We often talk about ourselves as if we have permanent genetic defects (缺陷) that can never be changed. “I’m impatient.” “I’m always behind.” “I always put things 36 !” You’ve surely heard them. Maybe you’ve used them to describe 37 .

These comments may come from stories about us that have been 38 for years—often from 39 childhood. These stories may have no 40 in fact. But they can set low expectations for us. As a child, my mother said to me, “Marshall, you have no mechanical (操作机械的) skills, and you will never have any mechanical skills for the rest of your life.” How did these expectations 41 my development? I was never 42 to work on cars or be around 43 . When I was 18, I took the US Army’s Mechanical Aptitude Test. My scores were in the bottom for the entire nation!

Six years later, 44 , I was at California University, working on my doctor’s degree. One of my professors, Dr. Bob Tannbaum, asked me to write down things I did well and things I couldn’t do. On the positive side, I 45 down, “research, writing, analysis, and speaking.” On the 46 side, I wrote, “I have no mechanical skills.”

Bob asked me how I knew I had no mechanical skills. I explained my life 47 and told him about my 48 performance on the Army test. Bob then asked, “ 49 is it that you can solve 50 mathematical problems, but you can’t solve simple mechanical problems?”

Suddenly I realized that I didn’t 51 from some sort of genetic defect. I was just living out expectations that I had chosen to 52 . At that point, it wasn’t just my family and friends who had been 53 my belief that I was mechanically hopeless. And it wasn’t just the Army test, either. I was the one who kept telling myself, “You can’t do this!” I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to remain true. 54 , if we don’t treat ourselves as if we have incurable genetic defects, we can do well in almost 55 we choose.

36. A. away B. off C. up D. down

37. A. them B. myself C. yourself D. others

38. A. said B. spoken C. spread D. repeated

39. A. as long as B. as far back as C. as well as D. as much as

40. A. basis B. plot C. cause D. meaning

41. A. lead B. improve C. affect D. change

42. A. encouraged B. demanded C. hoped D. agreed

43. A. means B. tools C. facilities D. hammers

44. A. therefore B. somehow C. instead D. however

45. A. settled B. turned C. took D. got

46. A. passive B. active C. negative D. subjective

47. A. experiences B. trips C. roads D. paths

48. A. unexpected B. poor C. excellent D. average

49. A. When B. What C. How D. Why

50. A. complex B. advanced C. common D. primary

51. A. arise B. separate C. suffer D. come

52. A. believe B. suspect C. adopt D. receive

53. A. weakening B. strengthening C. abandoning D. accepting

54. A. As a result B. At the same time C. In addition D. On the contrary

55. A. anything B. something C. nothing D. all

参考答案：

36. B 37. C 38. D 39. B 40. A 41. C 42. A 43. B 44. D 45. C

46. C 47. A 48. B 49. D 50. A 51. C 52. A 53. B 54. D 55. A