研究生课程英语第8单元整理.docxVIP

The hidden danger of seat beltsSeat belts still decrease our risk of dying in an accident, but the statistics are not all black and white.座椅安全带固然能降低我们在车祸中死亡的危险，但从统计数据看，情况并不是那么绝对。 In fact, according to one researcher, seat belts may actually cause people to drive more recklessly.事实上，据一位研究者说，安全带可能会使人们在驾车时更加肆无忌惮。If there is one thing we can know about our risky world, it’s that seat belts save lives. 对于这个有危险的世界，如果有一件事我们还算了解，那就是座椅安全带可以救命。And they do, of course. But reality, as usual, is messier and more complicated than that.当然，它确实可以救命。但实际情况通常要更混乱、更复杂。John Adams, risk expert and emeritus professor of geography at university college London ,was an early skeptic if the seat belt safety mantra. 伦敦大学学院的风险专家、地理学荣誉教授约翰·亚当斯早就质疑安全带能保证驾车安全的信条。Adams first began to look at the numbers more than 25 years ago. What he found was that contrary to conventional wisdom, mandating the use of seat belts in 18 countries resulted in either no change or actually a net increase in road accident deaths.亚当斯最早开始查看统计数字是早在25年前的事了。他的发现与人们的普遍看法恰恰相反——在18个强制使用安全带的国家，要么交通事故死亡率根本没有变化，要么实际上反而导致了死亡率的净增长。How can that be? Adams interpretations of the data rests on the notion of risk compensation, the idea that individuals tend to adjust their behavior in response to what they perceive as changes in the level of risk. 怎么会这样?亚当斯用风险补偿的概念来解释这些数据资料，这个概念就是：人们往往会根据他们意识到的风险程度的改变来相应地调整自己的行为。Imagine , explains Adams, a driver negotiating a curve in the road. Let’s make him a young male. He is going to be influenced by his perceptions of both rewards and risks of driving a car. 亚当斯解释说，假设一位司机驾车途中要过一个窄弯道，这名司机是个男青年，那么他会受到自己对以下两方面认知的影响：驾车的风险和驾车的回报。The considerations could include getting to work of meeting a friend for dinner on time, impressing a companion with his driving skills, bolstering his image of himself as an accomplished driver. 他所考虑的东西可能包括：能够准时上班或准时赶赴朋友的饭局、让同伴对他的驾车技术留下深刻印象、使自己作为熟练驾车手的形象更加巩固。They could also include his concern for his own safety and desire to live to a ripe old age, his feelings of responsibili