问答题
Magnification
Magnification is a tendency of some people to concentrate too much on the negative side of events. This can lead to unwise decision making that produces both failure and unhappiness. The degree of magnification can vary and it appears in different types. The first kind exaggerates the likelihood of unwanted events. "I'm sure to fail." The second exaggerates the importance of failures or mistakes that have occurred. "After this mistake, my life is over!" The third generalizes from a single negative event to an unbroken pattern of failure. "I always lose!" The same person, of course, may suffer from all three forms. While these may simply be annoying traits, all three behaviors can be related to depression, either as cause or symptom.
Question: Using the information from the lecture, explain how the professor's story of his son demonstrates the concept of magnification as outlined in the reading passage.
Now hear a talk on the same subject.
【正确答案】The lecture is about a psychological phenomenon called magnification. The professor explains this concept by giving an example of his son acting in a play.
His son dreamed of being an actor. So he participated in a show and played a big role right after he started school. Parents were invited to watch the show; the son's performance was awesome and impressive. However, he felt the play was terrible because he forgot a line during the play. The professor and his wife told him that the audience didn't even know the part he missed. Still, the son felt the performance was awful and even gave up the chance to play the next year as well as his dream of being an actor.
【答案解析】[听力原文]
M: There's no need to use a lot of technical language to introduce the term "magnification." In simple terms, this just refers to the habit some people have of making a great deal of a small failure, or possibility of a failure. They refuse to see things in their true importance. An example should make all of this clear.
I will give you an example that involves my son. He wanted to be an actor. Well, a few months into his first term at school, he got the lead role in a school production of "Henry V." My wife and I were in the audience that night, and my son played the young King Henry, and the performance was awesome. After the show, we went backstage to congratulate him.
The boy was crushed, near crying. Why? He had forgotten one line-just one line!- during the play. The audience hadn't even noticed. He kept on talking about how hard he had prepared and how embarrassed he was over his "unforgivable mistake."
He never let it drop either. He wouldn't listen to us and his director. He refused to continue on in drama and has totally given up on his dream of being an actor. So you see, the only one who thinks he made a mistake is himself. The magnification in this case made for the end of a dream.
Alternative Wording(替换表达)
Synonyms (a)phenomenon—disorder (b)dream of being—aspire to be
(c)start school—begin school life (d)audience—viewers
Paraphrases 1. Because he flubbed one fine, he was crushed.
2. Nevertheless, the boy felt his performance had been a disaster and he decided to forego his dream of being an actor.