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.

[A]illusion

[B]discussion

[C]tradition

[D]question

[A]reluctance

[B]ambition

[C]tendency

[D]enthusiasm

[A]attention

[B]talent

[C]courage

[D]patience

[A]At any time

[B]In other words

[C]By all means

[D]On the contrary

[A]unrealistic

[B]deceptive

[C]tiresome

[D]uncomfortable

[A]doubts

[B]concerns

[C]suggestions

[D]secrets

[A]Once

[B]Unless

[C]Although

[D]Before

[A]theory

[B]choice

[C]factor

[D]context

[A]overpraising

[B]outperforming

[C]reassessing

[D]inconveniencing

10.

[A]reach out

[B]settle down

[C]turn over

[D]look back

11.

[A]declining

[B]considering

[C]criticizing

[D]evaluating

12.

[A]unnecessary

[B]negative

[C]strange

[D]impractical

13.

[A]explain

[B]identify

[C]predict

[D]overcome

14.

[A]deny

[B]forget

[C]miss

[D]fear

15.

[A]disguised

[B]perceived

[C]followed

[D]introduced

16.

[A]recall

[B]classify

[C]analyse

[D]compare

17.

[A]brave

[B]disapproving

[C]willing

[D]hesitant

18.

[A]relaxing

[B]surprising

[C]rewarding

[D]demanding

19.

[A]Thus

[B]Also

[C]Finally

[D]Instead

20.

[A]polite

[B]proud

[C]busy

[D]lazy

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。 
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。 