英语听力文摘 English Digest 714 读小说开阔视野

Eye-Opening Facts About Fiction

Literary Thinking

Reading literature doesn’t just flex¹ your powers of imagination, it also expands your capacity for creative reasoning. A 2013 study at the University of Toronto has shown that reading literature is excellent mental “conditioning” for becoming more open?minded.

It turns out that reading fictional² stories prompts a mental response that’s distinct from what happens when we read nonfiction texts like newspapers and essays. Literature releases you from the pressures of real?world decision?making, and lets you enter the mindset of characters who are often very different from yourself.

The Great Escape

You may not be as imaginative or impulsive³ as Anne of Green Gables, but reading helps you see the world through her eyes. And while reading about and thinking like Anne, you’re reducing what psychologists call your need for “cognitive⁴ closure.”

People who need a lot of cognitive closure get frustrated⁵ or anxious when they face confusing or complex situations. They often jump to conclusions before fully⁶ thinking through things.

This “closed” mental state can be damaging to rationality and creativity. Luckily, though, the simple act of cracking open a book and diving into its literary world opens the brain up to new ways of thinking.

读小说开阔视野

文学思维

阅读文学不仅能发挥你的想象力，还能拓展你的创造性推理能力。多伦多大学2013年的一项研究表明，阅读文学是变得更加开放的绝佳心理“条件”？头脑清醒。

事实证明，阅读虚构故事会引发一种不同于我们阅读报纸和散文等非虚构文本时的心理反应。文学让你摆脱现实的压力？世界决定？制作，并让你进入角色的思维模式，这些角色通常与你自己非常不同。

大逃亡

你可能不像《绿山墙》中的安妮那样富有想象力或冲动，但阅读可以帮助你通过她的眼睛看世界。当你像安妮一样阅读和思考时，你正在减少心理学家所说的“认知封闭”的需求

需要大量认知封闭的人在面对困惑或复杂的情况时会感到沮丧或焦虑。他们经常在充分思考问题之前就下结论。

这种“封闭”的精神状态可能会损害理性和创造力。不过，幸运的是，打开一本书，潜入它的文学世界，这一简单的行为让大脑打开了新的思维方式。

1 flex   

n.皮线，花线；vt.弯曲或伸展

参考例句：

• We wound off a couple of yards of wire for a new lamp flex.我们解开几码电线作为新的电灯花线。
• He gave his biceps a flex to impress the ladies.他收缩他的肱二头肌以吸引那些女士们的目光。

2 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

3 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

4 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

5 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。