Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 2

An article in Scientific American has pointed out that empirical research says that, actually, you think you’re more beautiful than you are. We have a deep-seated need to feel good about ourselves and we naturally employ a number of self-enhancing strategies to achieve this. Social psychologists have amassed oceans of research into what they call the “above average effect”, or “illusory superiority”, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership, 93% in driving and 85% at getting on well with others—all obviously statistical impossibilities.

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 study into self-enhancement and attractiveness. Rather than have people simply rate their beauty compared with others, he asked them to identify an original photograph of themselves from a lineup including versions that had been altered to appear more or 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 most 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 most (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored pictures 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 markers for having higher self-esteem. “I don’t think the findings that we 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 many people hate photographs of themselves so 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 Wisconsin-Madison University, “but they portray an idealized version of themselves.”

26. According to the first paragraph, social psychologists have found that

[A]

our self-ratings are unrealistically high. 

[B]

illusory superiority is a 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 lifestyles. 

[C]

share their intellectual pursuits. 

[D]

withhold their unflattering sides. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

26. [A] our self-ratings are unrealistically high.
解析：第一段指出，社会心理学家研究了“高于平均水平效应”或“虚幻优越感”，发现70%的人认为自己的领导力高于平均水平，93%认为驾驶技术高于平均，85%认为交际能力高于平均。作者紧接着总结：“所有这些显然在统计学上是不可能的（all obviously statistical impossibilities）”。既然在统计学上不可能，说明这些自我评价（self-ratings）是“不切实际地高的（unrealistically high）”，选A。

27. [C] intuitive response.
解析：第三段中引用研究的话：“视觉识别是一个自动的心理过程，发生得迅速且**凭直觉地**（intuitively），很少或没有明显的有意识的深思熟虑”。“直觉地（intuitively）”直接对应选项C中的“直觉反应（intuitive response）”。

28. [B] believe in their attractiveness.
解析：第四段第三句指出：“事实上，那些认为吸引力刻度上**更靠前（更高）的照片是真实的人**（those who thought that the images higher up the attractiveness scale were real），直接对应于那些表现出拥有更高自尊（higher self-esteem）其他标志的人”。这说明高自尊的人倾向于相信那些美化过的（更具吸引力的）照片就是他们真实的自己，即“相信自己的吸引力（believe in their attractiveness）”，选B。

29. [A] instinctively.
解析：第五段首句说：“知道了Epley研究的结果，许多人如此 viscerally 讨厌自己的照片就说得通了——在某种层面上，他们甚至没认出照片里的人是自己”。结合前文，人们在识别照片时是“无意识的、直觉的（intuitively / automatic）”，当看到未经美化的真实照片时，由于和大脑中自动生成的“美化版”自己不符，会产生一种发自内心的排斥。因此 viscerally 的意思是“出于本能地/发自内心地”，最接近的词是 instinctively，选A。

30. [D] withhold their unflattering sides.
解析：最后一段提到 Facebook 是自我美化者的天堂，因为“人们可以只分享最讨好的照片（share only the most flattering photos），展示他们风趣、品味、美丽、智力和生活方式的精华部分”。只展示好的一面，反过来也就是说他们可以“隐藏/扣留他们不那么好看的一面（withhold their unflattering sides）”，选D。A选项错误，原文最后一句明确说了“并不是说人们的资料不诚实（It’s not that people’s profiles are dishonest）”。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. 宾语从句中的同位语：
"Social psychologists have amassed oceans of research into what they call the “above average effect”, or “illusory superiority”, and shown that, for example, 70% of us rate ourselves as above average in leadership..."
【解析】what 引导的宾语从句作介词 into 的宾语；`the “above average effect”` 和 `“illusory superiority”` 是同位语关系。and shown 后面跟着由 that 引导的宾语从句，列举了一系列数据来证明这种效应。

2. 否定词前置引起的倒装句与同位语解释：
"Nor was there any evidence that, those who self-enhance the most (that is, the participants who thought the most positively doctored pictures were real) were doing so to make up for profound insecurities."
【解析】Nor 放在句首引起部分倒装（Nor was there... 等于 and there was no...）。that 引导同位语从句解释 evidence。括号里的内容 `that is...`（也就是说...）进一步解释了什么是自我美化最多的人（即把修图修得最狠的照片当成真实自己的人）。

3. Not that... but... 强调句型：
"It’s not that people’s profiles are dishonest, says Catalina Toma of Wisconsin-Madison University, “but they portray an idealized version of themselves.”"
【解析】It is not that... but (that)... 意为“并不是因为……而是因为……”。这句话是全文的总结，人们在社交网络上发好看的照片并不是不诚实，而是人的天性使然，倾向于展示一个“理想化版本的自己”。