Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
From climate change to the ongoing pandemic(大流行病)and beyond，the issues facing today’s world are increasingly complex and dynamic. Yet solving problems like these requires new approaches that extend beyond traditional ways of thinking. A study led by Yale professor of Psychology，Paul O’Keefe，found that having a growth mindset(思维倾向)of interest may spark this type of innovation.
Professor O’Keefe established in earlier studies that people hold different beliefs about the nature of interest. Those with a growth mindset of interest tend to believe that interests can be developed and cultivated, while those with a fixed mindset of interest tend to believe that interests are inherent(与生俱有的)and simply need to be ‘found.’ Building on these findings，the latest research examined how a growth mindset of interest can boost integrative thinking across the traditional disciplinary boundaries of arts and sciences.
For example,in one task,research participants were instructed to create new college majors by combining two or more existing academic Arts or science programs at their university. After coding and analyzing the ideas they generated,the team found that people with a growth mindset of interest were more likely to bridge programs across the arts and sciences to create new majors like computational economics rather than creating majors that drew from only one of those areas, like computational chemistry.
As Professor O’Keefe pointed out, “This research provides a useful direction for organizations whose products and services call for integrated and creative solutions. Take smartphones for example.You need not only computer science and engineering knowledge,but also an understanding of psychology and visual design to create a better product. Employees with a growth mindset may be more likely to devise innovative ideas that bridge multiple areas of knowledge to achieve better solutions.”
The benefits of a growth mindset of interest may also extend to those seeking employment. This is a pressing issue because many people are becoming unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Having a growth mindset of interest can help job seekers expand their interests and become more adaptable to different fields, and take the initiative to learn new skills.
51.What does the author say about the world today?
A) It faces problems that are getting more varied and complicated.
B) It has done away with many of the traditional ways of thinking.
C) It is undergoing radical and profound changes.
D) It is witnessing various types of innovations.
52.What did Professor O’Keefe find in his earlier studies?
A) People’s interests tend to change with age.
B) People’s interests determine their mindsets.
C) People are divided about the nature of interest.
D) People of different ages have different mindsets.
53.What is the focus of Professor O’Keefe’s recent research?
A) How boundaries can be removed between arts and science disciplines.
B) How feasible it is to create new disciplines like computational economics.
C) How students in arts and sciences view the two types of mindset of interest.
D) How a growth mindset of interest can contribute to cross-disciplinary thinking.
54.What does the author want to illustrate with the example of smartphones?
A) Hi-tech products are needed in interdisciplinary research.
B) Improved technology gives birth to highly popular products.
C) Making innovative products needs multidisciplinary knowledge.
D) Hi-tech products can boost people’s integrative thinking.
55.What is the author's suggestion to those who are seeking employment?
A) Learning practical skills.
B) Broadening their interests
C) Staying safe in the pandemic.
D) Knowing their pressing issues.
答案解析：
由题干定位到第一段“From climate change to the ongoing pandemic(大流行病)and beyond，the issues facing today’s world are increasingly complex and dynamic.”，第一段提到从气候变化到持续的大流行病等，当今世界面临的问题日益复杂且多变，也就是面临的问题变得更加多样和复杂，所以选A。
由题干定位到第二段“Professor O’Keefe established in earlier studies that people hold different beliefs about the nature of interest.”，第二段提到O’Keefe教授在早期研究中发现人们对兴趣的本质持有不同看法，也就是人们对兴趣的本质存在分歧，所以选C。
由题干定位到第二段“Building on these findings，the latest research examined how a growth mindset of interest can boost integrative thinking across the traditional disciplinary boundaries of arts and sciences.”，第二段提到基于早期发现，最新研究考察了兴趣的成长型思维如何促进跨艺术和科学传统学科界限的综合思维，所以选D。
由题干定位到第四段“Take smartphones for example.You need not only computer science and engineering knowledge,but also an understanding of psychology and visual design to create a better product.”，第四段提到以智能手机为例，创造更好的产品不仅需要计算机科学和工程知识，还需要心理学和视觉设计方面的知识，也就是制造创新产品需要多学科知识，所以选C。
由题干定位到最后一段“Having a growth mindset of interest can help job seekers expand their interests and become more adaptable to different fields, and take the initiative to learn new skills.”，最后一段提到有兴趣的成长型思维可以帮助求职者扩展兴趣，更好地适应不同领域并主动学习新技能，也就是建议求职者拓宽兴趣，所以选B。
