第三篇

　　Holding on to hope may not make patients happier as they deal with chronic illness or diseases， according to a new study by University of Michigan Health System researchers.

　　" Hope is an important part of happiness， " said Peter A. Ubel M. D. ， director of the U-M Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences in Medicine and one of the authors of the happily hopeless study， "but theres a dark side of hope. Sometimes， if hope makes people put off getting on with their life， it can get in the way of happiness. "

　　The results showed that people do not adapt well to situations if they are believed to be shortterm. Ubel and his co-authors-both from U-M and Carnegie Mellon University-studied patients who had new colostomies： their colons were removed and they had to have bowel movements in a pouch that lies outside their body.

　　At the time they received their colostomy， some patients were told that the colostomy was reversible-that they would undergo a second operation to reconnect their bowels after several months. Others were told that the colostomy was permanent and that they would never have normal bowel function again. The second group-the one without hope-reported being happier over the next six months than those with reversible colostomies.

　　" We think they were happier because they got on with their lives. They realized the cards they were dealt， and recognized that they had no choice but to play with those cards， " says Ubel， who is also a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.

　　"The other group was waiting for their colostomy to be reversed， " he added. "They contrastedtheir current life with the life they hoped to lead， and didnt make the best of their current situation. "

　　" Hopeful messages may not be in the best interests of the patient and may interfere with the patients emotional adaptation， " Ubel says. "I dont think we should take hope away. But I think we have to be careful about building up peoples hope so much that they put off living their lives. "

　　41 Chronically ill patients may be happier ________.

　　A. if they keep thinking of their past

　　B. if they believe theyll recover

　　C. if they put off moving on

　　D. if they manage to get on with their life

　　42 What had happened to the patients under study?

　　A. They had just survived an accident.

　　B. They had just had an operation.

　　C. They had just injured their colons.

　　D. They had just made some pouches.

　　43 One group of the patients was happier because ________.

　　A. they made the best of their current situation

　　B. they were good at playing function

　　C. they regarded normal bowel function

　　D. they were promised another operation

　　44 The other group was not as happy because ________.

　　A. they accepted their current situation

　　B. they were anxious to get better

　　C. they missed their previous life

　　D. they refused to play cards