雅思阅读真题（Part 2）

Brains trust

大脑研究：我们为何无法掌控自己的思维

本篇也叫：大脑信任、Brains Trust、思维快与慢、习惯的力量、大脑如何运作、神经科学书籍

Part 2 · 最近考试：2026.10.17山东财经大学

本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 2）《Brains trust》，共 13 题，2026.10.17山东财经大学雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。

文章大意

文章综述了多本关于大脑与行为的畅销书，包括丹尼尔·卡尼曼的《思考，快与慢》提出系统1直觉与系统2逻辑两种思维模式，以及查尔斯·杜希格的《习惯的力量》主张通过改变行为而非意志力来养成新习惯，探讨了人类行为受神经机制和生物决定论影响的现象。

题目原文

An overview of research and discussion on the brain and how we behave

A 
Why are we thinking so much about thinking these days? Books discussing how the brain works sit near the top of best-seller lists around the world and unlike most self-help books, these take a realistic view of life as we know it, and put forward the idea that change can only occur with a lot of hard work. These books possess the unifying theme that the choices we make in day-to-day life are prompted by impulses lodged deep within the nervous system. Not only are we not masters of our fate but we are captives of biological determinism. Once we start to consider the strange neuronal world known as the brain, we discover that - to put the matter plainly - we have no idea what we're doing.

B 
Professor Daniel Kahneman, who has won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science, has synthesized a lifetime's research in neurobiology, economics and psychology. Thinking. Fast and Slow goes to the heart of the matter of how aware we are of the invisible forces of brain chemistry, social cues and temperament that determine how we think and act. Kahneman breaks down  the way we process information into two modes of thinking: System 1 is intuitive, System 2 is logical. System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. For example, we react to faces that we perceive as angry faster than to happy faces because they contain a greater possibility of danger. System 2 allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations. It makes decisions and normalizes irrational data either by organizing it to fit a made-up narrative or by disregarding it altogether.

C 
Another book, The Power of Habit, is more proactive. New York Times journalist Charles Duhigg's thesis is that we can't change our habits, we an only acquire new ones. Addicts can't stop their bad habits through willpower alone; instead they need to alter behavior. He believes that people can accomplish amazing things in life by turning round a losing team by teaching them not to think. By teaching ball players an immediate response to situations encountered on the field, he removed the need for decision making.

D 
Interestingly, many of these writers are preoccupied with the how instead of the why of things. It used to be that the main explanation focused on emotional or social distortions of thought. What these writers are doing instead is looking at brain research, using the tools of our modern age - neurobiology, brain scans, retinal research - to prove that reflection plays a less important role in our lives than we ever realized.

E 
The 18th-century philosopher David Hume didn't have these modern tools at his disposal, but he framed the question in much the same way. His major work, A Treatise of Human Nature, explored the ways in which habit rules our lives. Hume's experiments with perception, for example how we respond to colors, distance or numerical sets, prefigure the rigorous science of Professor Kahneman. The intention of both was to show the natural weakness and the lack of stability in both our imagination and our senses. Consciousness, like philosophy itself, stands on a weak foundation.

F 
If Hume seems modern, American psychologist and philosopher William James reads like a contemporary. Writing toward the end of the 19th century, James addressed the same question that had concerned Hume about how the unconscious operates as a physical process, not just a mental one. In his now-classic and often cited essay, Habit, he argued that even most complex acts are reflexive. People perform many acts unthinkingly they act before they think. But what about people who involuntarily perform acts that are against their own interests, like biting their nails answer is that we can train ourselves to change if we work at it hard enough. Understanding why we act the way we do can free us from our bad habit. The great thing, then, in all education,' writes James, 'is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy.

G 
Does all of this mean that we have no capacity to act on our own, or can autonomy thrive without us even knowing? 'We have to believe it does, says Steven Lukes, a professor of sociology at New York University.If we seriously thought that our intentions made no difference to how we behave, we couldn't go on using the language of ethics. How would we go on living the lives we live?' So do these books actually help us do what we think is right? We may feel as if we've learned something from discussions such as these but that feeling could well be an illusion itself.

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题目与答案

  1. a challenge to the relevance of all the books mentioned in the article
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F

    答案：G

    原文定位：So do these books actually help us do what we think is right? We may feel as if we've learned something from discussions such as these but that feeling could well be an illusion itself

    同义替换：「the relevance of all the books」↔「these books」

  2. an account of changed behaviour reversing failure
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F

    答案：C

    原文定位：He believes that people can accomplish amazing things in life by turning round a losing team by teaching them not to think

    同义替换：「reversing failure」↔「turning round a losing team」

  3. examples of scientific and technological advances that are used to stud how the brain functions
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F

    答案：D

    原文定位：What these writers are doing instead is looking at brain research, using the tools of our modern age - neurobiology, brain scans, retinal research - to prove that reflection plays a less important role in our lives than we ever realized

    同义替换：「scientific and technological advances」↔「tools of our modern age‑‑neurobiology, brain scans, retinal research」，「study how the brain functions」↔「looking at brain research」

  4. evidence of how popular the topic of brain research is
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F

    答案：A

    原文定位：Books discussing how the brain works sit near the top of best‑seller lists around the world

    同义替换：「popular」↔「best‑seller lists around the world」，「brain research」↔「Books discussing how the brain works」

  5. a description of the different ways the brain functions
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F

    答案：B

    原文定位：Kahneman breaks down the way we process information into two modes of thinking: System 1 is intuitive, System 2 is logical

    同义替换：「different ways」↔「two modes of thinking」，「brain functions」↔「the way we process information」

  6. a mention of an old text to which many other writers continue to make reference
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F

    答案：F

    原文定位：In his now‑classic and often cited essay, Habit, he argued that even most complex acts are reflexive

    同义替换：「many other writers continue to make reference」↔「often cited」

  7. People are unable to alter their routine behaviour but they can add different types of behaviour.
    • Daniel Kahneman
    • Charles Duhigg
    • William James
    • Steven Lukes

    答案：Charles Duhigg

    原文定位：Another book, The Power of Habit, is more proactive. New York Times journalist Charles Duhigg's thesis is that we can't change our habits, we an only acquire new ones

    同义替换：「People are unable to alter their routine behaviour」↔「we can't change our habits」，「but they can add different types of behaviour」↔「we can only acquire new ones」，「Charles Duhigg」↔「Charles Duhigg」

  8. Quick responses occur if someone feels unsafe.
    • Daniel Kahneman
    • Charles Duhigg
    • William James
    • Steven Lukes

    答案：Daniel Kahneman

    原文定位：Kahneman breaks down the way we process information into two modes of thinking: System 1 is intuitive, System 2 is logical. System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. For example, we react to faces that we perceive as angry faster than to happy faces because they contain a greater possibility of danger

    同义替换：「responses」↔「react」，「Quick」↔「faster」，「feels unsafe」↔「a greater possibility of danger」，「Daniel Kahneman」↔「Kahneman」

  9. The brain has the ability to ignore illogical information.
    • Daniel Kahneman
    • Charles Duhigg
    • William James
    • Steven Lukes

    答案：William James

    原文定位：If Hume seems modern, American psychologist and philosopher William James reads like a contemporary;Understanding why we act the way we do can free us from our bad habit

    同义替换：「Self‑awareness」↔「Understanding why we act the way we do」，「making positive changes」↔「free us from our bad habit」，「William James」↔「William James」

  10. The brain has the ability to ignore illogical information.
    • Daniel Kahneman
    • Charles Duhigg
    • William James
    • Steven Lukes

    答案：Daniel Kahneman

    原文定位：Kahneman breaks down the way we process information into two modes of thinking;It makes decisions and normalizes irrational data either by organizing it to fit a made-up narrative or by disregarding it altogether

    同义替换：「illogical information」↔「irrational data」，「ignore」↔「disregarding it altogether」，「Daniel Kahneman」↔「Kahneman」

  11. Early research into the brain
    David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature examined how people are controlled by 24_____ .

    答案：habit

    原文定位：His major work, A Treatise of Human Nature, explored the ways in which habit rules our lives

    同义替换：「David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature」↔「A Treatise of Human Nature」，「examined」↔「explored」，「are controlled by」↔「rules our lives」

  12. The book studies people's reactions to various stimuli such as colours, in its investigation of 25_____ .

    答案：perception

    原文定位：Hume's experiments with perception, for example how we respond to colors, distance or numerical sets, prefigure the rigorous science of Professor Kahneman

    同义替换：「studies」↔「experiments」，「people's reactions」↔「how we respond」，「such as colours」↔「for example how we respond to colors」，「investigation of」↔「experiments with」

  13. His studies were carried out without the 26_____ employed in scientific research today by researchers such as Professor Kahneman. Hume aimed to demonstrate that our senses and our creative thought are unreliable and based on an innate weakness.

    答案：tools

    原文定位：The 18th‑century philosopher David Hume didn't have these modern tools at his disposal, but he framed the question in much the same way

    同义替换：「without」↔「didn't have」，「employed in scientific research today」↔「these modern tools」

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