时间:2018-12-24 作者:英语课 分类:Scientific American(一)月


英语课

This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science. I’m Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute?


Ever been running the treadmill 1, exhausted 2, ready to quit—but you're at the 2.9 mile mark, so you run that last 10th to make it an even three? Why do you do it? Well it may be because round numbers are intrinsically motivating to us, even if there's no obvious reward for reaching them. That's according to a study in the journal Psychological Science. 


Researchers studied three decades of Major League Baseball batting averages and play-by-play data. They found that players were four times as likely to end the season with a batting average of 300, rather than 299. And players purposely manipulated their averages, by choosing when to swing away or work out a walk, or when to be pinch-hit for.


Examining over four million SAT scores revealed a similar trend. Students with scores of, say, 1,290 rather than 1,300 were more likely to retake the test—even though admissions data showed that administrators 3 didn't seem to favor rounded scores.


It’s not clear why these seemingly arbitrary goals are important to us. But they illustrate 4 internal motivation that could confound some ideas in economics, because some increments 5 are apparently 6 more equal than others.


Thanks for the minute. For Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Christopher Intagliata.



1 treadmill
n.踏车;单调的工作
  • The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
  • Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。
2 exhausted
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
3 administrators
n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 );有管理(或行政)才能的人;(由遗嘱检验法庭指定的)遗产管理人;奉派暂管主教教区的牧师
  • He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员,但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
  • Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
4 illustrate
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图
  • The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
  • This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。
5 increments
n.增长( increment的名词复数 );增量;增额;定期的加薪
  • These increments were mixed and looked into the 5.56mm catridge case. 将各种药粒进行混和,装在5.56毫米的弹壳中。 来自辞典例句
  • The Rankine scale has scale increments equal to the FahrenheIt'scale. 兰氏温标的温度间距与华氏温标的相同。 来自辞典例句
6 apparently
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎
  • An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽,豁然开朗。
  • He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。
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