Part V Cloze
Strong emotional bonds between mothers and infants increase children’s willingness to explore the world—an effect that has been observed 67 the animal kingdom, in people, monkeys and even spiders. The more secure we are in our 68 to Mom, the more likely we are to try new things and take risks. Now researchers are discovering that this effect continues into adulthood. A 69 reminder of Mom’s touch or the sound of her voice on the phone is
70 to change people’s minds and moods, 71 their decision making in measurable ways.
In a study 72 online in April in Psychological Science, undergraduate business students had to choose between safe bets and risky gambles—a bond with a guaranteed 4 percent yearly
73 or a riskier stock option, for example. In half the cases, the experimenters patted the students 74 on the back of the shoulder for about one second 75 providing verbal instructions about the study. Both male and female students who were touched by a female experimenter were 76 more likely to choose the risky alternative 77 were those who had not been touched or were patted by male experimenters. The reassuring（宽慰的）touch of a woman may have induced early associations, 78 the same openness to exploration that is observed in young children of 79 mothers, explains Jonathan Levav, a business professor at Columbia University and lead author of the study.
To further 80 that a woman’s touch links feelings of security 81 risk taking, the researchers asked a 82 group of undergraduates to make financial decisions after a writing exercise. Half of them wrote about a time they felt secure and supported, whereas the 83 half wrote about feeling insecure and alone. Evoking (唤起) a 84 of insecurity made students in the latter group 85 receptive to the gentle shoulder pats from female experimenters and much more willing to take a risk—just as a child leaving for a field trip might steal one last reassuring hug 86 Mom before stepping on the bus.
67. A. by B. up C. above D. across
68. A. concern B. attachment C. treatment D. appeal
69. A. bare B. unique C. mere D. just
70. A. enough B. ready C. easy D. quick
71. A. generating B. regulating C. affecting D. refining
72. A. exhibited B. published C. appeared D. advertised
73. A. return B. expense C. cost D. prize
74. A. seemingly B. strongly C. partly D. lightly
75. A. if B. so C. while D. whereas
76. A. rather B. far C. further D. pretty
77. A. than B. as C. which D. that
78. A. intending B. inferring C. inspiring D. instructing
79. A. supportive B. lively C. strict D. respectful
80. A. enable B. ensure C. consent D. confirm
81. A. beyond B. with C. for D. along
82. A. relative B. competitive C. different D. successive
83. A. next B. other C. minor D. opposite
84. A. hint B. clue C. chain D. sense
85. A. especially B. specially C. securely D. entirely
86. A. toward B. into C. of D. from
67. D. across
68. C. attachment
69. C. mere
70. A. enough
71. C. affecting
72. B. published
73. A. return
74. D. lightly
75. C. while
76. B. far
77. A. than
78. C. inspiring
79. A. supportive
80. D. confirm
81. B. with
82. C. different
83. B. other
84. D. sense
85. A. especially
86. D. from
【总评】完形填空原文源自美国科普杂志《科学美国人》（Scientific American）。原文标题为
All about My Mother: How Touch Helps Us Take Risks，作者Ferris Jabr。原文共五段，495字，题目选取了原文前三段并做了细微修改，共345字。主要讲述的是母亲与婴儿间形成的情感纽带会影响孩子探索世界的行为。这是一篇典型的议论文，段句给出论点，指出母亲与婴儿间形成的情感纽带会影响人们的行为，接着在第二段和第三段，通过两个已经发表的文章中的实验来证明这一观点。
