Question

German study suggests that people who were too optimistic about their future actually faced greater risk of disability or death within 10 years than those pessimists who expected their future to be worse.
The paper，published this March in Psychology and Aging，examined health and welfare surveys from roughly 40,000 Germans between ages 18 and 96.The surveys were conducted every year from 1993 to 2003.
Survey respondents (受訪者) were asked to estimate their present and future life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10，among other questions.
The researchers found that young adults (age 18 to 39) routinely overestimated their future life satisfaction，while middle­aged adults (age 40 to 64) more accurately predicted how they would feel in the future.Adults of 65 and older，however，were far more likely to underestimate their future life satisfaction.Not only did they feel more satisfied than they thought they would，the older pessimists seemed to suffer a lower ratio (比率) of disability and death for the study period.
“We observed that being too optimistic in predicting a better future than actually observed was associated with a greater risk of disability and a greater risk of death within the following decade，”wrote Frieder R．Lang，a professor at the University of Erlangen­Nuremberg.
Lang and his colleagues believed that people who were pessimistic about their future may be more careful about their actions than people who expected a rosy future.
“Seeing a dark future may encourage positive evaluations of the actual self and may contribute to taking improved precautions (預防措施)，”the authors wrote.
Surprisingly，compared with those in poor health or who had low incomes，respondents who enjoyed good health or income were associated with expecting a greater decline.Also，the researchers said that higher income was related to a greater risk of disability.
The authors of the study noted that there were limitations to their conclusions.Illness，medical treatment and personal loss could also have driven health outcomes.
However，the researchers said a pattern was clear.“We found that from early to late adulthood，individuals adapt their expectations of future life satisfaction from optimistic，to accurate，to pessimistic，”the authors concluded.
小題1:According to the study，who made the most accurate prediction of their future life satisfaction?

A．Optimistic adults.

B．Middle­aged adults.

C．Adults in poor health.

D．Adults of lower income.

小題2:Pessimism may be positive in some way because it causes people________.

A．to fully enjoy their present life

B．to estimate their contribution accurately

C．to take measures against potential risks

D．to value health more highly than wealth

小題3:How do people of higher income see their future?

A．They will earn less money.

B．They will become pessimistic.

C．They will suffer mental illness.

D．They will have less time to enjoy life.

小題4:What is the clear conclusion of the study?

A．Pessimism guarantees chances of survival.

B．Good financial condition leads to good health.

C．Medical treatment determines health outcomes.

D．Expectations of future life satisfaction decline with age.

Answer 1

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:A
小題4:D

德國的一項研究表明，與悲觀者相比，對自己的未來過于樂觀的人在未來10年更容易出現殘疾或死亡。該研究還發現，年輕人組對自己未來生活的滿意度的期望過高，中年人預測相對準確，而老年人往往低估自己未來生活的滿意度。
小題1:解析：選B。細節理解題。第四段說，18～39歲的年輕人組高估自己對未來生活的滿意度，65歲及以上年齡組往往低估，而40～64歲的中年人組對自己未來生活的滿意度估計更準確一些。
小題2:解析：選C。推理判斷題。第六段說，Lang和他的同事認為，對自己未來悲觀的人比樂天派對自己的日常行為更小心，第七段說，這樣的人可能會采取預防措施(應對潛在的危險)，因此選C項。
小題3:解析：選A。推理判斷題。第八段說，與身體不好、收入不高的人相比，身體好或者收入高的受訪者往往預料自己這兩方面(好身體或高收入)將來會下降得更厲害，研究者說高收入往往與身體出現 殘疾的風險相聯系，因此選A項。B項說他們將來會很悲觀，而文章講的是他們現在對將來的估計；C項說他們將來會出現精神疾病，而本段說的是這樣的人群對將來的預計，覺得自己將來的身體和收入狀況都會下降，因此B、C不對。
小題4:解析：選D。推理判斷題。文章前幾段提到不同年齡組對自己未來生活滿意度的估計。從敘述看，年輕人太樂觀，中年人較實際，老年人更悲觀，看來對未來生活滿意度的期望是隨著年齡而遞減的，最后一段也有明確的提示，因此選D項。