Question

【题目】Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point is) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Optimism and pessimism represent your general attitude toward certain situations or to life in general. And your attitude about life may be more important to living than you think.

A new study suggests that people who are optimistic may live longer than those who are pessimistic. Researchers at Harvard University’s School of Public Health in Boston compared women with “a general expectation that good things will happen” to women who were less optimistic. They found that the optimists had a much lower risk of getting several deadly diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and certain types of infection.

Eric Kim, one of the study leaders, says optimism is connected with healthier behaviors and healthier ways of dealing with difficulty. Optimists tend to take better care of themselves by exercising, eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep.

When compared to the least optimistic women in the study, the optimistic women had:

an almost forty percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, stroke and respiratory disease

a fifty percent lower risk of dying from infection

and a sixteen percent lower risk of dying from cancer

Leslie Ralph, a clinical psychologist and counselor at the University of Arizona in Tucson, has several ideas about how to increase optimism.

She says each night plan to do two or three simple, enjoyable activities the next day, such as watching the sun rise, visiting a friend, dancing to a favorite song or reading a story with your child.

She also suggests that if your day starts badly, simply close your eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. When you open your eyes, imagine your day has started over. It’s like having your own restart button.

Offering praise or support to someone can also improve your own outlook. A smile and “thank you” from another person may help you feel more optimistic.

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Answer 1

【答案】According to a new study, optimistic people may live longer and are less likely to catch some deadly diseases than pessimistic ones in that they live a healthier life through exercise, health diet and adequate sleep. People can learn to be optimistic by planning some pleasant activities for the following day, trying to restart a bad day and complimenting others.

【解析】

这是一篇概要写作。

写作步骤

1）细读原文。首先要仔细阅读短文，掌握文章主旨。文章说明了根据一项新的研究，乐观的人可能比悲观的人活得更长，更不容易染上一些致命的疾病，因为他们通过锻炼、健康饮食和充足的睡眠过着更健康的生活。人们可以学会乐观，为第二天计划一些愉快的活动，尝试重新开始糟糕的一天，并赞美他人。

2）弄清结构，归纳段意。概要写作是写全文概要，不是写某一部分的概要，或者就某些问题写出要点。

3）列出原文要点。分析原文的内容和结构，将内容分项扼要表述并注意在结构上的顺序。在此基础上选出与文章主题密切相关的部分。

4）在写作时要特别注意下面几点：

（1）概要应包括原文中的主要事实，略去不必要的细节。

（2）安排好篇幅的比例，概要应同原文保持协调，即用较多的文字写重要内容，用较少的文字写次要内容。

（3）注意要点之间的衔接，要用适当的关联词语贯通全文，切忌只简单地写出一些互不相干的句子，但也不要每两句之间都加关联词语，以免显得生硬

（4）不排斥用原文的某些词句，但不要照搬原文的句子，如果不能完全用自己的话语表达，至少对原文句子做一些同义词替换，如果结构上也能有一些转换会更好。

（5）计算词数，看是否符合规定的词数要求。