Passage Two

Our success, satisfaction and general happiness in life is not dependent on what happens to us but how we deal with it.

You will probably know yourself from personal experience what a difference your attitude can make when, for example, you’re returning faulty goods or making a complaint. An open, polite and friendly approach, expecting a satisfactory result, normally results in one as people tend to respond with a similar attitude. If, however, you present an argument with an angry, accusing tone, expecting trouble, there is little doubt that this is what you’ll get!

Some people see the world through a filter of optimism and some through a filter of pessimism which largely comes down to having a predominantly positive or negative attitude. People who are suffering from a negative attitude primarily think that something can’t be done; they dwell on problems, see all the pitfalls, find fault with and criticize other people and focus on all the things they would like but haven’t got. People blessed with a positive attitude by contrast think that anything is possible, they look for solutions, they see the good in everybody, and they are grateful for all the good things in their lives. Whether suffering from or blessed with your attitude, this is not something that is imposed on us from the outside. We are very much responsible for our own attitude. We all start out with a “clean” slate but this can get muddied by our experiences in life. As children we get ridiculed and bullied, criticized and rejected, start to experience doubt and lose our self-confidence. If this continues into adulthood, it can result in a downward spiral which fuels the fires of a bad attitude in later life.

However, there is a choice. The first step is recognizing that there is a different way to view life. If you feel that a bad attitude is dragging you down, you need to start making a definite effort to see the positive in a situation. It may not be easy in every situation but just start off small. A step in the right direction may just be that you accept an unfortunate situation and move on rather than believing that everything and everyone is conspiring against you to make your life as difficult and unpleasant as possible. We all have moments like that, but luckily, most of the time, we soon see just how unreasonable these thoughts are.

Your attitude impacts on all aspects of your life. When faced with problems and difficulties in life, most peoples’ first response is to complain and wonder why this had to happen to them. This is a natural response and one which might even cross the minds of generally positive people. However, in the face of adversity you must remember that you have a choice. You can wallow in (沉湎于) self-pity and do nothing but complain, or you can start looking for solutions to the problem and start moving on. We all know which is the best way, but sometimes we have to step back from the situation and consciously decide that we’re going to take the positive route even if initially it doesn’t come naturally. Everything gets easier with practice, even being positive.

The key to what sort of life you live is the recognition that you do have a choice. Everyone’s circumstances are different but we all have this choice. Basically, life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

46. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that people are likely to treat others ______.

A. the way they are treated                              B. better when they are satisfied

C. worse when they are in trouble                    D. the way they consider appropriate

47. According to the writer, what affects people’s life attitude?

A. the situation they face                                 B. the people around them

C. their expectations of life                              D. the way they view the world

48. Which of the following can best replace the word “conspiring” in Paragraph 4?

A. purposefully making preparations

B. successfully encouraging people to fight

C. secretly planning to do something harmful

D. efficiently organizing some unexpected events

49. What is the main idea of Paragraph 5?

A. We can learn to be positive with practice.

B. We have to face hardships in everyday life.

C. It is natural for people to form a negative attitude.

D. It is difficult for people to form a positive attitude.

50. What is the purpose of the writer in writing this passage?

A. to show how to avoid a negative attitude

B. to describe the effects of a negative attitude

C. to share his positive attitude with his readers

D. to illustrate the importance of a positive attitude