Question

    For as long as there have been gifts, we naturally make choices based on the recipient (接受者). But what if we have been wrong all along and we could turn things around, which not only made gift buying easier, but the recipient happier?

In 2015, psychologists Lauren Human and Lara Aknin conducted an online survey, which suggested that when people buy gifts, they prefer to choose something based on the recipient’s personality and tastes. Most people also said that they preferred receiving gifts bought with them in mind: gifts for them.

But Human and Aknin wondered if this approach to giving failed to take advantage of the way we connect as people. So they sent 78 volunteers into a shopping centre before Mother’s Day. Half were told to buy a card that “reveals (揭示) your knowledge of the recipient” while the others set out to buy a card that “reveals your true self”. After the purchase, the givers who had thought partly of themselves reported feeling emotionally closer to their mothers.

To find out how that approach goes down with recipients, the psychologists did another test, asking more than 100 students to choose a song on iTunes to give to a friend, partner or family member. Each half of the group received the same instructions as the card buyers. Results revealed that recipients of songs that revealed something of the givers felt closer to them than those who received gifts bought only with them in mind.

Human and Aknin suggest it might apply to all gifts. “If building stronger social connections is the underlying (潜在的) goal” of a gift and surely it should be — then we “may well be advised to offer more self-reflective gifts”. In short, for a present to be meaningful, you need to give away a bit of yourself, even if there is a risk that the gift might not so closely suit the recipient’s practical needs or tastes as one acquired purely with that in mind.

Moreover, giving something of oneself can be a safer act, the psychologists added. Because it reduces the risk of revealing poor knowledge of a recipient by attempting to buy something that fits their character — and failing.

But a note of caution here: what the research does not examine is the potential risk in repeated, unsympathetic giver-centered giving, which, according to Human and Aknin “could signal self-obsession”— and nobody wants to reveal that about themselves.

1.From the Mother’s Day card test, we can conclude that _______.

A.gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the giver

B.most people choose gifts with the recipient in mind

C.most people choose gifts based on their personal tastes

D.gifts chosen with the giver in mind work well on the recipient

2.What do the underlined words “them, them” refer to in order of appearance?

A.The recipients; the givers.

B.The givers; the recipients.

C.The givers; the givers.

D.The recipients; the recipients.

3.Which of the following is Human and Aknin’s advice on gift giving?

A.Choose gifts that reflect more of yourself.

B.Just focus on your own tastes when choosing gifts.

C.Buy something that fits the recipient’s character most.

D.Be careful not to signal your true personality.

4.Which is the best title of this passage?

A.The tradition of gift giving.

B.The purpose of gift giving.

C.The effect of gift giving.

D.The psychology of gift giving.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章主要讲述了在2015年，心理学家进行了一项在线调查，调查表明当人们购买礼物时，他们更喜欢根据接受者的个性和口味选择一些东西。大多数人还说，他们更喜欢收到为他们准备的礼物。本文解释了送礼的心理。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第二段中的“which suggested that when people buy gifts, they prefer to choose something based on the recipient's personality and tastes.”这表明，人们在购买礼物时，更喜欢根据收礼人的个性和品味来选择礼物。由此可以推断出：从母亲节卡片测试中，我们可以得出这样的结论：带着送礼人的心选择的礼物对送礼人很有效。故选A。

2.词义猜测题。根据文章第四段中的“Results revealed that recipients of songs that revealed something of the givers felt closer to them than those who received gifts bought only with them in mind”研究结果显示，收到礼物的人比那些只带着他们一起购买的人感觉更接近送礼人。由此可知，第一个them指代前面的the givers；第二个them指代前面的recipients。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段中的 “If building stronger social connections is the underlying (潜在的) goal” of a gift and surely it should be — then we “may well be advised to offer more self-reflective gifts”.如果建立更牢固的社会关系是礼物的基本目标，而且肯定应该是这样，那么我们“很可能会被建议提供更多更能反映你自己的礼物”。由此可知，心理学专家建议选择更能体现自我的礼物。故选A。

4.标题判断题。根据文章第二段中的“In 2015, psychologists Lauren Human and Lara Aknin conducted an online survey, which suggested that when people buy gifts, they prefer to choose something based on the recipient’s personality and tastes.”在2015年，心理学家进行了一项在线调查，调查表明当人们购买礼物时，他们更喜欢根据接受者的个性和口味选择一些东西。这是本文的主旨句。结合全文内容可知，本文解释了送礼的心理。故选D。