Unlike so-called basic emotions such as sadness, fear, and anger, guilt emerges a little later, in conjunction with a child’s growing grasp of social and moral norms. Children aren’t born knowing how to say “I’m sorry”; rather, they learn over time that such statements appease parents and friends--and their own consciences. This is why researchers generally regard so-called moral guilt, in the right amount, to be a good thing.
In the popular imagination, of course, guilt still gets a bad rap. It is deeply uncomfortable-- it’s the emotional equivalent of wearing a jacket weighted with stones. Yet this understanding is outdated. “There has been a kind of revival or a rethinking about what guilt is and what role guilt can serve,” says Amrisha Vaish, a psychology researcher at the University of Virginia, adding that this revival is part of a larger recognition that emotions aren’t binary--feelings that may be advantageous in one context may be harmful in another. Jealousy and anger, for example, may have evolved to alert us to important inequalities. Too much happiness can be destructive.
And guilt, by prompting us to think more deeply about our goodness, can encourage humans to make up for errors and fix relationships. Guilt, in other words, can help hold a cooperative species together. It is a kind of social glue.
Viewed in this light, guilt is an opportunity. Work by Tina Malti, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto, suggests that guilt may compensate for an emotional deficiency. In a number of studies, Malti and others have shown that guilt and sympathy may represent different pathways to cooperation and sharing. Some kids who are low in sympathy may make up for that shortfall by experiencing more guilt, which can rein in their nastier impulses. And vice versa: High sympathy can substitute for low guilt.
In a 2014 study, for example, Malti looked at 244 children. Using caregiver assessments and the children’s self-observations, she rated each child’s overall sympathy level and his or her tendency to feel negative emotions after moral transgressions. Then the kids were handed chocolate coins, and given a chance to share them with an anonymous child. For the low-sympathy kids, how much they shared appeared to turn on how inclined they were to feel guilty. The guilt-prone ones shared more, even though they hadn’t magically become more sympathetic to the other child’s deprivation.
“That’s good news,” Malti says. “We can be prosocial because we caused harm and we feel regret.”
1、Researchers think that guilt can be a good thing because it may help ____.
2、According to Paragraph 2, many people still consider guilt to be ____.
3、Vaish holds that the rethinking about guilt comes from an awareness that ____.
4、Malti and others have shown that cooperation and sharing ____.
5、The word “transgressions” (Para.5) is closest in meaning to ____.
第1题:
【解析】根据题干“Researchers”,“guilt'’,“a good thing”等关键词可定位至第一段最后一句。原文中第一段最后一句提到“This is why researchers generally regard so-called moral...a good thing.”根据代词this指代前文的原则可知,题干所提的原因在上文,即“Children aren’t born knowing how to say ‘I’m sorry’; rather, they learn over time that such statements appease parents and friends-and their own consciences.”,其中的“such statements appease parents and friends--and their own consciences”(这样的表达能安抚父母和朋友,也能让他们自己心安),such statements指代句中出现的“say I’m sorry”。结合四个选项,regulate a child’s basic emotions(管理孩子的基本情绪),improve a child's intellectual ability(提高孩子的智力),intensify a child’s positive feelings(加强孩子的积极感受)在原文均没有具体体现,排除B,C,D项。foster a child’s moral development和appease parents and friends--and their our consciences可以实现同义替换,故选A。
第2题:
【解析】根据题干中的关键信息“paragraph 2”以及“many people still consider guilt to be”可以定位至原文第二段第一、第二句“In the popular imagination, of course, guilt still gets a bad rap. It is deeply uncomfortable--it’s the emotional equivalent of wearing a jacket weighted with stones.”(当然,在大众的看法中,愧疚仍然会得到不好的评论。这种感觉非常不舒服,就像穿着一件坠着石头的夹克一样。)结合四个选项,inexcusable(不可原谅的),deceptive(欺骗的),addictive(上瘾的),burdensome(繁重的,负担沉重的)。只有burdensome与原文表述意思最接近,故选D。
第3题:
【解析】根据题干关键信息“Vaish holds that...”可以定位至原文第二段第四句“‘There has been a kind of revival or a rethinking...can serve,’ says Amrisha Vaish...”既为Vaish的观点,也是题干信息所在句。后面又提到“...adding that this revival is part of a larger recognition... in another.”(这种复兴是更大的认识的一部分,即情绪不是二元情感,在一个情境中有利的情绪,在另一个情境中可能是有害的。),结合四个选项,emotions are context-independent(情绪与情境无关)与原文表述相反,排除A项。an emotion can play opposing roles(情绪可以起到相反的作用)与原文中句子的表述一致,符合题意,所以B项正确。emotion are socially constructive(从社会角度来说,情绪具有积极性),emotional stability can benefit health(情绪稳定有益于身体健康),原文中都没有明确提到相关内容,排除C、D项。
第4题:
【解析】根据题干关键信息“Malti and others have shown”和“cooperation and sharing”可以定位至原文第四段第三句“...Malti and others have shown that guilt and sympathy may represent different pathways to cooperation and sharing.”(马尔蒂和其他人已经表明,内疚和同情心可能代表了合作和分享的不同途径。)结合四个选项,may help correct emotional deficiencies(可能有助于改正感情缺陷)与原文第四段第二句话“...that guilt may compensate for an emotional deficiency”(内疚可能会弥补感情缺陷)不符,排除A项。can result from either sympathy or guilt(要么归因于同情,要么归因于内疚)与原文表述一致,所以B项正确。can bring about emotional satisfaction(能够带来感情上的满足),原文中没有与之相关的信息,排除C项。may be the outcome of impulsive acts(可能是冲动行为的结果)与第四段第四句“...which can rein in their nastier impulses.”(这可以控制他们更糟糕的冲动),属于因果倒置,与原文内容不符,排除D项。
第5题:
【解析】根据题干要求定位到原文第五段第二句话“Using caregiver assessments and the children’s self-observations, she rated each child’s overall sympathy level and his or her tendency to feel negative emotions after moral transgressions.”(她用照料者的评估和孩子们的自我观察对每一个孩子的整体同情水平以及他或她在道德上____后感觉到消极的倾向程度做了评价。)由句中的“to feel negative emotions”可知transgressions带有消极贬义的情感色彩。结合四个选项,teaching(教导)属于褒义词,discussions(讨论)属于中性词,restrictions(限制,束缚)属于中性词,与原文的感情色彩均不符,排除A、B、C项。wrongdoings(坏事,不道德的事)属于贬义词,与原文语义相符,故选D。