Part A: Reading Comprehension

Text 1

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 Yet this understanding is outdated.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.”

21. Researchers think that guilt can be a good thing because it may help

[A]

regulate a child’s basic emotions. 

[B]

improve a child’s intellectual ability. 

[C]

foster a child’s moral development. 

[D]

intensify a child’s positive feelings. 

22. According to Paragraph 2, many people still consider guilt to be

[A]

deceptive. 

[B]

burdensome. 

[C]

addictive. 

[D]

inexcusable. 

23. Vaish holds that the rethinking about guilt comes from an awareness that

[A]

emotions are context-independent. 

[B]

emotions are socially constructive. 

[C]

emotional stability can benefit health. 

[D]

an emotion can play opposing roles. 

24. Malti and others have shown that cooperation and sharing

[A]

may help correct emotional deficiencies. 

[B]

can result from either sympathy or guilt. 

[C]

can bring about emotional satisfaction. 

[D]

may be the outcome of impulsive acts. 

25. The word “transgressions” (Line 3, Para.5) is closest in meaning to

[A]

teachings. 

[B]

discussions. 

[C]

restrictions. 

[D]

wrongdoings. 

答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)

21. [C] foster a child’s moral development.
解析：第一段指出，内疚感是“伴随着孩子对社会和道德规范（moral norms）不断增长的理解”而出现的。孩子学会道歉以安抚他人和自己的良心（own consciences），所以研究人员认为适度的道德内疚（moral guilt）是件好事。这说明内疚有助于“培养孩子的道德发展（foster a child’s moral development）”，选C。

22. [B] burdensome.
解析：第二段开头提到，在大众想象中，内疚仍然声名狼藉。接着用了一个比喻：“它在情感上相当于穿着一件装满石头的夹克（wearing a jacket weighted with stones）”。“装满石头”意味着沉重、有负担。选项B“沉重的/累赘的（burdensome）”完美对应了这个比喻。

23. [D] an emotion can play opposing roles.
解析：第二段中 Vaish 表示，对内疚的重新思考源于一种更广泛的认识：“情绪并不是非黑即白的（emotions aren’t binary）——在一种语境下可能有利的情绪，在另一种语境下可能是有害的（feelings that may be advantageous in one context may be harmful in another）”。这意味着同一种情绪能发挥相反的作用，选D“一种情绪可以扮演对立的角色”。

24. [B] can result from either sympathy or guilt.
解析：第四段提到，Malti 和其他人表明：“内疚和同情可能代表着通向合作和分享的不同途径（different pathways to cooperation and sharing）”。同情心低的孩子可以通过更多的内疚来弥补；反之亦然，高同情心可以替代低内疚感。这说明合作和分享“既可以源于同情，也可以源于内疚（can result from either sympathy or guilt）”，选B。

25. [D] wrongdoings.
解析：词义猜测题。定位到第五段：她评估了每个孩子的整体同情水平以及在道德“transgressions”之后感到负面情绪的倾向。既然是感到内疚（负面情绪），那么肯定是做了一件在道德上不好的事情。选项D“错事/坏事（wrongdoings）”最符合做错事后感到愧疚的逻辑。

核心长难句精解 (High-Light)

1. 介词短语的对比与伴随：
"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."
【解析】`Unlike...` 介词短语作状语放句首，形成对比（内疚不同于基础情绪）。主干是 `guilt emerges a little later`。`in conjunction with...`（与...相伴随/结合）进一步解释了内疚产生的条件。

2. 宾语从句、同位语从句与破折号解释说明：
"...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."
【解析】第一个 `that` 引导宾语从句作 `adding` 的宾语。第二个 `that` 引导同位语从句解释 `recognition` 的内容。破折号后面的部分是对 `emotions aren't binary`（情绪不是非黑即白的）的补充说明，其中又包含了一个 `that` 引导的定语从句修饰 `feelings`。

3. 介词宾语从句与主语从句的嵌套：
"For the low-sympathy kids, how much they shared appeared to turn on how inclined they were to feel guilty."
【解析】本句结构非常精巧。主语是 `how much they shared`（他们分享了多少），谓语是 `appeared to turn on`（似乎取决于）。介词 `on` 后面跟了一个由 `how` 引导的宾语从句 `how inclined they were to feel guilty`（他们有多么倾向于感到内疚）。