杭州師范大學(xué)2019考研試題211翻譯碩士英語

杭州師范大學(xué)

會色_年招收攻讀碩士研究生考試題

考試科目代碼：211

考試科目名稱：翻譯碩士英語

說明：考生答題時一律寫在答題紙上，否則漏批責(zé)任自負。

I.Vocabularyandgrammar(3(F)

SectionAMultiplechoice(20')

Directions:BeneatheachsentencetherearefourwordsorphrasesmarkedA,B,CandD.

Choosetheanswerthatbestcompletesthesentence.MarkyouranswersontheANSWER

SHEET.

1.Mr.Jeffreyhadjusttheshelloftheboiledcrabandwasstartingtopeelitoff.

A.crackedB.burstC.fracturedD.clanked

2.Lastweekthebishoppreachedafarewellsermontoa(n)thathaveknownhim

verywellsincehemovedhere.

A.congregationB.audienceC.progressionD.population

3.Idon'tdoubttheplanwillbewellimplemented.

A.howB.thatC.whichD.whether

4.Theoldwomanhadanhabitofemptyingashtraysoutofherupstairswindow

ontomydoorstep.

A.offendingB.offensiveC.uneducatedD.objectionable

5.ThephysicianreassuredmethatthepaininmylegwouldonehourafterItook

themedicineasIwastold.

A.wearawayB.wearoffC.weardownD.wearout

6.Thephonecallmyparentsjustgavemearouseda(n)feelingofhomesickness

inme.

A.intenseB.intensiveC.hopelessD.forceful

7.TheprofessorsaidthathewouldtranslateaChinesefictionifhecouldfinda(n)

tohelphimproof-readhistranslation.

A.collaboratorB.accompliceC.allyD.confederate

8.AlthoughWildAidhasbeentryingtostoptheslaughterofsharksfortheirfins,current

regulationsrarelycurtailtothedegreeneededtorestoresharkpopulation.

A.sharksarehuntedB.thehuntingofsharks

C.tohuntsharksD.sharkshunted

9.Themereprospectofaperformanceofoneoftheiroperaswasenoughtosetthemtorunning

upbillsamountingtotheirprospectiveroyalties.

A.tentimesthenumberofB.tentimestheamountof

C.thenumberoftentimesD.astentimesastheamountof

10.Theofplasticcontainersisoneoftheproblemsthatthelocalenvironmental

agencyhastodealwith.

A.dispositionB.dispersalC.disposalD.dissolution

11.Theforecastpredictedweatherwithrain,sunshine,thunderandwindandthat

isjustwhattheyhavehad.

A.fluctuatingB.differingC.rangingD.variable

12.Theresearchinvolvesastudyofthehumanheartwhichleadsusthroughdeviousmazesof

passion,itisdifficulttofindaway.

A.ofwhichB.fromwhich

C.outofwhichD.throughwhich

13.Themiserablefamilyhavehadaofmisfortunes.

A.continuationB.successionC.repetitionD.contingency

14.Mr.Whitewouldhavebeenmoreamicableandcivilizedifhehadchangedalittlebit,

?

A.wouldn,theB.hasn'theC.didn'theD.hadn'the

15.InJapanesecities,trafficjamsarebecausecitizensinsuburbhavetodrive

everydaytocentralbusinessareastowork.

A.propagatedB.activatedC.aggravatedD.irritated

16.Asanexperiencedpolitician,hehastohavetheofinspiringconfidenceinhis

listeners.

A.flukeB.frenzyC.museD.knack

17.YouhadthesituationinwhichFloridahadmorelistedpublicbathingbeaches

thanthewholeoftheUnitedKingdom.

A.luminousB.luculentC.lubricantD.ludicrous

18.Muchofwhatthelecturersaidwasbeyondhercomprehensionbutshemanagedto

understandtheofhisremarks.

A.tactB.tenorC.tannerD.manner

19.Littleabouthisownsafety,thoughhehimselfwasingreatdanger.

A.hecaredB.hemaycareC.mayhecareD.didhecare

20.Onewomanwasfeareddeadlastnightafterahelicopteroffcourseintoanoil

platformandditchedintothesea.

A.veeredB.instigatedC.falsifiedD.blandished

SectionBProofreadinganderrorcorrection(10')

ThepassagecontainsTENerrors.EachindicatedlinecontainsamaximumofONEerror.In

eachcase,onlyONEwordisinvolved.Youshouldproofreadthepassageandcorrectitinthe

followingway:

Forawrongwordunderlinethewrongwordandwritethecorrectonein

theblankprovidedattheendoftheline

Foramissingword

markthepositionofthemissingwordwitha"A”sign

andwritethewordyoubelievetobemissinginthe

blankprovidedattheendoftheline.

Foranunnecessarywordcrosstheunnecessarywordwithaslash"/"andputthe

wordintheblankprovidedattheendoftheline.

EXAMPLE

Whenartmuseumwantsanewexhibit,(1)WhenAart-an

Itneverbuysthingsinfinishedformandhangs(2)Itflevefbuysfnever

themonthewall.Whenanaturalhistorymuseum

wantsanexhibition,itmustoftenbuildit.(3)exhibitionexhibit

Sciencewasonceseenasthestuffydomainofpalemale

scientistsspentfartoomuchoftheirtimeinthelaboratory⑴

concoctingpotionsintesttubeswhileavoidingsunlightand

humaninteraction.Occasionallytheywouldventureoutofthe

labtogivelecturesandimparttheirwisdomwithsciencestudents.⑵

Buttheywouldrarelyconfrontwiththegeneralpublic.Now,⑶

thankstothegrowingnumberofsciencefestivals,scientists

areengagingwithpeopleinunique,innovative一andoften

surprising—way.

Sciencecommunicationhasevolvedinrecentyears,broken(4)

theage-oldtraditionoftheelitescientistimpartingknowledgeto

theinterestedlayman.Thankstotheincreasingemphasisin

academiaonpublicengagement,itisnowexpectedthatlearning

aboutscienceinanopen,democraticprocess—somethingshaped⑸

byprofessionals,butledbythepublic.

Todaythelanguageofsciencecommunicationisrepleted(6)

withwordssuchascreate,experience,participateandjourney.

Itallmakesparticipationinpublicsciencefeelmorelikeafun

dayoutasaclassroomchore.⑺

PublicscienceeventsdatebacktothedaysoftheAncient

GreekswhenthelikeofPlatoandAristotlewouldspeakinpublic⑻

abouttheirtheoriesofscienceandphilosophy.Itwasthe

EdinburghInternationalScienceFestivalwhichcoinedtheterm(9),

"sciencefestival"atitsinceptin1989.(10)

II.Readingcomprehension(40,)

Section1Multiplechoice(20‘)

Directions:Inthissectiontherearetwopassagesfollowedbymultiplechoicequestions.Read

thepassagesandthenmarkyouranswersontheanswersheet.

PassageA

AScottishnovelist,poet,essayist,andtravelwriter,RobertLouisStevensonwasbomat8

HowardPlace,EdinburghScotland,on13November1850.Ithasbeenmorethan100yearssince

hisdeath.Stevensonwasawriterwhocausedconflictingopinionsabouthisworks.Ononehand,

hewasoftenhighlypraisedforhisexpertproseandstylebymanyEnglish-languagecritics.On

theotherhand,potherscriticizedthereligiousthemesinhisworks,oftenmisunderstanding

Stevenson'sownreligiousbeliefs.Sincehisdeathacenturybefore,criticsandbiographershave

disagreedonthelegacyofStevenson'swriting.Twobiographers,KFandCP,wroteabiography

aboutStevensonwithaclearfocus.TheychosenottocriticizeaspectsofStevenson'spersonal

life.Instead,theyfocusedonhiswriting,andgavehighpraisetohiswritingstyleandskill.

Theliterarypendulumhasaswungthesedays.Differentcriticshavedifferentopinions

towardsRobertLouisStevenson'sworks.Thoughtoday,Stevensonisoneofthemosttranslated

authorsintheworld,hisworkshavesustainedawidevarietyofnegativecriticismthroughouthis

life,itwaslikeacompletereversalofpolarityfromhighlypositivetoslightlylesspositiveto

clearlynegative;afterbeinghighlypraisedasagreatwriter,hebecameanexampleofanauthor

withcon*uptethicsandlackofmoral.Manyliterarycriticspassedhisworksoffaschildren's

storiesorhorrorstories,andthoughttohavelittlesocialvalueinaneducationalsetting.

Stevenson'sworkswereoftenexcludedfromliteraturecurriculumbecauseofitscontroversial

nature.Thesedebatesremain,andmanycriticsstillassertthatdespitehisskill,hisliteraryworks

stilllackmoralvalue.

OneofthemainreasonswhyStevenson\literaryworksattractedsomuchcriticismwasdue

tothegenreofhiswriting.Stevensonmainlywroteadventurestories,whichwaspartofa

popularandentertainingwritingfadatthetime.Manyofusbelieveadventurestoriesare

exciting,offersengagingcharacters,action,andmysterybutultimatelycan'tteachmoral

principles.Theplotpointsareone-dimensionalandrarelyofferadeepermoralmeaning,instead

focusingonexcitingandshockingplottwistsandthrillingevents.Hisworkswereevencriticized

byfellowauthors.ThoughStevenson'sworkshavedeeplyinfluencedOscarWilde,Wildeoften

jokedthatStevensonwouldhavewrittenbetterworksifhewasn'tborninScotland.Other

authorscametoStevenson\defence,includingGalsworthywhoclaimedthatStevensonisa

greaterwriterthanThomasHardy.

DespiteWilde'scriticism,Stevenson\Scottishidentitywasintegralpartofhiswriting

works.AlthoughStevenson'sworkswerenotpopularinScotlandwhenhewasalive,many

modernScottishliterarycriticsclaimthatSirWalterScottandRobertLouisStevensonarethe

mostinfluentialwritersinthehistoryofScotland.WhilemanycriticsexaltSirWalterScottasa

literarygeniusbecauseofhistechnicalability,othersarguethatStevensondeservesthesame

recognitionforhisnaturalabilitytocapturestoriesandcharactersinwords.ManyofScott's

worksweretakenmoreseriouslyasliteraturefortheirdepthduetotheirtragicthemes,butfans

ofStevensonpraisehisuniquestyleofstory-tellingandcaptureofhumannature.Stevenson9s

works,unlikeotherBritishauthors,capturedtheuniquedaytodaylifeofaverageScottish

people.Manyliterarycriticspointtothisasaflawofhisworks.Accordingtothecritics,truly

importantliteratureshouldtranslatelocalcultureandstories.However,manycriticspraisethe

localtasteofhisliterature.Tothisday,Stevenson'sworksprovidevaluableinsighttolifein

Scotlandduringthe19thcentury.

DespitemuchdebateofStevenson9swritingtopics,hiswritingwasnottheonlysourceof

attentionforcritics.Stevenson'spersonallifeoftenattractedalotofattentionfromhisfansand

criticsalike.Someevenarguethathispersonallifeeventuallyoutshonehiswriting.Stevenson

hadbeenplaguedwithhealthproblemshiswholelife,andoftenhadtoliveinmuchwarmer

climatesthanthecold,drearyweatherofScotlandinordertorecover,sohetookhisfamilytoa

southpacificislandSamoa,whichwasacontroversialdecisionatthattime.However,Stevenson

didn'tregretthedecision.Theseaairandthrillofadventurecomplimentedthethemesofhis

writing,andforatimerestoredhishealth.Fromthere,Stevensongainedaloveoftravelling,and

fornearlythreeyearshewanderedtheeasternandcentralPacific.Muchofhisworksreflected

thisloveoftravelandadventurethatStevensonexperiencedinthePacificislands.Itwasasa

resultofthisbiographicalattentionthatthefeelinggrewthatinterestinStevenson'slifehad

takentheplaceofinterestinhisworks.Whethercriticsfocusonhiswritingsubjects,his

religiousbeliefs,orhiseccentriclifestyleoftravelandadventure,peoplefromthepastand

presenthavedifferentopinionsaboutStevensonasanauthor.Today,heremainsacontroversial

yetwidelypopularfigureinwesternliterature.

1.Stevenson9sbiographersKFandCP__.

A.underestimatedtherolefamilyplayedinStevenson'slife.

B.overestimatedthewriter'sworksintheliteraturehistory.

C.exaggeratedStevenson\religiousbeliefinhisworks.

D.elevatedStevenson'sroleasawriter.

2.Themainpointofthesecondparagraphis.

A.thepublicgiveamorefaircriticismtoStevenson9sworks.

B.recentcriticismhasbeenjustified.

C.thestyleofStevenson'sworksoverweighhisfaultsinhislife.

D.Stevenson'sworks'drawbackislackofethicalnature.

3.Accordingtotheauthor,adventurestories.

A.donotprovideplottwistswell.

B.cannotbeusedbywriterstoshowmoralvalues.

C.aremorefashionableartform.

D.canbefoundinother9sworksbutnotinStevenson's.

4.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutStevenson'sworks?

A.TheydescribethelifeofpeopleinScotland.

B.Theyarecommonlyregardedasrealliterature.

C.TheywerepopularduringStevenson'slife.

D.Theytranscendthelocalcultureandstories.

5.ThelifestyleofStevenson.

A.madehisfamilyenvyhimsomuch.

B.shouldberesponsibleforhisdeath.

C.gainedmoreattentionfromthepublicthanhisworks.

D.didn'twellpreparehislifeinSamoa.

PassageB

InBritainoneofthemostdramaticchangesoftheIndustrialRevolutionwastheharnessing

ofpower.UntilthereignofGeorgelll(1760-1820),availablesourcesofpowerforworkand

travelhadnotincreasedsincetheMiddleAges.Therewerethreesourcesofpower:animalor

humanmuscles;thewind,operatingonsailorwindmill;andrunningwater.Onlythelastofthese

wassuitedatalltothecontinuousoperatingofmachines,andalthoughwaterpoweraboundedin

LancashireandScotlandandrangrainmillsaswellastextilemills,ithadonegreat

disadvantage:streamsflowedwherenatureintendedthemto,andwater-drivenfactorieshadto

belocatedontheirbankswhetherornotthelocationwasdesirableforotherreasons.

Furthermore,eventhemostreliablewaterpowervariedwiththeseasonsanddisappearedina

drought.Thenewageofmachinery,inshort,couldnothavebeenbomwithoutanewsourceof

bothmovableandconstantpower.

Thesourcehadlongbeenknownbutnotexploited.Earlyintheeighteenthcentury,apump

hadcomeintouseinwhichexpandingsteamraisedapistoninacylinder,andatmospheric

pressurebroughtitdownagainwhenthesteamcondensedinsidethecylindertoformavacuum.

This"atmosphericengine”,inventedbyThomasSaveryandvastlyimprovedbyhispartner,

ThomasNewcomen,embodiedoutsidethecoalminesforwhichithadbeendesigned.Inthe

1760s,JamesWattperfectedaseparatecondenserforthesteam,sothatthecylinderdidnothave

tobecooledateverystroke;thenhedevisedawaytomakethepistonturnawheelandthus

convertreciprocating(backandforth)motionintorotarymotion.Hetherebytransformedan

inefficientpumpoflimiteduseintoasteamengineofathousanduses.Thefinalstepcamewhen

steamwasintroducedintothecylindertodrivethepistonbackwardaswellasforward,thereby

increasingthespeedoftheengineandcuttingitsfuelconsumption.

Watt'ssteamenginesoonshowedwhatitcoulddo.Itliberatedindustryfromdependenceon

runningwater.Theengineeliminatedwaterintheminesbydrivingefficientpumps,whichmake

possibledeeperanddeepermining.ThereadyavailabilityofcoalinspiredWilliamMurdoch

duringthe1790stodevelopthefirstnewformofnighttimeilluminationtobediscoveredina

millenniumandahalf.Coalgasrivaledsmokyoillampsandflickeringcandles,andearlyinthe

newcentury,well-to-doLondonersgrewaccustomedtogas-lithousesandevenstreets.Iron

manufacturers,whichhadstarvedforfuelwhiledependingoncharcoal,alsobenefitedfrom

ever-increasingsuppliesofcoal:blastfurnaceswithsteam-poweredbellowsturnedoutmoreiron

andsteelforthenewmachinery.Steambecamethemotiveforceoftheindustrialrevolutionas

coalandironoreweretherawmaterials.

By1800morethanathousandsteamengineswereinuseintheBritishIsles,andBritain

retainedavirtualmonopolyengineproductionuntilthe1830s.Steampowerdidnotmerelyspin

cottonandrolliron;earlyinthenewcentury,italsomultipliedtentimesovertheamountof

paperthatasingleworkercouldproduceinaday.Atthesametime,operatorsofthefirstprinting

pressesrunbysteamratherthanbyhandfounditpossibletoproduceathousandpagesinanhour

ratherthanthirty.Steamalsopromisedtoeliminateatransportationproblemnotfullysolvedby

eithercanalboatsorturnpikescouldcrossthehills,buttheroadbedscouldnotstandupunder

greatweights.Theseproblemsneededstillanothersolution,andtheingredientsforitlaycloseat

hand,insomeindustrialregions,heavilyladenwagons,withflangedwheels,wherebeinghauled

byhorsesalongmetalrails;andthestationarysteamenginewaspuffinginthefactoryandmine.

Anothergenerationpassedbeforeinventorssucceededincombiningtheseingredients,byputting

theengineonwheelsandthewheelsontherails,soastoprovideamachinetotaketheplaceof

thehorse.Thustherailroadagesprangfromwhathadalreadyhappenedintheeighteenth

century.

6.Whichofthesentencesbelowbestexpressestheessentialinformationinthefirstpassage?

A.Runningwaterwasthebestpowersourceforfactoriessinceitcouldkeepmachinesoperating

continuously,butsinceitwasabundantonlyinLancashireandScotland,mostmillsandfactories

thatwerelocatedelsewherecouldnotbewaterdriven.

B.Thedisadvantageofusingwaterpoweristhatstreamsdonotnecessarilyflowinplacesthat

arethemostsuitableforfactories,whichexplainswhysomanywater-poweredgrainandtextile

millswerelocatedinundesirableplaces.

C.Sincemachinescouldbeoperatedcontinuouslyonlywhererunningwaterwasabundant,grain

andtextilemills,aswellasotherfactories,tendedtobelocatedonlyinLancashireandScotland.

D.Runningwaterwastheonlysourceofpowerthatwassuitableforthecontinuousoperationof

machines,buttomakeuseofit,factorieshadtobelocatedwherethewaterwas,regardlessof

whethersuchlocationsmadesenseotherwise.

7.Accordingtoparagraph2,the"atmosphericengine“wasslowbecause.

A.ithadbeendesignedtobeusedincoalmines

B.thecylinderhadtocoolbetweeneachstroke

C.itmadeuseofexpandingsteamtoraisethepistoninitscylinder

D.itcouldbeoperatedonlywhenalargesupplyoffuelwasavailable

8.Inparagraph3,theauthormentionsWilliamMurdoch'sinventionofanewformofnighttime

illuminationinorderto.

A.indicateoneoftheimportantdevelopmentsmadepossiblebytheintroductionofWatt'ssteam

engine

B.makethepointthatWatt'ssteamenginewasnottheonlyinventionofimportancetothe

IndustrialRevolution

C.illustratehowimportantcoalwasasarawmaterialfortheIndustrialRevolution

D.provideanexampleofanothereighteenth-centuryinventionthatusedsteamasapowersource

9.Accordingtoparagraph4,whichofthefollowingstatementsaboutsteamenginesistrue?

A.Theywereusedfortheproductionofpaperbutnotforprinting.

B.By1800,significantnumbersofthemwereproducedoutsideofBritain.

C.Theywereusedinfactoriesbeforetheywereusedtopowertrains.

D.Theywereusedintheconstructionofcanalsandturnpikes.

10.Accordingtoparagraph4,providingamachinetotaketheplaceofthehorseinvolved

combiningwhichtwopreviouslyingredients?

A.Turnpikesandcanals

B.Stationarysteamenginesandwagonswithflangedwheels

C.Metalrailsinroadbedsandwagonscapableofcarryingheavyloads

D.Canalboatsandheavilyladenwagons

Section2Answeringquestions(209)

Directions:ReadthefollowingtwopassagesandthenanswerINCOMPLETESENTENCESthe

questionswhichfalloweachpassage.Useonlyinformationfromthepassageyouhavejustread

andwriteyouranswersontheanswersheet.

Questions1-3

Americanstodaychooseamongmoreoptionsinmorepartsoflifethanhaseverbeen

possiblebefore.Toanextent,theopportunitytochooseenhancesourlives.Itisonlylogicalto

thinkthatifsomechoicesaregood,moreisbetter;peoplewhocareabouthavinginfiniteoptions

willbenefitfromthem,andthosewhodon'tcanalwaysjustignorethe273versionscerealthey

havenevertried.Yetrecentresearchstronglysuggeststhat,psychological,thisassumptionis

wrong,with5%lowerpercentageannouncingtheyarehappy.Althoughsomechoicesare

undoubtedlybetterthannone,moreisnotalwaysbetterthanless.

Recentresearchoffersinsightintowhymanypeopleendupunhappyratherthanpleased

whentheiroptionsexpand.Webeganbymakingadistinctionbetween"maximisers”(thosewho

alwaysaimtomakethebestpossiblechoice)and"satisfiers”(thosewhoaimforgoodenough

whetherornotbetterselectionmightbeoutthere).

Inparticular,wecomposedasetofstatementstheMaximisationScale-todiagnose

people'spropensitytomaximize.Thenwehadseveralthousandpeopleratethemselvesfrom1to

7(fromcompletelydisagreetocompletelyagree)onsuchstatementsas“Ineversettleforsecond

best.^Wealsoevaluatedtheirsenseofsatisfactionwiththeirdecisions.Wedidn'tdefineasharp

cutofftoseparatemaximisersfromsatisfiers,butingeneral,wethinkofindividualswhose

averagescoresarehigherthan4(thescale'smidpoint)asmaximisersandthosewhosescoresare

lowerthanthemidpointassatisfiers.Peoplewhoscorehighestonthetestthegreatest

maximisers-engageinmoreproductcomparisonsthanthelowestscorers,bothbeforeandafter

theymakepurchasingdecisions,andtheytakelongertodecidewhattobuy.Whensatisfiersfind

anitemthatmeetstheirstandards,theystoplooking.Butmaximisersexertenormouseffort

readinglabels,checkingoutconsumermagazinesandtryingnewproducts.Theyalsospendmore

timecomparingtheirpurchasingdecisionswiththoseofothers.

Wefoundthatthegreatestmaximisersaretheleasthappywiththefruitsoftheirefforts.

Whentheycomparethemselveswithothers,theygetlittlepleasurefromfindingoutthattheydid

betterandsubstantialdissatisfactionfromfindingoutthattheydidworse.Theyaremoreproneto

experiencingregretafterapurchase,andiftheiracquisitiondisappointsthem,theirsenseof

well-beingtakeslongertorecover.Theyalsotendtobroodorruminatemorethansatisfiersdo.

Doesitfollowthatmaximisersarelesshappyingeneralthansatisfiers?Wetestedthisby

havingpeoplefilloutavarietyofquestionnairesknowntobereliableindicatorsofwell-being.

Asmightbeexpected,individualswithhighmaximisationscoresexperiencedlesssatisfaction

withlifeandwerelesshappy,lessoptimisticandmoredepressedthanpeoplewithlow

maximizationscores.Indeed,thosewithextrememaximizationratingshaddepressionscoresthat

placedthemintheborderlineofclinicalrange.

Severalfactorsexplainwhymorechoiceisnotalwaysbetterthanless,especiallyfor

maximisers.Highamongtheseare"'opportunitycosts.,9Thequalityfanygivenoptioncannotbe

assessedinisolationfromitsalternatives.Oneofthe"costs“ofmakingaselectionislosingthe

opportunitiesthatadifferentoptionwouldhaveafforded.Thusanopportunitycostof

vacationingonthebeachinCapeCodmightbemissingthefabulousrestaurantsintheNapa

Valley.EarlyDecisionMakingResearchbyDanielKahnemanandAmosTverskyshowedthat

peoplerespondmuchmorestronglytolossesthangains.Ifweassumethatopportunitycosts

reducetheoveralldesirabilityofthemostpreferredchoice,thenthemorealternativesthereare,

thedeeperoursenseoflosswillbeandthelesssatisfactionwewillderivefromourultimate

decision.

TheproblemofopportunitycostswillbebetterforasatisfiesThelatter"goodenough^^

philosophycansurvivethoughtsaboutopportunitycosts.Inaddition,the"goodenough^^

standardleadstomuchlesssearchingandinspectionofalternativesthanthemaximiser9s“best”

standard.Withfewerchoicesunderconsideration,apersonwillhavefeweropportunitycoststo

subtract.

Justaspeoplefeelsorrowabouttheopportunitiestheyhaveforgone,theymayalsosuffer

regretabouttheoptiontheysettledon.MycolleaguesandIdevisedascaletomeasureproneness

tofeelingregret,andwefoundthatpeoplewithhighsensitivitytoregretarelesshappy,less

satisfiedwithlife,lessoptimisticandmoredepressedthanthosewithlowsensitivity.Not

surprisingly,wealsofoundthatpeoplewithhighregretsensitivitytendtobemaximisers.Indeed,

wethinkthatworryoverfutureregretisamajorreasonthatindividualsbecomemaximisers.The

onlywaytobesureyouwillnotregretadecisionisbymakingthebestpossibleone.

Unfortunately,themoreoptionsyouhaveandthemoreopportunitycostsyouincur,themore

likelyyouaretoexperienceregret.

Inaclassicdemonstrationofthepowerofsunkcosts,peoplewereofferedseason

subscriptionstoalocaltheatrecompany.Somewereofferedtheticketsatfullpriceandothersat

adiscount.Thentheresearcherssimplykepttrackofhowoftentheticketpurchasersactually

attendedtheplaysoverthecourseoftheseason.Full-pricepayersweremorelikelytoshowupat

performancesthandiscountpayers.Thereasonforthis,theinvestigatorsargued,wasthatthe

full-pricepayerswouldexperiencemoreregretiftheydidn'tusetheticketsbecausenotusingthe

morecostlyticketswouldconstituteabiggerloss.Toincreasesenseofhappiness,wecandecide

torestrictouroptionswhenthedecisionisnotcrucial.

1.WhatistheaimoftheMaximisationScalecomposedbytheresearchers?Whotendtobe

leasthappywhenmakingchoices?

2.Whywerethefull-priceticketpayersmorelikelytoshowupattheperformances?

3.Accordingtothepassage,whatcanbedonetoincreasethesenseofhappinesswhen

makingabetterchoice?

Questions4-5

TheragingbattleoverSOPAandPIPA,theproposedanti-privacylaws,islookingmoreand

morelikelytoendinfavorofInternetfreedom-butitwon'tbethelastbattleofitskind.

Although,etherealasitis,theinternetseemsdestinedtosurviveinsomeformoranother,experts

warnthattherearemanythreatstoitsstatusquoexistence,andthereismuchaboutitthatcould

beruinedorlost.

Physicaldestruction

Av