Question

Why do people drink too much, eat too much, smoke cigarettes or take drugs? What’s to blame for all the bad behavior? Most people would say that, while these self-destructive acts can have many root causes, they all have one obvious thing in common: they are all examples of failures of self-control, lacking the will power to resist them.

According to a recent study, however, if you really think about it, something about that simple answer doesn’t quite make sense. In fact, it turns out that sometimes it’s having will power that really gets you into trouble.

Think back to the time you took your very first sip (啜饮) of beer. Disgusting, wasn’t it? When my father gave me my first taste of beer as a teenager, I wondered why anyone would voluntarily drink it. And smoking? No one enjoys their first cigarette — it tastes awful. So even though smoking, and drinking alcohol or coffee, can become temptation (诱惑) you need will power to resist, they never, ever start out that way.

Just getting past those first horrible experiences actually requires a lot of self-control. Ironically (讽刺的是), only those who can control themselves well, rather than give in to them, can ever come to someday develop a “taste” for Budweiser beer, Marlboro cigarettes, or dark-roasted Starbucks coffee. We do it for social acceptance. We force ourselves to consume alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and even illegal drugs, in order to seem experienced, grown-up, and cool.

These bad habits aren’t self-control failures — far from it. They are voluntary choices, and they are in fact self-control successes. Self-control is simply a tool to be put to some use, helpful or harmful. To live happy and productive lives, we need to develop not only our self-control, but also the wisdom to make good decisions about when and where to apply it.

1.What do most people think causes bad behavior?

A．Being forced by others.

B．Not having enough will power.

C．Enjoying their first experiences.

D．Following the examples of their friends.

2.The author mentions his experience in the third paragraph to prove ____.

A．will power helps develop bad habits sometimes

B．drinking beer is harmful to the health of teenagers

C．self-control should be developed when one is young

D．everyone can be challenged by different temptations

3.In the last paragraph, the author stresses that ____.

A．without self-control, no one can succeed

B．bad habits don’t always lead to bad results

C．applying self-control correctly is important

D．people can develop wisdom from bad behavior

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．My First Sip of Beer                      B．Do You Have Will Power ?

C．Does Will Power Benefit Us?               D．Dark Side of Self-control

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要介绍了意志力能让人成功，也能让人染上不好的习惯。事物都是有两方面的，要辩证地看待。

1.B 细节题。根据文章第一段最后一句they are all examples of failures of self-control, lacking the will power to resist them.说明缺乏意志力是人们做了坏事的主要原因。故B正确。

2.A 推理题。在第三段中作者提及了抽烟喝酒在开始的时候味道是非常不好的，让人恶心的，为什么人们还会喜欢上呢？正是因为人们有很强的意志力，让自己喜欢上这些东西。故意志力有时候也会让自己染上不好的习惯，故A正确。

3.C 推理题。根据文章最后三行Self-control is simply a tool to be put to some use, helpful or harmful. To live happy and productive lives, we need to develop not only our self-control, but also the wisdom to make good decisions about when and where to apply it.说明我们要正确地运用意志力，要把意志力用在好的方面，故C正确。

4.D 主旨大意题。本文主要讲述了意志力有很大的作用，举了很多的例子都是关于意志力的不好的一方面，故D正确。本文讲述的是意志力的不好的一面，故D正确。

考点：考查人生感悟类短文

点评：本文属于人生感悟类的短文，考查的推理题较多，要求考生根据文章所述事件的逻辑关系，对未说明的趋势或结局作出合理的推断；或根据作者所阐述的观点理论，对文章未涉及的现象、事例给以解释。考生首先要仔细阅读短文，完整了解信息，准确把握作者观点。