新SAT阅读官方题型解析-主旨题(2)

>>SAT考试试题库：新SAT阅读官方题型解析-主旨题(2)

The Official SAT Study Guide

Questions 11-21 are based on the following passage and supplementary material.This passage is adapted from Iain King, “Can Economics Be Ethical?” ©2013 by Prospect Publishing.

These human quirks mean we can never make purely “rational” decisions. A new wave of behavioral economists, aided by neuroscientists, is trying to understand our psychology, both alone and in groups, so they can anticipate our decisions in the marketplace more accurately. But psychology can also help us understand why we react in disgust at economic injustice, or accept a moral law as universal. Which means that the relatively new science of human behavior might also define ethics for us. Ethical economics would then emerge from one of the least likely places: economists themselves.

18. The main idea of the final paragraph is that

A) human quirks make it difficult to predict people’s ethical decisions accurately.

B) people universally react with disgust when faced with economic injustice.

C) understanding human psychology may help to define ethics in economics.

D) economists themselves will be responsible for reforming the free market.

答案: C

答案解析:

本题问的是结尾段 (lines 83-88) 的中心思想。根据中心题的解答技巧，我们可以利用段落结构，巧妙找到段落中心。本段开头提到 “These human quirks mean …” 显然是对上文内容的承接和拓展，不可能是本段的中心。再看后文出现了转折信号 “But psychology can also help us …”，紧接着后面又出现了 “Which means that …” 对其进行了解释说明，根据结构即可判断，“But” 后面的内容才是作者在本段想要表达的中心思想。在此，作者指出心理学能帮助我们理解为什么人们对经济不公正表现出厌恶或普遍接受道德法则 (“react in disgust at economic injustice, or accept a moral law as universal”)，这意味着人类行为的新科学也有助于为我们明确道德标准 (“define ethics for us”)。因此，答案为C选项。

A选项错误，本段开头虽然提到了human quirks，但并不是本段的中心思想。

B选项错误，这是细节内容，并不能涵盖本段的中心思想。

D选项错误，本段并没有暗示经济学家将承担自由市场重组的责任，犯了过度推测的错误。

重点词汇：

quirk: [kwɜːk] n. 怪癖;急转;借口

rational: ['ræʃ(ə)n(ə)l] adj. 合理的;理性的

neuroscientist: [,njʊərəʊ'saɪəntɪst] n. 神经系统科学家

anticipate: [æn'tɪsɪpeɪt] vt. 预期，期望;占先，抢先;提前使用

disgust: [dɪs'gʌst] vt. 使厌恶;使作呕 | n. 厌恶，嫌恶

moral law: n. 道德法则

ethical economics: n. 伦理经济学

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