英语听力精选进阶版 6289

Ever won the lottery¹? No? But did that stop you buying another lottery ticket?

If the answer is another 'no', you might call yourself an optimist².

But then, according to researchers at University College London, human beings are naturally sanguine³ creatures.

It is all in the brain, they say. A study suggests it is very efficient at processing good news: about 80% of people have a tendency to see the glass as half-full, not half-empty, even if they don't consider themselves to be optimists⁴.

The good news is that this brings a health benefit. Being upbeat and having a positive outlook on life reduces anxiety. A study of nearly 100,000 women showed a lower risk of death from heart disease amongst optimists.

But there are pitfalls⁵ to always having an upbeat attitude. The authors of the study point out the 2008 financial crisis may have been caused by analysts⁶ overestimating⁷ their assets' performance even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary.

There are personal health risks too. Dr Tali Sharot, lead researcher, said: "'Smoking Kills' messages don't work as people think their chances of cancer are low. There's a very fundamental bias⁸ in the brain."

But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining⁹. Even if seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses poses a risk to our health, it's not something that is likely to cause us to lose sleep.

Let's just keep our chins up and keep smiling!

Quiz 小测验

1. What thing does the article mention as something an optimist would do?

To keep buying lottery tickets in spite of not winning.

2. Why do scientists say that having a tendency to be an upbeat individual is in the brain? 

They found out that the brain is very efficient at processing good news.

3. What could be an advantage of being naturally sanguine? 

It could reduce anxiety and be good for a person's health.

4. Why don't people stop smoking as soon as they learn that the habit can kill? 

Because they are optimists by nature they think that the chances of them getting cancer are low.

5. What two everyday objects feature in phrases used to describe optimism? 

A glass (to see the glass as half-full, not half-empty) and glasses (seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses).

Glossary¹⁰ 词汇表

optimism 乐观主义 

sanguine （正式用语）满怀希望的 

to see the glass as half-full, not half-empty 表示同样半杯水，乐观的人觉得杯子是半满， 悲观的人觉得杯子是半空的。 

upbeat 乐观的，欢快的 

to have a positive outlook on life 有一个积极的人生观 

upbeat attitude 乐观的态度 

to overestimate 过高估计 

in the face of 纵然，面对，即使 

bias 偏见 

every cloud has a silver lining （喻）黑暗中总有一丝光明（原意：乌云也有银边） 

to see the world through rose-tinted glasses （喻）把世界看得过于美好（原意：透过玫瑰色眼镜看世界） 

to keep your chin up （喻）勇敢面对困难（原意：抬起下巴，仰起头）

1 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

2 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

3 sanguine   

adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的

参考例句：

• He has a sanguine attitude to life.他对于人生有乐观的看法。
• He is not very sanguine about our chances of success.他对我们成功的机会不太乐观。

4 optimists   

n.乐观主义者( optimist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Even optimists admit the outlook to be poor. 甚至乐观的人都认为前景不好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Optimists reckon house prices will move up with inflation this year. 乐观人士认为今年的房价将会随通货膨胀而上涨。 来自辞典例句

5 pitfalls   

（捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误

参考例句：

• the potential pitfalls of buying a house 购买房屋可能遇到的圈套
• Several pitfalls remain in the way of an agreement. 在达成协议的进程中还有几个隐藏的困难。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 overestimating   

对（数量）估计过高，对…作过高的评价( overestimate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I think you're overestimating his abilities. 我看你对他的能力评价过高。
• With hindsight, he was overestimating their desire for peace. 事后看来，他高估了他们对和平的渴望。

8 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

9 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

10 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。