You’re rushing to school and a man ahead of you suddenly falls down. Do you stop to help? In a study of bystanders, it was found that some people look away or keep on walking rather than stop and get involved.

“There is an inclination(倾向) to decide that no action is needed,” says Ervin Staub, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who studies the role of bystanders. “ The first thoughts that come into your mind often keep you from offering help.”

Time and again, good and caring people fail to come to the aid of others. They know they should act and yet, for reasons they themselves don’t understand, people sometimes don’t respond. Longtime researchers of bystander behavior continue to struggle with the question, “Why?”

One thing we do know is that the more ambiguous a situation is, the less likely people are to help. Let’s say you see vapors(水汽) coming out of a building. You ask yourself, “Is it steam(蒸汽) or smoke?” If you are not sure, you look to other people for a clue about how to react. If you see other people doing nothing, you think, “Of course, that’s just steam.” You don’t want it to be smoke, because then you would have to do something about it.

Another one is known as “ the bystander effect”. This says that the more people there are observing an emergency, the less responsible each one of them personally feels. For example, if you are the only person in the world who can act to save someone in a dangerous situation, you are more likely to act. However, if you are one of 100,000 people who could save the situation, you would be happier if one of the other 99,999 people did it!

“If you notice trouble, force yourself to stop and judge the situation instead of walking on,” says Ervin Staub. Then try to involve other people; you don’t have to take on all the responsibility of being helpful. According to Staub, it is sometimes just a matter of turning to the person next to you and saying, “It looks like we should do something.” Once you take action, most people will follow you and also offer help.

【小题1】Ervin Staub probably agrees that _____.

A．the bystanders force them to solve the troubles

B．people’s first thoughts usually prevent them from helping

C．the researchers often lead to the embarrassment

D．the person next to you often asks you to deal with emergency

【小题2】The word “ambiguous” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_____”.

A．difficult

B．dangerous

C．unclear

D．unpleasant

【小题3】The writer uses “ the bystander effect” to show that _____.

A．people usually think others a lot before the difficulties

B．people like to carry out the responsibility in emergency

C．people often share their ideas when they’re in dangerous situations

D．people are likely to behave in the same way as most other people do

【小题4】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Is it important to offer help?

B．Is it difficult to get involved?

C．To stand there or take actions?

D．To change the decision or stick it?