Question

    Being in the midst of a pandemic lockdown can make people feel worried. But nothing has shown this panicky behavior more than storing specifically toilet paper.

Seemingly transcending borders and cultures, people from all over the world, including the US, UK and Japan, have been clearing supermarket shelves mainly for this necessity. But what’s the reason for this sudden toilet paper storing? You can understand panic buying food, but do we really need that much toilet paper?

Steven Taylor, author of the book The Psychology of Pandemics, told the Independent that our toilet paper storing is a product of our disgust. During a pandemic, people’s sensitivity to disgust increases, like when you move aside if someone nearby sneezes.

“Disgust is like an alarm … and what better tool for removing disgusting material than toilet paper. I think this is how it became a conditioned symbol of safety,” he said.

Writing for The Conversation, Niki Edwards of The Queensland University of Technology said, “When people hear about the novel coronavirus, they are afraid of losing control. And toilet paper feels like a way to maintain control over health and cleanliness.”

Another one of the most important reasons behind this toilet paper trend, according to the BBC, is the snowball effect. Due to its reports, both in the news and social media, people naturally ask, “Will there be enough toilet paper for my family and me?” This leads to more people following the crowd and buying toilet paper because of their fear of missing out.

“Fear spreads easily. So when you see people around you buying things in a panicky way, it’s going to make you feel more anxious,” wrote American psychologist Baruch Fischhoff for CNBC.

While there are, of course, selfish people who store just because they can, it’s worth keeping things in perspective. Remember, just as countries are cooperating to find a vaccine, we must cooperate to ensure that everyone has their share of necessities.

1.The underlined word “transcending” in the second paragraph probably means “____”.

A.going beyond B.connecting with

C.getting an understanding of D.making good use of

2.According to Dr Steven Taylor, what does this toilet paper trend result from?

A.The desire to get rid of disgusting material. B.The fear of losing control over cleanliness.

C.The frequent reporting on toilet paper. D.The selfish side of human nature.

3.Whose words are quoted to explain “the snowball effect”?

A.Steven Taylor’s B.Niki Edwards’

C.Baruch Fischhoff ‘s D.The author’s

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this text?

A.To explore the bad effects of the toilet paper trend.

B.To explain why people tend to store pile toilet paper.

C.To criticize those people who store toilet paper.

D.To discuss people’s different attitudes toward the toilet paper trend.

5.Which of the following statement do you think the author will probably NOT agree with?

A.The toilet paper storing can relieve people’s anxiety.

B.It’s selfish of those to store too much toilet paper than they need.

C.Panic buying is quite understandable.

D.It’s better for us to stay calm and reasonable so as not to follow the toilet paper trend.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.C

4.B

5.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了由于新冠疫情的封锁，人们感到担忧。但是随之而来是人们开始大量抢购厕纸，文章主要分析了产生这一现象的原因，并且指出恐惧很容易传播，当你看到周围的人恐慌地买东西时，你会感到更焦虑。

1.

词义猜测题。结合后文borders and cultures, people from all over the world, including the US, UK and Japan, have been clearing supermarket shelves mainly for this necessity.可知来自世界各地（包括美国、英国和日本）的人们似乎超越了国界和文化，他们清空超市货架，主要就是为了这种必需品。由此可知，划线单词“transcending”意思为“超越”。故选A。

2.

细节理解题。根据第四段“Disgust is like an alarm … and what better tool for removing disgusting material than toilet paper. I think this is how it became a conditioned symbol of safety,” he said.可知“恶心就像警报……还有什么工具能比厕纸更好地去除恶心的东西呢？我想这就是它成为安全标志的原因。”由此可知，Steven Taylor博士认为，厕纸风潮的起因是人们想要摆脱令人恶心的东西的欲望。故选A。

3.

细节理解题。根据倒数第二段“Fear spreads easily. So when you see people around you buying things in a panicky way, it’s going to make you feel more anxious,” wrote American psychologist Baruch Fischhoff for CNBC.可知“恐惧很容易传播。所以，当你看到周围的人恐慌地买东西时，你会感到更焦虑。”美国心理学家Baruch Fischhoff在CNBC上写道。由此可知，Baruch Fischhoff的话被引用来解释“雪球效应”。故选C。

4.

推理判断题。根据第二段中But what’s the reason for this sudden toilet paper storing? You can understand panic buying food, but do we really need that much toilet paper?可知但厕纸突然大量积压是什么原因呢？你可以理解抢购食物，但我们真的需要那么多卫生纸吗？结合文章主要说明了由于新冠疫情的封锁，人们感到担忧。但是随之而来是人们开始大量抢购厕纸，文章主要分析了产生这一现象的原因，并且指出恐惧很容易传播，当你看到周围的人恐慌地买东西时，你会感到更焦虑。由此可知，作者写这篇文章的目的是解释为什么人们倾向于储存成堆的卫生纸。故选B。

5.

推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“Fear spreads easily. So when you see people around you buying things in a panicky way, it’s going to make you feel more anxious,” wrote American psychologist Baruch Fischhoff for CNBC.可知“恐惧很容易传播。所以，当你看到周围的人恐慌地买东西时，你会感到更焦虑。”美国心理学家Baruch Fischhoff在CNBC上写道。由此可推知，A选项“厕纸的储存可以缓解人们的焦虑” 作者可能不同意。故选A。