Question

【题目】 Kevin Adkins admits that when he lacks confidence, he uses big words to appear smarter, of which most people don’t know the meaning. “Only when I need to impress the person. I prefer using big words,” says the 45-year-old.

Adkins is not alone. Many people use longer words in place of shorter ones because they know, consciously or unconsciously, that when others form impressions of them after a glance or a short conversation, they often work harder to give the “right” impression. “People think, if I can show that I have a good vocabulary, I’ll sound smarter says Daniel Oppenheimer, PhD, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. However, if the listeners do not understand those long words, he adds, it will leave a bad impression instead.

The truth is that it can easily go wrong. “It’s almost a game that two people are playing,” says Eric Igou, PhD, a social psychologist at Ireland’s University of Limerick. “If the observer, person B, doesn’t have the same theory, it can backfire.” Person A may be regarded as showing off instead of being intelligent.

Using big words may also confuse listeners, which is definitely moving in the wrong direction, “People associate intelligence with clearness of expressions,” says Oppenheimer. That’s especially true when it comes to the written word. A small study in Applied Cognitive Psychology (应用认知心理学) found that the more writers tried to sound smart, the less intelligent they were considered to be.

So what can you do to sound smarter? Speak clearly and directly. Leave the dictionary at your desk.

【1】Why does Kevin Adkins prefer saying big words sometimes?

A.He wants to make himself more easily understood.

B.He believes that it is cool.

C.He enjoys the feelings of being mysterious.

D.He hopes that what he says sounds smart.

【2】What is Professor Oppenheimer’s attitude towards the behavior of using big words?

A.Disapproving.B.Favorable.

C.Indifferent.D.Cautious.

【3】What does Eric Igou mean by saying “it can backfire” in paragraph 3?

A.It can catch fire.B.Person B can fire person A.

C.It can deliver an opposite effect.D.The observer can also fight back.

【4】What can we learn from the small study in Applied Cognitive Psychology?

A.The writer who never uses big words is more intelligent.

B.The writer who uses big words the most is the most intelligent.

C.People like the writers who only use short and clear expressions.

D.The writers should avoid using big words often in their writings.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】A

【3】C

【4】D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章讲述的是人们将智慧和清晰的表达联系在一起，因此给人留下聪明印象的说话技巧在于你能够让对方很容易地理解你的意思。

【1】细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Kevin Adkins admits that when he lacks confidence, he uses big words to appear smarter, of which most people don’t know the meaning.”可知，Kevin Adkins承认，当他缺乏信心时，他会说一些人们不经常使用的词使自己显得更聪明，而大多数人却不知道其中的含义。因此Kevin Adkins有时喜欢说一些人们不经常使用的词的原因是他希望他所说的话听起来充满智慧。故选D。

【2】推理判断题。根据第二段中的“However, if the listeners do not understand those long words, he adds, it will leave a bad impression instead.”和第四段中的“Using big words may also confuse listeners, which is definitely moving in the wrong direction, “People associate intelligence with clearness of expressions,” says Oppenheimer.”可知，Oppenheimer教授认为，如果听者不懂说话者的那些长话，这会给听者留下不好的印象。说人们不经常使用的词可能会使听众感到困惑，这会引起人们的误解，人们将智慧与表达的清晰性联系在一起。因此Oppenheimer教授对说话者使用人们不熟悉的词的行为持不赞成态度。故选A。

【3】句意猜测题。根据第三段中的“Person A may be regarded as showing off instead of being intelligent.”可知，说长话的人A可能被认为是在炫耀而不能体现其聪明。因此划线句子的意思是“它起到了相反的作用”，即说长话的人达到的效果与预想中的让别人看起来很聪明的效果是相反的。故选C。

【4】推理判断题。根据第四段中的“A small study in Applied Cognitive Psychology found that the more writers tried to sound smart, the less intelligent they were considered to be.”可知，一项关于应用认知心理学的小型研究发现，作家越是要让自己听起来聪明，他们就越被认为不那么聪明。因此我们可以从应用认知心理学的小型研究了解到作家应避免在写作中经常使用人们不熟悉的词。故选D。