劍橋雅思閱讀原文翻譯及答案分析：having a laugh

劍橋雅思閱讀原文翻譯及答案分析：having a laugh

第1段

Humans start developing a sense of humour as early as six weeks old, when babies begin to laugh and smile in response to stimuli. Laughter is universal across all human cultures and even exists in some form in rats, chimps, and bonobos. Like other human emotions and expressions, laughter and humour provide psychological scientists with rich resources for studying human psychology, ranging from the development of language to the neuroscience of social perception.

人類在6周大的時候就開始出現(xiàn)幽默感。這個時候，嬰兒會開始使用大笑和微笑來回應(yīng)外界刺激。笑是所有人類文化所共有的，它甚至以某種形式存在于老鼠、黑猩猩和倭黑猩猩中。正如人類其他情緒和表情一樣，笑和幽默為心理學(xué)家提供了研究人類心理的豐富資源，從語言的發(fā)展到社會認(rèn)知的神經(jīng)科學(xué)等等。

第2段

Theories focusing on the evolution of laughter point to it as an important adaptation for social communication. Take, for example, the recorded laughter in TV comedy shows. Back in 1950, US sound engineer Charley Douglass hated dealing with the unpredictable laughter of live audiences, so started recording his own ‘laugh tracks’. These were intended to help people at home feel like they were in a social situation, such as a crowded theatre. Douglass even recorded various types of laughter, as well as mixtures of laughter from men, women, and children. In doing so, he picked up on a quality of laughter that is now interesting researchers: a simple ‘haha’ communicates a remarkable amount of socially relevant information.

關(guān)注笑容進(jìn)化的理論指出，它是對社會交流的重要適應(yīng)。以電視喜劇中事先錄好的笑聲為例。1950年，美國聲音工程師Charley Douglass厭倦了處理現(xiàn)場觀眾無法預(yù)測的笑聲，因此開始錄制他自己的“笑聲軌道”。這些音軌原本是為了讓那些待在家里的人感覺自己仿佛處于社交場合之中，比如擁擠的劇院。Douglass甚至錄制了不同類型的笑聲，還將男人，女人和孩子的笑聲混合在一起。在這樣做的過程中，他注意到笑聲一個如今仍然讓研究者十分感興趣的特點(diǎn)：僅僅是簡單的“哈哈”就能傳達(dá)出數(shù)量驚人的社交信息。

第3段

In one study conducted in 2016, samples of laughter from pairs of English-speaking students were recorded at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A team made up of more than 30 psychological scientists, anthropologists, and biologists then played these recordings to listeners from 24 diverse societies, from indigenous tribes in New Guinea to city-dwellers in India and Europe. Participants were asked whether they thought the people laughing were friends or strangers. On average, the results were remarkably consistent: worldwide, people’s guesses were correct approximately 60% of the time.

在2016年進(jìn)行的一項研究中，加利福尼亞大學(xué)圣克魯茲分校幾對母語為英語的學(xué)生的笑聲樣本被記錄下來。由超過30名心理學(xué)家、人類學(xué)家和生物學(xué)家組成的團(tuán)隊隨后將這些錄音播放給來自24個不同社會的聽眾。它們既包括新幾內(nèi)亞的原住民部落，也包括印度和歐洲的城市居民。參與者被詢問他們覺得正在大笑的人是朋友還是陌生人。平均來看，這些結(jié)果驚人地一致：世界范圍內(nèi)，人們的猜測在大約60%的時候都是正確的。

第4段

Researchers have also found that different types of laughter serve as codes to complex human social hierarchies. A team led by Christopher Oveis from the University of California, San Diego, found that high-status individuals had different laughs from low-status individuals, and that strangers’ judgements of an individual’s social status were influenced by the dominant or submissive quality of their laughter. In their study, 48 male college students were randomly assigned to groups of four, with each group composed of two low-status members, who had just joined their college fraternity group, and two high-status members, older students who had been active in the fraternity for at least two years. Laughter was recorded as each student took a turn at being teased by the others, involving the use of mildly insulting nicknames. Analysis revealed that, as expected, high-status individuals produced more dominant laughs and fewer submissive laughs relative to the low-status individuals. Meanwhile, low-status individuals were more likely to change their laughter based on their position of power; that is, the newcomers produced more dominant laughs when they were in the ‘powerful’ role of teasers. Dominant laughter was higher in pitch, louder, and more variable in tone than submissive laughter.

研究者們還發(fā)現(xiàn)：不同類型的笑聲能夠作為人類社會復(fù)雜層級的暗碼使用。由加利福尼亞大學(xué)圣地亞哥分校的Christopher Oveis領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的研究團(tuán)隊發(fā)現(xiàn)，社會地位高的個體與社會地位低的個體擁有不同的笑法，而陌生人對一個人社會地位的判斷會受到他們笑聲中支配性或服從性特質(zhì)的影響。在他們的研究中，48名男性大學(xué)生被隨機(jī)分為四人小組。每一組包含兩名社會地位較低的成員（剛剛加入大學(xué)兄弟會）和兩名社會地位較高的成員（至少已經(jīng)在兄弟會中活躍兩年的年長學(xué)生）。每位學(xué)生輪流被他人揶揄，具體手段包括使用有著輕微冒犯意味的外號，并記錄他們的笑聲。分析發(fā)現(xiàn)，正如事先預(yù)料的那樣，與社會地位較低的個體相比，社會地位較高的人會發(fā)出更多支配性的笑聲和更少服從性的笑聲。與此同時，社會地位較低的個體更有可能根據(jù)他們的權(quán)力地位改變自己的笑聲。也就是說，當(dāng)新人處于揶揄者這一“掌權(quán)”地位時，他們會發(fā)出更多支配性的笑聲。相比于服從性的笑聲而言，支配性的笑聲音調(diào)更高，聲音更大，語調(diào)變化更為多樣。

第5段

A random group of volunteers then listened to an equal number of dominant and submissive laughs from both the high- and low-status individuals, and were asked to estimate the social status of the laugher. In line with predictions, laughers producing dominant laughs were perceived to be significantly higher in status than laughers producing submissive laughs. ‘This was particularly true for low-status individuals, who were rated as significantly higher in status when displaying a dominant versus submissive laugh, ‘ Oveis and colleagues note. ‘Thus, by strategically displaying more dominant laughter when the context allows, low-status individuals may achieve higher status in the eyes of others.’ However, high-status individuals were rated as high-status whether they produced their natural dominant laugh or tried to do a submissive one.

隨后，一組隨機(jī)選取的志愿者會聆聽來自高低社會地位個體的同等數(shù)量的支配性笑聲和服從性笑聲，并被要求評估發(fā)出笑聲的人的社會地位。與預(yù)測一致，發(fā)出支配性笑聲的人被認(rèn)為社會地位遠(yuǎn)高于那些發(fā)出服從性笑聲的人。“這對于社會地位較低的人來說尤其如此，與發(fā)出服從性笑聲相比，他們在發(fā)出支配性笑聲的時候，獲得的社會地位評定明顯更高”，Oveis和他的同事注意到。“因此，在環(huán)境允許的情況下，通過有策略地展示更多支配性的笑聲，社會地位較低的個體文章來自老烤鴨雅思也許能夠在別人眼中獲得更高的地位”。然而，社會地位較高的個體無論是在發(fā)出自然的、支配性笑聲時，還是在嘗試發(fā)出服從性笑聲時，都會被人們評定為高地位者。

第6段

Another study, conducted by David Cheng and Lu Wang of Australian National University, was based on the hypothesis that humour might provide a respite from tedious situations in the workplace. This ‘mental break’ might facilitate the replenishment of mental resources. To test this theory, the researchers recruited 74 business students, ostensibly for an experiment on perception. First, the students performed a tedious task in which they had to cross out every instance of the letter ‘e’ over two pages of text. The students then were randomly assigned to watch a video clip eliciting either humour, contentment, or neutral feelings. Some watched a clip of the BBC comedy Mr. Bean, others a relaxing scene with dolphins swimming in the ocean, and others a factual video about the management profession.

另一項由澳大利亞國立大學(xué)的David Cheng和Lu Wang所進(jìn)行的研究則建立在這樣的假設(shè)之上：幽默也許能讓人從工作場所無聊乏味的環(huán)境中暫時解脫出來。這種“精神休息”也許能夠幫助補(bǔ)充精力。為了測試這一理論，研究者以進(jìn)行認(rèn)知實(shí)驗(yàn)為名，招募了74名商學(xué)院的學(xué)生。首先，學(xué)生要完成一項無聊的任務(wù)。他們必須劃掉長達(dá)兩頁的文本中所有的字母“e”。然后學(xué)生被隨機(jī)安排觀看一段視頻，刺激或者幽默、或者滿足、或者中立的情感。一些人觀看BBC喜劇《憨豆先生》中的片段，另一些人觀看海豚在海洋中暢游的輕松景象，還有一些人則觀看有關(guān)管理學(xué)專業(yè)的一部紀(jì)實(shí)影片。

第7段

The students then completed a task requiring persistence in which they were asked to guess the potential performance of employees based on provided profiles, and were told that making 10 correct assessments in a row would lead to a win. However, the software was programmed such that it was nearly impossible to achieve 10 consecutive correct answers. Participants were allowed to quit the task at any point. Students who had watched the Mr. Bean video ended up spending significantly more time working on the task, making twice as many predictions as the other two groups.

這些學(xué)生隨后完成一項需要毅力的任務(wù)。他們被要求根據(jù)所提供的資料猜測員工的潛在表現(xiàn)，并被告知連續(xù)進(jìn)行10次正確的評估會贏得勝利。然而，軟件的編程方式使其幾乎不可能連續(xù)10次獲得正確答案。參與者可以在任何時間退出任務(wù)。觀看《憨豆先生》的學(xué)生最終在這項任務(wù)上投入的時間明顯更多，所做預(yù)測是其他兩組人的兩倍。

第8段

Cheng and Wang then replicated these results in a second study, during which they had participants complete long multiplication questions by hand. Again, participants who watched the humorous video spent significantly more time working on this tedious task and completed more questions correctly than did the students in either of the other groups.

Cheng和Wang在第二項研究中重現(xiàn)了這些結(jié)果。他們要求參與者用手完成漫長的乘法計算。再一次的，與其他兩組學(xué)生相比，觀看幽默視頻的參與者在這項枯燥的任務(wù)中投入的時間明顯更多，回答對的問題也更多。

第9段

‘Although humour has been found to help relieve stress and facilitate social relationships, the traditional view of task performance implies that individuals should avoid things such as humour that may distract them from the accomplishment of task goals,’ Cheng and Wang conclude. ‘We suggest that humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energizing.’

“雖然早已發(fā)現(xiàn)幽默有助于緩解壓力和促進(jìn)社會關(guān)系，但有關(guān)任務(wù)表現(xiàn)的傳統(tǒng)觀點(diǎn)認(rèn)為，個人應(yīng)該避免諸如幽默這樣會分散他們注意力、干擾完成任務(wù)目標(biāo)的事情”，Cheng和Wang總結(jié)道，“我們認(rèn)為幽默不僅讓人愉悅，而且更重要的是，它還能給人增添精力”。

第27題答案：C

對應(yīng)原文：第1段：Like other human emotions and expressions, laughter and humour provide psychological scientists with rich resources for studying human psychology

答案解析：A選項和B選項在原文中都找不到對應(yīng)，D選項則錯在前后不對應(yīng)（笑是人類社會所共有的，在部分動物群體中可以發(fā)現(xiàn)，而非動物群體共有）。原文中提到，“正如其他人類情感與表達(dá)一樣，笑和幽默為心理學(xué)家提供了研究人類心理的豐富資源”，即它對科學(xué)研究的價值，由此確定C為正確答案。

第28題答案：A

對應(yīng)原文：第2段：These were intended to help people at home feel like they were in a social situation, such as a crowded theatre.

答案解析：B選項錯在needed to be told when to laugh，屬于無中生有。C選項錯在audiences（原文中只提到他錄制了各種人的笑聲，并沒有說適用于各個社會群體的觀眾）。D選項則錯在preferred。原文中提到，他錄制這些笑聲“原本是為了幫助在家的人感覺仿佛置身于社交場合中一樣，如擁擠的劇院”。即在群體環(huán)境中感受幽默的重要性，由此確定A為正確答案。

第29題答案：B

對應(yīng)原文：第3段：On average, the results were remarkably consistent

答案解析：選項A和選項D在原文中都找不到對應(yīng)。原文中雖然確實(shí)提到研究團(tuán)隊包括心理學(xué)家，人類學(xué)家和生物學(xué)家，但不符合題干particularly significant的要求。B選項similar對應(yīng)consistent，a wide range of cultures對應(yīng)前文中的24 diverse societies。最最重要的是，remarkably對應(yīng)particularly significant，由此確定它為正確答案。

第30題答案：B

對應(yīng)原文：第4段：each student took a turn at being teased by the others

答案解析：選項A，C和D在原文中均找不到對應(yīng)。第4段中部提到，“學(xué)生輪流被他人嘲笑”，而且從后文中我們也可以看到他們還會嘲笑別人，即參與者會交換角色，由此確定B為正確答案。

第31題答案：D

對應(yīng)原文：第5段：However, high-status individuals were rated as high-status whether they produced their natural dominant laugh or tried to do a submissive one.

答案解析：第5段最后提到，“社會地位較高的人無論發(fā)出支配性的笑聲，還是嘗試發(fā)出服從性的笑聲，都會被評定為高地位者”，即他們總是能夠被識別出來。由此確定D為正確答案。

第32題答案：F

對應(yīng)原文：第6段：The students then were randomly assigned to watch a video clip eliciting either humour, contentment, or neutral feelings.

答案解析：根據(jù)Australian National University定位到第6段，再根據(jù)three videos定位到這句話。原文中的用詞為human, contentment, or neutral feelings，只有選項F能夠概括它們，由此確定它為正確答案。

第33題答案：H

對應(yīng)原文：第7段：Students who had watched the Mr. Bean video ended up spending significantly more time working on the task

答案解析：原文中提到，看了《憨豆先生》的一組人在該任務(wù)上投入的時間更長。而《憨豆先生》則對應(yīng)上文的幽默視頻，amusing與humor同義替換，由此確定H為正確答案。G選項雖然意思上也勉強(qiáng)可以，但詞性對不上。

第34題答案：C

對應(yīng)原文：第8段：… in a second study, during which they had participants complete long multiplication questions by hand …  this tedious task

答案解析：根據(jù)second study定位到第8段。文段一開始只是說明具體的任務(wù)，并沒有評價。但我們看到段末會發(fā)現(xiàn)，作者使用了tedious一詞對該任務(wù)進(jìn)行描述，C選項boring與它同義替換，由此確定答案。不過哪怕我們沒有找到這個單詞，從實(shí)驗(yàn)設(shè)計和文段含義也不難確定答案為boring。

第35題答案：D

對應(yīng)原文：第9段：humour has been found to help relieve stress and facilitate social relationships

答案解析：根據(jù)social connections與social relationships的對應(yīng)定位到第9段的這句話，reduce與relive同義替換，由此鎖定stress。選項中與它比較接近的只有D選項anxiety。

第36題答案：E

對應(yīng)原文：第9段：We suggest that humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energizing

答案解析：第9段最后一句話提到，幽默還能夠?yàn)槿藗冄a(bǔ)充精力。E選項stimulating與energizing同義替換，由此鎖定答案。

第37題答案：NOT GIVEN

對應(yīng)原文：無

答案解析：原文中并沒有對不同人群的準(zhǔn)確率進(jìn)行比較，題干屬于無中生有，因此判斷答案為NOT GIVEN.

第38題答案：YES

對應(yīng)原文：第4段：Analysis revealed that, as expected

答案解析：根據(jù)San Diego study定位到第4段。原文中提到，“分析展示的結(jié)果與預(yù)料中的一樣”，即他們的預(yù)測是正確的。由此判斷答案為YES。

第39題答案：NO

對應(yīng)原文：第7段：Students who had watched the Mr. Bean video ended up spending significantly more time working on the task

答案解析：第7段最后一句話指出，觀看《憨豆先生》的學(xué)生在該任務(wù)上投入的時間明顯更多。可見學(xué)生完成任務(wù)的時間并不是固定的。題干中fixed的描述與原文沖突，由此判斷答案為NO。

第40題答案：NO

對應(yīng)原文：第9段：the traditional view of task performance implies that individuals should avoid things such as humour that may distract them from the accomplishment of task goals,’ Cheng and Wang conclude. ‘We suggest that humour is not only enjoyable but more importantly, energizing.’

答案解析：傳統(tǒng)觀點(diǎn)認(rèn)為，在完成任務(wù)過程中，人們應(yīng)該避免幽默等會分散注意力的因素。但Cheng和Wang則認(rèn)為幽默能夠?yàn)槿藗冄a(bǔ)充精力，有助于任務(wù)的完成。兩種觀點(diǎn)相反。題干中in line with的描述與原文不符，由此判斷答案為NO。

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