2015考研英语阅读集中练：Make time for awe
正所谓得暑期者得考研，暑期复习也是强化复习的关键时段，考生一定要认真把握，加强集中复习。对于考研英语阅读来说，大家也要借着暑期这个东风提高阅读能力，下面为大家整理考研英语阅读文章，希望大家能够多读多练多记，提高整体阅读水平。2015考研英语阅读集中练：Make time for awe
敬畏时间
Make time for awe
Novelty and perceptual vastness force us into the present moment, which has
health benefits.
-- Cayte Boslerdec
Jason Silva is a self-described epiphany junkie. He recently enthused to me
about how some movies, for example, manage to capture attention and create a
complete, immersive transformation for the viewer.
In his “Shots of Awe” YouTube series, Silva wants to interrupt your mundane
existence with “philosophical espresso shots” designed to inspire you to live to
the fullest.
It’s easy to get swept away by Silva’s vision of the future: a
revolutionary convergence of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and artificial
intelligence. He considers awe to be a pivotal ingredient in making ideas
resonate. In his three-minute clips, he hardly takes a breath as he spouts
rousing optimism over digitally animated film.
A new study published in the journal Psychological Science shows there are
residual health benefits to having your mind blown. “People increasingly report
feeling time-starved, which exacts a toll on health and well-being,” states the
study. Using three experiments, researchers Melanie Rudd and Jennifer Aaker of
the Stanford University, and Kathleen Vohs of the University of Minnesota,
examined whether awe can expand perceptions of time availability. They found
that participants “who felt awe, relative to other emotions, felt they had more
time available, were less impatient, were more willing to volunteer their time
to help others, and more strongly preferred experiences over material
goods.”
It can be hard to generalize what people consider jaw-dropping, but Vohs
says research demonstrates what consistently creates an awesome experience.
Travel ranks high. So does gazing at the cosmos on a clear night or watching a
sensational film, as well as anytime we encounter massive quantities: colorful
tulips in bloom, a bustling market in India, or a stunning school of fish.
Novelty and perceptual vastness forces us into the present moment. The
study underscores the importance of cultivating small doses of awe in the
everyday to boost life satisfaction.
“Awe is quite threatening in certain ways, and something that is
challenging and unwelcome can border on fear,” says Vohs, recalling an
astonishingly big fish he saw while swimming in the ocean. “It was giant—no big
teeth, and it seemed like a gentle soul just floating in the water—but
still!”
The study describes awe as an experience of such perceptual expansion that
you need new mental maps to deal with the incomprehensibility of it all.
People mostly walk around with a sense of knowing what is going on in the
world. They have hypotheses about the way people behave and what might happen;
those are pretty air-tight. It is hard to get people to shake from those because
that’s just how the brain works. We are always walking around trying to confirm
the things we already think. When you are in a state of awe, it puts you off
-balance and as a consequence, we think people might be ready to learn new
things and have some of their assumptions questioned.” Rudd, of Stanford, is
currently working on a follow-up study to understand just how awe-inspired
moments might open a person up to learning new information.
“Technologies that capture and control attention, including storytelling,
IMAX films, and video games, hijack the perceptual apparatus. They put you into
a state of immersion —you lose yourself,” says Silva.
He thinks we are predisposed to ignore everyday wonders. “Not being in a
state of awe is a way to save energy. It is easier to run on autopilot . It
takes energy to blow your mind, but being overwhelmed is worth it. It’s what
gives life its luster.”
Whether it’s making time for a walk through nature, meditation, or watching
an amazing clip, he recommends rituals that elicit awe for a break in the day
and an overall healthier lifestyle.
Silva does not shy away from the range of emotions one might have when
considering something of magnitude. He grapples with the tinge of sadness in his
personal epiphanies, such as the realization that everyone and everything we
find beautiful and magnificent will one day end. That’s a theme he explores in
his video “Existential Bummer,” his video about loss and impermanence .
“We are simultaneously worms and gods,” he says, an idea that drives him to
produce more creatively. “Man is literally split in two: He has an awareness of
his own splendid uniqueness, in that he sticks out of nature with a towering
majesty, and yet he goes back into the ground ... to blindly and dumbly rot and
disappear forever.”
英语阅读水平提高意识靠做题积累，二是靠技巧，希望广大考生能够通过暑期强化，让自己的阅读水平更上一层楼，加油！
页:
[1]