Thursday阅读理解 C

So picture this: You’re a worker at a hotel. Someone walks in and says they found a lost wallet but they’re in a hurry. They hand it to you. What would you do? And would that answer be different if it was empty or full of cash?

Those are questions researchers have been exploring. On Thursday, they published their findings in the journal Science. The researchers assumed (假设) that putting money in the wallet would make people less likely to return it, because the reward would be bigger. But researchers saw the opposite. “Most people would not return the wallet if it was empty, but they were more likely to return a wallet when it contained a higher amount of money,” says Alain Cohn from the University of Michigan, the study’s lead author.

Why does this happen? The researchers suggest two explanations.

First, just basic altruism (利他主义)—the person who reports receiving a lost wallet might care about the feelings of the stranger who lost it. Caring about strangers doesn’t explain everything, though. The researchers think their findings also have a lot to do with how people see themselves—and most people don’t want to see themselves as a thief.

Another seems to have something to do with education. According to Cohn, countries with higher levels of primary education were more likely to see high levels of lost wallets being reported.

“What this suggests is that what you learn in school is not just math and reading but also social skills, or just more generally how you treat each other,” Cohn adds.

The study’s results could help policymakers and businesses that want to find out what encourages people to act for the good of others, rather than for their own development.

1. Which word can best replace the underlined word “picture” in the first paragraph?

A. Draw.

B. Imagine.

C. Paint.

D. Present.

2. What do we know about the research finding?

A. It does not have scientific evidence.

B. It does not get support from people.

C. It is beyond the researchers’ expectation.

D. It is the same with the researchers’ imagination.

3. Who are most likely to return lost wallets according to Cohn?

A. People who respect strangers.

B. People who do not value money.

C. People who received better education.

D. People who think more about themselves.

4. What do the study’s results mean to policymakers and businesses?

A. Reminding them to care more about primary education.

B. Preventing them from focusing only on their own development.

C. Encouraging them to pay more attention to the public’s interests.

D. Helping them figure out why people tend to think more about others.

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