Question

【题目】Envy seems to be bad-but it doesn't have to be. Researchers are finding that, if approached the right way, there can actually be an advantage.

Psychologists classify envy in two ways: negative and positive. With positive envy, you are motivated by another person's success and struggle to follow it. With negative envy, you want to cut the advantaged person down so you look better by comparison. Let's say you feel sufferings of envy after your rival(对手) at another firm gets promoted. Negative envy might drive you to destroy his success, but positive envy would inspire you to work harder and get promoted, too.

Studies show positive envy can be a great motivator(动力). In a 2011 study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, researchers in the Netherlands conducted a series of experiments with more than 200 university students. Researchers found that when they caused feelings of positive envy----as opposed to admiration or negative envy----in the students, it drove them to want to study more and perform better on a test measuring creativity and intelligence. While admiration may feel better, the researchers found, it doesn't motivate performance like the pain and frustration of envy.

“Those painful sufferings of envy are there for an evolutionary(进化的) reason,” says Texas Christian University researcher Sarah E. Hill, “warning us that someone has something of importance to us.” Building on this theory, Dr. Hill and others conducted a series of experiments, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, to test whether envy improves attention and memory----the tools needed to copy a rival's steps to success. In one experiment, half of the participants were asked to recall past feelings of envy; the other half weren't. The two groups were then shown mock(模拟的) interviews of imaginary peers. The group filled with envy paid closer attention and better recalled details about the interview subjects. In other words, envy made them more astute（机敏的）. Not only can envy motivate us to reach for higher goals, it may even give us the cognitive push to get there.

【1】What’s the bad effect of negative envy?

A. It makes you lose heart and gets discouraged.

B. It has you feel motivated.

C. It makes you harm or hurt others on purpose.

D. It reminds you to struggle to follow your dreams.

【2】What’s the benefit of positive envy?

A. It inspires you to find a possible rival to try to defeat them.

B. It encourages you to work harder with a positive attitude.

C. It won’t hurt your opponents in the same firm.

D. It won’t destroy your success at another firm.

【3】Compared to admiration, positive envy can__________.

A. make you feel worse in all sides

B. be more likely to get you to admire others

C. make you feel the pain in your performance

D. be more likely to get you inspired to get success

【4】 What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Envy seems to be bad.

B. Keep your envy in secret.

C. Make full use of positive envy.

D. Forget about your envy now.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【4】C

【解析】

试题分析：本文介绍现代嫉妒心理似乎是有害的――但它不一定就是如此。研究人员发现，如果处理得当的话，这种罪孽其实也有有利的一面。

【1】C推理判断题。根据第二段中的With negative envy, you want to cut the advantaged person down so you look better by comparison. Let's say you feel sufferings of envy after your rival(对手) at another firm gets promoted. Negative envy might drive you to destroy his success如果是恶意嫉妒，你会想打击占上风的人，好让你相比之下显得更成功。假如你在另一家公司的竞争对手升了职，你感到一阵阵的妒意，那么恶意嫉妒可能会让你去贬损他的成功。故选C。

【2】B推理判断题。根据第二段最后一句positive envy would inspire you to work harder and get promoted, too. 善意嫉妒会激发你更努力地工作以得到升职机会。故选B。

【3】D推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句While admiration may feel better,it doesn't motivate performance like the pain and frustration of envy. 研究人员还发现，尽管崇拜也许让人更好受些，但它不会像嫉妒带来的痛苦与挫败感那样激励出更佳表现。故选D。

【4】C主旨大意题。根据文章第一句Envy seems to be bad-but it doesn't have to be. Researchers are finding that, if approached the right way, there can actually be an advantage. 这样看来，现代嫉妒心理似乎是有害的――但它不一定就是如此。研究人员发现，如果处理得当的话，这种罪孽其实也有有利的一面。也就是说，充分利用好善意的妒忌。故选c。

【名师点拨】

抓住文章主线和关键词语，归纳文章中心

要注意不是所有的段落都有主题句，有时主题句暗含在句中。阅读这样的文章，就需要自己根据文章的细节来分析，概括出段落的主题，从而推导出文章的主旨。分析的方法是：先弄清该段落主要讲了哪几方面的内容，这些内容在逻辑上有什么联系，然后加以归纳形成主题。比如第15小题，主旨大意题。根据文章第一句Envy seems to be bad-but it doesn't have to be. Researchers are finding that, if approached the right way, there can actually be an advantage. 这样看来，现代嫉妒心理似乎是有害的――但它不一定就是如此。研究人员发现，如果处理得当的话，这种罪孽其实也有有利的一面。也就是说，充分利用好善意的妒忌。故选c。