Three young American men were on a crowded train when they encountered a heavily armed terrorist. With little regard for their personal safety, they rushed the terrorist and controlled him. Only some people seem capable of this split-second form of heroism. Why some men rise to the occasion — and others don’t — has been a bit tricky to explain. Psychologists have explored this question through biological and personality psychology.
Of course, heroism and courage can appear in many forms, and men and women risk their reputations, health, and social standing to do what they think is right. When it comes to physically risky bravery, people assume that men will take the lead. There are sound biological reasons for this fixed image. One of the most common fears in men is that they’ll be outed as a coward (懦夫), and a man who fails to display physical courage will suffer damage to his reputation in a way that a woman will not. Throughout human history, attaining a position of high status or dominance among one’s peers (同龄人) has been the ticket that needs to get punched for men to attract mates and father children.
People tend to have an idea of what heroes are like. When rating the personalities of movie heroes, participants expected them to be more careful and hard-working, open to experience, agreeable, and emotionally stable than the average person. But some studies indicate that people who exhibit heroic behavior score high on personality usually associated with madmen: risk-taking, sensation seeking, coolness under stress, and a tendency to take over in social situations.
The study of the relationship between personality and heroism is at an early stage. Psychologists are still at a loss to predict in advance who will heroically step up when needed. Often, the hero is an otherwise ordinary person who finds himself in extraordinary circumstances. Meanwhile, some individuals trained to behave heroically might hesitate during a crisis. Future disasters will cry out for further acts of true heroism. Hopefully, the right mix of circumstances and personalities enable courage to carry the day.
1. How is the topic introduced in the first paragraph?| A．By giving an example. | B．By presenting a concept. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By drawing a conclusion. |
| A．Be bought. | B．Be gifted. | C．Be obtained. | D．Be abandoned. |
| A．Heroes and ordinary people are always difficult to tell apart. |
| B．Heroism is a phenomenon influenced by numerous factors. |
| C．Unknown circumstances play a crucial role in heroic acts. |
| D．Individual personality is not a reliable indicator of heroism. |
| A．How Are Heroes Trained? | B．Why Are Heroes Important? |
| C．Who Are the True Heroes? | D．What Makes a Person Heroic? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Would you pay nearly $2,000 (about 13,340 yuan) for shoes that look as if they came from a landfill? Well, Balenciaga believes consumers will pay that. The company recently began selling a new line of “destroyed” sneakers.
According to the brand, the shoes were designed in an effort to promote sustainable fashion. It stated that the destroyed appearance means the shoes can “be worn for a lifetime”.
However, many claim that the brand has gone too far. One main criticism is that these shoes mimic clothes worn by people who are suffering from poverty and homelessness. It is seen as insensitive (冷漠的) to put such an expensive price tag on an item that many homeless and poor people might be seen wearing.
“Poverty isn’t an aesthetic (美感), nor is it something to take style inspiration from. Glamorizing destroyed shoes to fit a fashionable agenda indicates privilege and ignorance,” noted Input Magazine.
This is not the first time brands have evoked anger with their designs.
Back in spring 2021, US art collective MSCHF and music artist Lil Nas X designed what was known as the “Satan Shoes” using Nike Air Max 97s. The designers changed the shoes to include an inverted cross and a pentagram (五角星形), which are signs of Satanism (恶魔崇拜). They even placed real human blood from members of the art collective into sections of the shoe. They said it was a sacrifice for art. But it outraged many religious and conservative groups.
In the same year, Chinese brand JNBY also landed in hot water. Some of its children’s clothes had patterns with a demon-like creature and texts such as “Welcome to hell”. Though the company said the designs were due to “freedom of imagination”, many customers thought these designs were harmful for children, as they included “violent and problematic content”.
To make products stand out, fashion designers should be creative. But they must be sure not to take their creativity too far. After all, artistic expression doesn’t always win and brands must ultimately answer to their consumers.
1. What’s the features of the newly-released shoes ?| A．Not much expensive. | B．Nice and expensive. |
| C．expensive but ragged. | D．ragged and cheap. |
| A．Negative | B．Indifferent | C．Positive | D．Cautious |
| A．To praise the brand has run too fast. | B．To show many people are poor. |
| C．To connect poverty with wealth. | D．To criticize designers’ ignorance. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
【推荐2】Ms. O'grady, the head of Britains Trades Union Congress, issued a challenge on September 10th. "We can win a four-day working week, "she told members. The demand is far from new. Shorter working weeks have been tried in New Zealand and Sweden, wherein happier, healthier and more motivated employees. Those who work shorter weeks are also reported to be more productive. Should weekends, therefore, be lengthened?
France’s experience suggests workers may not leap at the chance of working for fewer hours. The government reduced the full-time workers week to 35 hours in 2000. Last year the French worked 38.9 hours a week on average, seeming happy to labor above the required level and pocket the extra pay or holiday allowance.
And businesses may not seize the opportunity either. Working less may be linked to higher productivity (on a per-hour basis), but overall output could still fall because of the smaller number of hours worked. That will not get governments or employers excited.
Advocates of a four-day week could claim that improving people’s quality of life is more important than boosting the economy. In an essay published during The Great Depression,John Maynard Keynes wrote of an"age of leisure and abundance"in which technological advances would allow people to work 15-hour week.
Unfortunately for any readers working hard on a Friday aftemoon, Keynes jumped at his conclusion too soon. Even Ms. O'grady, now demanding a longer weekend, is pessimistic in her timescale. A four-day week is apparently achievable“in this century”.
1. The underlined phrase"leap at "in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.| A．Refuse | B．grab |
| C．abandon | D．obtain |
| A．calls for an urgent attention to her suggestion |
| B．feels confident of making longer weekend a reality |
| C．regrets coming up with the idea of a longer weekend |
| D．realizes the idea of longer weekend remains a distant dream |
| A．A longer weekend isn’t that practical. |
| B．The French oppose a longer weekend |
| C．A longer weekend causes lower efficiency. |
| D．A three-day weekend is a fresh idea in Europe. |
【推荐3】Pumpkins of almost any variety have flesh high in fiber and beta carotene(β-胡萝卜素). But we don't eat the vast majority of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. Instead, we, of course, carve faces into them, light them and perhaps leave them to sit outside for days. And then we threw them. But could we be eating more pumpkins?
The Howden pumpkin-the most common variety for decorative uses-has been produced for its size, shape, color and having a handle-like stem for easy carrying, according to Katie Kammler, gardening specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. “If it was my choice, carved pumpkins are not what I'd want to eat,” Kammler says. Instead, she'd prefer one of the smaller and sweeter varieties-like the jack-be-little, Hubbard or kabocha, which have been selected over time for taste.
“You could puree(把……研成糊状) your pumpkin,” she tells The Salt by email. “If you go that route, I'd recommend using the puree for baking; sugar and spices will go a long way in improving the taste.”
Now, admittedly, eating your Halloween pumpkin this way means not carving it. So what if you have already carved it?
We asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) whether they recommended eating Halloween pumpkins. Spokeswoman Lauren Sucher said, “They may have been left outside for days and exposed to dirt and insects, and possibly wax and smoke. But we recommend that consumers who want to use their pumpkins for food set aside some parts, such as pumpkin seeds, and roast them soon after carving.”
But this doesn't mean after Halloween there aren't better things to do with your pumpkin than putting it in landfills(垃圾填埋地). Kammler says those in good condition make great farm animal feed.
Another suggestion from Chef Dan Barber. “Donate your pumpkin to compost(堆肥) at your local farmers' market. So if it doesn't feed us at least it's helping crops grow.”
1. What do we learn about the Howden pumpkin?| A．It is most suitable for Halloween. | B．It is mainly used for food products. |
| C．It is more delicious than the jack-be-little. | D．It is Kammler's favorite variety of pumpkin. |
| A．How to puree your pumpkin. | B．How to eat Halloween pumpkins. |
| C．How to cook uncarved pumpkins. | D．How to improve the taste of pumpkins. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Dissatisfied. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．Eat those in good condition. | B．Bury them under the ground. |
| C．Sell them at local farmers' market. | D．Give them to farms to improve soil. |
Boys are found everywhere –--- on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to this and that! Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy with mixture---he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superwoman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker,
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday morning, and fire engines. He is not much for girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-foot rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature----he is your headache but when you come home at night with only shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”
1. The whole passage is in a tone of________.
| A．humor and love |
| B．respect and harmony |
| C．ambition and expectation |
| D．confidence and imagination |
| A．He has altogether five fingers. |
| B．He is slow, foolish and clumsy. |
| C．He has become clever and smart. |
| D．He cuts his hand with a knife. |
| A．Curious. | B．Tiring. | C．Delightful. | D．Unsafe. |
| A．A envious sister |
| B．A sharply observant father |
| C．A appreciative fond mother |
| D．A spoiled naughty kid |
【推荐2】An important life lesson that I’ve drawn from running is to run at my own pace. It has guided me in many ways. In particular, it made me challenge the fixed expectations of retirement and aging.
Running is a metaphor (隐喻) for life. I realized this while training for a marathon to celebrate my 60th birthday. All the other runners being faster than me made me embarrassed. But my coach shared some valuable advice; run at your own best pace. Setting a goal or target time could be a limitation. He was right. Over time, I ran more easily and faster. I also enjoyed the experience much more.
I have applied this principle to other areas of my life. Finding a rhythm is not about efficiency or how many things I can get done in a day. It has more to do with what I decide to do at this stage in my life.
Running carries its own set of expectations, including what it means to be a strong runner. But expectations also extend to other areas of life, including what people at certain life stages should be doing or not doing. Expectations at my age can center on how leisure time is spent, decisions about employment, and even the role of a grandmother.
I used to think it was young people who bore peer pressure, but it’s easy to view retirement as another occupation with benchmarks (基准) to be met. We often make what someone else does the reference point. It’s a comparison trap.
Forget what others are doing. Their pace is not necessarily the pace you should run at. Run in your own way. It’s not better or worse — only different.
1. What does the author intend to tell in paragraph 2?| A．The origin of a life principle. | B．Her misunderstanding of running. |
| C．The importance of life expectations. | D．Her unpleasant training experience. |
| A．They are vital for retired people. | B．They vary at different life stages. |
| C．They cover every decision in life. | D．They are usually too high to fulfill. |
| A．Young people often compete with old people. | B．Retired people take up bad occupations. |
| C．Retired people are also under peer pressure. | D．A comparison trap makes young people stronger. |
| A．Retirement can’t stop old people’s dreams. |
| B．People should live life to the fullest. |
| C．People should live at their own speed. |
| D．Running at a fixed pace is beneficial to retired people. |
【推荐3】As we continue to explore farther out into our solar system and beyond, the question of humans living on other planets often comes up. Manned bases on the Moon or Mars for example, have long been a dream of many. There is a natural curiosity to explore as far as we can go, and also to make human existence permanent (永久的). In order to do this, however, it is necessary to adapt to different extreme environments. On the Moon for example, a settlement must be self-supporting and protect its inhabitants from the airless, severe environment outside.
Mars, though, is different. While future bases could adapt to the Martian environment over time there is also the possibility of modifying (改造) the surrounding environment instead of just co-existing with it. This is the process of terraforming — adjusting Mars’ atmosphere and environment to make it more Earth-like. But the bigger question is, should we?
One of the main issues is whether Mars has any native life or not and if it does, should it be preserved as much as possible? If the answer is yes, then large-scale human settlements on Mars should be completely off-limits. Small settlement might be fine, but living on Mars should not be at the cost of any native habitats, if they exist. If Mars is home to any indigenous life, then terraforming should be a non-issue; it simply should not be done.
What if Mars is lifeless? Even if no life exists there, that untouched and unique alien environment needs to be preserved as it is as much as possible. We’ve already done too much damage here on our own planet. By studying Mars and other planets and moons in their present natural state, we can learn so much about their history and also learn more about our own world. We should appreciate the differences of other worlds instead of just transforming them to suit our own ambitions.
1. What is the best title for the text?| A．Is there life on Mars? | B．Can we adapt to Mars? |
| C．Should we terraform Mars? | D．Are Mars and Earth So Different? |
| A．Ensure that it’s not harmed. | B．Make peace with the Martians. |
| C．Change the unpopulated regions. | D．Assess the advantages and disadvantages. |
| A．Advanced. | B．Native. | C．Foreign. | D．Intelligent |
| A．By referring to others’ research. |
| B．By commenting on different planets. |
| C．By proving the benefits of terraforming. |
| D．By arguing in support of one viewpoint. |
