Question

【题目】There are endless motivations for human behaviour, from the basic drives for food to more complicated ones, such as sympathy, envy and anger. But none of these explain behaviours that we call compulsions (强迫症). They come from a need that is desperate and tortured (折磨). They may bring relief, but they bring little enjoyment, and while one part of our brain desperately wishes to stop them, another is afraid of stopping.

I used to view compulsions as foreign and almost frightening. But in the course of my research, two things happened. First, when I got to know people who were compulsive, their behaviour didn’t seem unreasonable at all. Second, I realized that although people with the most extreme compulsions seem like outliers (另类人), the anxiety that drives them to those extremes is universal.

Over any year, many of us find ourselves in the control of a compulsion that falls short of something that is disabling enough to qualify as a mental disorder — in fact, some compulsions are adaptive, helping us lead our lives or perform our jobs more effectively.

Like many people, maybe you feel forced to reach for your smart phone as soon as you wake up in the morning. Fortunately a growing number of experts have begun to succeed in distinguishing addictions from compulsions.

An addiction begins with a flash of pleasure accompanied with danger; it’s fun to gamble or to drink, and it also puts you at risk. Additions involve acting without planning or even thought, driven by an urge for immediate satisfaction. Compulsions, in contrast, are all about avoiding unpleasant outcomes. They are behaviours we repeat many times to relieve the anxiety brought on by the possibility of negative consequences. But the actual behaviour is often unpleasant — or at least not particularly rewarding, especially after many rounds of it.

Behind every compulsion is the need to avoid what causes you pain or anxiety. Compulsive behaviour is not necessarily a mental disorder. Some forms of it can be, and people in its control deserve to be diagnosed and helped. But many are expressions of psychological needs we all feel: to be at peace and in control, to feel connected and to matter. And if those are mental illnesses, we’re all crazy.

【1】From the first two paragraphs, we know that _____.

A. compulsions can bring relief as well as enjoyment

B. compulsive people will prefer unreasonable behaviour

C. compulsions may be an understandable response to anxiety

D. compulsive people must be frightening and behave differently

【2】The main difference between addictions and compulsions lies in _____.

A. human relationships B. financial rewards

C. internal drives D. social expectations

【3】What’s the author’s attitude towards compulsion?

A. Objective. B. Negative.

C. Doubtful. D. Cautious.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】C

【3】A

【解析】文章介绍了强迫症的特点、原因以及作者对强迫症的看法。

【1】推理判断题。由第一段中的“none of these explain behaviours that we call compulsions (强迫症).They come from a need that is desperate and tortured (折磨)”和第二段中的“…the anxiety that drives them to those extremes is universal”可知，强迫症来自一种需求，这种需求是折磨人的，令人绝望的。这种需求焦虑感使他们患上强迫症，也就是强迫症是对焦虑的一种可理解的反应。故C选项正确。

【2】推理判断题。由倒数第三段可知，渴望立即的满足感使得一个人很容易对某事物上瘾（addition）。而强迫症患者，他们反复的重复一个动作，目的是避免令人不愉快的结果，缓解焦虑。由此可知，导致这两种疾病的内在原因不同。故C选项正确。

【3】观点态度题。由最后一段中的“Compulsive behaviour is not necessarily a mental disorder…But many are expressions of psychological needs we all feel: to be at peace and in control, to feel connected and to matter. And if those are mental illnesses, we’re all crazy”可知，作者认为强迫症并不是一种疾病，不是精神混乱，只是人们渴望平和的心理需求。所以作者对强迫症的看法是比较客观的。A选项正确。