Scientists have found that although we are prone to snap overreactions, if we take a moment and think about how we are likely to react, we can reduce or even eliminate the negative effects of our quick, hard-wired responses.

　　Snap decisions can be important defense mechanisms; if we are judging whether someone is dangerous, our brains and bodies are hard-wired to react very quickly, within milliseconds. But we need more time to assess other factors. To accurately tell whether someone is sociable, studies show, we need at least a minute, preferably five. It takes a while to judge complex aspects of personality, like neuroticism or open-mindedness.

　　But snap decisions in reaction to rapid stimuli aren’t exclusive to the interpersonal realm. Psychologists at the University of Toronto found that viewing a fast-food logo for just a few milliseconds primes us to read 20 percent faster, even though reading has little to do with eating. We unconsciously associate fast food with speed and impatience and carry those impulses into whatever else we’re doing, Subjects exposed to fast-food flashes also tend to think a musical piece lasts too long.

　　Yet we can reverse such influences. If we know we will overreact to consumer products or housing options when we see a happy face (one reason good sales representatives and real estate agents are always smiling), we can take a moment before buying. If we know female job screeners are more likely to reject attractive female applicants, we can help screeners understand their biases-or hire outside screeners.

　　John Gottman, the marriage expert, explains that we quickly “thin slice” information reliably only after we ground such snap reactions in “thick sliced” long-term study. When Dr. Gottman really wants to assess whether a couple will stay together, he invites them to his island retreat for a muck longer evaluation; two days, not two seconds.

　　Our ability to mute our hard-wired reactions by pausing is what differentiates us from animals: doge can think about the future only intermittently or for a few minutes. But historically we have spent about 12 percent of our days contemplating the longer term. Although technology might change the way we react, it hasn’t changed our nature. We still have the imaginative capacity to rise above temptation and reverse the high-speed trend.

　　31. The time needed in making decisions may____.

　　[A] vary according to the urgency of the situation

　　[B] prove the complexity of our brain reaction

　　[C] depend on the importance of the assessment

　　[D] predetermine the accuracy of our judgment

　　32. Our reaction to a fast-food logo shows that snao decisions____.

　　[A] can be associative

　　[B] are not unconscious

　　[C] can be dangerous

　　[D] are not impulsive

　　33. Toreverse the negative influences of snap decisions,we should____.

　　[A] trust our first impression

　　[B] do as people usually do

　　[C] think before we act

　　[D] ask for expert advice

　　34. John Gottman says that reliable snap reaction are based on____.

　　[A] critical assessment

　　[B]‘‘thin sliced ’’study

　　[C] sensible explanation

　　[D] adequate information

　　35. The author’s attitude toward reversing the high-speed trend is____.

　　[A] tolerant

　　[B] uncertain

　　[C] optimistic

　　[D] doubtful

　　31.【答案】 [D] predetermine the accuracy of our judgment

　　【解析】细节题。题干问的是“作决定过程中所需的时间或许可以_____”。文章第一段提到“如果我们在做出反应之前花点儿时间来思考，那么将会减少甚至消除我们快速反应所带来的负面影响”，也就是说我们做决定所花的时间决定了我们判断的准确性。此外，此选项中的“accuracy” 为“accurately ”的同词异形，故此项为正确答案。选项A表达“依形势紧急性而定”错在无中生有﹔选项B“証明大脑反映的复杂性”，也是无中生有﹔选项C “取决于评估的重要性”，也与原文不符合，故排除。

　　32.【答案】[A] can be associative

　　【解析】细节题。题干问的是“我们对于快餐商标的反应速度表明决定是_____样的”,由题干的关键词“fast-food logo”我们可以定位到第三段。第三段开头说，让人做出仓促决定的刺激因素不仅限于人际关系范围内。紧接着一句说人们对快餐商标的反应速度比一般阅读速度快。下一句阐述了原因：因为人们无意识地(unconsciously)将“快餐”与“速度”和“心急”联系在一起，并将这些冲动付诸行动。A说决定是有联系性的正确，因为人们将“快餐”与“速度”，“心急”联系在了一起。B说决定是无意识的，与原文意思相反;C说决定是危险的，原文未提及;D说决定是不冲动的，与原文意思相悖排除。

　　33.【答案】[C] think before we act

　　【解析】细节题。先看题干说“为了逆转仓促决定所带来的影响，我们应该_____”。 根据题干定位到第四段。第四段通过两个例子说明我们应该怎样克服负面影响，第一个例子表示“如果我们会对消费产品或者房产选择做出“过度反应”，我们可以在购买之前先思考一会儿”，由此可说明我们应该在行动之前先思考来消除负面影响，因此选择答案C。其他选项均不符合题意。

　　34.【答案】[D] adequate information

　　【解析】细节题。题干问的是“John Gottman认为可靠的快速反映是基于_____的。”由题干John Gottman 定位到全文倒数第二段。其中第一句：John Gottman, ...explains that we quickly “thin slice”information reliably only after we ground such snap reactions in ”thick sliced”long-term study. 婚姻专家约翰.古德曼解释说，我们快速反应的信息的可靠性是建立在这样的快速反应的行为是以长期的研究为基础而做出的快速反应行为。其中ground是题干中base on 的同意置换，long-term study长期的研究与D选项adequate information相互呼应。由此可判断出[D] adequate information(足够的信息)是本题正解。35.【答案】[C] optimistic

　　35. 【解析】态度题。根据35题题干reversing the high-speed trend是全文的最后一句，所以解此题可先定位到全文的最后一段。最后一段最后两句：Although technology might change the way we react, it hasn’t changed our nature. We still have the imaginative capacity to rise above temptation and reverse the high-speed trend.译为 “尽管技术可能改变我们反应的方式，但是它并没有改变我们的本性。我们仍然有能力去克服诱惑并扭转这种高速度的趋势。” 由此我们可以看出作者的态度是非常确定的，因此[C] optimistic(乐观的)是正解。