Collectively we can grow pessimistic — about the direction of our country or the ability of our leaders to improve education and reduce crime. But private optimism, about our personal future, remains incredibly resilient. A survey conducted in 2007 found that while 70% thought families in general were less successful than in their parents’ day, 76% of respondents were optimistic about the future of their own family.
    Overly positive assumptions can lead to disastrous miscalculations — make us less likely to get health checkups, apply sunscreen or open a savings account, and more likely to bet the farm on a bad investment. But the bias also protects and inspires us: It keeps us moving forward rather than to the nearest high-rise ledge. Without optimism, our ancestors might never have ventured far from their tribes and we might all be cave dwellers, still huddled together and dreaming of light and heat.
    To make progress, we need to be able to imagine alternative realities — better ones — and we need to believe that we can achieve them. Such faith helps motivate us to pursue our goals. Optimists in general work longer hours and tend to earn more. Economists at Duke University found that optimists even save more. And although they are not less likely to divorce, they are more likely to remarry — an act that is, as Samuel Johnson wrote, the triumph of hope over experience.
    Even if that better future is often an illusion, optimism has clear benefits in the present. Hope keeps our minds at ease, lowers stress and improves physical health. Researchers studying heart-disease patients found that optimists were more likely than nonoptimistic patients to take vitamins, eat low-fat diets and exercise, thereby reducing their overall coronary risk. A study of cancer patients revealed that pessimistic patients under the age of 60 were more likely to die within eight months than nonpessimistic patients of the same initial health, status and age.
    In fact, a growing body of scientific evidence points to the conclusion that optimism may be hardwired by evolution into the human brain. The science of optimism, once scorned as an intellectually suspect province of pep rallies and smiley faces, is opening a new window on the workings of human consciousness. What it shows could fuel a revolution in psychology, as the field comes to grips with accumulating evidence that our brains aren’t just stamped by the past. They are constantly being shaped by the future.
According to the article, which of the following is the most suitable definition of "optimism"?
选项 A、Optimism is a tendency to expect the best possible outcome.
B、Optimism is an idea that dwells on the most hopeful aspects of a situation.
C、Optimism is a doctrine that this world is the best of all possible worlds.
D、Optimism is a belief that good will ultimately triumph over evil.
答案B
解析 综合题。解答本题的关键在于从文章的信息中提炼出“optimism”的真实含义，解读原文可以得知“optimism”不是A选项所提的“tendency”，也不是C选项所提的“doctrine”。从原文对“optimism”的阐述可以判断乐观不是一种趋势也不是一种教条，故先排除A和C选项。接下来比较B和D选项，一个是“idea”一个是“belief”，都与原文相符，进而判断后半部分。原文很多部分指出“optimism”会带来“positiveassumptions”，指对未来情况满怀希望，与B吻合。D有些过于片面，很多时候乐观并不一定要分清善良和邪恶这完全对立的两方。故B最为符合。
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