Western juries have traditionally found eyewitness testimony to be the most convincing evidence in criminal trials. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes. In numerous cases, when witnesses pointed to the defendant, his or her fate was sealed. But how reliable is eyewitness testimony? Recent cases have suggested that despite our best intentions t we may unwittingly distort what we perceive.
Artists and psychologists have long known that “ seeing ” is not a simple matter of recording visual input. People perceive the exterior world through a complex matrix of cultural expectations, personality traits, moods and life experiences. For example, researchers tested the cultural influence on perception by showing a set of optical illusions to various groups, and found that different groups responded in divergent ways. Accustomed to and inundated by perpendicular structures, Western Europeans succumbed easily to illusions based on rectangular lines. On the other hand, the Zulu people of South Africa, whose environment had been comprised almost entirely of circular forms (round houses, doors, etc. ) did not fall prey to those linear illusions.
Cultural expectations also influence the selectivity of our seeing. The amount of visual information that exists far exceeds our ability to process it, so we must filter that sensory input into recognizable images. In looking at 汪 face, we do not see elongated ovals set in complex shadows and shading,we see eyes. And that filtering process is informed by what we perceive to be significant, which is influenced by cultural norms. Some cultures may emphasize differences in hair color or texture,others the shape of a nose or mouth,others the set of the eyes.
But it is not only group expectations that color what we see, personality and mood fluctuation can also alter our perceptions. Orderly minds who shun ambiguity will see an off- center image as firmly fixed in the center. The same photograph of four young men allows for shifting interpretations based on our current feeling: a mood of happiness reveals boys enjoying a relaxing day, while anxiety changes the picture to students worrying about exams.
In addition f numerous more prosaic factors affect our ability to record an image accurately. Duration of the encounter, proximity to the subject, lighting, and angle all affect our ability to see,and even stress may further undermine the accuracy of our perceptions.
What will this mean for criminal trials? Juries have often been reluctant to convict without eyewitness identification. Blood samples, fingerprints, and the like do not resonate as deeply with juries as does direct testimony, and frequently require understanding of complex scientific technicalities. But as confidence in eyewitness testimony wanes, such circumstantial evidence may someday replace visual identification as the lynchpin of criminal trials.
1.[单选题]The author cites “blood samples” and “fingerprints” in the last paragraph as examples of evidence that ____- A.result in more criminal charges
- B.are prone to misinterpretation
- C.may become more widely accepted in the future
- D.have more influence than direct testimony
2.[单选题]The different interpretations to the same photo of four men were based on____- A.the sad mood of the boys
- B.the happy mood of the students
- C.the anxious feelings of the orderly minds
- D.the current feelings of the people involved
3.[单选题]Which of the following statements is true ?- A.Circumstantial evidence is superior to eyewitness testimony in the field of law.
- B.Circumstantial evidence may someday replace visual identification in criminal trials.
- C.Juries should be comprised of people of the same background.
- D.Juries should regard visual identification as the lynchpin of criminal trials.
4.[单选题]According to the author,eyewitness testimony is _____.- A.always a reliable evidence
- B.the most convincing evidence
- C.sometimes a distortion of people’s perception
- D.a simple recording of visual input
5.[单选题]The primary purpose of the passage is to ____- A.raise concerns about the reliability of eyewitness identification
- B.disprove the role of culture in influencing perception
- C.question the accuracy of juries in criminal trials
- D.shed light on the differences between perception and actuality
6.[单选题]Which of the following illustrates the concept of filtering in Paragraph 3?- A.An accountant’s keeping and checking financial accounts.
- B.An artist’s drawing an abstract painting of a person.
- C.A child’s imagining a sky cloud as his favorite cartoon character.
- D.A photographer’s zooming in on a face to highlight features.
7.[单选题]We have to filter sensory input into recognizable images because ____.- A.it’s impossible for us to process all the existing visual information
- B.what we perceive has to be significant
- C.we have to look at a face in complex shadows
- D.different cultures emphasize different perceptions
8.[单选题]The topic sentence of Paragraph 3 is ____- A.at the beginning of this paragraph
- B.at the end of this paragraph
- C.in the middle of this paragraph
- D.Both A and B
9.[单选题]The description of “Western Europeans” and “Zulu people” in Paragraph 2 suggests that____- A.cultural differences may affect what one perceives
- B.two people don’t see things as the same
- C.one’s perception is entirely dependant upon one’s culture
- D.it is difficult for two people of different backgrounds to agree
10.[单选题]In the passage, all the following are the true factors to affect our perceptions EXCEPT - A.personality traits
- B.mood fluctuations
- C.cultural expectations
- D.changes in the weather
参考答案: C,D,B,C,A,C,A,D,A,D