02 The $11billion self-help industry is built on the idea that you should turn negativethoughts like "I never do anything right" into positive ones like"I can succeed." But was positive thinking advocate Norman VincentPeale right? Is there power in positive thinking? Researchers in Canada just published a study inthe journal Psychological Science that says trying to get people to think morepositively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight howunhappy they are. The study's authors, Joanne Wood and John Lee of the University of Waterlooand Elaine Perunovic of the University of New Brunswick, beginby citing older research showing that when people get feedback which theybelieve is overly positive, they actually feel worse, not better. If you tellyour dim friend that he has the potential of an Einstein, you're justunderlining his faults. In one 1990s experiment, a team including psychologistJoel Cooper of Princeton asked participants towrite essays opposing funding for the disabled. When the essayists were laterpraised for their sympathy, they felt even worse about what they had written. In this experiment, Wood, Lee and Perunovic measured68 students' self-esteem. The participants were then asked to write down theirthoughts and feelings for four minutes. Every 15 seconds, one group of studentsheard a bell. When it rang, they were supposed to tell themselves, "I amlovable." Those with low self-esteem didn't feel better afterthe forced self-affirmation. In fact, their moods turned significantly darkerthan those of members of the control group, who weren't urged to think positivethoughts. The paper provides support for newer forms ofpsychotherapy (心理治疗) that urge people to accept theirnegative thoughts and feelings rather than fight them. In the fighting, we notonly often fail but can make things worse. Meditation () techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put theirshortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power ofnegative thinking. 1. What dowe learn from the first paragraph about the self-help industry? A) It is a highly profitable industry. B) It is based on the concept of positive thinking. C) It was established by Norman Vincent Peale. D) It has yielded positive results. 2. What is the finding of the Canadian researchers? A) Encouraging positive thinking many do more harmthan good. B) There can be no simple therapy for psychologicalproblems. C) Unhappy people cannot think positively. D) The power of positive thinking is limited. 3. What does the author mean by "... you're just underlining his faults" (Line 4, Para. 3)? A) You are not taking his mistakes seriously enough. B) You are pointing out the errors he has committed. C) You are emphasizing the fact that he is notintelligent. D) You are trying to make him feel better about hisfaults. 4. What do we learn from the experiment of Wood, Leeand Perunovic? A) It is important for people to continually boosttheir self-esteem. B) Self-affirmation can bring a positive change toone's mood. C) Forcing a person to think positive thoughts maylower their self-esteem. D) People with low self-esteem seldom write downtheir true feelings. 5. What do we learn from the last paragraph? A) The effects of positive thinking vary from personto person. B) Meditation may prove to be a good form ofpsychotherapy. C) Different people tend to have different ways ofthinking. D) People can avoid making mistakes throughmeditation.