Unit 2Optimism and Positive Thinking1特选课堂Questions How much money do you spend in a month?Are you satisfied with your present life?How do you react to difficulties in life?Are you an optimistic person?2特选课堂Famous Quotes of Optimism When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry,show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.No matter how long the rain lasts,there will be a rainbow in the end.No matter how sad you may be,believe that happiness is waiting.3特选课堂Glass half-full?Glass half-empty?Are you an optimist or a pessimist?4特选课堂Directions:Figure out the expressions related to“optimistic attitude”.optimistic attitudeample happinessunlimited confidencegreat persistenceproblem-solving abilitypositive,constructive thinkingpositive affirmationpositive attitudesufficient joy5特选课堂The 3 Ps of Pessimismp Personalp Permanentp Pervasive6特选课堂Personalp“Its my fault.I am to blame.”7特选课堂Permanentp“I have always done this.I never seem to learn.”8特选课堂Pervasivep“I seem to make the same mistakes in all areas.Nothing ever goes right for me.”9特选课堂There is a better way!10特选课堂The 3 Ps of Optimismp Personalp Permanentp Pervasive11特选课堂Personalp“That was an especially hard job.But I learned things that will help me do better.”12特选课堂Permanentp“That is a mistake I have made before but each time I learn something new.”13特选课堂Pervasivep“I still have trouble in one area but overall I am doing much better.”14特选课堂Directions:Figure out the expressions related to“optimistic attitude”.optimistic attitudeample happinessunlimited confidencegreat persistenceproblem-solving abilitypositive,constructive thinkingpositive affirmationpositive attitudesufficient joyAn English SongWilliam Arthur WardAn English PoemWord WebRichard DeVos and Amway CorporationBackground InformationRadioheadListen to the SongQuestions about the SongLearn the Following Poem by HeartDiscussion15特选课堂1.If an employee was having _,Michael was there telling the employee how to look o the _ side of the situation.2.Each morning when Michael woke up he would remind himself to be in a _ and choose the positive side of life;if something bad happened,he would choose to _ it and not to be a _ of it.3.In Michaels opinion,life is all about _.Every situation in life is a choice.You choose how you _ situations;you choose how people will _ your mood;you choose how you _.The bottom line is:Its your choice how you live your life.4.The author decided to follow Michaels example and believed that if he chose to be an optimist he might _,_ and have more _.a bad daypositivegood moodlearn fromvictimchoicesreact toaffectfeelfeel betterenjoy life morechances of success16特选课堂Discuss the following questions:1.What is Michaels personality like?2.What makes the author curious about Michael?3.How does Michael look at life?4.Whats Michaels influence on the author?17特选课堂1.What is Michaels personality like?Michael is a natural optimist.He is always in a good mood,always up and always has something positive to say.2.What makes the author curious about Michael?Michaels optimism makes the author curious,he wonders how one can be so positive all the time.3.How does Michael look at life?He always look on the positive side of the situation.He thinks that life is all about choices.It is we who choose how to live our life.So he always chooses the positive side of life.Thats why he is always in a good mood.4.Whats Michaels influence on the author?The author has decided to follow Michaels example and choose to be an optimist so as to enjoy the life fully.18特选课堂 Michael was a natural optimist.He was always in a good mood,always up and always had something positive to say.If an employee was having a bad day,Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.Seeing his optimism really made me curios,so one day I went up to Michael and asked him,“I dont get it.You cant be positive all the time.How do you do.Attitude is Everything Michael replied,“Each morning I wake up and say to myself:Mike,you have two choices today.You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.I choose to be in a good mood.Each time something bad happens,I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it.I choose to learn from it.19特选课堂Every time someone comes to me complaining,I can choose to accept the complaining or I can point out the positive side of life,I always choose the positive side of life.”“Yeah,right,but it isnt that easy.”I said.“Yes,it is easy,”Michael said.“Life is all about choices.Every situation in life is a choice.You choose how you react to situations;you choose how people will affect your mood;you choose how you feel.The bottom line is:Its your choice how you live your life.From Michael I have learnt that every day we have a choice to live fully,so I will choose to be an optimist.If I am an optimist I may feel better,enjoy life more,and maybe have more chances of success.20特选课堂Directions:Figure out the expressions related to“optimistic attitude”.optimistic attitudeample happinessunlimited confidencegreat persistenceproblem-solving abilitypositive,constructive thinkingpositive affirmationpositive attitudeSufficient joy21特选课堂1、If you had missed a very important date,the reason would be:A、poor memory B、forget to check the schedule2、if you hadnt passed a very important test,the reason would be A、other participants is smarter than me B、Im not prepared3、if you had prepared a delicious course with all your heart for a friend,but he(she)would never touch it,the reason would be:A、I am not good at cooking B、I didnt make best of myself this time.4、although I had practiced for long time,I still failed in a game.The reason would be:A、Im not good at sports B、Im not good at the game22特选课堂5、If you asked one to have a date with you,but he(she)refused you,the reason must be:A、bad luck B、the ask is not presented well.6、If your mate suggested that you two should stay alone for while to think about the future,the reason would A、Im too self-centered B、I got rare time to keep company with the mate7、If the stock you bought were always in bear market,the reason would be:A、Im not very familiar with stock market.B、I didnt choose right shares8、When you were to pay your bill,you found you hadnt enough money in credit card.The reason would be:A、I thought I still had a lot of money in the card.B、I forgot to repay the borrowings from the bank.23特选课堂1.What is the relationship between optimism and success,according to the author?2.why,according to Rich DeVos,is it a matter of ones own decision to choose between optimism and pessimism?3.Why does Rich DeVos believe in the upward look?4.Why does Rich DeVos say that an optimistic attitude is a necessity?5.What is the author s opinion about the relationship between a culture and individuals in terms of attitude?24特选课堂1.What is the relationship between optimism and success,according to the author?2.why,according to Rich DeVos,is it a matter of ones own decision to choose between optimism and pessimism?There is enough good and bad in everyones life to find a rational basis for either optimism or pessimism.Either way,it is a matter of choice.3.Why does Rich DeVos believe in the upward look?He is an optimist by choice as much ad by nature.And after decades of living,he finds that the good in life is far greater and more important than the bad.There seems to be a natural cause-and effect relationship between them.25特选课堂4.Why does Rich DeVos say that an optimistic attitude is a necessity?Because our attitude toward life will determine how we feel,how we perform.If we hold a pessimistic attitude,we will feel that life is miserable and hopeless.5.What is the author s opinion about the relationship between a culture and individuals in terms of attitude?When a whole cuture adopts an upward look,individuals would also see the world as a hopeful,positive place.26特选课堂Richard DeVos,born on March 4,1926 in Michigan of the United States,is a billionaire co-founder of Amway,restructured as Alticor in 2000.Rich DeVos is the owner of basketballs Orlando Magic as well as a very famous speaker and w r i t e r.H e i s a h e a r t transplant recipient.27特选课堂Amway is a multi-level marketing company founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos.The companys name is the abbreviation of“American Way.”Its product lines include personal care products,j e w e l r y,d i e t a r y supplements,water treatment and cosmetics as well as other products from top brands.Amway(China)was founded in 1992 one year after Rich DeVos visit to China.28特选课堂Parts ParagraphsMain Ideas1231347810It is necessary to choose optimism to shape our outlook and expectations.The author illustrates the effects of negativism through his own experiences.The author suggests that we direct our attention to positive and constructive thinking rather than to negativism.29特选课堂Some psychologists believe that ones state of mind has great influence over ones social and intellectual performance,and the quality of life depends much on ones attitude towards life.If this is the case,then can we consciously make our emotions work for us in a constructive way?The following passage provides a positive answer:by simply choosing optimism,we can lead a better life.30特选课堂If you expect something to turn out bad,it probably will.Pessimism is seldom disappointed.But the same principle also works in reverse.If you expect good things to happen,they usually do!There seems to be a natural cause-and-effect relationship between optimism and success.Optimism and pessimism are with powerful forces,and each of us must choose which we want,so as to shape our outlook and our expectations.There is enough good and bad in everyones life ample sorrow and happiness,sufficient joy and pain to find a rational basis for either optimism or pessimism.We can choose to laugh or cry,bless or curse.Its our decision:From which perspective do we want to view life?Will we look up in hope or down in despair?31特选课堂I believe in the upward look.I choose to highlight the positive and slip right over the negative.I am an optimist by choice as much as by nature.Sure,I know that sorrow exists.I am in my 70s now,and Ive lived through more than one crisis.But when all is said and done,I find that the good in life is far greater and more important than the bad.An optimistic attitude is not a luxury;its a necessity.The way you look at life will determine how you feel,how you perform,and how well you will get along with other people.Conversely,negative thoughts,attitudes,and expectations feed on themselves;they become a self-fulfilling prophecy.Pessimism creates a sad and hopeless place where no one wants to live in.32特选课堂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 an odd question,but I felt fine and told him so.“You dont look well,”he replied.This took me completely by surprise.A little less confidently,I told him that I had never 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 uneasy.About a block away,I pulled over to the side of the road to look at my face in the mirror.How did I feel?Did I look that bad?Was everything all right?By the time I got home,I was beginning to feel a little sick.Did I have a bad liver?Had I picked up some rare disease?33特选课堂The next time I went into that gas station,feeling fine again,I figured out what had happened.The place had recently been painted a bright but disgusting yellow,and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside look as though they had hepatitis!I wondered how many other folks had reacted the way I did.I had let one short conversation with a total stranger change my attitude for an entire day.He told me I looked sick,and before long,I was actually feeling sick.That single negative observation had a profound effect on the way I felt and acted.The only thing more powerful than negativism is a positive affirmation,a word of optimism and hope.One of the things I am most thankful for is the fact that I have grown up in a nation with a grand tradition of optimism.When a whole culture adopts an upward look,incredible things can be accomplished.When the world is seen as a hopeful,positive place,people are given the power to attempt and to achieve.34特选课堂Optimism doesnt need to be naive.You can be an optimist and still recognize that problems exist and that some of them are not dealt with easily.But what a difference optimism makes in the attitude of the problem solver!For example,through the years Ive heard some people say that the money spent on our space program has been wasted.“Instead of spending$455 million to put a man on the moon,”they say,“why not spend that money here on earth on the poverty problem?”But when you ask them exactly how they would spend that money to solve the poverty problem,most of them dont have an answer.“Give me a solution,”I tell them,“and Ill raise you the money.”Think in positive terms about how to address the issue rather than criticizing money spent on another program,such as Americas space program,which has resulted in many positive discoveries that have benefited mankind.35特选课堂Optimism draws our attention away from negativism and channels it into positive,constructive thinking.When youre an optimist,youre more concerned with problem-solving than with useless fault-finding.In fact,without optimism,issues as big and ongoing as poverty have no hope of solution.It takes a dreamer someone with hopelessly optimistic ideas,great persistence,and unlimited confidence to tackle a problem that big.Its your choice.36特选课堂。