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
27. Visual recognition is believed to be people’s
28. Epley found that people with higher self-esteem tended to
29. The word “viscerally” (Line 2, Para. 5) is closest in meaning to
30. It can be inferred that Facebook is self-enhancer’s paradise because people can
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）”。
全文翻译
《科学美国人》上的一篇文章指出，实证研究表明，实际上，你认为自己比实际更美。我们有一种根深蒂固的需求，要对自己感觉良好，我们自然采用多种自我提升策略来实现这一点。社会心理学家在他们所谓的"高于平均效应"或"虚幻优越感"上积累了大量的研究，并表明例如70%的我们评价自己在领导力上高于平均水平，93%在驾驶上，85%在与他人相处上——所有这些在统计上显然不可能。
我们美化我们的记忆，并把自己置于自我肯定的情境中。我们在被批评时变得防御，并对他者施加负面刻板印象来提升自己的自尊。我们高视阔步，认为自己很棒。
心理学家和行为科学家尼古拉斯·埃普利主持了一项关于自我提升和吸引力的关键研究。他没有让人们简单地与他人比较评价自己的美貌，而是要求他们从包括经过修改显得更多或更少吸引力的版本的一排照片中，识别自己的原始照片。根据该研究，视觉识别是"一种自动的心理过程，快速且直观地发生，几乎不需要或只有少量的明显有意识的思考"。如果受试者迅速选择了一张虚假讨喜的图像——大多数人确实如此——他们真的相信这就是他们真正的外貌。
埃普利发现反应中没有显著的性别差异。也没有任何证据表明那些自我提升最多（即认为最积极修图的照片是真实的）的参与者这样做是为了弥补深层次的不安全感。事实上，那些认为吸引力评分更高的图像是真实的人，与那些在其他标志上表现出更高自尊的人直接对应。"我不认为我们的发现是个人妄想的任何证据，"埃普利说。"这仅仅是人们普遍对自己评价良好的反映。"如果你抑郁，你就不会自我提升。
知道了埃普利的研究结果，许多人如此发自内心地讨厌自己的照片就说得通了——在某种层面上，他们甚至不认识照片中的人就是自己。因此，Facebook是自我提升者的天堂，在那里人们只能分享最讨喜的照片，他们机智、风格、美貌、智慧和生活方式的精华。这并不是说人们的主页是不诚实的，威斯康星-麦迪逊大学的卡塔利娜·托马说，"但他们呈现了一个理想化的自己。"
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。
"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）。
"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”。
"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”。