Optimism and pessimism are both powerful forces. Each of us must choose which we want to 36 our future and our expectations. We can choose to laugh or cry, bless or 37 . It’s our decision: From which perspective do we want to view life? Will we look up in 38 or down in desperation? I believe in the upward look. I choose to 39 the positive and skip right over the negative.
An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it’s a(n) 40 . The way you look at life will determine how you feel, how you perform, and how well you will get along with other people. 41 , negative thoughts, attitudes, and expectations 42 themselves; they become a self-fulfilling prophecy (预言). Pessimism creates a dark place where no one wants to live.
Years ago, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day, and I was feeling great. As I walked into the station to pay for the gas, the attendant said to me, “How do you feel?” That seemed like a(n) 43 question, but I felt fine and told him so. “You don’t look well,” he replied. This 44 me completely by surprise. A little 45 confidently, I told him that I had 46 felt better. Without hesitation, he continued to tell me how bad I looked and that my skin appeared yellow.
By the time I left the service station, I was feeling a little 47 . About a block away, I 48 over to the side of the road to look at my face in the mirror. How did I feel? Was I affected with jaundice(黄疸)? Was everything all right? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a little nauseous(恶心). Did I have a bad liver? Had I 49 some rare disease?
On another beautiful day, when I went into that gas station, feeling 50 again, I figured out what had happened. The place had recently been painted a bright, distasteful 51 , and the light 52 off the walls made everyone inside look as though they had hepatitis（肝炎）! I wondered how many other folks had 53 the way I did. I had let one short conversation with a total 54 change my attitude for an entire day. He told me I looked sick, and before long, I was actually feeling sick. That single 55 observation had a great effect on the way I felt and acted.
The only thing more powerful than negativism is a word of optimism and hope. When a whole culture adopts an upward look, incredible things can be accomplished.
36. A. shape B. decide C. preview D. transform
37. A. forgive B. curse C. praise D. regret
38. A. vain B. anger C. action D. hope
39. A. evaluate B. analyze C. highlight D. introduce
40. A. necessity B. opportunity C. quality D. identity
41. A. Actually B. Consequently C. Accordingly D. Contrarily
42. A. rely on B. feed on C. go on D. take on
43. A. familiar B. ordinary C. strange D. easy
44. A. got B. took C. stopped D. made
45. A. more B. less C. quite D. too
46. A. never B. ever C. once D. always
47. A. uneasy B. unconcerned C. unsatisfied D. unaffected
48. A. got B. came C. took D. pulled
49. A. come up B. brought up C. picked up D. put up
50. A. fine B. upset C. sick D. calm
51. A. gray B. blue C. yellow D. red
52. A. responding B. respecting C. reflecting D. reacting
53. A. quit B. adapted C. answered D. reacted
54. A. liar B. onlooker C. attendant D. stranger
55. A. positive B. negative C. careful D. rigid