The American Bystander
On a humid subway ride into work a few days ago, a woman on the other end of my car had a seizure (病情突然发作). All of a sudden, I heard her let out a painful sigh as she collapsed. For several minutes, the train continued down the track, and everyone in the car just stared at the woman. Finally, at the next stop a man informed the operator of what had happened and called 911. Luckily the woman came to herself as the EMTs carried her off the train. Ever since, I’ve been puzzled by the same question — why didn’t anyone do anything? And more importantly, why didn’t I do anything?
We’ve learned about the commonly referenced bystander effect—a psychological phenomenon in which individuals will avoid offering help to a person in need when other people are present. The bystander effect is attributed to two different psychological processes: social influence—individuals in a group will monitor and imitate other group members’ behavior—and shift of responsibility—individuals will cease to help because they believe that someone else will.
Even though most people probably haven’t witnessed a woman having a seizure on the subway, I’m sure if asked, anyone could think of a time when they could have helped and simply didn’t. In fact, I know that we have all experienced the bystander effect, because I believe it is one of American society’s most common headaches.
Anyone who follows the news can tell you that most of what we hear or read about these days is another death or another hate crime committed right in our own country. Consider the most recent theatre shooting in Nashville. The headlines read Another Theatre Shooting, Gunman is dead. When we read that headline or heard it on the news, most of us just acknowledged how sad it was, then told ourselves that there is nothing we can do to help and assumed that someone else would.
If America is just one large group of witnesses, all while telling ourselves that someone else most certainly will step in, how can we hope to shake the hold of this social psychological spell? The solution lies solely within us, to know the difference between doing what is justifiable and doing what is right, helping those in need when we have the means and opportunity to do so.
I want to be like the man on the subway who told the operator about the woman’s seizure, because as soon as he did, people followed suit and offered help. We have the power to choose whether to justify passivity or actively decide to do the right thing, and as a society I believe we ought to break free from our psychological tendency to just stand by.
1.What was the most passengers’ attitude towards the woman’s seizure?
A. Indifferent. B. Skeptical.
C. Enthusiastic. D. Concerned.
2.The psychological explanation for the fact that most people hesitate to help is that ________.
A. they need heroes or good examples to learn from
B. they believe such cases are none of their business
C. they fear that their behavior will be imitated by others
D. they count on other group members to give a helping hand
3.What can we learn from the theatre shooting in Nashville?
A. The mass media are only too concerned about crimes and deaths.
B. The majority of the US citizens are suffering from crimes.
C. People get too accustomed to pay adequate attention to crimes.
D. Media coverage is inconsistent with what the Americans assume.
4.As far as the author is concerned, the key to solving such an effect lies in ________.
A. the necessary means and opportunity to help others
B. the essential power to display psychological tendency
C. the acute awareness of making a right choice
D. the determined effort to help whoever is in need of help
Half a century ago, Japan built the world’s first high-speed rail network—a network that remains the gold standard in train travel today. Currently the country is now helping Texas build its own bullet train, a potential game-changer for transportation in the state.
When it launched on October 1, 1964, the world’s first high-speed rail network was known as the “super-express of dreams.” The first line in Japan’s now world-famous shinkansen network was built against all odds, in the face of fierce public opposition, technical difficulties and astronomical costs.
Half a century ago, the system was far humbler. In 1964, the first track was a 320-mile-long link between Tokyo and Osaka that reduced the trip from six-and-a-half hours (on conventional trains) to three hours and 10 minutes, traveling at a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour. For the first time, workers could get to meetings in one city during the day and be back home drinking a beer in the local pub that night.
Not only did the train expand mobility profoundly, but also businesses appeared around the major stops as a growing emphasis on productivity swept across Japan. Today, the shinkansen network has 1,487 miles of track, with more set to open in the coming years. It seems that everything the shinkansen touches turns to city, and regions that are off the beaten track, so to speak, benefit greatly from the economic jumpstart brought by the train. New shinkansen lines are often proceeded by aggressive marketing campaigns promoting tourism in those areas, a strategy that seems to work.
Despite its astronomical costs, it actually has saved more. Today, over 350,000 annual trips transport tens of millions of passengers all over Japan with efficiency—the average delay time is less than a minute. A research report titled 30 Years of High-Speed Railways: Features and Economic and Social Effects of The Shinkansen by Hiroshi Okada, estimates that the economic impact from the shinkansen train network, based on the time saved from faster travel, is approximately ¥500 billion ($4.8 billion USD) per year. Okada stresses that the cultural impact is also significant, a shinkansen offers people living far from urban centers “easy access to concerts, exhibitions, theaters, etc., enabling them to lead fuller lives.”
Japan has a plan, known as the One-Day Travel Initiative. Its goal: regardless of where you are in Japan, it should only take you three hours to get to the nearest major regional city (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo or Fukuoka). The planned impact of this hyper-mobility is to discourage the tide of migration toward urban centers, like Tokyo, and encourage decentralization.
1.The underlined phrase in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.
A. opposed to traditional belief s B. despite some major barriers
C. based on impractical fantasies D. in spite of poor planning
2.According to Okada, what benefit does a shinkansen bring to people living far from urban centers?
A. Saving more travelling time. B. Creating massive employment.
C. Enjoying a more colorful life. D. Accumulating vast wealth.
3.What is the main purpose of the One-Day Travel Initiative?
A. To promote even distribution of population.
B. To advocate urban lifestyle among migrants.
C. To satisfy the increasing needs of urban centers.
D. To include more citizens in urban centers.
Student Job Center
Job #: 45961 | |
Employer: MJ Homecare | On Bus line: No |
Pay: $12.50-$16.00/hr | Posted: 05/26/2017 |
Category: Health Care-Medical | Deadline: 07/04/2017 |
Number of Positions: 3 |
|
Contact Information: Name: MJ Ford Email Address: wiscwiscwisc@gmail.com Address: Verona, Wisconsin 23333 Primary Phone: 623-623-2333 | |
Description: Outgoing, fun, disabled man on Madison’s far west side has immediate need for assistance with morning and/or evening cares. Times are somewhat flexible. Morning duties (8 AM) include transferring, assistance dressing, bathing, bowel care (肠道护理) and other activities associated with morning routine for the disabled. Short evening shift duties include help with bedtime, usually between 8-9 PM. Apply for either shift. Lifting is a vital part of this job. Experience with manual, pivot-type transfer and bowel care is preferred, but will train. Additional information is available upon request. Pays $12.50+/hr. Car needed. This position is great experience for anyone interested in a career in the medical field—nurse, PA, doctor, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc., but not limited to those areas of interest. A very rewarding position that makes a difference, helping to remain independent in your life. If you enjoy helping others, then this job may be for you! Please respond by email and include your phone #. https://jobcenter.wisc.edu/jobs/detail/45961 | |
1.If you successfully land the job, it is better for you to ________ there.
A. ride a bus B. take a train
C. drive a car D. travel on foot
2.This job is targeted at those somewhat strong students ________.
A. who are experienced and available for both shifts
B. who are outgoing and good at caring skills
C. who are determined to get jobs in the medical field
D. who are caring and ready to live on their own
If you’ve ridden any New York subway, chances are good that you’ve watched your cellphone clock tick while seated on an unmoving, delayed train. You wouldn’t wish to have such a ________ feeling of being stuck on public transportation anymore. No one knows the feeling as ________ as Jerich Marco Alcantara does particularly when he had ________ in his life to celebrate. He ________ his graduation ceremony at Hunter College’s Brookdale campus due to a delay.
There were two ________ ceremonies that day, but Alcantara specifically wanted to ________ the early ceremony, because students were only ________ two tickets for friends and family at the latter event. He wanted all of his family and friends in attendance.
Stuck on the train in full baccalaureate gown (学士服), Alcantara still got to experience a formal ________, sort of. Some friends and strangers improvised (即兴创作) a ceremony on the subway. ________ a cellphone, a friend presented Alcantara with a “diploma”; ________ somebody else on the train played Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day. Another passenger ________ the ceremony and posted the video to Facebook.
_____ he wasn’t able to attend the full ceremony, in a way this will end up being a more memorable ________ for Alcantara down the road. He will be able to point to his ________ and not just think of the hard work it took to earn it, but the ________ missing his real graduation ceremony created.
Moments like these help us get a little more ________ of our fellow man during a ________time. Although these aren’t all strangers, it’s still wonderful to see people ________ to make sure someone feels the proper ________, or at least their big achievement should be ________. Though Alcantara missed his official graduation ceremony, he said his subway experience meant a lot.
1.A. rising B. sinking C. spinning D. floating
2.A. vividly B. casually C. plainly D. fiercely
3.A. milestones B. promotions C. festivals D. parties
4.A. spoiled B. quitted C. overlooked D. missed
5.A. separate B. continuous C. relevant D. contradictory
6.A. join B. make C. abandon D. ignore
7.A. appointed B. allocated C. approved D. accumulated
8.A. assembly B. situation C. occasion D. meeting
9.A. Via B. On C. In D. From
10.A. instead B. afterwards C. therefore D. meanwhile
11.A. filmed B. took C. interviewed D. reported
12.A. Since B. As C. Although D. When
13.A. exploration B. moment C. impression D. stage
14.A. video B. ticket C. diploma D. cellphone
15.A. pain B. inconvenience C. excitement D. memory
16.A. convinced B. tired C. reliant D. faithful
17.A. messy B. extreme C. acute D. disorganized
18.A. get together B. gather together C. put together D. band together
19.A. acquisition B. cooperation C. recognition D. evaluation
20.A. welcomed B. applauded C. calculated D. encouraged
—What does the boss think about…; it is impossible to finish the work in a day!
—Calm down. After all, he is the ________.
A. top banana B. cool cucumber
C. tough cookie D. bad apple
—Would you please show me the way to the city library?
—Stick to the road until you reach the second crossroads. ________.
A. Take it easy B. You can’t miss it
C. Don’t get me wrong D. You bet
