Question

Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get the 19,000-pound whale to jump 22 feet out of water and perform tricks? They get that whale to go over a rope farther out of the water than most of us can imagine. 1..

So how do the trainers at Sea World do it? The first thing they do is reinforce(强化) the behavior that they want repeated --- in this case, to get the whale to go over the rope.2., in a position where the whale can’t help but do what’s expected of it. Every time the whale goes over the rope, it’s given positive reinforcement and gets fed with fish. But what happened when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing — no criticism, no warning and no feedback. 3..

Positive reinforcement is the key of that simple principle that produces such splendid results. And as the whale begins to go over the rope more often than under, the trainers begin to raise the rope. It must be raised slowly enough so that the whale doesn’t starve.

4.. Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently. Secondly, under-criticize. People know they need help when they mess up. 5., people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it.

So we need to set up the circumstances so that people can’t fail. Over-celebrate, under-criticize…and know how far to raise the rope.

A. This is a great challenge

B. And the whale stays right where it is

C. If we figure out a way to motivate the whale

D. They start with the rope below the surface of the water

E. If we under-criticize, punish and discipline less than expected

F. Whales are taught that their negative behavior won’t be acknowledged

G. The simple lesson to be learned from the whale trainers is to over-celebrate

Answer

1. A

2. D

3. F

4. G

5. E

【解析】

本文是一篇夹叙夹议文，用训练员训练鲸鱼的例子告诉我们要营造一个好的环境，让人们可能少地面对失败，就如，大加赞赏、不作批评。

1.根据本空前的“Have you ever wondered how the trainers at Sea World get the 19,000-pound whale to jump 22 feet out of water and perform tricks?”可知，你想过海洋世界的训练员是如何让一头重达19,000磅的鲸鱼跳出水面22英尺和表演特技的么？此处承接上文，说的是这并不是简单的事情，故A项（这是一个巨大的挑战）符合语境。

2.根据本空前的“The first thing they do is reinforce the behavior that they want repeated --- in this case, to get the whale to go over the rope.”可知，他们做的第一件事就是强化他们想要重复的行为——在这种情况下，让鲸鱼越过绳索，此处承接上文，讲的还是关于绳索的话题，故D项（他们从水面以下的绳索开始）符合语境。

3.根据本空前的“But what happened when the whale goes under the rope? Nothing — no criticism, no warning and no feedback.”可知，鲸鱼钻到绳索下面会发生什么呢？没有批评，没有警告，也没有反馈，此处解释没有批评，没有警告，也没有反馈的原因，故F项（因为我们不可能教会鲸鱼承认它们的错误）符合语境。

4.根据本空后的“Make a big deal out of the good and little stuff that we want consistently.”可知，让它们多点成功，偶尔有点小失败，故G项（从鲸鱼训练员那里学会的最简单的道理就是大加赞赏）符合语境。

5.根据本空后的“people will not forget the event and usually will not repeat it”可知，人们通常不会忘记这件事，通常也不会再犯相同的错误，故E项（如果我们没有过多给予他们预期的批评、惩罚和职责时）符合语境。