英语听力精选进阶版 6397（在线收听）

How can you tell if someone's lying? The answer is, they're probably not.

Traditional economics says that people are rational beings who will lie if it's to their advantage. A recent university study has shown that, actually, we're pretty honest - especially when we're at home.

Researchers in Germany phoned people at home and asked them to toss a coin. There was a strong financial incentive to fake the result: if the coin landed tails-up, the participant would receive money or a gift voucher, while if the coin landed heads-up, they would get nothing. Because they were on the phone, they knew there was no risk of getting caught if they lied.

And yet people told the truth. Over hundreds of tosses a coin will land tails-up roughly 50% of the time. In this study over half the people asked (55.6%) said that the coin landed heads-up, which meant they would receive nothing.

Previous studies had found that people were more deceitful. In those laboratory studies 75% of people reported a winning coin and claimed a reward. So the research team thinks it's being in our own homes which makes us play fair, although it's not yet clear why.

In fact both types of study show people are surprisingly trustworthy. Even in the laboratory, 25% of people turned down a reward by telling the truth. The researchers say this is because honesty is highly valued in human society. We care about our reputation and our sense of ourselves as decent people. So lying has a psychological cost and it seems this cost outweighsthe financial benefits of lying.

Quiz 测验

1. According to traditional economics, when do people lie?

When it's to their advantage.

2. Did researchers visit people in their homes?

No, they phoned them.

3. What happened if they said the coin landed tails-up?

They received money or gift vouchers.

4. Were people more honest in laboratory studies or in their own homes?

In their homes.

5. According to the researchers, what is highly valued in society?

Honesty.

Glossary 词汇表

tell 看出，知道

lying 撒谎

rational 理智的

to their advantage 对他们有利的

honest 诚实的

toss a coin 抛硬币猜正反面

financial incentive 金钱诱惑

fake 伪装

landed tails-up 硬币落地后背面朝上

heads-up （硬币落地后）正面朝上

no risk of getting caught 没有被发现的危险

told the truth 说了实话

deceitful 欺骗的，说谎的

laboratory studies 实验室研究

play fair 公平行事

trustworthy 可靠的

turned down 拒绝了

highly valued 高度重视/珍视

decent 老实的，正派的

outweighs 比…更重要

financial benefits 金钱收益