1.Decision-making under Stress
A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages,causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的) consequences of a decision.
The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
"Stress affects how people learn,"says Professor Mara Mather."People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress."
For example,two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments.In one experiment,some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other,some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water.In both cases,the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn't gone through the stress.
This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress-at those moments,only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind.But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect.Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better,but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women.While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress,their responses to risk turn out to be different.
Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way.In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big,men may tend to do better,when caution weighs more,however,women will win.
This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men:they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
64.We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend toA.
A.keep rewards better in their memory
B.recall consequences more effortlessly
C.make risky decisions more frequently
D.learn a subject more effectively
65.According to the research,stress affects people most probably in theirA
A.ways of making choices B.preference for pleasure
C.tolerance of punishments D.responses to suggestions
66.The research has proved that in a stressful situation,D.
A.women find it easier to fall into certain habits
B.men hav e a greater tendency to slow down
C.women focus more on outcomes
D.men are more likely to take risks.
分析 本文是一篇说明文,主要讲述的是压力对人们不好的影响,在压力之下人们作出决定时的考虑是不一样的,并通过实验说明人们在有压力的时候通常想到的是积极的一面比较多,同时也介绍了男人和女人在面对不同的压力时反映也是不同的.
解答 63.A 推理判断.根据第一段最后一句"causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (负面的)consequences of a decision."可知,在压力之下人们更可能聚焦于快乐的事情而不是负面的结果,故他们更容易记住记忆里好的事情,A正确.
64.A 细节理解.根据文章第二段"The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways."可知,压力可以改变人们做出决定的方式.故A正确.
65.D 细节理解.根据文章倒数第二段"In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big,men may tend to do better,when caution weighs more,however,women will win."可知,男性更可能去冒险.故D正确.
点评 解答细节理解题时,一个常用的方法就是运用定位法,即根据题干和选项中的关键词从原文中找到相关的句子,与选项进行比较从而确定答案;推理判断题既要求学生透过文章表面文字信息推测文章隐含意思,又要求学生对作者的态度、意图及文章细节的发展作正确的推理判断,力求从作者的角度去考虑,不要固守自己的看法或观点.