Also important, researchers say, is the story you construct about why things happen—your explanatory style. Optimists believe that bad events have temporary causes—"The boss is in a bad mood. " Pessimists believe the cause is permanent—"The boss is a jerk. "

　　This sense of control distinguishes one type from the other. Positive thinkers feel powerful. Negative thinkers, Seligman says, feel helpless because they have learned to believe they're doomed, no matter what. A young wife who's told she's incapable of handling household finances might later become a divorce woman who can't balance a checkbook.

　　Such learned helplessness causes much harm on health. Studies show that optimists are better at coping with the distress associated with everything from sore throat to heart surgery. Furthermore, scientists at U. C. L. A. discovered that optimists have more disease-fighting T cells.

　　Pessimists also don't believe in preventive care. Visit a doctor and you might find out you're sick! My father was rushed to the emergency room for medical conditions that would have been easily treatable if he'd seen a doctor sooner.

　　21. The word "undermine"(Para. 2) most probably means

　　A. go below B. weaken

　　C. affect D. destroy 2-2. "The boss is a jerk. " These words are used here to show______.

　　A. how some bosses act displeasingly

　　B. how optimists explain some bad events

　　C. how pessimists think about the unhappy things around them

　　D. how the writer suggests people should do when facing something unpleasant

　　23. The example given about a young wife shows that______.

　　A. the dividing line between optimists and pessimists

　　B. young women today suffer a lot in doing housework

　　C. most of young wives are pessimists

　　D. the pessimists are used to thinking of everything negatively

　　24. Which of the following statements is TRUE of "my father"?

　　A. My father was an optimist.

　　B. My father didn't like to take any preventive measures.

　　C. My father often visited doctors.

　　D. My father was wise enough to mind his own health.

　　25. It can be inferred from the passage that Seliman should be______.

　　A. an optimist B. a pessimist

　　C. a psychologist D. the writer of this passage

　　21. B 22. C 23. D 24. B 25. C

　　Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn't buy as much as it used to, no matter where you want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quickly through one's hands. Inflation(通貨膨脹) eats away at its buying power just as the steady appetite of waves chews at sand cliffs. But what about coins that seem to do very little except wear out your purses and pockets? Unlike notes, metal money becomes more valuable the longer it is held, especially if it is put away where it won't get scratched or worn. Why is this? One reason is that coins, being more durable, fall more readily into a category for collectors. Naturally, the rarer gold pieces must become more valuable as the price of this metal goes up.

　　But, curiously, one of the rarest coins in the world is not made of gold, but of the relatively cheaper silver. In 1804, the United States mint(造幣廠) struck 19,570 silver dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remain and these are unlikely ever to reach the auction market. So what happened to some 19,564 large silver coins, not the easiest sort of things to lose? One of the more romantic theories is that they were part of the payment to Napoleon for the American territory then known as Louisiana. But they never reached France. Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship transporting them was sunk, either by a storm or by pirates (#￡&). The probable answer to the mystery is that they were melted down—since the silver value was greater than the actual value of the coin. What really happened to the rest will probably always remain a mystery. What is known is that whoever can come up with one will find himself instantly rich.

　　26. It can be inferred from passage that_______.

　　A. money buys as much as it did before

　　B. money does not buy as much as it did before

　　C. paper money buys more than metal money

　　D. metal money buys more than paper money

　　27. Which of the following is TRUE of a coin?

　　A. The longer it is held, the less valuable it becomes.

　　B. The more it wears out, the more valuable it becomes.

　　C. The less it gets scratched, the less it values.

　　D. The longer it lasts, the more it values.

　　28. According to this passage, one of the rarest coins in the world is made of A. silver B. gold

　　C. copper D. paper

　　29. Coins become more valuable because_______.

　　A. they wear out your purses and pockets

　　B. the price of metal goes up

　　C. they fall more readily into a category for collectors due to their duration

　　D. both B and C

　　30. What really happened to some 19,564 large silver coins?

　　A. They were melted down. B. They were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.

　　C. It is still a mystery. D. They were stolen by pirates.

　　26. B 27. D 28. A 29. D 30. C