单选题 It"s almost an article of faith: your best ally in the fight against cancer is a doggedly optimistic outlook. And it would seem that mounting evidence of the links between emotional and physical well-being would support that view. The only problem is that there is no good evidence to support that belief when it comes to cancer. Moreover, the " tyranny " of positive thinking often becomes just one more burden for the sick.
It was research in the 1970s and "80s that first popularized the idea that attitude might affect cancer outcomes. Such research led doctors to encourage patients to think happy thoughts and visualize their immune system blasting away cancer cells. But most of those studies have been dismissed as either flawed or inconclusive. A review of 37 studies that was published in the British Medical Journal in 2002 found that although a positive outlook does correlate with the perception of less pain by patients—a real benefit-there is "little consistent evidence that coping styles play an important part in survival from or recurrence of cancer."
Still, the optimism theory remains attractive. One reason is that Americans live in a culture that desires control. We want to believe that we can beat cancer by imposing our will on the disease. A better reason is that mental states like depression and chronic anxiety have been shown to have physical consequences that affect the progression of such illnesses as heart disease and diabetes. While a similar connection is biologically plausible for cancer, it is far from proven.
Even researchers who believe that studies will ultimately establish links between stress and the progression of cancer, like Stanford"s Dr. David Spiegel, know the picture is complex. "It isn"t a matter of "Fix it in your mind, and you fix it in your body,"" he says, "but it would be strange if what goes on in our minds didn"t affect how our bodies deal with illness."
So where does that leave cancer patients? Doctors know that individuals will always bring their own disposition—sunny, sour or sarcastic—to bear on their illness and treatment. Pressuring them to be models of positive thinking is useless. Worse, it could cause them to hide their fears and reject support. But clinicians must remain alert for signs of depression, which can affect the outcome of any disease if it interferes with treatment. And many patients will also need—and welcome—help to improve poor coping skills. Spiegel says, "Having worked with people with life-threatening illnesses for 30 years, it"s clear that there are better and worse ways to deal with these things." False optimism isn"t helpful, but neither is despair.

单选题 By saying "the " tyranny " of positive thinking" (Line 5, Paragraph 1), the author probably means

单选题 What is found to be the real benefit of taking an optimistic attitude toward cancer?

单选题 The author thinks that the optimism theory is derived from

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 句意：作者认为乐观主义理论源于什么?根据第三段第1～3句“Still, the optimism theory remains attractive. One reason is that Americans live in a culture that desires control. We want to believe that we can beat cancer by imposing our will on the disease.”可知，乐观主义理论保持吸引力的原因之一，是美国人生活在一种渴望控制的文化当中。我们想要相信自己能够通过将意志施加于疾病而打败癌症，故选A。

单选题 What does the sentence "the picture is complex" (Line 3, Paragraph 4) mean?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 句意：“the picture is complex”(第四段第三行)这句话是什么意思?根据第三段最后一句“While a similar connection is biologically plausible for cancer, it is far from proven.”可知，虽然一个类似的关联在生物学上看起来同样适用于癌症，但是它还远未得到证明。根据第四段第二句“It isn"t a matter of "Fix it in your mind, and you fix it in your body,"”可知情况并非如‘把想法印在脑海就等于把想法施加于身体’那么简单。因此可推知，在治疗癌症的过程中有各种因素共同作用，影响最终结果，故选D。