We rose tint our memories and put ourselves into self-affirming situations. We become defensive when criticized, and apply negative stereotypes to others to boost our own esteem, we stalk around thinking we’re hot stuff.
Psychologist and behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley oversaw a key studying into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather that have people simply rate their beauty compress with others, he asked them to identify an original photogragh of themselves’ from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more and less attractive. Visual recognition, reads the study, is “an automatic psychological process occurring rapidly and intuitively with little or no apparent conscious deliberation”. If the subjects quickly chose a falsely flattering image- which must did- they genuinely believed it was really how they looked. Epley found no significant gender difference in responses. Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the must (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored picture were real) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities. In fact those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real directly corresponded with those who showed other makers for having higher self-esteem. “I don’t think the findings that we having have are any evidence of personal delusion”, says Epley. “It’s a reflection simply of people generally thinking well of themselves’. If you are depressed, you won’t be self-enhancing. Knowing the results of Epley ‘s study,it makes sense that why people heat photographs of themselves Viscerally-on one level, they don’t even recognise the person in the picture as themselves, Facebook therefore ,is a self-enhancer’s paradise,where people can share only the most flattering photos, the cream of their
wit ,style ,beauty, intellect and lifestyle it’s not that people’s profiles are dishonest,says catalina toma of Wiscon—Madison university ,”but they portray an idealized version of themselves.
26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologist have found that ______.
[A] our self-ratings are unrealistically high [B] illusory superiority is baseless effect
[C] our need for leadership is unnatural [D] self-enhancing strategies are ineffective
27. Visual recognition is believed to be people’s______ [A] rapid watching [B] conscious choice [C] intuitive response [D] automatic self-defence
28. Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to______ [A] underestimate their insecurities [B] believe in their attractiveness [C] cover up their depressions [D] oversimplify their illusions
29.The word “Viscerally”(Line 2,para.5) is closest in meaning to_____. [A]instinctively [B]occasionally [C]particularly [D]aggressively
30. It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancer’s paradise because people can _____.
[A]present their dishonest profiles
[B]define their traditional life styles [C]share their intellectual pursuits
[D]withhold their unflattering sides Text 3
Up until a few decades ago, our visions of the future were largely - though by no means uniformly - glowingly positive. Science and technology would cure all the ills of humanity, leading to lives of fulfillment and opportunity for all.
Now utopia has grown unfashionable, as we have gained a deeper appreciation of the range of threats facing us, from asteroid strike to epidemic flu and to climate change. You might even be tempted to assume that humanity has little future to look forward to.
But such gloominess is misplaced. The fossil record shows that many species have endured for millions of years - so why shouldn't we? Take a broader look at our species' place in the universe, and it becomes clear that we have an excellent chance of surviving for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years. Look up Homo sapiens in the \the Conversation of Nature (IUCN) ,and you will read: \the species is very widely distributed, adaptable, currently increasing, and there are no major threats resulting in an overall population decline.\
So what does our deep future hold? A growing number of researchers and organizations are now thinking seriously about that question. For example, the Long Now Foundation has its flagship project a medical clock that is designed to still be marking time thousands of years hence.
Perhaps willfully, it may be easier to think about such lengthy timescales than about the more immediate future. The potential evolution of today's technology, and its social consequences, is dazzlingly complicated, and it's perhaps best left to science fiction writers and futurologists to explore the many possibilities we
can envisage. That's one reason why we have launched Arc, a new publication dedicated to the near future.
But take a longer view and there is a surprising amount that we can say with considerable assurance. As so often, the past holds the key to the future: we have now identified enough of the long-term patterns shaping the history of the planet, and our species, to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations in which our descendants will find themselves.
This long perspective makes the pessimistic view of our prospects seem more likely to be a passing fad. To be sure, the future is not all rosy. But we are now knowledgeable enough to reduce many of the risks that threatened the existence of earlier humans, and to improve the lot of those to come.
31. Our vision of the future used to be inspired by [A] our desire for lives of fulfillment [B] our faith in science and technology [C] our awareness of potential risks [D] our belief in equal opportunity
32. The IUCN’s “Red List” suggest that human being are [A] a sustained species
[B] a threaten to the environment [C] the world’s dominant power [D] a misplaced race
33. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 5?
[A] Arc helps limit the scope of futurological studies. [B] Technology offers solutions to social problem. [C] The interest in science fiction is on the rise. [D] Our Immediate future is hard to conceive. 34. To ensure the future of mankind, it is crucial to [A] explore our planet’s abundant resources [B] adopt an optimistic view of the world [C] draw on our experience from the past [D] curb our ambition to reshape history
35. Which of the following would be the best title for the text? [A] Uncertainty about Our Future [B] Evolution of the Human Species [C] The Ever-bright Prospects of Mankind [D] Science, Technology and Humanity
Text 3 参考答案
31. B. our faith in science and technology 32. A. sustained species
33. D. our immediate future is hard to conceive
2014全套考研英语二真题及答案详解
