大学英语新视野2第三版
Scripts:
As the most intelligent animal on this earth, we are supposed to behave in a rational way, i.e., act according to logic and reason required in a situation. But does that really happen? Do we always behave rationally? Certainly not. There are a lot of people who behave irrationally, causing problems to themselves as well as to others. Irrational behavior is part of human nature, but as MIT Professor Ariely has discovered, people tend to behave irrationally in a predictable fashion. Though we cannot explain the exact cause behind irrational behavior, we know that it is a manner of behavior not based on logic and reasoning. I would like to give you an example of irrational behavior. If a person has heard about someone suffering from some disease, he will start thinking that he may suffer from the same disease. This is irrational
and illogical behavior. I don't think this behavior is always intentional.
Reading comprehension
Understanding the text
1
1 He was imposing on his troops a necessary sacrifice to achieve victory over their opponents. By doing this, the soldiers would be more determined and concentrated on the battles.
2 The purpose for the experiment is to investigate seemingly irrational human behavior when making a decision, such as the tendency for keeping multiple options open.
3 The experiment enabled people to see why it's always so hard for them to say "NO" to any opportunities that came to them. In everyday life, people just give excuses to keep options open. 4 Students should quickly check all the doors and keep clicking on the one with the highest cash. They should absolutely ignore the vanishing doors.
5 Because we can see that the students didn't really focus on ensuring future cash earnings. What they tried to avoid was the immediate pain of watching options close.
6 Because in life the doors are closing slowly, not like the ones on the computer in the experiment, people don't really see the opportunities actually vanishing away little by little.
7 He suggests that people should prohibit overbooking, reduce options, delegate tasks to others, and even give away ideas to others to pursue.
8 People can obtain pleasure and satisfaction by focusing their energy and attention in a more concentrated fashion. They will have more with fewer, carefully chosen options.
Critical thinking
2
1 ~ Surprising but very strategic and visionary.
~ Reflection of his unique foresight and wisdom.
~ Knowledgeable about winning battles.
~ Experienced in fighting with enemies.
2 ~ Interesting and thought-provoking.
~ Reflect students' mentality.
~ Meaningful and valid.
~ May not be convincing to some people.
3 ~ Both consequences are surprising.
~ Both are about choices and decision-making.