Question

    If you were like most children, you probably got upset when your mother called you by a brother’s or sister’s name. How could she not know you? Did it mean she loved you less?

Probably not. According to the first research to deal with this topic head-on, misnaming the most familiar people in our life is a common cognitive (认知的) error that has to do with how our memories classify and store familiar names.

The study, published online in April in the journal Memory and Cognition, found that the “wrong” name is not random but is always fished out from the same relationship pond: children, friends, brothers and sisters. The study did not examine the possibility of deep psychological significance to the mistake, says psychologist David Rubin, “but it does tell us who’s in and who’s out of the group.”

The study also found that within that group, misnamings occurred where the names shared initial or internal sounds, like Jimmy and Joanie or John and Bob. Physical resemblance between people was not a factor. Nor was gender.

The researchers conducted five separate surveys of more than 1,700 people. Some of the surveys included only college students; others were done with a mixed-age population. Some asked subjects about incidents where someone close to them – family or friend – had called them by another person’s name. The other surveys asked about times when subjects had themselves called someone close to them by the wrong name. All the surveys found that people mixed up names within relationship groups such as grandchildren, friends and brothers and sisters but hardly ever crossed these boundaries.

In general, the study found that undergraduates were almost as likely as old people to make this mistake and men as likely as women. Older people and women made the mistake slightly more often, but that may be because grandparents have more grandchildren to mix up than parents have children. Also, mothers may call on their children more often than fathers, given traditional gender norms. There was no evidence that errors occurred more when the misnamer was frustrated, tired or angry.

1.How might people often feel when they were misnamed?

A.Unwanted. B.Unhappy. C.Confused. D.Indifferent.

2.What did David Rubin’s research find about misnaming?

A.It is related to the way our memories work.

B.It is a possible indicator of a faulty memory.

C.It occurs mostly between kids and their friends.

D.It often causes misunderstandings among people.

3.What did the surveys of more than 1,700 subjects find about misnaming?

A.It more often than not hurts relationships.

B.It hardly occurs across gender boundaries.

C.It is most frequently found in extended families.

D.It most often occurs within a relationship group.

4.Why do mothers misname their children more often than fathers?

A.They suffer more frustrations.

B.They become worn out more often.

C.They communicate more with their children.

D.They generally take on more work at home.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。通过实际研究结果证明misname只是生活中的一个普遍现象，叫错名字代表谁在心里谁不在心里这一事实的存在，有着相同首字母的名字容易叫错这一现象，讲述一份调查报告，告诉我们女人以及老人一样犯错多一点这一系列的事实和研究结果。

1.

细节理解题。审题定位于文首第一句：If you were like most children, you probably got upset when your mother called you by a brother’s or sister’s name.如果你像多数小孩子 一样，你很可能在当你妈妈用你兄弟或姐妹的名字叫你时，你会感到很沮丧。通过这个沮丧got upset一词可以得知B选项切合文意。故选B。

2.

推理判断题。通过审题用David Rubin定位于第三段。The study, published online in April in the journal Memory and Cognition, found that the “wrong” name is not random but is always fished out from the same relationship pond:大意是讲这份研究发现错误的名字不是随机的，但总是源自于相同的关系网。这里fished out from the same relationship pond:源自于相同的关系网，换句话说就是来自于我们对孩子名字的是否属于同一关系网的记忆。故A选项切合文意。故选A。

3.

推理判断题。通过浏览该段信息：通过审题得知对于1700多人的调查研究发现错误的叫出名字意味着什么。可以定位于此：Some asked subjects about incidents where someone close to them – family or friend – had called them by another person’s name. The other surveys asked about times when subjects had themselves called someone close to them by the wrong name. All the surveys found that people mixed up names within relationship groups such as grandchildren, friends and brothers and sisters but hardly ever crossed these boundaries.这个句子结构可以归纳为some… the other surveys…all the surveys …。这里all the surveys 最重要，它表述的观点是所有接受调查的研究对象发现人们会混淆以关系网群组为特点的名字，比如孙子、朋友和兄弟姐妹的名字。但几乎不会超越这个界限。这和选项D. It most often occurs within a relationship group.它多数时候经常出现在一个关系网内，意思切合，故选D。

4.

推理判断题。审题得知，为什么妈妈比爸爸更多的叫错名字。通过审题定位于此：Also, mothers may call on their children more often than fathers, given traditional gender norms.而且妈妈们因为性别的缘故，也许比父亲更高频率的短暂拜访她们的孩子的缘故。这里call on 的意思是短暂拜访之意，即短时间交谈之意，换句话说就是和孩子们交流比父亲更多一点，故选项C They communicate more with their children. 她们更多地于孩子们沟通交流，切合文意。故选C。