# The spread of news on social networks - 科目：雅思阅读真题（Part 1） - 考频：中频 - 最近考试：2026.2.26广东轻工职业技术学院 - 题目数：13 - 来源页：https://www.yaquan.site/paper/bc956bd1-04d3-4a86-a882-0326a25a555e（在线机考练习与音频请访问该页面） - 数据更新：2026-10-29 ## 题目原文 Stories with good news are shared more often than those with bad news on social networks A Bad news sells. No news is good news, and good news is no news. Those are the classic rules for news broadcasts and the morning papers. These rules are understood by producers and editors and are based on ratings and circulation figures but also on their personal instincts. Earthquakes, plagues, floods, fires, disease, violence – all these stories receive significant coverage. B But now that information is being spread and monitored in different ways, researchers are discovering new rules. According to Dr Jonah Berger, a social psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, the traditional rules only work for mass media that want you to tune in. These media outlets are not concerned with how you feel. Dr Berger points out that the new rules, the ones governing social media, are different because when you share a story with your friends, you care about their reactions and how they feel, not just about whether or not they read the story. The fact that you don't want to be seen as a negative person also determines what you’ll share. C Researchers analysing communication like e-mails, web posts and face-to-face conversations found that they tended to be more positive than negative, but that didn't necessarily mean people preferred positive news. What was unknown was whether positive news was shared more often simply due to the widely accepted fact that people generally experience more good things than bad things. To test for that possibility, Dr Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles from one newspaper’s website. He analysed the ‘most e-mailed’ list for six months, noting which stories readers had forwarded to their friends. D One of his findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to be e-mailed than non-science articles. He found that science aroused feelings of wonder and amazement and made readers want to share this emotion with others. Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative emotions like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused one way or the other. E In another attempt to understand what type of news spreads, neuroscientists have scanned the brains of people while they hear about new ideas. You might predict that people would share the new ideas which were the most memorable – the ones that lighted up the brain regions associated with memories. But that’s not what happened in the experiments, which were conducted by Dr Emily Falk at the University of California. The best predictors of popular news stories were elsewhere, in the brain regions associated with social cognition – with thoughts about other people. If those regions lighted up when something was heard, people were more likely to talk about the idea enthusiastically, and the idea would keep spreading. ‘You’d expect people to be most enthusiastic and opinionated and successful in spreading ideas that they themselves are excited about,’ says Dr Falk. ‘But our research suggests that’s not the whole story. Thinking about what appeals to others may be even more important.’ F However, recent research by Diana Tamir and Jason Mitchell of Harvard University shows that another factor comes into play when people share information. Tamir, who is somewhat shy with others, had always wondered what motivated others to be so chatty, and decided to conduct a series of laboratory tests. It turns out that people place an unusually high value on the opportunity to talk about themselves. The researchers’ study has shown that this ‘self-talk’ is intensely pleasurable and activates the brain regions associated with reward. In fact, the study revealed that self-talk is so pleasurable that people will decline money for the chance to engage in it. Past research showed that one third of everyday verbal communication was devoted to self-talk, but today this has become a type of obsession for many people thanks to the widespread influence of social media. G Another of Dr Berger’s findings shows that when speaking, we don’t have time to edit ourselves and think of the precisely correct way to say something. But with written communication, we have time for the editing and perfecting of our messages, so it involves more self-presentation. Dr Berger’s experiments have also shown that people say more positive things when they’re talking to a bigger audience, rather than just one person. H As an example of this, Dr Berger points to the numerous photographs posted on social media sites of apparently wonderful holidays and celebrations like weddings and family birthday parties, where on the surface everything seems perfect. Interestingly, a study in Utah showed that the longer people spend on social media sites, the more they think that life is unfair and that they experience less happiness than their acquaintances. That spiral hardly sounds like a positive trend, but there’s probably a quick way to reverse it: turn on the television. The mass media has always known a reliable way to reduce envy. Once it’s scoured the globe to bring calamity into the living room, even the unhappiest person knows that there is someone, somewhere, doing worse. ## 题目与答案 ### 1. 1 When choosing which stories to run, editors and producers take only objective data into account. 1 When choosing which stories to run, editors and producers take only objective data into account. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：These rules are understood by producers and editors and are based on ratings and circulation figures but also on their personal instincts ### 10. 10 Dr Berger’s research investigated the _____ list from a newspaper’s website for half a year. 10 Dr Berger’s research investigated the _____ list from a newspaper’s website for half a year. **答案**：most e-mailed 原文定位：He analysed the ‘most e-mailed’ list for six months, noting which stories readers had forwarded to their friends ### 11. 11 News stories that spread widely must _____ readers in some way. 11 News stories that spread widely must _____ readers in some way. **答案**：arouse 原文定位：Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative emotions like anger or anxiety, but not articles that left them merely sad. They needed to be aroused one way or the other ### 12. 12 Emotions act as a method of _____ with other people. 12 Emotions act as a method of _____ with other people. **答案**：sharing emotion 原文定位：He found that science aroused feelings of wonder and amazement and made readers want to share this emotion with others ### 13. 13 Widely shared social media stories have both strong emotions and a _____ . 13 Widely shared social media stories have both strong emotions and a _____ . **答案**：social appeal 原文定位：He found that science aroused feelings of wonder and amazement and made readers want to share this emotion with others. Readers also tended to share articles that were exciting or funny, or that inspired negative emotions like anger or anxiety;The best predictors of popular news stories were elsewhere, in the brain regions associated with social cognition – with thoughts about other people. If those regions lighted up when something was heard, people were more likely to talk about the idea enthusiastically, and the idea would keep spreading;Thinking about what appeals to others may be even more important ### 2. 2 Certain kinds of natural disasters receive more attention than those caused by human error. 2 Certain kinds of natural disasters receive more attention than those caused by human error. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：NOT GIVEN 原文定位：Earthquakes, plagues, floods, fires, disease, violence – all these stories receive significant coverage ### 3. 3 People typically experience more good things than bad things in life. 3 People typically experience more good things than bad things in life. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：NOT GIVEN 原文定位：What was unknown was whether positive news was shared more often simply due to the widely accepted fact that people generally experience more good things than bad things ### 4. 4 Dr Berger carried out his research by reading people’s personal emails. 4 Dr Berger carried out his research by reading people’s personal emails. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：To test for that possibility, Dr Berger looked at how people spread a particular set of news stories: thousands of articles from one newspaper’s website. He analysed the ‘most e-mailed’ list for six months, noting which stories readers had forwarded to their friends ### 5. 5 Science articles are frequently shared due to the positive reactions they provoke. 5 Science articles are frequently shared due to the positive reactions they provoke. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：TRUE 原文定位：One of his findings was that articles in the science section were much more likely to be e-mailed than non-science articles. He found that science aroused feelings of wonder and amazement and made readers want to share this emotion with others ### 6. 6 Dr Falk’s study revealed that people spread stories which are connected to memories. 6 Dr Falk’s study revealed that people spread stories which are connected to memories. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：FALSE 原文定位：You might predict that people would share the new ideas which were the most memorable – the ones that lighted up the brain regions associated with memories. But that’s not what happened in the experiments, which were conducted by Dr Emily Falk at the University of California. The best predictors of popular news stories were elsewhere, in the brain regions associated with social cognition – with thoughts about other people ### 7. 7 According to Dr Falk, outgoing people are the most likely to share stories with their friends. 7 According to Dr Falk, outgoing people are the most likely to share stories with their friends. - TRUE - FALSE - NOT GIVEN **答案**：NOT GIVEN 原文定位：You’d expect people to be most enthusiastic and opinionated and successful in spreading ideas that they themselves are excited about,’ says Dr Falk. ‘But our research suggests that’s not the whole story. Thinking about what appeals to others may be even more important ### 8. 8 Traditional news rules are determined by media producers' instincts and _____. 8 Traditional news rules are determined by media producers' instincts and _____. **答案**：ratings and circulation figures 原文定位：These rules are understood by producers and editors and are based on ratings and circulation figures but also on their personal instincts ### 9. 9 Social media users avoid sharing negative stories because they don’t want to be regarded as a _____. 9 Social media users avoid sharing negative stories because they don’t want to be regarded as a _____. **答案**：negative person 原文定位：The fact that you don't want to be seen as a negative person also determines what you’ll share --- 以上内容由鸭圈雅思真题库（www.yaquan.site）提供，收录近期雅思考试真题回忆，支持在线机考模式免费练习。