Why do most of us live our life always caring what people might say or think? Some of the decisions we make are just to please the outside world around us. I have always lived life pleasing the ever over-demanding society. This had a great effect on my search for authenticity ( 真实性 ). I only felt good enough when people paid attention to me. So I would frequently do things to catch people’s eye instead of placing emphasis on what really matters to me.
A recent experience changed my view. I had been looking for a tailor to mend some of my clothes. With the help of a few friends, I found one, who just so happened to go to the same gym as me. As we chatted, he shared his story and his use of drugs for muscle development with me. In his words, he weighed over 240 pounds and was the envy of a lot of people. So many people wanted to be like him and have a body like his, which made him use more drugs.
But within two years something happened. He began to have problems with his liver. The doctor advised him to stop using drugs and give up lifting heavy weights for a while. This was a hard decision because he had got so used to the attention from people. He didn’t want to give that up; who would? Right? That was it. He made me understand how he lived his life for people. He lost sight of what was best for him.
He told me not to live life thinking about too much what people think, feel, or say. Instead, live life with meaning. His story really has an effect on me. I have to look at my life to see what I do. I am not saying we shouldn’t take the advice of others into consideration, but we must work hard for continuous self-awareness ( 自我认识 ). If we can know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, we can realize just how important that thing is to us.
1 ． What does the underlined phrase“placing emphasis on”mean?
A ． Looking forward to. B ． Paying attention to.
C ． Getting familiar with. D ． Taking pride in.
2 ． Why did the tailor use drugs?
A ． To lose weight. B ． To keep healthy.
C ． To treat his liver disease. D ． To improve his muscle and weight.
3 ． Why was the tailor unwilling to accept the doctor’s suggestion?
A ． He was afraid of losing others’admiration.
B ． He didn’t have any trouble with his health.
C ． He wanted to live a simple and easy life.
D ． He wasn’t able to lose sight of himself.
4 ． What lesson does the story tell us?
A ． We should live life to the fullest.
B ． Being open to others’advice is important.
C ． We should have a good understanding of ourselves.
D ． Nothing is more important than good health in our life.
1 ． B
2 ． D
3 ． A
4 ． C
【分析】
这是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者是一个活在别人世界的人，经常做一些事情来吸引人们的眼球，而不是把注意力放在对自己真正重要的事情上。一次一个裁缝的故事告诉作者，不要过多地考虑人们的想法、感受或言论，要提高自我意识，知道到什么是重要的，要活出真正的自我。
1. 词句猜测题。根据上文 So I would frequently do things to catch people’s eye 可知，所以我经常做一些事情来吸引人们的眼球。由此可知，作者并没有把注意力放在对自己真正重要的事情上来。所以划线词的意思是 “ 注意力 ” 。故选 B 项。
2. 细节理解题。根据第二段 As we chatted, he shared his story and his use of drugs for muscle development with me. In his words, he weighed over 240 pounds and was the envy of a lot of people. 可知，我们聊天时，他和我分享了他的故事以及他使用药物促进肌肉发育的事情。用他的话说，他体重超过 240 磅，是很多人羡慕的对象。由此可知，裁缝用药品的目的是增强他的肌肉和增加他的体重。故选 D 项。
3. 细节理解题。根据第三段 This was a hard decision because he had got so used to the attention from people. 可知，这是一个艰难的决定，因为他已经习惯了人们的关注。由此可知，为什么裁缝不愿意接受医生的建议是因为他害怕失去别人的钦佩。故选 A 项。
4. 推理判断题。根据最后一段 I am not saying we shouldn’t take the advice of others into consideration, but we must work hard for continuous self-awareness ( 自我认识 ). If we can know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, we can realize just how important that thing is to us. 可知，我不是说我们不应该考虑别人的建议，但我们必须努力工作，不断提高自我意识。如果我们知道我们在做什么和为什么要做，我们就能意识到这件事对我们有多重要。由此判断出，这个故事告诉我们应该好好了解自己。故选 C 项。
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力；适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51．. |
| 52． with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53． old men’s premature death. • When 54． from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
| Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55． activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56． to them. • Think about how to57． depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58．, to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
| Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59．to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60． social life. |