My mum is about to have a spinal (脊柱的) operation. The operation is relatively minor, but does carry a risk of paralysis (瘫痪). Friends and family have reacted to this news by talking in such pessimistic terms that Mum has come to label this kind of talk as “psychological theft’’. It occurs when other people increase your anxiety rather than provide comfort.
Last week Mum went to the post office and ran into Geoff who works for the local school.“How are you?” he asked. “Not great.” she replied. “ I’ve been having some trouble with my back and I’m going to need an operation.” “Oh, the back is the most dangerous place to operate on!” he responded. My mum had that and she was in terrible pain. “Make sure you get all your affairs in order before you go under the knife — it takes months to get over it!” Geoff was out of kindness. He’d given his own mother’s story to show sympathy. However, Mum only heard pain, danger, knife, and months.
In the past few weeks, Mum’s mates and colleagues have told her stories about how their Auntie Trisha, who had just received an operation was left speechless after hearing that she required a rapid follow-up operation; and how their neighbour, who had only a minor operation, never walked again .
It’s really not that difficult to think of alternative things they could have said that would be equally true, but more beneficial to hear. “The specialists in our hospitals are among the best in the world. It’s amazing what they can do these days!”— that’s a good one. “You’re going to feel much better afterwards.”— that’ s another.
I’m not suggesting patients should be sheltered from the reality of the risks they’re taking. But if the decision to have an operation can’t really be avoided, what’s the purpose of emphasizing the drawbacks (弊端)? It’s just common sense to say: “Get well soon, and how can I help? ”
1. What does “psychological theft” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Psychological disorder. |
| B．The negative comments. |
| C．The comforting words. |
| D．Physical disability. |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Relieved. | C．Worried. | D．Moved. |
| A．Treat patients with admiration. |
| B．Communicate more with other patients. |
| C．Be well-prepared for unavoidable operations. |
| D．Find an appropriate way to comfort patients. |
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【推荐1】Our news is constantly filled with the reality of death and dying. And each of us, if we live long enough, experiences the loss of persons we loved. Children ages eight through ten were asked what they thought about death,and these are some of their answers:
“When you die,God takes care of you like your mother did. When you were alive,only God doesn’t yell at you all the time.’’(Beth,9)
“When you die,they bury you in the ground and your soul goes to heaven,but your body can’t go to heaven because it’s too crowded there already.” (Jimmy, 8)
“Only the good people go to heaven. The other people go where it’s hot all the time like in Florida. ” (Judy,9)
“Doctors help you so you won’t die until you pay their bills.”(Stephanie,9)
I've observed that the loss of a loved one can be one of the most difficult things we humans can face. I’ve known friends of sick and dying people to sit by a bedside or in a hospital room for hours,even days, at a time. I've seen food in homes of people who are dying overflow from kitchen to dining room—food brought by comforting friends from church and con cerned neighbours. And I've observed friends just listen for as long as it takes.
When U.S. Congressman Sam Rayburn (1882—1961) discovered that he was ill,he announced to the House of Representatives he was going home to Texas for medical tests. Some wondered why he did not stay in Washington where there were excellent medical facilities. His answer was a beautiful tribute (颂词) to friendship:"Bonham is a place where people know it when you’re sick,and where they care when you die. ”
No one wants to go through difficult times alone. So Rayburn traded the best of medical technology for the closeness of loving friends. He knew that good friends are good medicine. Often the best.
1. According to the passage, the four children's answers show .| A．they have the same idea on death |
| B．they have different opinions on death |
| C．they have experienced death |
| D．they have the loss of their parents |
| A．Caring friends is necessary in times of happiness. |
| B．Caring friends is necessary in time of trouble. |
| C．It’s easy for human to face the loss of a relative. |
| D．Everyone needs to face the loss of a friend. |
| A．The closeness of loving friends. |
| B．The medical examination. |
| C．The excellent medical facilities. |
| D．The development of his home. |
| A．Friendship Cannot Stand Always on One Side. |
| B．A Friend Is Easier Lost Than Found. |
| C．True Friendship Lasts Forever. |
| D．Good Friends Are Good Medicine. |
【推荐2】I opened my car window and called out “Ma’am! Ma’am!” The only lady in the parking lot looked around until she saw me. “I just wanted to tell how nice you look today,” I said. “The colors you have on are beautiful on you.” Her face registered surprise for a second, and then she smiled. “Thank you!” she called back. Her final steps to her car seemed lighter, and I smiled to myself.
I grew up with very few cheerleaders in my own life. When I was in the middle of fighting a battle for my life, I had been confirmed depression, along with anxiety. It has taken many years and more effort and determination than I thought I was capable of recovering from this illness. With no cheerleaders in my court, I fought this battle alone. I am proud of the progress I have made thus far. There are times when I thought, if only I had had someone to hold me and say, “Susan, I believe in you. You can do this, and I’ll be there every step of the way.” I wonder how much sooner I would have recovered. I’ll never know.
So I have made it a point in recent years to praise people, especially women and girls. Instead of just thinking that someone looks nice or did a great job, I say it out loud. It doesn’t take long, and it’s easy. So, I wonder, why don’t more people do this? As women, we have learned from our role models to be quiet. We downplay (淡化) our own achievements even when we do receive a rare compliment (恭维). Now, when I compliment someone and she denies, I say to her, “Just say thank you.” Most women are relieved that they don’t have to deny the compliment; they can accept the praise without guilt.
Cheerleading doesn’t require any skills. It only takes a few seconds, although you do have to remind yourself to do it. Eventually, it becomes a habit.
1. How did the lady feel after hearing the author’s praise?| A．Delighted. | B．Anxious. |
| C．Relaxed. | D．Worried. |
| A．Her experiences. |
| B．Her habit. |
| C．Her personality. |
| D．Her ambition. |
| A．She can be rewarded. |
| B．She can be appreciated. |
| C．They can accept the praise. |
| D．They should say something. |
| A．Caring. | B．Brave. |
| C．Outgoing. | D．Honest. |
【推荐3】Power of Words
The power of words is sometimes hard to understand.
As an ancient proverb says, “Your tongue has the power of life and death. ” That means that your words have the power to finally cause things to happen, even life or death.
Be very careful, because your words have destructive power too. You have probably heard of children being scolded by their parents and developing a bad self-image.
| A．Most kids have that experience. |
| B．But an encouraging word can go quite a long way. |
| C．Everything you do is based on the choices you make. |
| D．You should try to be encouraged and think positively. |
| E．Your words are likely to bring out something amazing. |
| F．The familiar words can help us build up a good relationship with others. |
| G．We all need positive words especially when we are in trouble or need help. |
【推荐1】When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went at once to a shop where they sold toys for children. Being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I had seen by the way, in the hands of another boy, I handed over all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers and sisters and cousins, when I told of the bargain I had made, said I had given four times as much as the whistle was worth. They put me in mind of what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money, and laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with vexation(烦恼). Thinking about the matter gave me more disappointment than the whistle gave me pleasure.
This, however, was afterwards of use to me, for the impression continued on my mind, so that often, when I was tempted to buy something I did not need, I said to myself, “Don’t give too much for the whistle,” and I saved my money. As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who “gave too much for the whistle.” When I saw some men too eager for court favor, wasting his time at court gatherings, giving up his rest, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, for royal favor, I said to myself---“This man gives too much for the whistle.” When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly taking part in political affairs, neglecting his own business, and ruining it by neglect, “He says, indeed,” said I, “too dear for his whistle.”
If I knew a miser who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow citizens and the joys of friendship, for the sake of gathering and keeping wealth--- “Poor man,” said I, “ you pay too dear for your whistle.” When I met a man of pleasure, who did not try to improve his mind or his fortune but merely devoted himself to having a good time, perhaps neglecting his health, “ Mistaken man, you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you are paying too dear for your whistle.” If I saw someone fond of appearance who has fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine earrings, all above his fortune, and for which he had run into debt, and ends his career in a prison. “Alas,” said I, “he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle.” In short the miseries of mankind are largely due to their puffing a false value on things --- to giving “too much for their whistle.”
1. The author’s brothers and sisters and cousins laughed at him because ________.| A．the sound of whistle was disturbing |
| B．he was cheated a lot of money |
| C．the whistle wasn’t good value for the money |
| D．the whistle was of poor quality |
| A．it impressed him deeply |
| B．he saved a lot of money |
| C．he turned into an activist |
| D．he became self-controlled |
| A．Great wealth can ensure a comfortable life. |
| B．Health and mind improvement should be put above pleasure. |
| C．Deep devotion to polities will ruin our own business. |
| D．Living beyond one’s income will put you in prison. |
【推荐2】It started during a yoga class. She felt a strange pull on her neck, a feeling completely foreign to her. Her friend suggested she, rush to the emergency room. It turned out that she was having a heart attack.
She didn’t share similar symptoms with someone who was likely to have a heart attack. She exercised, watched her plate and did not smoke. But on reviewing her medical history, I found that her cholesterol （胆固醇）level was sky-high. She had been prescribed a cholesterol-lowering statin medication, but she never picked up the prescription because of the scary things she had read about statins on the Internet. She was the victim of fake medical news.
While misinformation has been the object of great attention in politics, medical misinformation might lead to an increase in deaths. As is true with fake news in general, medical lies tend to spread further than truths on the Internet----- and they have very real bad consequences.
False medical information can also lead to patients experiencing greater side effects through the “nocebo effect （无安慰剂效应）Sometimes patients benefit from an intervention （干预）simply because they believe they will — that’s the placebo effect （安慰剂效应）.The nocebo effect is the opposite. Patients can experience harmful effects because they anticipate them. This is very true of statins. In blinded trials, patients who get statins are no more likely to report feeling muscle aches than patients who get a placebo. Yet, in clinical practice, according to one study, almost a fifth of patients taking statins report side effects, leading many to discontinue the drugs.
What else is on the fake news hit list? As always, vaccines （疫苗）.False concerns that the vaccine may cause side effects have greatly reduced coverage rates.
Cancer is another big target for pushers of medical misinformation — many of whom refuse alternative therapies. “Though most people think cancer tumors are bad, they’re actually the way your body attempts to contain the harmful cells,”, one fake news story reads. It warns that prescription medications lead to the uncontrolled cell mutations （变异）.
Silicon Valley needs to face this problem. I am not a free-speech lawyer, but when human health is at risk, perhaps search engines, social media platforms and websites should be held responsible for promoting or hosting fake information. Meanwhile, journalists should do a better job of spreading accurate information.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.| A．the woman paid little attention to her daily diets |
| B．the woman didn’t take the prescription due to fake medical news |
| C．the symptom of the heart attack was familiar to the woman |
| D．the unhealthy lifestyle might lead to the woman’s heart attack |
| A．receive proper treatment | B．discontinue the harmful drugs |
| C．believe the benefits of an intervention | D．are relieved from more side effects |
| A．He is a lawyer not easy to speak to. |
| B．He is very cautious when speaking something. |
| C．He is available to give a speech on the law. |
| D．He is good at speaking because of his job. |
| A．remind us to take medication as prescribed |
| B．teach us how to distinguish fake medical news on the Internet |
| C．encourage journalists to report more positive news events |
| D．warn us against fake medical news on the Internet |
【推荐3】One of the biggest problems when we are talking is the awkward silence. Encountering this situation is so uncomfortable that you would avoid meeting new people in the first place. In the past, I struggled with this and I even thought it had to do with my DNA or something… But later I learned that once you know how to keep those words flowing, you can meet and talk to anyone you like, which helps create great possibilities for friendship, fun and shared activities that you would otherwise have missed out on.
After studying this in depth, I had different opinions and found that one of these common behaviors is the habit of filtering (过滤) — holding back from saying something until you’ve “checked” to make sure that what you’re about to say is cool, impressive and interesting. Another problem is not learning to get in the mood for conversation. If you don’t know how to change from subjects, then it can take a lot of time to warm up.
It is the reflex (习惯性思维) that allows you to say whatever goes on in your mind. It’s fun to realize that you’re allowed to say whatever is on your mind. As long as you don’t say anything that could land you in jail (监狱).
All of the “Oh! That’s interesting…” “Hmm, I’ve never heard of that” “Hmm, cool!” expressions are reactionary bits of conversation that prove to the other person that you’re really listening. This works 99% of the time. So, if you show some interest, they’ll hang around and want to talk to you even more.
Everyone knows that stories juice-up conversations, but most people only talk about stories of their own lives. When someone mentions something related to any of them, just tell the story, even if it’s not from your life. The more interesting, stranger or more frightening they are, the harder they are to forget.
1. If people can deal with the awkward silence, they can ________.| A．promote their working skill | B．improve their life quality |
| C．enrich their social life | D．establish their working relationship |
| A．The attractive topics of conversation. | B．The atmosphere of the conversation. |
| C．The listener’s experiences and tastes. | D．The listener’s curiosity and concern. |
| A．making conversations more difficult |
| B．making conversations livelier |
| C．making conversations faster |
| D．making conversations more relaxing |
