Section A: Banked Cloze
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Self-Handicapping and Making Excuses
Overall, men are more likely than women to make excuses. Several studies suggest that men feel the need to appear competent in all (26) ______, while women worry only about the skills in which they've invested (27) ______. Ask a man and a woman to go diving for the first time, and the woman is likely to jump in, while the man is likely to say he's not feeling too well.
Ironically, it is often success that leads people to flirt with failure. Praise won for (28) ______ a skill suddenly puts one in the position of having everything to lose. Rather than putting their reputation on the line again, many successful people develop a handicap—drinking, (29) ______, depression—that allows them to keep their status no matter what the future brings. An advertising executive (30) ______ for depression shortly after winning an award put it this way: 'Without my depression, I'd be a failure now; with it, I'm a success 'on hold'.'
In fact, the people most likely to become chronic excuse makers are those (31) ______ with success. Such people are so afraid of being (32) ______ a failure at anything that they constantly develop one handicap or another in order to explain away failure.
Though self-handicapping can be an effective way of coping with performance anxiety now and then, in the end, researchers say, it will lead to (33) ______. In the long run, excuse makers fail to live up to their true (34) ______ and lose the status they care so much about. And despite their protests to the (35) ______, they have only themselves to blame.
Answers & Explanations (答案与解析)
Section A: Banked Cloze
26. L (realms)。解析：空格在介词 `in` 和限定词 `all` 之后，需要填入复数名词。句意：几项研究表明，男性觉得有必要在所有“领域/方面”都显得胜任，而女性只担心…… `realms` 意为“领域，范围”，符合句意。因此填入 realms。
27. C (heavily)。解析：空格在动词短语 `have invested` 之后，需要填入副词修饰动词。句意：而女性只担心她们投入了“大量精力”的那些技能。`invest heavily` 是常见的英语搭配，意为“大量投入/重金投资”。因此填入 heavily。
28. H (mastering)。解析：空格在介词 `for` 之后，且其后带有宾语 `a skill`，因此需要填入及物动词的动名词形式（-ing）。句意：因“掌握”某项技能而获得的赞扬，突然让人处于可能失去一切的境地。`mastering` 意为“掌握”。因此填入 mastering。
29. B (fatigue)。解析：空格在破折号插入语的列举中，与 `drinking` (酗酒) 和 `depression` (抑郁) 并列，属于负面状态或“障碍(handicap)”，需要填入名词。`fatigue` 意为“疲劳”，作为一种逃避现实或降低期望的生理/心理借口非常合适。因此填入 fatigue。
30. E (hospitalized)。解析：空格位于主语 `An advertising executive` 和状语 `for depression` 之间，这是一个省略了 `who was` 的过去分词短语作后置定语。句意：一位因抑郁症而“住院”的广告主管在获奖后不久这样说道…… `hospitalized` 意为“使住院”。因此填入 hospitalized。
31. J (obsessed)。解析：空格在代词 `those` 之后，常用来接介词 `with`，表示某种强烈的心理状态。句意：事实上，最有可能成为长期找借口的人，是那些对成功“痴迷”的人。`be obsessed with` 意为“对……着迷/痴迷”。因此填入 obsessed。
32. F (labeled)。解析：空格在 `being` 之后，结合句意，这里表示害怕被别人看作失败者，需要过去分词构成被动语态。`be labeled a failure` 意为“被贴上失败者的标签”。因此填入 labeled。
33. N (ruin)。解析：空格在动词短语 `lead to` 之后，需要填入名词，表示这种自我设限最终会导致的不良后果。句意：研究人员说，最终，它将导致“毁灭/身败名裂”。`ruin` 意为“毁灭，破坏”，符合语境。因此填入 ruin。
34. K (potential)。解析：空格在形容词 `true` 之后，需要填入名词。`live up to one's potential` 是英语中极为常见的固定搭配，意为“发挥某人的潜能，不辜负期望”。句意：从长远来看，找借口的人无法发挥他们真正的“潜能”。因此填入 potential。
35. A (contrary)。解析：空格在 `to the` 之后。`protests to the contrary` 是一个固定短语，意为“提出相反的抗议/即使嘴上不承认”。句意：尽管他们极力否认，但他们只能怪自己。因此填入 contrary。
【核心搭配与亮点句型】
invest heavily：大量投入，重金投资（invested heavily in the skills）
flirt with failure：玩火，游走在失败的边缘（leads people to flirt with failure）
on the line：处于危险中，危在旦夕（putting their reputation on the line）
be obsessed with：对...痴迷/着迷（those obsessed with success）
explain away：为...辩解，把...搪塞过去（in order to explain away failure）
live up to one's potential：发挥某人的潜能，不负众望（fail to live up to their true potential）
to the contrary：相反地（despite their protests to the contrary）
全文翻译
总的来说，男性比女性更倾向于找借口。几项研究表明，男性觉得有必要在所有领域都显得有能力，而女性只担心她们投入了大量精力的那些技能。让一个男人和一个女人第一次去潜水，女人很可能会直接跳进去，而男人则可能会说他不舒服。
讽刺的是，往往是成功导致人们游走在失败的边缘。因掌握某项技能而获得的赞扬，突然将人置于可能失去一切的境地。许多成功人士不愿再拿自己的声誉冒险，于是发展出一种障碍——酗酒、疲劳、抑郁——这种障碍让他们无论未来发生什么都不至于丧失地位。一位获奖后不久就因抑郁症住院的广告主管这样说："没有抑郁症，我现在就是个失败者；有了它，我就是一个'暂停中'的成功者。"
事实上，最容易成为长期找借口者的，是那些痴迷于成功的人。这类人如此害怕在任何事情上被贴上失败者的标签，以至于他们不断搞出这样或那样的障碍来为失败开脱。
尽管自我设限偶尔可以成为应对表现焦虑的有效方式，但研究人员指出，最终它会导向毁灭。从长远看，找借口者无法发挥他们真正的潜力，并会失去他们如此在意的地位。而尽管他们嘴上不承认，但他们只能怪自己。