Question

Money is the root of all evil and new study claims there may be some truth behind the saying．Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, US，announced on February 27 that rich people are more likely to do unethical (不道德的) things, such as lie or cheat, than poorer people．

The scientists did a series of eight experiments. They published their findings online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS,《美国国家科学院院刊》)．

They carried out the first two experiments from the sidewalk near Berkeley. They noted that drivers of newer and more expensive cars were more likely to cut in on other cars and pedestrians at crosswalks. Nearly 45 percent of people driving expensive cars ignored a pedestrian compared with only 30 percent of people driving more modest cars．

In another experiment, a group of college students was asked if they would do unethical things in various everyday situations. Examples included taking printer paper from work and not telling a salesperson when he or she gave back more change. Students from higher-class families were more likely to act dishonestly.

According to the scientists, rich people often think money can get them out of trouble. This makes them less afraid to take risks. It also means they care less about other people’s feelings.

Finally，it simply makes them greedier．“Higher wealth status seems to make you want even more，and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest,” said Paul Piff, leading scientist of the study.

Piff pointed out that the findings don’t mean that all rich people are untrustworthy or that all poor people are honest. He said the experiments were to show how people living in different social situations express their instincts and values in different ways.

1.By saying “money is the root of all evil”，the author wants to ____________．

A．draw readers’ attention to the research

B．1ink wealth with bad behavior

C．show how the saying proves the findings

D．defend rich people who do unethical things

2.What makes rich people unethical according to the scientists?

a．they become more selfish   b．they have more desires

c．they believe money talks   d．they welcome risks

A．a、b    B．a、b、d

C．b、c     D．a、b、c

3.Why did the scientists do the experiments?

A. To show how social status affects people's ethics．

B. To show people’s instincts and values in different ways.

C. To test whether the saying “money is the root of all evil” is true．

D. To show the difference between higher-class people and lower-class people．

4.What does the article really want to show us?

A．Money is the root of all evil．

B．The rich are more likely to act badly．

C．The saying is unreasonable．

D．All rich people are untrustworthy．

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：

1.细节理解题。第一段作者以俗语“金钱是万恶之源”引出本文的话题， 即科学家们做的这个实验：富人是否比穷人更有可能做不道德的事。故选A。

2.细节理解题。由倒数第二、三段可知，有钱人总认为钱能帮他们摆脱困 境，这使得他们不怕去冒险(但不能说他们喜欢去冒险，所以d 不对，他们也不那么关心别 人的感受。同时，钱让他们变得更贪婪，甚至有时宁愿违反规定去满足自己的利益。注意c 里的money talks 指的是“有钱能使鬼推磨”。故选D。

3.细节理解题。由倒数第一段最后一句“He said the experiments were to show how people living in different social situations express their instincts and values in different ways.”可知，实验表明生活在不同的社会环境中人们表达他们的本能和价值观的方式不同。故选A。

4.B。

考点：人生感悟类阅读