Question

【题目】

When taking an elevator，do you often push the"Close"button？You hope by pushing it，the elevator door will close faster．But what if the button is actually fake（假的）？

Karen Penafiel is the executive director（执行董事）of the US'NationalElevator Industry．She said that elevators'"close"buttons are a complete trick，at least in the US，and that doors will not close any faster despite how hard you push．

In the 1990s the Americans with Disabilities Act （《美国残疾人法案》）

was passed in the US．It means all elevators have to stay open long enough to allow disabled people to enter．Only US firefighters and elevator workers can really use the buttons with special keys．

But the buttons aren't completely useless．According to psychologists（心、理学家），fake buttons can make you feel better．They give you a sense of control that can help reduce stress．That's why some other buttons in our lives are fake，too， For example，many offices in the US have fake thermostats（温控器）．People may feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace．

You were told that traffic light buttons could help make the traffic signals change faster．But they may not really work either．

However，even when people know these little"white lies"，they still push fake buttons．As long as the doors finally close，it seems worthy， John Kounios is a psychology professor at Drexel University in the US．He told The New York Times that he always pushes the traffic light buttons．"After all，I've got nothing else to do while waiting．So why not push the button on the off chance that this one will work？"

【1】The"close"buttons of the elevators in the US don't really work，do they？_____

【2】What do people hope when they push the"close"button in an elevator？_____

【3】Who can really use the"close"buttons of elevators in the US according to the passage？_____

【4】Why do the fake buttons make people feel better？_____

【5】What other examples does the passage show that fake buttons aren't completely useless？_____

【6】Will you push the fake buttons next time when you take the elevator or wait at the traffic lights？Why or why not？_____．

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】Yes， they do．

【2】They hope the elevator door will close faster．

【3】Only US firefighters and elevator workers．

【4】Because they give you a sense of control that can help reduce stress．

【5】Thermostats in many US offices and traffic light buttons．

【6】Yes， I will． Because I have nothing else to do while waiting．

【解析】

文章大意：本文说的是各个设施和空间的"假按钮"．文章介绍了控制电梯门和交通信号灯及办公室温控器的假按钮．你在按压它们的时候，实际上不起什么作用，它们只是给你一个安慰和错觉，使你觉得你在掌控某个事物，以便减轻压力．

【1】推理判断题。根据文中"She said that elevators '"close" buttons are a complete trick，at least in the US，and that doors will not close any faster despite how hard you push"可知，"关"这个按钮完全是个骗局，至少在美国是这样；不管你怎样用力按压，电梯门永远不会很快就关闭．再根据文中"Only US firefighters and elevator workers can really use the buttons with special keys"和"But the buttons aren't completely useless"可知，在美国，只有消防员和电梯操作员才能用特殊的钥匙来使用这个按钮，但是，这个按钮并非完全无用，故答案为：Yes，they do。

【2】细节理解题。根据文中"You hope by pushing it，the elevator door will close faster"可知，当人们按压（"关"这个）按钮时，人们希望电梯门会尽快地关闭，故答案为：They hope the elevator door will close faster。

【3】细节理解题。根据文中"Only US firefighters and elevator workers can really use the buttons with special keys"可知，在美国，只有消防员和电梯操作员才能用特殊的钥匙来使用这个按钮，故答案为：Only US firefighters and elevator workers。

【4】细节理解题。根据文中"They give you a sense of control that can help reduce stress"可知，它们（假按钮）给人一种人可以控制事物的感觉，这种感觉有助于减轻压力，故答案为：Because they give you a sense of control that can help reduce stress。

【5】细节理解题。根据问中"For example，many offices in the US have fake thermostats（温控器）"和"People may feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace"可知，在美国，很多办公室的温控器也是虚假的（不起作用的），但是当人们在自己的工作空间以为自己可以控制温度时，人们会感觉好一点；再比如文中"You were told that traffic light buttons could help make the traffic signals change faster"和"But they may not really work either"可知，交通信号灯的按钮也是虚假的（不起作用的）；故答案为：Thermostats in many US offices and traffic light buttons。

【6】细节理解题。根据文中"However，even when people know these little" white lies"，they still push fake buttons"和"As long as the doors finally close，it seems worthy"可知，即使人们知道这些小小的"无恶意的谎言"，人们也会按压虚假的按钮，只要门最终关闭了，就值了；再根据"After all，I've got nothing else to do while waiting"可知，在等待的期间内，你也无事可做；故答案为：Yes，I will。Because I have nothing else to do while waiting。