单选题
Honesty is the best policy, as the English saying goes. Unfortunately, honesty often deserts us when no one is watching, British psychologists reported last week. Researchers at UK's Newcastle University set up an experiment in their psychology department's coffee room. They set a kettle, with tea, coffee and milk on the counter and hung up a sign listing the prices for drinks. People helping themselves to a cup of drink were supposed to put a few cents in the box nearby. The scientists hung a poster above the money box, and it changed each week between images of gazing eyes and pictures of flowers. The researchers found that staff paid 2.76 times more for their drinks when the image of the eyes was hung. "Frankly we were shocked by the size of the effect," said Gilbert Roberts, one of the researchers. Eyes are known to be a powerful perceptual (感官的) signal for humans. "Even though the eyes were not real, they still seemed to make people behave more honestly," said Melissa Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study. Researchers believe the effect sheds light on our evolutionary past. It may arise from behavioral features that developed when early humans formed social groups to strengthen their chances of survival For social groups to work, individuals had to co-operate, rather than act selfishly. "There's an argument that if nobody is watching us, it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we're being watched we should behave better. So people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us," Bateson said. The new finding indicates that people have a striking response to eyes. That might be because eyes and faces send a strong biological signal we have evolved to respond to. The finding could be put to practical use, too. For example, images of eyes could increase ticket sales on public transport and improve supervision systems to prevent antisocial behavior.
单选题
The experiment conducted in Newcastle University shows that ______. A. people enjoy free drinks more than paid ones B. most people are dishonest if nobody is watching C. people like pictures of flowers more than pictures of eyes D. people are more honest when watched by pictures of eyes
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】本题可从第二段“The researchers found that staff paid 2.76 times more for their drinks when the image of the eyes was hung．”和第三段“Even though the eyes were not real， they still seemed to make people behave more honestly”中判断出来。
单选题
Gilbert Roberts was shocked because ______. A. so many people had participated in the experiment B. so many of the participants were dishonest C. the effects of the pictures of flowers and gazing eyes were so different D. the effects of eyes and other perceptual signals were so powerful
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】本题是细节题，从“The researchers found that staff paid 2.76 times more for their drinks when the image of the eyes was hung．‘Frankly we were shocked by the size of the effect,’said Gilbert Roberts，one of the researchers．”中可找出答案。
单选题
The phrase "sheds light on" in Paragraph 4 probably means "______". A. hints at B. makes clearer C. points to D. further proves
单选题
According to the passage, early humans ______. A. were less selfish than the present-day people B. were more co-operative in nature C. had to be co-operative to survive D. had to behave better than the present-day people
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】本题是细节题，我们可从原文中找到对应：For social groups to work，individuals had to co-operate，rather than act selfishly．其他选项均不符合文意。
单选题
Images of eyes could be put up in the following places EXCEPT ______. A. subway entrances B. supermarkets C. back streets D. hotel bedrooms
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】本题根据上下文的含义和文章最后一句话“For example，images of eyes could increase ticket sales on public transport and improve supervision systems to prevent antisocial behavior．”可以得出答案。