Question

Everyone has good days and bad days.

Sometimes, you feel as if you’re on top of the world. But occasionally you feel horrible, and you lose things and you cannot focus on your schoolwork.

For more than 20 years, scientists have suggested that high self-esteem (自尊) is the key to success. Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.

“Forget about self-esteem,” says Jennifer Crocker, a psychologist (心理学家) at the University of Michigan, US. “It’s not the important thing.”

Feeling good

Crocker’s advice may sound a bit strange because it is good to feel good about yourself.

Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed, anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem.

But, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.

He believes that violent and wicked people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said: “There’s no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school.”

Problems

All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos (自我) that can make them less likeable to their peers(同龄人), said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University.

People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves, Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.

What to do

Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something try to learn from the experience. “The best therapy (药方) is to recognize your faults,” Vohs says. “It’s OK to say, ‘I’m not so good at that,’ and then move on.”

The new research comes to the conclusion that high self-esteem ________.

A. is not important at all                     B. has taken on a different meaning

C. may not be the key to success         D. does not help you do better at school

One of the conclusions of the new research is that ________.

A. feeling good about oneself doesn’t mean you lead a happier life

B. people with high esteem usually do not seek other’s help

C. people with high esteem tend to be proud

D. people with low esteem are often more popular

The underlined part “a better person” in the passage probably means a person who is ________.

A. helpful and supportive                    B. gentle and modest

C. likable and successful                     D. friendly and kind

From the text, we can infer the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for people ________.

A. with high self-esteem                B. with low self-esteem

C. of all kinds                      D. who are focusing on building self-esteem

Answer 1

【小题1】C

【小题2】C

【小题3】D

【小题4】A

解析:

【小题1】C 细节理解题。短文第三段表述“二十多年来，科学家们认为高度自信是成功的关键”，但从第四段中的“Now, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful”一句可知“新的研究表明高度自信可能不是成功的关键”。

【小题2】C 细节理解题。根据短文中“People with high self-esteem can have big egos”和“People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves”两句分析可知。

【小题3】D 推断题。从下文“He believes that violent and wicked people often have the highest self-esteem of all”一句推断，句中的better 表示的意义必须是同violent and wicked的意义相反。

【小题4】A 推断题。从“药方”的内容上分析，建议人们放下架子，敢于承认错误，由此可推断此“良方”是为过度自信的人所开的。