Use of English (2025)
There are many understandable reasons why you might find it difficult to ask for help when you need it. Psychologists have been interested in this [1] for decades, not least because people’s widespread [2] to ask for help has led to some high-profile failures.
Asking for help takes [3]. It involves communicating a need on your part—there’s something you can’t do. [4], you’re broadcasting your own weaknesses, which can be [5]. You might have [6] about losing control of whatever it is you are asking for help with. [7] someone starts to help, perhaps they will take over, or get a credit for your early efforts. Yet another [8] that you might be worried about is being a nuisance or [9] the person you go to for help.
If you struggle with low self-esteem, you might find it especially difficult to [10] for help because you have the added worry of the other person [11] your request. You might see such refusals as implying something [12] about the status of your relationship with them. To [13] these difficulties, try to remind yourself that everyone needs help sometimes. Nobody knows everything and can do everything all by themselves. And while you might [14] coming across as incompetent, there’s actually research that shows that advice-seekers are [15] as more competent, not less.
Perhaps most encouraging of all is a paper from 2022 by researchers at Stanford University, in California, that involved a mix of contrived help-seeking interactions and asking people to [16] times they’d sought help in the past. The findings showed that help-seekers generally underestimate how [17] other people will be to help and how good it will make the help-giver feel (for most people, having the chance to help someone is highly [18]).
So bear all this in mind the next time you need to ask for help. [19], take care over who you ask and when you ask them. And if someone can’t help right now, avoid taking it personally. They might just be too [20], or they might not feel confident about their ability to help.
全文翻译
你可能会发现在需要时寻求帮助很困难，这有很多可以理解的原因。心理学家几十年来一直对这个悖论感兴趣，尤其是因为人们普遍不愿意寻求帮助导致了一些引人注目的失败。
寻求帮助需要勇气。它涉及传达你的需求——有些事情你做不到。实际上，你在暴露自己的弱点，这可能是令人不安的。你可能担心失去对所求助之事的控制。一旦有人开始帮助你，也许他们会接管，或者因为你早期的努力而获得功劳。然而，另一个你可能担心的障碍是成为一个讨厌鬼或给你求助的人带来负担。
如果你在低自尊中挣扎，你可能会发现寻求帮助尤其困难，因为你还会额外担心对方拒绝你的请求。你可能将这种拒绝视为暗示你与他们关系状况的负面因素。为了克服这些困难，试着提醒自己每个人有时都需要帮助。没有人知晓一切，能独自完成一切。虽然你可能担心给人留下无能的印象，但实际上有研究表明，寻求建议的人被认为更有能力，而不是更少。
也许最令人鼓舞的是加州斯坦福大学研究人员2022年的一篇论文，该论文涉及人为安排的求助互动和让人们回忆过去寻求帮助的经历。研究结果表明，求助者普遍低估了他人帮助的意愿以及这会让帮助者感觉多好（对大多数人来说，有机会帮助他人是高度有益的）。
所以下次你需要寻求帮助时，请记住所有这些。当然，要小心选择向谁求助以及何时求助。如果有人现在不能帮忙，避免个人化对待。他们可能只是太忙了，或者对自己帮助的能力没有信心。
深度解析 (Answers & Logic)
- 1. [D] question. 语义指代题。前一句说人们觉得求助很困难，心理学家几十年来一直对这个“问题/现象（question）”感兴趣。
- 2. [A] reluctance. 语义照应题。人们普遍觉得求助困难，也就是人们普遍对求助感到“不情愿/勉强（reluctance）”，这导致了一些高调的失败。
- 3. [C] courage. 逻辑推理题。既然求助很困难，而且意味着你要暴露弱点（下一句的内容），那么求助显然需要“勇气（courage）”。
- 4. [B] In other words. 逻辑关系题。前一句说“求助涉及传达一种需求，即有些事你做不到”，这句说“你是在广播你自己的弱点”。这两句话表达的是同一个意思，因此用“换言之（In other words）”。
- 5. [D] uncomfortable. 语义推断题。向别人广播（暴露）你自己的弱点，这通常会让人感到“不舒服/不安（uncomfortable）”。
- 6. [B] concerns. 动宾搭配题。你可能会对求助后失去控制权抱有“担忧/顾虑（concerns）”。have concerns about 是固定表达。
- 7. [A] Once. 逻辑关系题。“一旦（Once）”别人开始帮忙，也许他们就会接管一切，抢了你早期努力的功劳。表示条件发生后的结果。
- 8. [C] factor. 语义指代题。前面列举了怕失去控制、怕被抢功劳，这里引出“还有一个你担心的‘因素/原因（factor）’”，即怕成为别人的麻烦。
- 9. [D] inconveniencing. 语义并列题。与 being a nuisance（成为讨厌的人/麻烦）并列的，是“给别人带来不便/打扰别人（inconveniencing）”。
- 10. [A] reach out. 固定搭配题。如果你自尊心低，你会发现“寻求帮助/主动联系（reach out）”尤其困难。reach out for help 是常用词组。
- 11. [A] declining. 语义推断题。你之所以担心，是因为怕对方“拒绝（declining）”你的请求（request）。后文紧接着出现了 refusals（拒绝）作为照应。
- 12. [B] negative. 语义搭配题。你会把对方的拒绝视为对你们关系状态的一种“负面（negative）”暗示（比如觉得对方不够朋友）。
- 13. [D] overcome. 动宾搭配题。为了“克服（overcome）”这些心理障碍/困难，试着提醒自己每个人都需要帮助。
- 14. [D] fear. 语义照应题。虽然你可能“害怕（fear）”给人留下无能的印象，但研究表明并非如此。
- 15. [B] perceived. 被动语态题。研究表明，寻求建议的人不仅不会显得无能，反而会被“视为/认为（perceived）”更有能力。be perceived as 意为“被看作……”。
- 16. [A] recall. 动宾搭配题。斯坦福大学的实验要求人们“回忆（recall）”他们过去寻求帮助的时光（times）。
- 17. [C] willing. 语义推断题。研究发现，求助者通常会低估其他人有多么“愿意（willing）”提供帮助。
- 18. [C] rewarding. 语义照应题。前文说帮助别人会让施助者感觉很好，括号里解释说因为有机会帮助别人是一件非常有“回报感/成就感（rewarding）”的事。
- 19. [B] Also. 逻辑衔接题。上一句说“下次求助时要牢记这些”，这一句补充建议说“同时（Also），要注意你向谁求助以及何时求助”。表示并列补充。
- 20. [C] busy. 语境推理题。如果有人现在帮不了你，别往心里去。他们可能只是太“忙（busy）”了，或者觉得没能力帮。
核心长难句精解 (High-Light)
1. not least because 引导的原因状语从句：
"Psychologists have been interested in this question for decades, not least because people’s widespread reluctance to ask for help has led to some high-profile failures."
【解析】`not least because` 是一个非常地道的表达，意思是“尤其因为/很大程度上是因为”。从句的主语是 `people’s widespread reluctance`（人们普遍的不情愿），谓语是 `has led to`（导致了），生动地点明了“耻于求助”可能带来的严重后果。
"Psychologists have been interested in this question for decades, not least because people’s widespread reluctance to ask for help has led to some high-profile failures."
【解析】`not least because` 是一个非常地道的表达，意思是“尤其因为/很大程度上是因为”。从句的主语是 `people’s widespread reluctance`（人们普遍的不情愿），谓语是 `has led to`（导致了），生动地点明了“耻于求助”可能带来的严重后果。
2. 并列宾语从句的嵌套：
"The findings showed that help-seekers generally underestimate how willing other people will be to help and how good it will make the help-giver feel..."
【解析】谓语 `showed` 后面跟了一个由 `that` 引导的宾语从句。而在 `underestimate`（低估）这个动词后面，又跟了两个由 `how` 引导的宾语从句作其宾语：1. `how willing other people will be`（别人有多愿意帮忙）；2. `how good it will make the help-giver feel`（这会让助人者感觉有多好）。这段话彻底反转了我们对“求助”的消极认知。
"The findings showed that help-seekers generally underestimate how willing other people will be to help and how good it will make the help-giver feel..."
【解析】谓语 `showed` 后面跟了一个由 `that` 引导的宾语从句。而在 `underestimate`（低估）这个动词后面，又跟了两个由 `how` 引导的宾语从句作其宾语：1. `how willing other people will be`（别人有多愿意帮忙）；2. `how good it will make the help-giver feel`（这会让助人者感觉有多好）。这段话彻底反转了我们对“求助”的消极认知。