Who’s in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of u

       Who’sin control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us,it’s other people—society, colleagues, friends, family or our religiouscommunity．Welearned this way of operating when we were very young, of course．We were brainwashed．We discovered that feelingimportant and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to doeverything we could to make other people like us．As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are otherpeople．Theirthoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry（模仿）, their passions a quotation（引用）．”

       Sowhen people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good．We long for this good feelinglike a drug．Therefore,we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limitedlives, failing to do the things we really want to．Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsenedlives to keep getting their fix （一剂毒品）．We worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval．

       But,just as with any drug, there is a price to pay．The price of the approval drug is freedom—thefreedom to be ourselves．The truth is that we cannot control what other people think．People have their own agenda,and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they're more interestedin themselves than in you．Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we willbuild our life on sinking sand．Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change theiropinions all the time．The person who tries to please everyone will only end up gettingexhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process．

       So howcan we take back control? I think there’s only one way—make a consciousdecision to stop caring what other people think．We should guide ourselves by means of a set ofvalues---not values imposed（强加）from the outside by others, but innate（天生的） values which come from within．If we are driven by thesevalues and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others, we willlive a more authentic, effective, purposeful and happy life．

1.What Oscar Wildesays implies that _____________．

       A．we have thoughts similar to those of others

       B．most people have a variety of thoughts

       C．most people’s lives are controlled by others’thoughts

       D．other people’s thoughts are more important

2.What does theauthor try to argue in the third paragraph ?

       A．We may lose ourselves to please others．

       B．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom．

       C．We need to pay for what we want to get．

       D．The price of taking drugs is freedom．

3.In order to live ahappy, effective and purposeful life, we should _________．

       A．care about others’ opinions and change opinionsall the time

       B．guide ourselves by means of values from theoutside

       C．persuade others to accept our opinions

       D．stick to our own values

4.It can beconcluded from the passage that __________．

       A．we should live our own life               

       B．it’s better to do whatever we like

       C．we shouldn't change our own opinions                               

       D．it’s important to accept others’ opinions

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.A