成功也会上瘾

四川双流中学 蒋建平

对很多人来说，成功也会上瘾，虽然这不是一种传统医学意义上的成瘾。

题材体裁 文章词数 建议用时生活 议论文约354 6分钟

难词探意

1. inherent /ɪn΄hɪərənt/ adj. 内在的

2. treadmill /΄tredmɪl/ n. 枯燥无味的工作

3. tyrannical /tɪ΄rænɪkl/ adj. 残暴的；专横的

Though it isn't a medical addiction, for many people success has addictive properties. This is basically how social media keeps people hooked: Users get a dopamine (多巴胺)hit from the “likes” brought by a post, keeping them coming back again and again, hour after miserable hour. People sacrifice their links with others for their true love and success.They travel for business on anniversaries; they miss Little League games while working long hours.Some give up marriages for their careers—earning the title of “married to their work”—even though a good relationship is more satisfying than any job.

The desire for success may be inherent in human nature. But specialness doesn't come cheap.Success is brutal work, and it requires sacrifices. In the 1980s, the famous physician Robert Goldman found that more than half of aspiring athletes would be willing to take a drug that would kill them in five years in exchange for winning every competition they entered.

Unfortunately, success is impossible to complete. Most people never feel “successful enough”.The high only lasts a day or two, and then it's on to the next goal. For them, satisfaction wears off almost immediately and they must run on to the next reward to avoid the feeling of falling behind. This is why so many studies show that successful people are almost invariably jealous of people who are more successful.

They should get off the treadmill. But quitting isn't easy for addicts. For people hooked on substances, withdrawal can be an agonizing experience, both physically and psychologically. Anxiety and depression are very common after one quits alcoholic drinking, for example. Success addicts giving up their habit experience a kind of withdrawal as well. Research finds that depression and anxiety are common among elite athletes after their careers end; Olympic athletes, in particular, suffer from the“post-Olympic blues”.

Success itself is not a bad thing, like wine. Both can bring fun and sweetness to life. But both become tyrannical when they are a substitute for the relationships and love that should be at the center of our lives.

Reading Check

1. Why are some people called “married to their work”?

A. They are unwilling to marry.

B. They are too busy to marry.

C. They quit marriage for work.

D. They are afraid to marry.

2. What did Robert Goldman find?

A. Social media keeps people busy.

B. Drugs are harmful to athletes.

C. Success is possible to complete.

D. Many aspiring athletes attach importance to success.

3. What does the underlined word “agonizing” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A. Upsetting. B. Exciting. C. Unexpected. D. Outstanding.

4. What's the author's attitude towards success addicts?

A. Tolerant. B. Opposed. C. Unclear. D. Ambiguous.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

This is why so many studies show that successful people are almost invariably jealous of people who are more successful.

【信息提取】“This is/was why...”意为“这就是……的原因”。

【句式仿写】这就是他迟到的原因。