TEXT E Thirty-two people watched
kitty Genovese being killed right beneath their windows. She was their neigh-
bor. Yet none of the 32 helped her. Not one even called the police. Was this in
gunman cruelty Was it lack of feeling about one’s fellow man
"Not so!’ say scientists John Barley and Bib Fame. These men went beyond
the headlines to probe the reasons why people didn’t act. They found that a
person has to go through two steps before he can help. First he has to notice
that is an emergency. Suppose you see a middle-aged man fall to
the side-walk. Is he having a heart attack Is he in a coma (昏迷) from
diabetes(糖尿病) Or is he about to sleep off a drunk Is the smoke
coming into the room from a leak in the air conditioning Is it "steam pipes"
Or is it really smoke from a fire It’s not always easy to tell if you are faced
with a real emergency. Second, and more important, the person
faced with an emergency must feel personally responsible. He must feel that he
must help, or the person won’ t get the help he needs. The
researchers found that a lot depends on how many people are around. They had
college students in to be "tested". Some came alone. Some came with one or two
others. And some came in large groups. The receptionist started them off on the
"tests". Then she went into the next room. A curtain divided the "testing room"
and the room into which she went. Soon the students heard a scream, the noise of
file cabinets falling and a cry for help. All of this had been pre-recorded on a
tape-recorder. Eight out of ten of the students taking the test
alone acted to help. Of the students in pairs, only two out of ten helped. Of
the students in groups, none helped. In other words, in a group,
Americans often fall to act. They feel that others will act. They, themselves,
needn’t. They do not feel any direct responsibility. Are people
bothered by situations where people are in trouble Yes. scientists found that
the people were emotional, they sweated, they had trembling hands. They felt the
other person’s trouble. But they did not act. They were in a group. Their
actions were shaped by the actions of those they were with. The main reason why people fail to act when they stay together is that______.
A．they are afraid of emergencies B．they are reluctant to get themselves involved C．others will act if they themselves hesitate D．they do not have any direct responsibility for those who need help