四级真题2022年12月第一套 Passage Two
四级真题2022年12月第一套 Passage Two

Recognizing when a friend or colleague feels sad, angry or surprised is key to getting along with others. But a new study suggests that being sensitive to people’s feelings may sometimes come with an extra dose of stress. This and other research challenge the prevailing view that emotional intelligence is uniformly beneficial to its bearer.
In a study, psychologist Myriam Bechtoldt of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany asked 166 male university students a series of questions to measure their emotional intelligence. For example, they showed the students photographs of people’s faces and asked them to what extent feelings such as happiness or disgust were being expressed. The students then had to give job talks in front of judges who displayed serious facial expressions. The scientists measured concentrations of stress hormones in the students’ saliva (唾液) before and after the talk.
In students who were rated more emotionally intelligent, the stress measures increased more during the experiment and took longer to go back to baseline. The findings suggest that some people may be too emotionally clever for their own good, says Bechtoldt. “Sometimes you can be so good at something that it causes trouble,” she notes.
Indeed, the study adds to previous research hinting at a dark side of emotional intelligence. A study published in 2002 in Personality and Individual Differences suggested that emotionally perceptive people might be particularly influenced by feelings of depression and hopelessness. Furthermore, several studies have implied that emotional intelligence can be used to manipulate others for personal gains.
More research is needed to see how exactly the relation between emotional intelligence and stress would play out in women and in people of different ages and education levels. Nevertheless, emotional intelligence is a useful skill to have, as long as you learn to also properly cope with emotions — both others’ and your own, says Bechtoldt. For example, some sensitive individuals may assume responsibility for other people’s sadness or anger, which ultimately stresses them out. Remember, as Bechtoldt says,“you are not responsible for how other people feel.”

1.1.What is the finding of the new study?

A Emotional intelligence helps people get along with others.

B Emotional intelligence is generally beneficial to its bearer.

C People who are aware of others’ feelings may experience more stress.

D People who are emotionally stressed may have trouble making friends.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。由题干中的the finding of the new study 定位到第一段第二句。定位句指出,一项新研究表明,对他人的感受过于敏感有时候也会让人平添一些额外的压力。故选C。

2.2.What was the purpose of psychologist Myriam Bechtoldt’s experiment?

A To define different types of human feelings.

B To assess the impacts of being emotionally clever.

C To demonstrate how to distinguish different feelings.

D To identify gender differences in emotional intelligence.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。由题干中的purpose 和 psychologist Myriam Bechtoldt’s experiment定位到第二段第一句。定位句提到,心理学家米利亚姆·贝赫托尔特在一项研究中询问了166名男学生一系列问题,来衡量他们的情商。第二段也提到,科学家们在演讲前后分别测量了这些学生唾液中压力激素的浓度。综合以上信息可以推断,实验的目的是评估情商的影响。故选B。

3.3.What does the finding of Myriam Bechtoldt’s study indicate?

A Greater emotional cleverness means less trouble in one’s life.

B Emotional intelligence helps people succeed in job interviews.

C People’s psychological wellbeing is related to various factors.

D People may suffer from having a high emotional intelligence.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。由题干中的the finding of Myriam Bechtoldt’s study定位到第三段第二、三句。定位句指出,贝赫托尔特认为,这些发现表明有些人可能在情感上过于聪明，而这对自己没有什么好处;有时候你可能在某些方面太擅长以至于也会带来麻烦。故选D。

4.4.What do we learn about emotional intelligence from a number of studies?

A People suffering from depression are emotionally immature.

B People who look at the dark side of life often feel depressed.

C Some people may take advantage of it and benefit themselves.

D Some people may lack it and are easily manipulated by others.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。由题干中的a number of studies 定位到第四段最后一句。定位句指出,一些研究也指出,情商可以用来操纵他人以获得个人利益。故选C。

5.5. What does the author suggest sensitive individuals do?

A Avoid burdening themselves with others’ feelings.

B Rid themselves of worries over worldly affairs.

C Learn to cope with people’s negative feelings.

D Help people to deal with their troubles in life.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。由题干中的the author 和sensitive individuals定位到最后一段最后两句。 由定位句可知,一些敏感的人也许会为他人的悲伤或气愤承担责任,最终让自己压力重重。作者用贝赫托尔特的话对敏感的人提出了建议,即不必对他人的感受负责。故选A。