六级英语阅读

快速阅读训练

第一篇

InformingtheWorld

Everyday,thenewsoftheworldisrelayedtopeoplebyover300millioncopiesofdaily

papers,over400millionradiosets,andover150milliontelevisionsets.Additionalnewsisshown

bymotionpictures,intheatresandcinemasallovertheworld.Asmorepeoplelearnwhatthe

importanteventsofthedayare,fewerarestillconcernedexclusivelywiththeeventsoftheirown

household.AstheEnglishwriterJohnDonneputitnearlyfourhundredyearsago,"nomanisan

island."ThisideaismoreappropriatetodaythanitwaswhenDonnelived.Inshort,whereverhe

lives,amanbelongstosomesociety;andwearebecomingmoreandmoreawarethatwhatever

happensinoneparticularsocietyaffects,somehow,thelifeanddestinyofallhumanity.

Newspapershavebeenpublishedinthemodemworldforaboutfourhundredyears.Mostof

thenewspapersprintedtodayarereadinEuropeandNorthAmerica.However,soontheymaybe

readinallpartsoftheworld,thankstothenewinventionsthatarechangingthetechniquesof

newspaperpublishing.

Electronicsandautomationhavemadeitpossibletoproducepicturesandtextfarmore

quicklythanbefore.Photographicreproductioneliminatestheneedfortypeandprintingpresses.

Andfewerspecialists,suchastype-setters,areneededtoproduceapaperormagazinebythe

photo-offset（照相平板胶印）method.Therefore,thepublishingofnewspapersandmagazines

becomesmoreeconomical.Furthermore,photo-copiescanbesentovergreatdistancesnowby

meansoftelevisionchannelsandsatellitessuchasTelstar.Thus,picturescanbebroughttothe

publicmorequicklythanpreviously.

Machinesthatprepareprintedtextsforphoto-copiesarebeingusedagreatdealtoday.

Thousandsoflettersandfiguresofdifferentsizesandthicknessescannowbearrangedonablack

glassdiscthatisonlyeightinchesindiameter,tobeprintedinnegativeform（whiteonablack

background）.Thedisconthemachineturnsconstantlyattherateoftenrevolutionsasecond.A

beamoflightfromaslroboscopic（频闪的）lampshinesonthedesiredlettersandfiguresfor

aboutIwo-millionthsofasecond.Thentheimageofthelettersandfiguresthatwereilluminated

isprojectedontoafilmthroughlenses.Thesectionoffilmislargeenoughtoholdtheequivalent

ofapageoftext.Thereisakeyboardinfrontofthemachinethatissimilartothekeyboardofa

typewriter,andthemachineoperatorhasonlytostriketheproperkeysfortheimageofthe

correspondingletterstobeimmediatelytransferredtothefilm.Thenegativeimageonthefilmcan

quicklybetransferredontopaper.Thismethodmakesitaseasytoreproducephotographsand

illustrationsasitistoreproducethetextitself.

Film,beinglightandsmall,canbesentrapidlytootherplacesandusedtoprintcopiesofthe

textwheretheyareneeded.Filmimagescanalsobeprojectedeasilyonamovieortelevision

screen.Televisionbroadcastsarelimitedtoanareathatiswithinsightofthesendingstationorits

relay（中继）.Althoughtelevisionrelaysareoftenplacedonhillsandmountainssothattheycan

coverawiderregion,theystillcannotcovermorelandthanonecouldseefromthesamehilltop

onaclearday.However,theraysalsogooutintotheatmosphere,andifthereisarelaystationon

asatellitethatrevolvesaroundtheearth,itcantransmitthepicturestoanypointontheearthfrom

whichthesatelliteisvisible.Threesatellitespermanentlyrevolvingovertheequatortransmitany

televisionprogramtoanypartoftheearth.Thismakesitpossibleforworldeditionsof

newspaperstogivethenewsinallcountriesatthesametime.Somedayitmaybepossiblefora

subscribertoatelevisednewspapertopressabuttonandseeanewspaperpageonhistelevision

screen.Hecouldalsodecidewhenhewantsthepagetoturn,and,bydiallingdifferentnumbers

suchasthoseonatelephonedial,hecouldchoosethelanguageortheeditionofthepaperhe

wantstoread.Itseemsstrangetothinkthat,eventoday,methodsofthepastarenotentirely

useless.Forexample,sometimespressagenciesthatuseradioandTelstarusecarrierpigeonsto

sendmessagesbetweenofficesinlargecitiesbecausethepigeonsarenotbotheredbytraffic

problems.

ItmaybesometimebeforetelevisionsetsbecomecommonintheaveragehomesinAfrica

andAsia.However,radioisalreadyrapidlybecomingaccessibletothousandsofpeopleinthese

areas.And,nowthatgoodradiosarebeingmadewithtransistors,andtheirpriceisgradually

droppingbecauseofmassproduction,itmaynotbe"toolongbeforeradiosbecomecommonplace

inareaswhichhavenonewspapers.Transistorsmakeitpossibleforpeopletocarrysmallradios

wherevertheygo,withoutneedofelectriccurrent.Eventelevisionsetsarenowoperatingon

transistors,andthepocketTVmaysoonbeaswidespread

asthepocketradio.

Nowthatscientificprogressismakingitpossibletosendthenewstoallthe

inhabitantsoftheearth,itwillbeimportanttoconsiderwhatnewsisgoingtobesenttothem.

Nomatterwhatcriteriaareusedinmakingthedecision,adecisionmustbemade,sincenoone

would*havetimetoreadorlistentoanaccountofeverythingthereisgoingonintheworld!

Peoplewhohavetimetoreadseveralpaperscanalreadycomparedifferentreportsofthe

sameevent.Whenaneventhaspoliticalsignificance,eachpaperreportsitfromthepointofview

ofitsownpoliticalbeliefsorpreferences.Ideally,ofcourse,theexpressionofeditorialopinion

shouldbelimitedtotheeditorialpage,andthenewsarticlesshouldbeobjective—tellingthefacts

ascompletelyaspossible,withouttryingtogivethemaparticularinterpretation,orwithout

otherwisetryingtoinfluencethereader'sopinion.However,reportersandeditorsareonlyhuman,

andiftheyhavestrongpoliticalbeliefsitisalmostimpossibleforthemtohidethem.Ifeditors

believetheirpointofviewisbestforthereadersoftheirpaper,what'stostopthemfromusingthe

papertotrytoinfluencepublicopinion?Andif,someday,aworldnewspaperbecomesareality,

willitbethemostpowerfulpressagenciesthatwillchoosethenewstobesentouttoall

countries?

1.Theexpression"nomanisanisland"meansthatnomanlivessurroundedbywater.

2.Accordingtotheauthor,itmaynotbelongbeforepeopleallovertheworldhaveaccessto

newspapers.

3.Thetransfemngofnewspapertextstofilmistime-consumingandcostly.

4.TransistorsareparticularlyusefulbecausetheyareusedinsmallradioandTVsets.

5.Televisionrelaysareoftenplacedonahilltopsothattheycanreachasatellite.

6.Peoplearecapableofknowingalltheeventsgoingonineverypartoftheworld.

7.Ifaworldnewspaperbecomesareality,itwilltakemoreresponsibilityforinformingall

thereadersofthelatestnewsintheworld.

8.Newspapershavebeenpublishedforabout.

9.Anytelevisionprogramcouldbetransmittedtoanypartoftheworldby.

10.Itisidealthatthenewsarticles.

1.N2.Y3.N4.Y5.N6.N7.NG8.400years9.satellites10.be

objective

第二篇

Socialcustomsandwaysofbehavingchange.Thingswhichwereconsideredimpolitemanyyears

agoarenow11.Justafewyearsago,itwas12impolitebehaviorforamantosmokeonthestreet.

Nomanwhothoughtofhimselfasbeingagentlemanwouldmakea13ofhimselfbysmoking

whenaladywasinaroom.

Customsalsodifferfromcountrytocountry.Doesamanwalkontheleftortherightofa

womaninyourcountry?Ordoesn'tit14?Whatabouttablemanners?Shouldyouusebothhands

whenyouareeating?Shouldyouleaveoneinyourlap,oronthetable?

TheAmericansandtheBritishnotonlyspeakthesamelanguagebutalso15alargenumber

ofsocialcustoms.Forexample,inbothAmericaandEnglandpeopleshakehandswhentheymeet

eachotherforthefirsttime.Also,mostEnglishmenwillopenadoorforawomanoroffertheir

seattoawoman,andsowillmostAmericans.16isimportantbothinEnglandandinAmerica.

Thatis,ifadinnerinvitationisfbr7o'clock,thedinnerguesteitherarrives17tothattimeorcalls

uptoexplainhis18.

Theimportantthingtorememberaboutsocialcustomsisnottodoanythingthatmightmake

otherpeoplefeeluncomfortable-19iftheyareyourguests.Thereisanoldstoryaboutaman

whogaveaformaldinnerparty.Whenthefoodwasserved,oneoftheguestsstartedtoeathis

peaswithaknife.Theotherguestswereamusedorshocked,butthe20calmlypickeduphisknife

andbeganeatinginthesameway.

A.especiallyB.attainableC.closeD.delay

E.consideredF.hostGdeliveryH.Preparation

I.shareJ.foolK.specificallyL.acceptable

M.matterN.Promptness0.care

11.L12.E13.J14.M15.116.N17.C18.D19.A20.F

Etiquette（礼仪）

Theoriginsofetiquette—theconventionalrulesofbehaviorandceremoniesobservedin

politesociety—arecomplex.Oneofthemisrespectforauthority.Fromthemostprimitivetimes,

subjects（EK）showedrespectfortheirrulerbybowing,prostratingthemselvesontheground,not

speakinguntilspokento,andneverturningtheirbackstothethrone.Somerulersdevelopedrules

tostressevenfurthertherespectduetothem.TheemperorsofByzantiumexpectedtheirsubjects

tokisstheirfeet.Whenanambassadorfromabroadwasintroduced,hehadtotouchtheground

beforethethronewithhisforehead.Meanwhilethethroneitselfwasraisedintheairsothat,on

lookingup,theambassadorsawtherulerfarabovehim,haughtyandremote.

Absoluterulershave,asarule,madeetiquettemorecomplicatedratherthansimpler.The

purposeisnotonlytomaketherulerseemalmostgodlike,butalsotoprotecthimfromfamiliarity,

forwithoutsomesuchprotectionhislife,livedinevitablyinthepubliceye,wouldbeintolerable.

ThecourtofLouisXIVofFranceprovidedanexcellentexampleofaveryhighlydeveloped

systemofetiquette.BecausethekingandhisfamilywereconsideredtobelongtoFrance,they

werealmostcontinuallyonshowamongtheircourtiers（朝臣）.Theywoke,prayed,washedand

dressedbeforecrowdsofcourtiers.Evenlargecrowdswatchedthemeattheirmeals,andaccessto

theirpalacewasfreetoalltheirsubjects.

Yetthispubliclifewasorganizedsocarefully,withsucharefinementofceremonial,thatthe

authorityoftheKingandtherespectinwhichhewasheldgrewsteadilythroughouthislifetime.A

crowdwatchedhimdress,butonlytheDukewhowashisfirstvaletdechaniber（贴身一男仆）was

allowedtoholdouttherightsleeveofhisshirt,onlythePrincewhowashisGrandChamberlain

couldrelievehimofhisdressinggown,andonlytheMasteroftheWardrobemighthelphimpull

uphistrousers.Thesewerenotfamiliarities,normerelyduties,buthighlydesiredprivileges.

Napoleonrecognizedthevalueofceremonytoaruler.WhenhebecameEmperor,hediscarded

therevolutionarycustomofcallingeveryone"citizen",restoredmuchoftheCourtceremonialthat

theRevolutionhaddestroyed,andrecalledmembersofthenobilitytoinstructhisnewcourtinthe

oldformalmanners.

Rulesofetiquettemaypreventembarrassmentandevenseriousdisputes.Thegeneralruleof

socialprecedenceisthatpeopleofgreaterimportanceprecedethoseoflesserimportance.Before

therulesofdiplomaticprecedencewereworkedoutintheearlysixteenthcentury,rival

ambassadorsoftenfoughtforthemosthonourableseatingpositionataceremony.Beforethe

principlewasestablishedthatambassadorsofvariouscountriesshouldsigntreatiesinorderof

seniority,disputesaroseastowhoshouldsignfirst.Theestablishmentofrulesfbrsuchmatters

preventeduncertaintyanddisagreement,astorulesfbrlessimportantoccasions.Forexample,at

anEnglishwedding,themotherofthebridegroomshouldsitinthefirstpeworbenchonthe

right-handsideofthechurch.Theresultisdignityandorder.

Outsidepalacecircles,themainconcernofetiquettehasbeentomakeharmoniousthe

behaviourofequals,butsometimessocialclasseshaveusedetiquetteasaweaponagainst

intruders,refiningtheirmannersinordertomarkthemselvesofffromthelowerclasses.

Insixteenth-centuryItalyandeighteenth-centuryFrance,decreasingprosperityand

increasingsocialunrestledtherulingfamiliestotrytopreservetheirsuperioritybywithdrawing

fromthelowerandmiddleclassesbehindbarriersofetiquette.Inaprosperouscommunity,onthe

otherhand,politesocietysoonabsorbsthenewlyrich,andinEnglandtherehasneverbeenany

shortageofbooksonetiquetteforteachingthemthemannersappropriatetotheirnewwayoflife.

Everycodeofetiquettehascontainedthreeelements:basicmoralduties;practicalrules

whichpromoteefficiency;andartificial,optionalgracessuchasformalcomplimentsto,say,

womenontheirbeautyorsuperiorsontheirgenerosityandimportance.

Inthefirstcategoryareconsiderationfortheweakandrespectforage.Amongtheancient

Egyptianstheyoungalwaysstoodinthepresenceofolderpeople.AmongtheMponguweof

Tanzania,theyoungmenbowastheypassthehutsoftheelders.InEngland,untilaboutacentury

ago,youngchildrendidnotsitintheirparents'presencewithoutaskingpermission.

Practicalrulesarehelpfulinsuchordinaryoccurrencesofsociallifeasmakingproper

introductionsatpartiesorotherfunctionssothatpeoplecanbebroughttoknoweachother.

Beforetheinventionofthefork,etiquettedirectedthatthefingersshouldbekeptascleanas

possible;beforethehandkerchiefcameintocommonuse,etiquettesuggestedthat,afterspitting,a

personshouldrubthespitinconspicuously（难以察觉的）underfoot.

Extremelyrefinedbehavior,however,cultivatedasanartofgraciousliving,hasbeen

characteristiconlyofsocietieswithwealthandleisure,whichadmittedwomenasthesocialequals

ofmen.AfterthefallofRome,thefirstEuropeansocietytoregulatebehaviorinprivatelifein

accordancewithacomplicatedcodeofetiquettewastwelfth-centuryProvence,inFrance.

Provencehadbecomewealthy.Thelordshadreturnedtotheircastlesfromthecrusades（十

字军东征），andtheretheidealsofchivalry（武士制度）grewup,whichemphasizedthevirtueand

gentlenessofwomenanddemandedthataknight（骑士）shouldprofessapureanddedicatedlove

toaladywhowouldbehisinspiration,andtowhomhewoulddedicatehisbravedeeds,thoughhe

wouldnevercomephysicallyclosetoher.Thiswastheintroductionoftheconceptofromantic

love,whichwastoinfluenceliteraturefbrmanyhundredsofyearsandwhichstilllivesonina

belittledforminsimplepopularsongsandcheapnovelstoday.

InRenaissanceItalytoo,inthefourteenthandfifteenthcenturies,awealthyandleisured

societydevelopedanextremelycomplexcodeofmanners,buttherulesofbehavioroffashionable

societyhadlittleinfluenceonthedailylifeofthelowerclasses.Indeedmanyoftherules,suchas

howtoenterabanquetroom,orhowtouseaswordorhandkerchieffbrceremonialpurposes,

wereirrelevanttothewayoflifeoftheaverageworkingman,whospentmostofhislifeoutdoors

orinhisownpoorhutandmostprobablydidnothaveahandkerchief,certainlynotasword,tohis

name.

Yettheessentialbasisofallgoodmannersdoesnotvary.Considerationfortheoldandweak

andtheavoidanceofharmingorgivingunnecessaryoffencetoothersisafeatureofallsocieties

everywhereandatalllevelsfromthehighesttothelowest.Youcaneasilythinkofdozensof

examplesofcustomsandhabitsinyourowndailylifewhichcomeunderthisheading.

1.Etiquettesimplyservesthepurposeofshowingrespectforauthority.

2.LouisXIVofFrancemadeetiquetteverycomplicatedtoavoidfamiliarity.

3.Peopleofallsocietiesandsocialranksobservethegoodmannersofconsiderationfbrthe

weakandrespectforage.

4.NapoleondiscardedaristocraticprivilegeswhenhebecameEmperorofFrance.

5.Etiquettehasbeenusedtodistinguishpeoplefromdifferentclasses.

6.InEurope,thenewlyrichhaveaddednewingredientstoetiquettewhiletheyarelearning

tobehaveappropriatelyforanewwayoflife.

7.Afterthesixteenthcentury,fightsbetweenambassadorsoverprecedencewereacommon

occurrence.

8.Extremelyrefinedbehaviourhadonthelifeoftheworkingclass.

9.Basicmoraldutiesareoneoftheofeverycodeofetiquette.

10.Accordingtothepassage,theconceptofromanticlovewasintroducedin

I.N2.Y3.Y4.N5.Y6.NG7.N

8.littleinfluence9.threeelements10.twelfth-centuryProvence,France

第叩篇

TheeconomyoftheUnitedStatesafter1952wastheeconomyofawell-fed,almostfully

employedpeople.Despite_1_alarms,thecountryescapedanypostwardepressionandlivedin

a_2_ofboom.Aneconomicsurveyoftheyear1955,atypicalyearofthe1950*8,maybetypical

as—3―therapideconomicgrowthofthedecade.Thenationaloutputwas_4—at10percent

abovethatof1954(1955outputwasestimatedat392billiondollars).Theproductionof

manufactureswasabout40percentmorethanithad_5—intheyearsimmediatelyfollowing

WorldWarI.Thecountry'sbusinessspentabout30billiondollarsfornewfactoriesand

machinery.Nationalincome_6_forspendingwasalmostathirdgreaterthanithadbeenin

1950.Consumersspentabout256billiondollars;thatisabout700milliondollarsaday,orabout

twenty-fivemilliondollarseveryhour,allroundthe_7—.Sixty-fivemillionpeopleheldjobs

andonlyalittlemorethantwomillionwantedjobsbutcouldnotfindthem.Only

agriculture_8_thatitwasnotsharingintheboom.Tosomeobserversthiswasasadreflection

ofthemid-1920*s.Asfarmers'shareoftheirproducts_9_,marketingcostsrose.Buttherewere,

amongtheobserversofthenationaleconomy,afewwhowerenotasconfidentasthemajority.

Thosefewseemedtofearthattheboomcouldnotlastlongandwould_10_leadtothe

opposite—depression.

A.eventuallyB.averagedC.graduallyD.state

E.valuedF.formGdeclinedH.occasional

I.casualJ.arguedK.descendedL.complained

M.clockN.availableO.illustrating

LH2.D3.O4.E5.B6.N7.M8.L9.G10.A

第五篇

Likemostparents,geologistBrainAtwaterworriesabouthisdaughter'ssafety.Butthesedays,he

hasanunusualconcern;Thepublicschoolshe___1___inSeattlehasunreinforcedbrickwalls,a

___2___beingeasytocollapseduringearthquakes.Thesame___3___ofwallscrushedhundreds

ofthousandsofpeopleduringthe1976TangshanquakeinChina.

Adecadeago,Atwaterwouldhavepaidlittlenoticetoschoolroomwalls.Butoverthe

lastseveralyears,heandotherscientistshavefound___4___signsthatthePacificNorthwesthas

experiencedgiantquakesinthedistantpastandthattheareamaybeheadedforadestructive

shockinthenearfuture.

AtameetingoftheAmericanGeophysicalUnioninDecember,researchersdiscussed

the___5___uncoveredevidenceofquakepotentialinthePacificNorthwest.Whilesomeremain

unconvincedthathugeearthquakes——withmagnitudesof8orhigher-doindeed___6___this

region,agrowingnumberconsidersuchshocksaseriouspossibility.

What'sworrisome,theysay,isthatnorthwesterncitiessuchasPortland,Seattleand

Vancouverhavenotpreparedforearthquakesofthismagnitude,whichcouldshaketheregion's

___7___centerswithenoughforcetomaketherecentSanFranciscoareadamageseem___8___

incomparison.

“Ithinkit'squitetruetosaythatnothinghasreallybeendesignedwithoneofthese

earthquakesinmind,"saysseismologistPaulSomervilleofWoodward.Atthemeeting,

Somervilleandhiscolleagues___9___estimatesofthedegreeofshaking.PortlandandSeattle

wouldsufferduringsucha___10___earthquake.

A.massiveB.recentlyC.constructionD.displayed

E.relativelyF.attendsG.typeH.strike

I.structureJ.participatesK.excessiveL.mild

M.disturbingN.population0.presented

I.F2.C3.G4.M5.B6.H7.N8.L9.O10.A

虏£篇

HopeisHealthy

Youareabouttogotothehospitalforaroutinesurgicalprocedure.Whichattitudeis

healthier?

A.'TdbetterfindouteverythingIcanaboutthisoperation一youcanneverknowtoo

much.n

B."Don'ttellmethedetails.It'sgoingtobefine.*'

AnswerBissupposedtobethewrongone.It'sanexampleofwhatpsychologistscall

“denial,”adefencemechanismthatminimizesuncomfortableinformation.Denial,theyhave

argued,isstupid,self-defeatingandultimatelydangerous.

ButresearchisshowingthatanswerBisafasterroutetorecovery.Denial—ofacertain

sortandatcertaintimes一canbehealthy.Ofcourse,youdoneedtopayattentiontosome

unpleasantfacts.Thetrickistoknowwhenit'shelpfultoworryandwhenit'scounterproductive.

Out-and-outdenialmaybethebestapproachtosurgery,accordingtoRichardS.Lazarus,

professorofpsychologyattheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley.WithFrancesCohen,Lazarus

studied61patientsabouttoundergooperations(allrelativelycommonoperations).Ingeneral,

patientsfollowedoneoftwomentalstrategies;"avoidance"or"vigilance.”

Typically,avoidershadnotdiscussedtheirsurgeryindetailwithanyone,didn'twantto

knowaboutitanddidn'tdwelluponitsrisks.

Incontrast,vigilanttypeswerealerttoeverydetail.Manysoughtoutarticlesabouttheir

disorders.Theywantedtoknowtherisksofsurgery,therisksifsurgerywasnotperformed,the

surgicalprocedures,thepotentialcomplicationsandthelikelihoodofrecurrence.

WhenLazarusandCohencomparedthetwogroupsaftersurgery,theyfoundthat

avoidersgotonmuchbetter.Theyhadalowerincidenceofpostoperativecomplicationssuchas

nausea（恶心），headache,feverandinfection.Thenetresult:theyweredischargedsooner.

Onereasonmaybethattheirdenialmakeroomforhope,oratleastforapositive

outlook,evenunderthegrimmestofconditions."Neverdenythediagnosis,butdodenythe

negativeopinionthatmaygowithit,”advisesNormanCousins,authorofAnatomyofanIllness

andTheHealingHeart.Why?Becausegrimwarningsaboutdiseasescomefromstatisticsonthe

averagecase.Cousinsbelievesthatmostpatients,givenhopeanddetermination,haveagood

chancetotranscendtheaverages.

AddsDr.Hackett:"Deniersseethemachinesthey'rehookeduptoashelpingthemtoget

well,notasasignofabadlyfunctioningheart.Thosewhofeelmostpositiveabouttheirabilityto

getwelltendtodobetterthanthosewhofearandworrymore."

Ofcourse,noneoftheseresearcherswouldconcludethatdenialisthebestapproachto

allmedicalmatters.Adiabeticmustmonitorbloodsugar;akidneypatientmustkeeptrackof

dialysis（透析）;awomanwhofindsalumpinherbreastmustnotdelayinhavingitdiagnosed.

Thequestiontoaskyourself,Dr.Lazarusexplains,iswhethertheinformationyou

gatherwillhelpyousolveaproblem,orwhetherthereislittleyoucandotochangethings.Inthe

firstcase,payattentionandact.Inthesecondcase,don'tbecomepreoccupiedwiththerisks;

anxietycanworsenyourhealth.

Dr.HerbertBenson,associateprofessorofmedicineatHarvardMedicalSchool,points

outthattheoverlyvigilantpatient*scentralnervoussystembecomesarousedintothe

fight-or-flightresponse.Butsinceallthepatientcandoisliethere,hisbodysufferstheclassic

damagesofstress.

Whilestudyingpeople'sreactionstomedicalstress,TempleUniversitypsychologist

SuzanneMillerandUniversityofPennsylvaniagynecologiconcologist（妇科肿瘤学）CharlesE.

Manganplaced40womenabouttoundergocolposcopy（阴道镜检查）intwodifferentgroups,

accordingtotheircopingstyle.

Miller'smaininterestwastoseewhetheranyofthesewomenwouldcopebetterifthey

hadextrainformation.Shegavehalfofeachgroupvoluminousdetailsaboutwhatwouldhappen

andhowtheywouldfeel;shegavetherestonlythebasicfacts.Overall,theresultsreinforcedthe

benefitsofavoidance.Thewomengivenminimalinformationfeltmorerelaxedthroughoutthe

procedurethanthewomenwhoknewmore.（Oddlyenough,thegroupdesiringinformation

complainedthattheywouldhavelikedevenmore.Theveryactofgatheringdetailsseemedto

makethemlessanxious.）

Millefsresearchshowsthatdifferentpeoplereacttonewsabouttheirsituationsinvery

differentways.Thatmeans,shesuggests,thatpeopleshouldseekasmuchoraslittleinformation

astheirindividualcopingstyledictates.

Doestheresearchondenialmeanweshouldregress（倒退）tothedayswhenphysicians

usedtosay,"Don'ttellpatientsanything,becausetheydon'treallywanttoknow?'*Hardly.People

havearighttoknowwhatisgoingtohappentothem,andtotakepartindecisionsabouttheir

treatment.Butpatientscangetnecessaryinformationwithoutlearningalotofnerve-racking

detailstheydon'tneed.

Forexample,aphysiciancansay:"YouhaveasuspiciousPaptest.Thenextprocedure

iscalledcolposcopy;itwilltakefifteenminutes.nThedoctordoesn'tneedtodescribeeverything

acolposcopedoes,feelslikeormightfind.Similarly,awomanshouldseekalltheoptionsifshe

hasasuspiciousPaptest,butonceshemakesadecision,sheshouldnotbeobsessedaboutit.

Youcouldsummarizetheresearchinasetofguidelines:

•Ingeneral,itisbesttoblockoutmedicalthreatsandworrieswhenthereisnothing

youcandoaboutthem—say,afteryou'vedecidedtoundergosurgery.Don'tdwellonallthatcould

gowrongorvisualizeeveryfearfuldetail;concentrateinsteadonwhatislikelytogoright.

•Bevigilantaboutmattersthatyoucancontrol,suchaspayingattentiontosig