1 . How I wish to go to the bottom (底部) of the sea for an adventure (探险)! There are quite a lot of beautiful fishes swimming here around me and they are in different shapes and colors. A big whale or a shark might appear. Frightening, isn’t it? But most fishes are friendly and won’t hurt you if you do not attack them. It would be great fun just to watch the fishes quietly and even play with them. — from Qin Yixing.
Last night, I had a dream. I was flying to Africa. Once I reached the land, I found a jeep to the grasslands. I was about to get into the jeep when I saw a few snakes in front of me. Luckily, they went away without hurting me. Soon I happened to find some nice giraffes and a crowd of zebras. On my way back, there was something wrong with the jeep. I was so scared that I fell with the jeep upside down. Much to my surprise, a helicopter (直升飞机) came in time to rescue me. What a dream adventure! — from Zhang Liang.
1. Qin Yixing dreams to go to the bottom of the sea to ______.| A．have a holiday | B．take an adventure | C．find a job | D．watch a game |
| A．noisy | B．frightening | C．friendly | D．quiet |
| A．by plane | B．by jeep | C．by water | D．by bus |
| A．snakes | B．giraffes | C．zebras | D．tigers |
2 . A few years ago, I bought a flat. It was a triumph of hope and determination over property prices, and the peak of a 20-year dream. The day I got the keys should have been the most exciting day of my life and yet, the second I opened the door, panic set in. I spent my first night as a homeowner in a hotel researching how to sell a flat and wondering if it was too late to change my mind.
I didn't sell my flat because I remembered why I had wanted it in the first place — but there are times when we get what we want and it simply isn't right. I've always found a strange disconnect between wanting something and getting it. Wanting is a place of possibility and, in a state of lack, the desire is strong. We imagine how this thing — a new job or relationship — can change our lives and at the same time forget that adding something to our life doesn't mean all our problems disappear. We create a narrative around the desire and, when we get it, and it is different to how we pictured it, we feel frustrated.
For me, this most often occurs in relationships. I have a habit of filling in the gaps with people, rather than getting to know them. I go on a date with someone and, instead of piecing them together brick by brick, I start to imagine what my life would be like with them in it. It shouldn't have been a shock that the reality in no way matched my fantasy — but it was. I knew I wanted out, yet part of me felt committed: this was someone I thought I had wanted for so long, I couldn't walk away, could I?
We tend to shame others for changing their minds. I think, however, it's far braver to move towards something that will bring happiness than to stay in a miserable situation to protect your pride. So, when someone tells you they've changed their minds, congratulate them on knowing themselves well enough, and being strong enough, to admit it. It takes a lot to come clean about getting it wrong, but the relief of doing so — of setting ourselves free from a personal-shaped hole, is worth it every time.
1. Why did the author spend her first night as a homeowner in a hotel?| A．The flat was under decoration. |
| B．She wanted to sell this terrible flat. |
| C．The flat was different from her desire. |
| D．She was too excited to sleep in the flat. |
| A．Filling in the gaps with people around you. |
| B．Getting to know others little by little naturally. |
| C．Imagining what the life would be like with others. |
| D．Spending plenty of time to promote the relationship. |
| A．Never change your mind. |
| B．Never give up your first-time dream. |
| C．It is worthwhile to protect one's own pride. |
| D．It is brave to step out of a miserable situation. |
| A．A new flat | B．A personal-shaped hole |
| C．A proud soul | D．An unexcepted accident |
3 . We’ve all experienced failure. Whether we like it or not, failure is part of life. How people respond to it is of great importance both to their decisions and achievements. Some are likely to have such expectations: “If I should reach that goal, how happy would I feel?” In a recent study, we wanted to understand how such expectations may change in the face of failure. Are people able to predict their own happiness?
The old saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” suggests that people spend much of their time longing for things they can’t have. In other words, the harder it is to achieve, the higher the valuation. But is this a good model for how ordinary people process failure? According to the story The Fox and the Grapes, failure often leads us to drop our initial (最初的) plan. In the story, the fox jumps with all his strength, yet he fails to reach the grapes. Finally, he walks away, concluding that the grapes were sour (酸的) anyway.
So, which is it: greener grass or sour grapes? We did an experiment to determine how people react to failure.
In the study, about 1,200 participants (参加者) received either good or poor feedback (反馈) on the practice trial of a test. Half of them were told that they had performed in the bottom 20 percent, while the other half, in the top 20 percent. They were then asked to predict how they would feel if they earned a high score on the actual test.
The research results showed that those who received poor feedback on the practice trial predicted that they would feel less happiness and less pride, compared to those who received strong feedback. However, when they received a top score on the actual test later, they were just as happy as the other half, and much happier than they had predicted before. This suggests that the initial failure made people undervalue how good it would feel to succeed in the future.
The question though, is why failure makes us downplay our future happiness. According to Professor Jon Elster, people don’t always know what they want, and often change their wishes to match what appears within reach. When the outcome doesn’t fit the one they have of themselves, they protect themselves by devaluing the goal—rather than devaluing self. In other words, when personal failure happens, one way of protecting our positive (积极的) sense of self is to refuse to accept the emotional importance of future achievements.
Detachment (超脱) from personal goals can be useful, if it helps people redirect their attention from the impossible to better and more achievable goals. However, if the sour-grape effect kicks in too early and people become fearful of failure, they could miss out on the chance to try again and realize that what once seemed impossible is now within reach.
1. What does the story The Fox and the Grapes suggest?| A．The outcome valuation depends on what goal is set. |
| B．Difficulties result in a higher achievement expectation. |
| C．Past performance doesn’t help predict future happiness. |
| D．Initial failure makes future success appear less attractive. |
| A．undervalue | B．better understand | C．destroy | D．discover |
| A．The participants cared more about strong feedback. |
| B．The happier people are those who predict less happiness. |
| C．The participants’ performance failed to match their abilities. |
| D．People devalue the goal to keep a positive view of themselves. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Detachment stops people from changing wishes. |
| C．The seemingly impossible is worth trying sometimes. |
| D．The sour-grape effect pushes us to keep moving forward. |
