A
It's not easy to feel like you're always under the spotlight being judged for each little mistake you make.Your mind is in an endless circle playing what you said and did over and over again.And you wish you had a time capsule to go back and make things change if you find mistakes.You fear what others will think about you and that they will reject and dislike you.You seek to be socially perfect.
Academically, you work long endless hours just to make those excellent marks.Although most would say “it's good to have high standards”, they have no idea about the internal hell you put yourself through to achieve perfection.If you come up to less than your desired goal, you will feel as though you have failed, but you're far from failing; you just don't see it that way.So instead you are telling yourself that you're stupid, and not smart.The pressure you place on yourself weighs you down and you wear the “not good enough” label each and every day.
You not only have high standards for yourself but you also have them for others.If people don't perform up to your expectations then you will think them incompetent.This causes a lot of frustration because you can't trust anyone to get things right.So instead of being a team player you fly solo and try to do two or three jobs at once.Your unrealistic expectations cause you to criticize and judge others and that leads to problems in other aspects of your life.
The attempt to be perfect is called perfectionism and it's damaging our emotional and mental health.We strive for perfection of our body, our performance, and our relationships.In a society that overstates mistakes, is it any wonder that so many young people attempt the impossible task of being perfect?
We all have flaws, fears, and make mistakes, and that's perfectly OK.It's our imperfections that make life interesting and they help us grow into a stronger and more adaptable person.We don't have to strive to achieve the impossible.We are designed to be perfectly imperfect.
语篇解读:本文是一篇议论文。文章通过对“完美主义者”的心态和做法的描述,向我们指出完美是不可能实现的,正是我们的“不完美”使得我们的生活变得有趣,帮助我们成为更好的自己。
1.Which of the following is a perfectionist most likely to agree?
A.Nobody is perfect.
B.Be generous with praise.
C.There is no best, only better.
D.A contented mind is an everlasting feast.
解析:选C 推理判断题。根据第二段中的If you come up to less than ... label each and every day.可知,完美主义者总认为自己不够好。因此C项(没有最好,只有更好)符合完美主义者的心态。故选C项。
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A.The society is partly to blame for perfectionism.
B.More and more people are tolerating mistakes.
C.Many young people find it impossible to be perfect.
D.It's unusual for a society to seek perfectionism nowadays.
解析:选A 推理判断题。根据第四段最后一句In a society that overstates mistakes, is it any wonder that so many young people attempt the impossible task of being perfect?可知,在这个夸大错误的社会里,许多年轻人试图追求完美是不足为奇的。据此推断,这个社会对完美主义者的行为产生了一定影响,所以这个社会应为完美主义负部分责任。故选A项。
3.What does the author think of the imperfection?
A.It's unbearable.
B.It's part of our life.
C.It deserves to be overcome.
D.It does harm to our mental health.
解析:选B 推理判断题。根据最后一段可知,我们都有缺点,都会犯错误,正是这些不完美使得我们的生活变得有趣,帮助我们成为更强大且适应性更强的人,人注定就是不完美的。由此推知,不完美是我们生活的一部分。故选B项。
4.Where is the text most likely from?
A.A diary. B.A novel.
C.A magazine. D.A guidebook.
解析:选C 文章出处题。本篇议论文剖析了完美主义者的心态,讨论了过度追求完美不仅影响身心健康,而且会因为对别人苛求而产生许多问题。人本来就是不完美的,因此我们没有必要过分追求完美。这种话题的文章最有可能摘自杂志。故选C项。