Question

    Choosing a name for a child is often a headache for parents, but new research shows that picking well could be more crucial than previously thought.

Academics have found that your first name actually changes the way you look. For example, someone called ‘Bob’ is expected by society to have a rounder and happier face than a man called ‘Tim’. That expectation eventually leads ‘Bobs’ to become more social, while ‘Tims’ may appear thinner and reserved. The connection may be linked to the “bouba-kiki” effect which suggests that across languages, rounder and smoother objects are labelled with rounded ‘bouba’ sounds, while thinner pointed objects have ‘kik’ sounds. Likewise ‘Winstons’ are believed to be feeling blue, while ‘Marys’ are considered to be moral, both traits which may change appearance, and over time, change face shape. And a woman named ‘Katherine’ is considered to be more serious and dependable than a girl named ‘Bonnie’. Such cultural expectations may encourage ‘Katherines’ to be more studious and academic, which could gradually influence the development of facial muscles, perhaps through increased concentration.

“Prior researches have shown there are cultural stereotypes attached to names, including how someone should look,” said lead author Dr Yonat Zwebner, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “For instance, people are more likely to imagine a person named Bob to have a rounder face than a person named Tim. We believe these stereotypes can, over time, affect people’s facial appearance.”

To find out if face shape was linked to name, researchers conducted eight studies to see whether it was possible for strangers to correctly identify the names of people simply by looking at their faces. In every experiment, the participants were significantly better (up to 40 percent accurate) at matching the name to the face than random chance (20-25 percent accurate) even when nationality, age and other socioeconomic variables were controlled for. “Together, these findings suggest that facial appearance represents social expectations of how a person with a particular name should look. In this way, a social tag may influence one’s facial appearance,” said co-author Dr Ruth Mayo.

1.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A.How your name sounds simply counts.

B.Your name may tell how you look.

C.Social expectations determine your name.

D.It’s important to concentrate on facial muscles.

2.What can we learn from the eight studies?

A.Most of the participants match the name with the face correctly.

B.The findings are contradictory to those of the previous research.

C.They are based on the data from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

D.The findings are similar to those of the previous research.

3.According to Dr Ruth Mayo, one’s facial appearance is basically affected by ___________.

A.social expectations B.the experience of their life

C.their parents’ preference D.the meaning of their names

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

【解析】

本文是说明文。研究人员发现，你的名字所附带的社会成见会影响并逐渐改变你的容貌。

1.

主旨大意题。根据第二段Academics have found that your first name actually changes the way you look. 得知学者们发现，事实上你的名字能改变你的长相，可以判断出你的名字会表明你的容貌。故选B。

2.

推理判断题。根据最后两段“Prior researches have shown there are cultural stereotypes attached to names, including how someone should look,” said lead author Dr Yonat Zwebner, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 该研究的首席作者、来自耶路撒冷希伯莱大学的约拿•齐维布纳博士说：“先前的研究显示，和名字相关的文化成见一直存在，这其中就包括叫某个名字的人应该长什么样。”To find out if face shape was linked to name, researchers conducted eight studies to see whether it was possible for strangers to correctly identify the names of people simply by looking at their faces. In every experiment, the participants were significantly better (up to 40 percent accurate) at matching the name to the face than random chance为了弄清楚脸型是否和名字有关联，研究人员开展了8项研究，看陌生人能否只靠看脸就能准确把脸和名字对上号。在每个实验中，即便是在种族、年龄和其他社会经济变量可控制的情况下，参与者的配对准确率 (40%)比随机配对的准确率(20-25%)明显更高。可以推断出8项研究的结果和先前的研究结果一样，都表明脸型和名字有关联。故选 D。

3.

推理判断题。根据文章最后一段"Together, these findings suggest that facial appearance represents social expectations of how a person with a particular name should look. In this way, a social tag may influence one's facial appearance," said co-author Dr Ruth Mayo.得知共同作者露丝•马由博士说：“总而言之，这些发现告诉我们，容貌可以代表社会对某些特定名字人的期待。通过这种方式，社会标签可能会对一个人的容貌造成影响。”故选A。