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来做道题吧。以下材料选自全国高考I卷英语阅读D篇（较真题内容有所改编）。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

32. What was the task of the "beauty" group?

A. Matching line drawings with objects.

B. Rating how beautiful each object was.

C. Creating their own clay objects.

D. Describing their daily worries.

33. Compared with the control group, what did the beauty group report more of?

A. Interest in life's bigger questions.

B. Confidence in judging art.

C. Knowledge of pottery.

D. Satisfaction with the gallery.

34. Why did the researchers ask about the participants' feelings?

A. To compare the two groups' scores.

B. To judge their specific thinking pattern.

C. To measure the difficulty of the task.

D. To identify the true factor behind the results.

35. What daes the study encourage people to do?

A. Visit galleries more often.

B. Spend less time on screens.

C. Buy handmade ceramics.

D. Develop their critical thinking.

无注释原文：

Pondering artistic beauty encourages 'big picture' thinking

From: University of Cambridge

A psychological experiment conducted at Kettle's Yard suggests that actively considering the beauty of art increases abstract thinking and “transformative” emotion – helping us escape the “mental trappings” of day-to-day living.

Since the dawn of philosophy, thinkers from Plato to Kant have considered how beauty affects human experience, and whether it has the power to transform our state of mind.

Now, a new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that stopping to contemplate the beauty of artistic objects in a gallery or museum boosts our ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives.

Researchers say the findings offer empirical evidence that engaging with artistic beauty helps us escape the “mental trappings of daily life,” such as current anxieties and to-do lists, and induce “psychological distancing”: the process of zooming out on your thoughts to gain clarity.

A team of Cambridge psychologists conducted an experiment using the University's modern art gallery, Kettle's Yard, as a “living laboratory” to compare the cognitive effects of merely seeing art with actively judging how beautiful it is.

Researchers found that study participants who focused on the beauty of objects in an exhibition of ceramics were more likely to experience elevated psychological states enabling them to think “beyond the here and now”, and more likely to report feeling enlightened, moved, or transformed. 

This was compared to participants who were simply asked to look intently at the artistic objects to match them with a series of line drawings. The findings are published in the journal Empirical Studies of the Arts.

The study, among the first to explore how aesthetic experiences in a gallery or museum can affect cognitive processing, reinforces the importance of art creation as well as access to artistic spaces, say researchers.

“Many philosophers throughout history have suggested that engaging with aesthetic beauty invokes a special kind of psychological state,” said Prof Simone Schnall, senior author of the study and Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at Cambridge.

“Our research indicates that engaging with the beauty of art can enhance abstract thinking and promote a different mindset to our everyday patterns of thought, shifting us into a more expansive state of mind.”

“This is known as psychological distancing, when one snaps out of the mental trappings of daily life and focuses more on the overall picture.”

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为AI翻译，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Pondering artistic beauty encourages 'big picture' thinking

From: University of Cambridge

A psychological experiment conducted at Kettle's Yard suggests that actively considering the beauty of art increases abstract thinking and “transformative” emotion – helping us escape the “mental trappings” of day-to-day living.

在凯特尔庭院（Kettle's Yard）进行的一项心理学实验表明，主动品味艺术之美能提升抽象思维，并激发一种“蜕变式”情感——助我们挣脱日常生活的“精神桎梏”。

abstract /ˈæb.strækt/ 作名词，表示“摘要；梗概”，英文解释为“a short form of a speech, article, book, etc., giving only the most important facts or ideas”举个🌰：There is a section at the end of the magazine that includes abstracts of recent articles/books. 杂志的最后一部分收录了近期发表的文章/出版的书籍的摘要。

作形容词，1）表示“抽象的；纯理论的；纯概念的”，英文解释为“existing as an idea, feeling, or quality, not as a material object”举个🌰：Truth and beauty are abstract concepts. 真和美都是抽象的概念。

2）表示“抽象（派）的”，英文解释为“used to refer to a type of painting, drawing, or sculpture that uses shapes, lines, and colour in a way that does not try to represent the appearance of people or things”如：abstract art 抽象艺术，an abstract painter 抽象派画家。

trappings /ˈtræp.ɪŋz/ 表示“（特定工作、处境或事件的）从属物，标志”，英文解释为“all the things that are part of or typical of a particular job, situation, or event”举个🌰：He enjoyed the trappings of power, such as a chauffeur-driven car and bodyguards. 他喜欢权力带来的一切，比如有专职司机和保镖。

Since the dawn of philosophy, thinkers from Plato to Kant have considered how beauty affects human experience, and whether it has the power to transform our state of mind.

自哲学曙光初现，从柏拉图（Plato）到康德（Kant）的历代哲人无不追问：美如何浸润人类体验？它又是否蕴藏着重塑心灵的神奇力量？

dawn /dɔːn/ 表示“拂晓，破晓，黎明”，英文解释为“the period in the day when light from the sun begins to appear in the sky”举个🌰：We woke at dawn. 天一亮我们就醒了。

📍the dawn of sth 表示“…的开始；…的曙光”，英文解释为“the start of a period of time or the beginning of something new”

补充：

📍The darkest hour is just before the dawn. 表示“黑暗即将过去，黎明就在眼前”，英文解释为“said to emphasize that things often seem at their worst just before they get better”

Now, a new study from the University of Cambridge suggests that stopping to contemplate the beauty of artistic objects in a gallery or museum boosts our ability to think in abstract ways and consider the “bigger picture” when it comes to our lives.

如今，剑桥大学（University of Cambridge）的一项新研究指出，在画廊或博物馆中驻足凝神，品味艺术之美，不仅能提升我们的抽象思维能力，更能引导我们以“大局观”审视人生。

1）表示“考虑；思量；思忖”，英文解释为“to think about whether you should do sth, or how you should do sth”举个🌰：I have never contemplated living abroad. 我从未考虑过去国外居住。

2）表示“考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）”，英文解释为“to think carefully about and accept the possibility of sth happening”举个🌰：The thought of war is too awful to contemplate. 战争太可怕了，真不敢去想。

3）表示“深思熟虑；沉思；苦思冥想”，英文解释为“to think deeply about sth for a long time”举个🌰：She lay in bed, contemplating. 她躺在床上冥思苦想。

4）表示“端详；凝视”，英文解释为“to look at sb/sth in a careful way for a long time”举个🌰：She contemplated him in silence. 她默默地注视着他。

boost /buːst/ 可以作名词也可以作动词，表示“改善；提高；增强；推动”，英文解释为“to improve or increase something”举个🌰：The theatre managed to boost its audiences by cutting ticket prices. 剧院设法通过降低票价来增加观众数量。

📍“佩洛西有病还是先治病吧”文中提到be boosted，get boosted用来指打了加强针（疫苗），也有说booster shot/booster dose.

Researchers say the findings offer empirical evidence that engaging with artistic beauty helps us escape the “mental trappings of daily life,” such as current anxieties and to-do lists, and induce “psychological distancing”: the process of zooming out on your thoughts to gain clarity.

研究人员表示，这些发现提供了实证依据：沉浸于艺术之美，能助我们挣脱“日常生活的精神牢笼”——诸如眼前的焦虑与无尽的待办清单——并诱发“心理距离”（psychological distancing）：一种通过抽离思绪、俯瞰全局来获得澄明心境的过程。

empirical /ɪmˈpɪr.ɪ.kəl/ 表示“以经验（或实验）为依据的；经验主义的；来自经验（或观察）的”，英文解释为“based on what is experienced or seen rather than on theory”举个🌰：This theory needs to be backed up with solid empirical data/evidence. 这个理论需要翔实的实验数据/实践经验来支持。

作动词，1）表示“诱发（某种身体反应）；引起，导致”，英文解释为“to cause a particular physical condition”如：a drug-induced coma 药物引起的昏迷，举个🌰：Patients with eating disorders may use drugs to induce vomiting. 患有进食障碍的人可使用药物催吐。

2）表示“催生；引产”，英文解释为“to use a drug to make a pregnant woman start giving birth”举个🌰：In this hospital, twins are often induced. 在这家医院生育双胞胎常常要引产的。

zoom /zuːm/ in/out表示“（使照相机或计算机）画面放大/缩小”，英文解释为“to (cause a camera or computer to) make the image of something or someone appear much larger and nearer, or much smaller and further away”举个🌰：At the beginning of the film, the camera zooms in to show two people sitting by the side of a river. 影片一开始，镜头拉近，对准了坐在河边的两个人。

zoom out on加上介词on之后，可以带宾语，明确指明“对什么事物进行拉远/俯瞰”“把镜头从……上拉远”“从远处/高处审视……”如：The photographer zoomed out on the entire landscape. 摄影师把镜头拉远，拍下了整个风景。

此处zoom out on your thoughts是比喻用法，来源于摄影或地图软件的“缩小/拉远镜头”操作。 在心理学语境中，它的意思是：跳出眼前的细节，站在更远、更广的角度看待自己的思维或处境。

clarity /ˈklær.ə.ti/ 作名词，1）表示“清楚明了；清晰易懂”，英文解释为“the quality of being clear and easy to understand”举个🌰：There has been a call for greater clarity in this area of the law. 人们呼吁该法规的这个方面应该更加明确一些。

2）表示“（思路）清晰，清楚”，英文解释为“the ability to think clearly and not be confused”举个🌰：He has shown great clarity of mind. 可以看出他的思维极其清晰。

A team of Cambridge psychologists conducted an experiment using the University's modern art gallery, Kettle's Yard, as a “living laboratory” to compare the cognitive effects of merely seeing art with actively judging how beautiful it is.

剑桥大学的一组心理学家，将本校的现代艺术画廊凯特尔庭院（Kettle's Yard）作为“真实环境实验室”，设计了一项实验，旨在比较“单纯观看”与“主动评判美感”这两种行为对认知的迥异影响。

cognitive /ˈkɒɡ.nə.tɪv/ 表示“认知的；感知的；认识的”，英文解释为“Cognitive means relating to the mental process involved in knowing, learning, and understanding things.”举个🌰：As children grow older, their cognitive processes become sharper. 随着孩子们长大，他们的认知过程也变得越来越敏锐了。

Researchers found that study participants who focused on the beauty of objects in an exhibition of ceramics were more likely to experience elevated psychological states enabling them to think “beyond the here and now”, and more likely to report feeling enlightened, moved, or transformed.

研究人员发现，那些专注于陶瓷展品之美的参与者，更容易进入一种升华的心理境界，得以思考“超越此时此地”的命题，也更倾向于坦言自己感到豁然开朗、心弦震颤，甚至脱胎换骨。

ceramics /səˈræm.ɪks/ 1）表示“制陶艺术；陶器制造”，英文解释为“the art of making objects by shaping pieces of clay and then baking them until they are hard”

2）表示“陶瓷制品”，英文解释为“the objects produced by shaping and baking clay, especially when considered as art”

elevated /ˈel.ɪ.veɪ.tɪd/ 1）表示“提高的；升高的；抬高的”，英文解释为“raised”举个🌰：The doctor said I was to keep my leg elevated. 医生说我要保持腿部抬高。

2）表示“高出正常水平的；偏高的”，英文解释为“greater than is normal or reasonable”举个🌰：He has a slightly elevated idea of his own importance. 他自视过高。

This was compared to participants who were simply asked to look intently at the artistic objects to match them with a series of line drawings. The findings are published in the journal Empirical Studies of the Arts.

与之形成对比的是，另一组参与者仅被要求仔细端详艺术品，并完成与一系列线条画的匹配任务。这项研究成果已发表于《艺术实证研究》（Empirical Studies of the Arts）期刊。

The study, among the first to explore how aesthetic experiences in a gallery or museum can affect cognitive processing, reinforces the importance of art creation as well as access to artistic spaces, say researchers.

研究人员指出，作为首批探索美术馆或博物馆中审美体验如何影响认知过程的研究之一，这项成果不仅强调了艺术创作的价值，更凸显了接触艺术空间的重要意义。

aesthetic /iːsˈθetɪk；esˈθetɪk/ 表示“审美的；有审美观点的；美学的”，英文解释为“concerned with beauty and art and the understanding of beautiful things”如：an aesthetic appreciation of the landscape 用审美的眼光欣赏风景。

reinforce /ˌriː.ɪnˈfɔːs/ 1）表示“加强；充实；使更强烈；进一步证实（观点、看法等）”，英文解释为“to make a feeling, an idea, etc. stronger”举个🌰：Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。

2）表示“加固；使更结实”，英文解释为“to make a structure or material stronger, especially by adding another material to it”举个🌰：All buildings are now reinforced to withstand earthquakes. 所有建筑现都已加固，以抗地震。

“Many philosophers throughout history have suggested that engaging with aesthetic beauty invokes a special kind of psychological state,” said Prof Simone Schnall, senior author of the study and Professor of Experimental Social Psychology at Cambridge.

“纵观历史，无数哲学家都曾断言，沉浸于艺术之美能唤醒一种独特的心境，”该研究的资深作者、剑桥大学实验社会心理学教授西蒙娜·施纳尔（Simone Schnall）教授如是说。

invoke /ɪnˈvəʊk/ 1）表示“援引，借助（法律）；诉诸（法律、规定等）”，英文解释为“if you invoke a law, rule etc, you say that you are doing something because the law allows or forces you to”举个🌰：The judge invoked an international law that protects refugees. 法官援用了一项保护难民的国际法律。

2）表示“唤起，引起，使记起”，英文解释为“to make someone have a particular feeling or remember something”

“Our research indicates that engaging with the beauty of art can enhance abstract thinking and promote a different mindset to our everyday patterns of thought, shifting us into a more expansive state of mind.”

“我们的研究表明，品味艺术之美能强化抽象思维，并催生出一种迥异于日常思维模式的全新心境，引领我们步入一片更为辽阔的精神疆域。”

“This is known as psychological distancing, when one snaps out of the mental trappings of daily life and focuses more on the overall picture.”

“这便谓之'心理距离'（psychological distancing）：当一个人从日常生活的精神桎梏中猛然惊醒，转而凝望全局的画卷。”

snap /snæp/ out of sth表示“摆脱（忧伤烦恼的情绪）”，英文解释为“to force yourself to stop feeling sad and upset”举个🌰：He just can't snap out of the depression he's had since his wife died. 自从他妻子去世以后，他一直无法摆脱忧伤。Now come on, snap out of it. Losing that money isn't the end of the world. 好了，振作起来，丢了那些钱并不意味着世界末日。

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