Question

How many times do you check your Facebook page in a day to see whether your latest post has got another “like” or “thumbs up”?

Although you might be embarrassed to admit how many times you do this, don’t worry —-- psychological findings have shown it’s completely normal. In fact, the pleasure we derive from receiving a “like” is equal to that of eating chocolate or winning money, and we can’t help wanting more. According to the findings, which observed 32 teens aged between 13 and 18, the feedback circuit in the teens’ brains is particularly sensitive, and the “social” and “visual” parts of their brains were active when they received “likes” on the social network. The research also showed that though the thumbs up might come from complete strangers, the good they derive from them worked all the same.

So, does it mean we should try our best to win as many thumbs up as possible? Not necessarily so if we know the reasons behind our desire for attention. In “why do people long for attention” by M. Farouk Radwan, he explained several cases in which people naturally longed for attention. Radwan said people who were an only child, who were used to being the center of attention in their house, may try to copy these conditions. Feeling “overlooked and unappreciated” might also lead you to long for attention. Other times, the state of being jealous or wanting to cover your mistakes may also contribute to such longings.

In fact, too much desire for attention can create anxiety, and in turn ruin your happiness even when you get it. So what can we do about it? The answer is quite simple. “If people could adopt goals not focused on their own self-esteem but on something larger than their self, such as what they can create or contribute to others, they would be less sensitive to some of the negative effects of pursuing self-esteem,” wrote psychology professor Jennifer Crocker.

So perhaps the answer to our addiction to “likes” is simply to focus on something larger than ourselves —-- a hard, but a worthy one.

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “derive” in Paragraph 2?

A. deliver    B. give

C. prevent    D. get

2.What’s the reaction of receiving “likes” on the social network to the brain?

A. The brain becomes more nervous.

B. Some parts of the brain are active.

C. The brain becomes less sensitive.

D. The brain becomes cleverer.

3.Who wants to get more attention according to the passage?

A. the only child.

B. The old who lives happily with children.

C. The young who feels anxious.

D. Teens who want to discover their mistakes.

4.What’s Crocker’s suggestion about the negative effects of getting self-esteem?

A. Doing an interesting matter.

B. Working harder than ever before.

C. Having a bigger goal than their self.

D. Not checking your Facebook page in a day.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇社会生活类文章。很多人都习惯检查一下自己新发的帖子得到了别人多少“like”or “thumb up”(即得到了多少人的关注)，作者在文中分析了这种行为背后的原因，并且指出：想得到别人关注这很正常，但是，过于追求别人的关注将会产生不好的影响。

1.词义猜测题。根据第二段中In fact, the pleasure we derive from receiving a “like” is equal to that of eating chocolate or winning money, and we can’t help wanting more. 事实上，我们从接受“喜欢”的过程中获得的快乐等同于吃巧克力或赢钱，而我们也忍不住想要更多。由此可知划线词的意思是“得到”，故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中the “social” and “visual” parts of their brains were active when they received “likes” on the social network.可知，在社交网络上接收“likes”的反应是大脑的某些部分是活跃的。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段中Radwan said people who were an only child, who were used to being the center of attention in their house, may try to copy these conditions. Feeling “overlooked and unappreciated” might also lead you to long for attention.可知，根据这篇文章只有孩子想得到更多的关注。故选A。

4.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中“If people could adopt goals not focused on their own self-esteem（自尊）but on something larger than their self, such as what they can create or contribute to others, they would be less sensitive to some of the negative effects of pursuing self-esteem,”可知，Crocker关于获得自尊的负面影响的建议是有一个比他们自己更大的目标。故选C。