There's a curious thing about people. All of us are driven in some way or another to achieve—we want to run faster, be more creative, win more awards, and earn more money. But here's the thing: if you want to offer warm of wisdom, constructive criticism or "360-degree feedback", then think again. Most of us would rather not hear it.
Our easily-broken egos(自尊心) are partly to blame. We all want to meet our own expectations of ourselves, and so being critiqued can present a huge threat to our egos. Yet as decades of psychological theory and research have indicated, people have endless tricky strategies of remaining positive in the face of criticism. For this reason, rather than us welcoming feedback with open arms, our first response is often an automatic defense. These reactions serve to make us feel better about ourselves.
Psychological research exposes this unhealthy appetite for ignorance. In one study, students watched a false educational film about a serious disease called "TAA Deficiency". In fact, TAA Deficiency is completely fictional, but the students were not told this information; instead, they were asked whether they wished to provide a cheek test for assessing(评估) their risk of developing the disease. Half of the students were told that if they ever developed TAA Deficiency, then the treatment would involve them taking a two-week course of pills. Of this group, 52% agreed to provide the cheek test. The other half of students learned the treatment would involve taking the pills for the rest of their lives. Of this group, only 21% agreed to the test.
These findings show a common pattern seen in other studies within and beyond the context of healthcare. That is, people are especially resistant to hearing feedback when they believe it could lead them to do something difficult—or unpleasant.
1. The author implies in Paragraph 1 that people should ________.| A．be cautious when giving advice | B．be satisfied with what he has |
| C．offer constructive criticism | D．care less about others |
| A．They try to avoid it. | B．They deal with it seriously. |
| C．They tend to defend themselves. | D．They turn to psychological theory. |
| A．They didn't believe in it. |
| B．They knew it was just an experiment. |
| C．They were sensitive to the negative result. |
| D．They didn't like the way they were treated. |
| A．Meeting Criticism | B．Rethinking Feedbacks |
| C．Improving Healthcare | D．Fighting TAA Deficiency |
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【推荐1】After having a heavy lunch, when we continue our work in office, we tend to feel drowsy. It may strengthen so much that we find it difficult to keep our eyes open. At that time, many of us wish we could have a small bed next to our desks where we can take a rest! Sometimes, we even get a sense of guilt for fear that we may commit some mistakes in the work we are doing at that time. Some people may think that there must be something wrong with their health.
Usually, our lunch consists of heavy foods that make the stomachs full. So, most of the blood is directed towards the stomachs where the digestion is taking place. As a result, the brain receives much less amount of oxygen than it usually gets. This condition gives rise to drowsiness which is also accompanied by a sense of tiredness. During digestion of the foods, stomach acids are produced to help with digestion but they also change the pH values of the blood and make it alkaline(碱性的). Generally speaking, the pH values of the blood from 7.35-7.45 is normal. This alkalinity of blood can lead to the drowsy feeling. If you observe carefully, you will find that when you eat foods like pasta or bakery products, you tend to feel sleepier. These foods make the sugar levels in the blood higher than normal.
Thus we’d better make some changes on the foods that make up our lunch. Avoid potatoes, pasta, desserts and sweets, and eat less. Besides, we should stay away from drinks rich in caffeine, such as coffee. The fact is that it can make you think clearly only for a brief period of time. After that, you will start feeling sleepy all over again. Walking a few minutes after lunch is the best way to get rid of the drowsiness. This will improve the flow of blood in the body and will limit the blood sugar.
1. What does the underlined word “drowsy” in Para. 1 mean?| A．Sick. | B．Weak. |
| C．Sleepy. | D．Impatient. |
| A．Because we can’t help worrying about our health. |
| B．Because we may drink lots of our company’s coffee. |
| C．Because we fear we may make mistakes in the work. |
| D．Because eating may take up our work time. |
| A．8 | B．7 |
| C．6 | D．5 |
| A．get rid of our bad eating habits finally |
| B．improve our health without much effort |
| C．keep our blood flowing at a normal speed |
| D．ensure our work efficiency in the afternoon |
【推荐2】I read somewhere that we spend a full third of our lives waiting. But where are we doing all of this waiting, and what does it mean to an impatient society like ours?
The very purest form of waiting is the Watched-Pot Wait. It is without doubt the most annoying of all.
Perhaps the most powerful type of waiting is the Lucky-Break Wait.
| A．Take filling up the kitchen sink as an example. |
| B．We certainly do spend a good deal of our time waiting. |
| C．As long as one doesn’t rely on it, wishing for a good thing never hurts anybody. |
| D．This type of wait is unusual in that it is for the most part voluntary. |
| E．To understand the issue, let’s take a look at three types of “waits”. |
| F．Don’t be desperate, and you’re probably just the next lucky dog. |
| G．A cousin to the Watched-Pot Wait is the Forced Wait. |
【推荐3】Humour is the most effective, yet frequently neglected, means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying “no”, criticizing, and getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it is the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss sensitive subjects because a serious dialogue may start a riot. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum.
Humour is often the best way to keep a small misunderstanding from escalating (升级) into a big deal. Recently a neighbor of mine had a quarrel with his wife as she drove him to the airport. Airborne, he felt miserable, and he knew she did, too. Two hours after she returned home, she received a long-distance phone call. “Person-to-person for Mrs.I.A.Pologize.” intoned the operator. “That’s spelled ‘P’ as in...” In a twinkling (眨眼间), the whole day changed from bad to lovely at both ends of the wire.
An English hostess with a quick wit was giving a formal dinner for eight distinguished guests whom she hoped to enlist (赞助) in a major charity drive. Austerity was a fashion in England at the time, and she had asked her children to serve the meal. She knew that anything could happen...and it did, just as her son,with the studied concentration of a tight rope walker, brought in a large roast turkey; he successfully elbowed the swinging dining-room door,but the backswing (回摆) threw the turkey onto the dining-room floor.
The boy stood rooted; the guests staring at their plates. Moving only her head, the hostess looked at her son,“No harm, Daniel,” she said, “just pick him up and take him back to the kitchen...” She enunciated (发音) clearly so he would think about what she was saying, “and bring in the other one.”
A wink and a one-liner instantly changed the dinner from a red-faced embarrassment to a laughter.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．Humour is the key to success in our work and lives. |
| B．Humour enables us to deal with difficult situations effectively. |
| C．Humour is the best way to criticize someone without losing his face. |
| D．Humour makes fun of any difficult situation. |
| A．Comedians on TV are believed to have done a lot in making people more tolerant (容忍) of racial and religious differences. |
| B．To make up differences, humour is the most acceptable and effective means. |
| C．People often turn to humorous ways when meeting with difficult situations because of its effectiveness. |
| D．Only by adopting the means of humour can one succeed in some jobs. |
| A．The backward movement of the door. | B．The son’s rude behavior. |
| C．Someone happened to be at the door. | D．The bird raised by the family. |
| A．It would make the embarrassing situation worse. |
| B．The son would refuse to serve the guests any more. |
| C．The son would talk back and make the mother more angry. |
| D．The guests would leave before the dinner was over. |
