善举可以带来意想不到的好结果(下)

人们知道纸杯蛋糕可以让人感觉良好，但事实证明，善意赠送的纸杯蛋糕会让他们感觉出奇的好。

双语精读

Our work suggests that simply being part of a positive, prosocial interaction is meaningful beyond whatever it is a person receives. People understand that cupcakes can make folks feel good, to be sure, but it turns out that cupcakes given in kindness can make them feel surprisingly good.

我们的工作表明，仅仅参与积极的、亲社会的互动就比一个人收到的任何东西更有意义。可以肯定的是，人们知道纸杯蛋糕可以让人感觉良好，但事实证明，善意赠送的纸杯蛋糕会让他们感觉出奇的好。

When someone is thinking primarily about the tasty treat they are giving away, they may not realize that the warmth of that gesture is an extra ingredient that can make the cupcake even sweeter.

当某人主要考虑他们赠送的美味佳肴时，他们可能没有意识到本身这个善举的温暖就是一种额外的配料，一种使纸杯蛋糕变得更甜的配料。

Missing the importance of warmth may stand in the way of being kinder in daily life. People generally want to perform kind actions--in fact, many of our participants noted that they'd like to do so more often. But our data suggest that underestimating the impact of one's actions may reduce the likelihood of kindness. If people undervalue this impact, they might not bother to carry out these warm, prosocial behaviors.

忽视温暖的重要性可能会妨碍在日常生活中表现得更友善。人们通常希望做出善意的举动----事实上，我们的许多参与者都表示他们愿意更频繁地这样做。但我们的数据表明，低估一个人行为的影响可能会降低行善的可能性。如果人们低估了这种影响，他们可能不会费心去做这些温暖的、亲社会的行为。

Furthermore, the consequences of these acts may go beyond a single recipient: kindness can be contagious. In another experiment, we had people play an economic game that allowed us to examine what are sometimes called "pay it forward" effects.

此外，这些行为的后果可能会影响不止一个接受者：善意可以传染。在另一个实验中，我们让人们进行一个经济博弈，让我们可以评估有时被称为"爱心接力"的效应。

In this game, participants allocated money between themselves and a person whom they would never meet. People who had just been on the receiving end of a kind act gave substantially more to an anonymous person than those who had not. Meanwhile the person who performed the initial act did not recognize that their generosity would spill over in these downstream interactions.

在这场博弈中，参与者在他们自己和一个他们永远不会见面的人之间分配金钱。刚刚接受过善举的人比没有接受过的人对匿名者的捐赠要多得多。与此同时，执行初始行为的人并没有意识到他们的慷慨会在后阶段的互动中满溢出来。

These findings suggest that what might seem small when we are deciding whether or not to do something nice for someone else could matter a great deal to the person we do it for. Given that these warm gestures can enhance our own mood and brighten the day of another person, why not choose kindness when we can?

这些发现表明，当我们决定是否为别人做点好事时，看似微不足道的事情对我们善意行为接受的人来说却意义重大。如果这些温暖的举动可以提升我们自己的心情，且让另一个人的一天充满阳光，那么为什么不在我们可以的时候选择善良呢？

词汇预习

• economic [高考]

  美[ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk] | 英[ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk]

  adj. 经济的，经济学的；有利可图的；节约的

• impact [高考]

  美[ˈɪmpækt , ɪmˈpækt] | 英[ˈɪmpækt , ɪmˈpækt]

  n. 影响；冲击力；撞击 vt. 挤入；压紧；撞击；对 ... 发生影响 vi. 冲击；撞击；产生影响

• interaction [高考]

  美[ˌɪntəˈrækʃən] | 英[ˌɪntərˈækʃən]

  n. 相互作用；相互影响；互动交流

• brighten [高考]

  美[ˈbraɪtn] | 英[ˈbraɪtn]

  v. 使变亮；使生辉；发亮；开颜

• spill [高考]

  美[spɪl] | 英[spɪl]

  v. 溢出；洒；使 ... 流出；泄漏 n. 溢出；流；木片；小杆

• anonymous [高考]

  美[əˈnɑːnɪməs] | 英[əˈnɒnɪməs]

  adj. 匿名的；无名的；没特色的

• primarily [高考]

  美[praɪˈmerəli] | 英[praɪˈmerəli]

  adv. 主要地，首要地，根本地

• generosity [高考]

  美[ˌdʒenəˈrɑsəti] | 英[ˌdʒenəˈrɒsəti]

  n. 慷慨；大方；宽大

• contagious [高考]

  美[kənˈteɪdʒəs] | 英[kənˈteɪdʒəs]

  adj. 传染性的；感染性的

• enhance [高考]

  美[ɪnˈhæns] | 英[ɪnˈhɑːns]

  vt. 提高；增加；加强

• data [高考]

  美[ˈdeɪtə] | 英[ˈdeɪtə]

  n. 数据；资料

• initial [高考]

  美[ɪˈnɪʃl] | 英[ɪˈnɪʃl]

  n. (词)首字母 adj. 开始的；最初的；字首的 vt. 签姓名的首字母于

• thinking [高考]

  美[ˈθɪŋkɪŋ] | 英[ˈθɪŋkɪŋ]

  n. 思考；思想 adj. 好思考的；有理性的

• would [高考]

  美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]

  aux. 将；可能；大概；总会；愿意；will的过去式

• surprisingly [四级]

  美[sərˈpraɪzɪŋli] | 英[sə(r)ˈpraɪzɪŋli]

  adv. 惊人地；意外地

• recipient [四级]

  美[rɪˈsɪpiənt] | 英[rɪˈsɪpiənt]

  n. 接受者；收信人

• likelihood [四级]

  美[ˈlaɪklihʊd] | 英[ˈlaɪklihʊd]

  n. 可能性

• undervalue [四级]

  美[ˌʌndərˈvæljuː] | 英[ˌʌndəˈvæljuː]

  v. 低估价值；看轻

• be sure [四级]

  美[bi ʃʊr] | 英[bi: ʃuə]

  确信, 肯定

• stand in [四级]

  美[stænd ɪn] | 英[stænd in]

  代替； 代表； 作替身

• in the way [四级]

  美[ɪn ði we] | 英[in ðə wei]

  挡道，妨碍某人；[英]在场，在眼前，在附近

• in the way of [四级]

  美[ɪn ðə weɪ əv] | 英[ɪn ðə weɪ əv]

  在 ... 方面； 妨碍

• downstream [专八]

  美[ˌdaʊnˈstriːm] | 英[ˌdaʊnˈstriːm]

  adv. 朝下游方向 adj. 顺流的

• substantially [考研]

  美[səbˈstænʃəli] | 英[səbˈstænʃəli]

  adv. 大体上；实质上；非常

• noted [托福]

  美[ˈnoʊtɪd] | 英[ˈnəʊtɪd]

  adj. 著名的；有声望的

重点讲解

Our work**** suggests**** that**** simply**** being part**** of**** a positive****,**** prosocial interaction is**** meaningful**** beyond**** whatever**** it**** is**** a person**** receives****.**** People**** understand**** that**** cupcakes**** can make**** folks feel**** good****,**** to**** be**** sure****,**** but it**** turns out that**** cupcakes**** given in**** kindness**** can make**** them**** feel**** surprisingly**** good****.****

我们的工作表明，仅仅参与积极的、亲社会的互动就比一个人收到的任何东西更有意义。可以肯定的是，人们知道纸杯蛋糕可以让人感觉良好，但事实证明，善意赠送的纸杯蛋糕会让他们感觉出奇的好。

When**** someone is**** thinking**** primarily about the tasty treat they**** are giving**** away****,**** they**** may not realize that**** the warmth**** of**** that**** gesture is**** an**** extra ingredient**** that**** can make**** the cupcake even**** sweeter.****

当某人主要考虑他们赠送的美味佳肴时，他们可能没有意识到本身这个善举的温暖就是一种额外的配料，一种使纸杯蛋糕变得更甜的配料。

Missing the importance of warmth may stand in the way of being kinder in daily life. People generally want to perform kind actions--in fact, many of our participants noted that they'd like to do so more often. But our data suggest that underestimating the impact of one's actions may reduce the likelihood of kindness. If people undervalue this impact, they might not bother to carry out these warm, prosocial behaviors.

忽视温暖的重要性可能会妨碍在日常生活中表现得更友善。人们通常希望做出善意的举动----事实上，我们的许多参与者都表示他们愿意更频繁地这样做。但我们的数据表明，低估一个人行为的影响可能会降低行善的可能性。如果人们低估了这种影响，他们可能不会费心去做这些温暖的、亲社会的行为。

so   adv. 这样；如此（指刚说过的事物）

【例】He must be a worker. I imagine so. 

他一定是个工人。我估计是。

【注意】 

1. so作替代词一般同表示个人看法或想法的动词连用，不表示肯定，也不表示否定，因此，在表示肯定或怀疑的答句中不可用so，而应该用it。

【例】"Are they coming to the party?" "I'm sure of it."

"他们来参加晚会吗？""我肯定他们会来。"

2. 同样在ask和know之后不可用so。

【例】He knows so.（误）He knows that.（正）

Why do you ask so?（误）Why do you ask(that)?（正）

3. not不可用于个别表示说话的动词之后，但主语是非特指的人称时除外。

【例】She said not.（误） She said so.（正）

John told me not.（误） John told me so.（正）

分句性替代：用so或not替代整个分句。

【例】Many people believe that there will be another world war before the end of the century. My father think so, but I believe not.

许多人认为本世纪末会有一次世界大战，我父亲也这样认为，但我不是。

1.分句替代词so或not可替代that从句

【例】"Have we got enough money?" "I think so."

"我们的钱够吗？""我觉得够。"

"We're not going to be in time." "No, I suppose not."

"我们来不及了。""不，我觉得来得及。"

2.  so与not可用来代替if 后面的从句

【例】Are you free this evening? If so , come and have a drink with us. 

你今晚有空吗？如果有的话，来跟我们喝一杯吧。

So 引导的四种句型：

1. So + be / have / 情态动词/ 助动词+ 主语

表示前面的情况也适合于后者，或"……(的情况)也是如此"。

（1）用这一结构时，前后两句必须是肯定句，两句的时态及谓语动词必须一致。

【例】I'm a student, so is he. 我是学生，他也是。

If she goes there, so shall I. 如果她去那儿，我也去。

She went to the airport, so did Jim. 她去了机场，吉姆也去了。

He can sing, so can I. 他会唱歌，我也会。

（2）如果前一句是否定句，则后一句用neither / nor + be / have / 情态动词/ 助动词+ 主语。

【例】She can hardly drive a car, neither can I. 她几乎不会开车，我也几乎不会。

John doesn't like American beer. Neither does Anna. 约翰不喜欢美国啤酒，安娜也不喜欢。

2. So it is with...或It is the same with...

表示"……(的情况)也是如此"。

【例】"I like to watch plays, but I don't watch TV every evening." "So it is with me. / It is the same with me. "

"我喜欢看电视节目，但每天晚上我都不看电视。""我也是如此。"

"My devoted friend was out of job and couldn't support his family." "So it is with my neighbour. / It is the same with my neighbour."

"我的好朋友失业了，不能养家。""我的邻居也如此。"

3. So + 主语+ be / have /助动词/ 情态动词

表示同意前者的观点。

【例】"It's very cold today." "So it is." 

"今天天气很冷。""的确很冷。"

"They have finished their homework.""So they have. "

"他们已完成了作业。""的确如此。"

4. 主语+ do / does / did + so

表示按上句的要求做了，do so代替上文中要求做的事，以免重复。

【例】I asked him to close the door and he did so. 

我让他关上门，他真的这样做了。

Furthermore,**** the consequences**** of**** these acts**** may go**** beyond**** a single**** recipient:**** kindness**** can be**** contagious****.**** In**** another experiment****,**** we**** had people**** play**** an**** economic**** game**** that**** allowed us**** to**** examine what**** are sometimes called**** "pay**** it**** forward"**** effects.****

此外，这些行为的后果可能会影响不止一个接受者：善意可以传染。在另一个实验中，我们让人们进行一个经济博弈，让我们可以评估有时被称为"爱心接力"的效应。

In this game, participants allocated money between themselves and a person whom they would never meet. People who had just been on the receiving end of a kind act gave substantially more to an anonymous person than those who had not. Meanwhile the person who performed the initial act did not recognize that their generosity would spill over in these downstream interactions.

在这场博弈中，参与者在他们自己和一个他们永远不会见面的人之间分配金钱。刚刚接受过善举的人比没有接受过的人对匿名者的捐赠要多得多。与此同时，执行初始行为的人并没有意识到他们的慷慨会在后阶段的互动中满溢出来。

spill over   外溢；溢出

【例】The coffee is so full that it might spill over. 

咖啡太满可能会溢出来。

【近义词】overflow/well  v. 溢出/涌出

【例】The river overflowed its banks and caused serious flooding. 

江水决堤，泛滥成灾。

He fell back, blood welling from a gash in his thigh. 

他向后倒去，鲜血从他大腿上的一个口子里涌了出来。

These findings suggest that what might seem small when we are deciding whether or not to do something nice for someone else could matter a great deal to the person we do it for. Given that these warm gestures can enhance our own mood and brighten the day of another person, why not choose kindness when we can?

这些发现表明，当我们决定是否为别人做点好事时，看似微不足道的事情对我们善意行为接受的人来说却意义重大。如果这些温暖的举动可以提升我们自己的心情，且让另一个人的一天充满阳光，那么为什么不在我们可以的时候选择善良呢？

given that…   如果（表假设）

【例】Given (the fact) that conflict is inevitable，we need to learn how to manage it.

如果冲突是不可避免的，那么我们就要学会如何处理它。

【拓展】given   prep. & V-ed & adj. & n.

1. 作介词：鉴于；考虑到……

【例】Given (the fact) that he's had six months to do this, he hasn't made much progress.

考虑到他有六个月的时间来做这件事，他并没有取得多大进展。

Given her age, she's a remarkably fast runner.

考虑到她的年龄，她可称得上是个很出众的赛跑运动员了。

Given the complexity of the task, they were able to do a good job.

考虑到任务的复杂性，他们能够做得很好。

2. 作过去分词短语：如果给；如果得到

【例】Given my choice of reading matter, I am happy to have a classic book to read.

如果让我选择阅读材料，我会非常高兴地选一本经典著作。

Given a second chance, I won't make the same mistakes.

若再给我第二次机会，我不会犯同样的错误。

3. 作形容词：特定的

【例】In the given situation, more than one of these methods may be used.

在特定的情况下，不止一种方法可以适用。

4. 作名词：不争的事实

【例】It is a given that most animals will protect their young.

大部分动物都会保护他们的幼崽，这是一个不争的事实。

课后练习

• What does the phrase “make the cupcake even sweeter” in Paragraph 1 mean?

  A. The better the gift is, the more positive the receiver feels.

  B. People adopt a positive attitude when they are in a good mood.

  C. Acts of kindness can improve the well-being of everyone around.

  D. The kindness itself adds greater value to what is given away.

• One possible consequence of underestimating warmth is that ____.

  A. people may have negative views about being kind

  B. people may find it worthless to show kindness

  C. people may expect returns for their kindness

  D. people may be confused about how to be kind

• The experiment of “pay it forward” effects showed that ____.

  A. kindness could ease people’s desire for economic gains

  B. people tended to be more generous to unidentified strangers

  C. the recipient of a kind act would be nice to other people

  D. the contagiousness incentivized people to show kindness

• The author advocated that people should ____.

  A. be considerate of other people’s feelings

  B. view the value of kindness objectively

  C. put the interests of others before themselves

  D. perform acts of kindness as long as they can