题目内容

  Fear can be fun. Many young people queue up to ride very fast and scary roller coasters,screaming but enjoying themselves. Other people like to read " goose bumps" books or watch horror movies at night,scared to death but feeling excited. Why do people like being scared? Fear is an ancient way of surviving. Being scared makes animals(including humans) flee from danger and save themselves. Scary movies It is because of fear that we have lived through millions of years of evolution. Those who lacked a strong fear response were more likely to be killed,leaving the more timid and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.

  How do scientists explain why shivering over such scary things is fun?

  "Some kids will go to a scary movie and love it and laugh over it,others will feel anxious and hide their faces and some won't even set foot in the cinema," said Ned Kalin,a US scientist. "Which kind of person you are depends partly on experiences you've had and partly on your genes."

  What happens in the brain when something frightens you?

  Nerves that begin at the eyes and ears lead to a part of the brain called the amygdala. When you suddenly see a snake,for example,the amygdala makes you freeze,perspire (流汗，出汗) ，have a quickened heartbeat,or run very fast.

However,seeing the snake also uses another part of the brain,the cortex (皮层) .It analyzes the situation,and if it finds that the snake is only made of rubber,it tells your heart and the rest of your body to calm down. Think of the amygdala as the engine and the cortex as the brake.

Back to the first question：Why do some people like to make themselves scared? Feeling of power

  "One reason is that we can play games with fear,find ways to reduce the scariness by looking away or thinking of something else," Kalin said. "To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power. Scary movies or novels are good practice to prepare young people for the real thing. Thrills such as roller coaster rides also go to the brain's pleasure center."

  And there might be some evolutionary advantage to being able to adjust this system that is there to protect people.

(   ) 6. What is the passage mainly about?

   A. Why many horror films are very popular in the world.

   B. Why most people like the feeling of being scared.

   C. How to play games with fear.

   D. How to relax your brains.

(   ) 7. Which of the following is NOT the writer's opinion about Fear?

   A. Fear is a very useful way in the evolution of human beings.

   B. Your genes will partly decide your reaction to being scared.

   C. Some fear experiences can help young people in real world.

   D. Being scared can give us a feeling of power.

(   ) 8. Which of the following can best explain the underlined phrase "the amygdala as the engine and the cortex as the brake"？

   A. In some special situation,amygdala can make you nervous while cortex can make you calm down.

   B. The amygdala can make you run fast while cortex can make you stop at once.

   C. With amygdala and the cortex,you can drive a car very well.

   D. Amygdala can make you think quickly and cortex can let you stop thinking.

6. B本文就是解释为什么人们爱看恐怖电影，坐过山车等惊险游戏的原因。

7. D从文中To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power,可知，确信能够控制危险的局面才能给我们力量。

8. A从文中可知，身体中的这两部分，一个是当我们面对危险情况时，让我们紧张,迅速作出反应,而另一个是化险为夷时，让我们松懈，一张一弛，正如引擎和刹车。

练习册系列答案
相关题目

 某英文报开辟了"编读互动"栏目。请根据下表提供的材料，给此报写一封英文信。

2008年2月底，教育部宣布从当年3月至第二年7月，在全国200所中小学开展京剧进课堂试点活动，试点后将逐步在全国推广。此消息一发布立即弓I起人们的广泛讨论。请你作为武汉市的一名学生代表，参与此项讨论。

赞同者

1.     京剧是国粹；

2.     有利于弘扬民族文化；

反对者

1.     地方戏剧丰富多彩；

2.     京剧独尊，有失公平；•

根据你的理解，用英语给编辑写一封信，表达你的意见和建议。注意：

1. 开头已经写好。

2. 词数:120词左右(已给出的开头部分不计词数) 。

3. 参考词汇：a pilot program试点计划;Peking Opera京剧;privilege特惠待遇，特权； controversy争论，争议。

Dear Editor,At the end of February,2008,the Ministry of Education announced a pilot program,start?ing in March this year and ending in July next year,to add Peking Opera to music classes in200 primary and secondary schools,and then spread it throughout the country,which immediately aroused great controversy.

生词提示

a pilot program试点计戈ij; Peking Opera京剧;appreciate欣赏;controversy争论，争议; promotion提升;privilege特惠待遇，特权；overburden负担过重

 Doctors commonly view too much daytime sleepiness as a most important sign of disturbed or inadequate sleep. But a new study suggests it could also signal depression or even diabetes (糖尿病) ，regardless of whether an individual doesn't sleep well.

  Among a random sample of 16,500 men and women ranging in age from 20 to 100 years old from central Pennsylvania,8. 7 percent had too much daytime sleepiness.

Researchers,who considered a wide range of possible reasons for why these individuals were over sleepy during the daytime,found that too much daytime sleepiness was more strongly associated with depression and obesity (过度肥胖) or metabolic (新陈代谢的) factors than with sleepdisordered breathing or sleep disruption.

  Depression was by far the most significant risk factor for too much daytime sleepiness,they report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The possibility of being over sleepy during the daytime was more than three times higher in those who reported they were being treated for depression.

  T he investigators also observed strong ties between too much daytime sleepiness and diabetes. Individuals reporting treatment for diabetes were close to two times more likely to report too much daytime sleepiness than those who were not being treated for diabetes.

  Being overweight also increased the possibility of too much daytime sleepiness.

Too much daytime sleepiness was more common in people younger than age 30 ,a finding that hints at the presence of unmet sleep needs and depression,and in the over-75 crowd,suggesting increasing medical illness and health problems,they explain.

Smoking also appeared as a risk factor for too much daytime sleepiness,a link that hasn't been shown before. It could be that smokers use nicotine which can make people more active for a time to selftreat their daytime sleepiness,the authors suggest.

  Sleep apnea (呼吸暂停) was not a significant player in too much daytime sleepiness. This is in agreement with former studies that have reported only weak associations between sleep apnea and too much daytime sleepiness.

  The authors conclude that adults bothered by too mtich daytime sleepiness should be thoroughly evaluated for depression and diabetes,regardless of whether or not sleepdisordered breathing is present.

(   ) 1. Which of the following is more likely to cause too much daytime sleepiness?

   A. Smoking. B. Obesity.

   C. Depression. D. Disturbed sleep.

(   ) 2. Which of the following statements is right?

   A. Smoking can help people selftreat their daytime sleepiness.

   B. Too much daytime sleepiness doesn't necessarily result from inadequate sleep.

   C. People who suffer from depression are twice more likely to be over sleepy.

   D. People under 30 who are over sleepy during the daytime are most likely over?weighted.

(   ) 3. We can learn from paragraph eight that         .

   A. smoking may cause people to become more sleepy

   B. many people can selftreat their daytime sleepiness

   C. doctors didn't know the side effects of smoking before

   D. nicotine can make people more active during the daytime

(   ) 4. As a conclusion the writer tells us that if we have too much daytime sleepiness we should         .

   A. cut down the amount of smoking cigarettes

   B. go to some specialist without delay

   C. ignore it as it is a very common phenomenon

   D. do more exercise to reduce sleepiness

 On the fourblock walk to our house,I 1       my revenge. I would slam the front door upon entering,refuse to return her hug when she rushed over to me,and 2       never to speak to her again.

  The house was empty when I arrived and I looked for a note on the refrigerator that might explain my mother's 3      ,but found none. My chin quivered (颤抖) with a mixture of heartbreak and 4       . For the first time in my life,my mother had let me down.

  I was lying facedown on my bed upstairs when I 5        her come through the front door.

  "Robbie," she called out a bit 6      . "Where are you?"

I could then hear her rushing from room to room,wondering where I could be. I remained 7       . In a moment,she went up the steps―the sounds of her 8        quickening as she went up the staircase.

  When she entered my room and sat beside me on my bed,I didn't move but instead 9        blankly into my pillow refusing to acknowledge her presence.

  "I'm so sorry,honey," she said. "I just forgot. I got busy and forgot 10       and simple."

  I still didn't 11      . "Don't forgive her," I told myself. "She embarrassed you. She forgot you. Make her 12      ."

Then my mother did something completely 13       . She began to laugh. I could feel her trembling as the laughter shook her. It began quietly at first and then 14        in its velocity (速率) and volume. 

  I was doubtful. How could she laugh at a time like this? I rolled over and 15        her,ready to let her see the anger and 16        in my eyes.

  But my mother wasn't laughing at all. She was crying. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed softly. "I let you 17        I let my little boy down."

  She 18       down on the bed and began to weep like a little girl. I was dumbstruck (吓呆了) . I had never seen my mother cry. To my understanding,mothers weren't 19        to. I wondered if this was how I 20        to her when I cried.

(   ) 1. A. took   B. planned   C. performed   D. had

(   ) 2. A. promise   B. decide   C. admit   D. vow

(   ) 3. A. absence   B. lateness   C. anger   D. behavior

(   ) 4. A. regret   B. delight   C. anger   D. sadness

(   ) 5. A. heard   B. saw   C. felt   D. sensed

(   ) 6. A. easily   B. impatiently   C. urgently   D. relaxedly

(   ) 7. A. lying   B. sleeping   C. silent   D. angry

(   ) 8. A. rush   B. footsteps   C. voice   D. shout

(   ) 9. A. leaned   B. buried   C. stared   D. looked

(   ) 10. A. satisfying   B. annoying   C. exciting   D. plain

(   ) 11. A. move   B. speak   C. cry   D. listen

(   ) 12. A. do   B. work   C. pay   D. count

(   ) 13. A. irregular   B. unnatural   C. unexpected   D. dishonest

(   ) 14. A. enlarged   B. deepened   C. rose   D. increased

(   ) 15. A. criticized   B. scared   C. captured   D. faced

(   ) 16. A. fear   B. eagerness   C. anxiety   D. disappointment

(   ) 17. A. down   B. off   C. away   D. around

(   ) 18. A. looked   B. lay   C. sank   D. sat

(   ) 19. A. used   B. supposed   C. allowed   D. banned

(   ) 20. A. presented   B. seemed   C. reacted   D. looked

  Key West got its name when it was given a name Cayo Hueso by early Spanish explorers,who found human bones along the shore. That name was eventually developed to Key West.

  In 1820,the island was bought from the Spanish for $2,000,quite a big sum in those days,and the purchaser was John Simonton,an Alabama businessman―a smart businessman,it might be added,whose name and descendants live on here and remain a powerful influence in the area.

  Pirates were eventually driven out and the island's mixed population of English Bahamians,Southerners and transplanted northerners rose to 2 ,700,many of them happily engaged in the business of wrecking ships,then salvaging (打捞) the cargoes.

  So profitable was that enterprising career,in fact,that one wrecker,a Bahamian named William Curry,is said to have worked his way to a million dollars,making him Florida's first millionaire and wealthy enough to buy a $100,000 Tiffany table service.

  In the 1850s,however,a lighthouse was built,putting a bit of a damper on the wrecking business,and the town's industry began to change. A terrible fire destroyed the town in 1859. About the same time,cigar makers,fleeing war in Cuba,arrived in Key West,where they established a flourish industry. Key West's port was a hot spot,too,and by the 1880s,the city was said to be the wealthiest in the nation.

  It was pretty much downhill from there until promoters in these Keys discovered that the real gold in these islands was incessant ( nonstop,continuous) sunshine,clear seas and iconoclastically bohemian (攻击传统观念和风俗的人) residents,all items of surpassing interest to the winterweary and the weird watchers. Thus was discovered the gold of tourism.

(   ) 1. The wrecker,a Bahamian named William Curry made a lot of money by         .

   A. finding the wrecking ships

   B. offering Tiffany table service

   C. joining the two businesses together

   D. developing the tourism

(   ) 2. What is the passage mainly about?

   A. History of the island.

   B. Geography of the island.

   C. Some powerful people.

   D. The discovery of the island.

(   ) 3. The underlined phrase "putting ... a damper on" in the passage probably means

   A. making something slightly wet

   B. making something brighter

   C. making something less strong

   D. making something quite different

(   ) 4. What is the small island nowadays famous for?

   A. The skills in repairing ships.

   B. The wrecking business.

   C. Transportation industry.

   D. Beautiful Scenery.

Tell Us What's on Your Mind.

#9268 Posted by Brutus at 12/26/05 7：54 p.m.

All this antismoking stuff is tiresome. Tobacco is a critical part of our national economy,and tax income from tobacco to the state and federal government is very important. To cut to the chase,smoking is good for America. Smoking is patriotic. Everyone over the age of 21 should smoke or use tobacco.

#9287 Posted by atomicdog 88 at 12/27/05 8：30 a.m.

I had a cigar with a couple buddies (companions,partners) over the Christmas weekend. And I loved it. Why would I ever want to quit such a wonderful practice? Why would anyone?

Sin and vice are good things people meet. Embrace them. Life's too short to worry about tomorrow,let alone 10〜20 years down the line.

Also,I smoked that cigar within 25 ,of an entranceway. So all you selfrighteous,antismoking jerks (fools) ... stuff it.

#9384 Posted by jimdeblasi at 12/28/05 1:16 a.m.

I think nicotine is the most highly addictive drug ever discovered. Smokers should be treated sympathetically and all health plans should pay for treatment.

#9400 ' Posted by atomicdog 88 at 12/28/05 8:26 a.m.

What if they don't want that treatment? You're still going to treat them with compassion? Maybe,let them in out of the 25' of cold to enjoy a smoke with their meal or while they're out having a good time?

#9445 Posted by Ben at 12/28/05 12:19 p.m.

Seriously,smoking is a choice,they have the right too. Most people who smoke want to. The sad truth is that we all pay the high medical costs for their poor health. But smokers do cause a high amount of state tax.

Vmalways against the socalled "sin" taxes. I think they should be repealed and replaced with a flat state income tax. I could care less about smokers―except their financial burden on my insurance premiums (保险费) .

(   ) 4. What is the passage about?

   A. A discussion about an ad.

   B. Some opinions about smoking.

   C. How to persuade others not to smoke.

   D. A discussion about a health plan.

(   ) 5. How many of them support the action of smoking?

   A. Two. B. None. C. Only one. D. All of them.

(   ) 6. What is NOT the opinion of the last person?

   A. He doesn't care about the fortune of the smokers.

   B. The smokers cost him extra money.

   C. Smokers should not only care about themselves.

   D. Smoking can cause some social problems.

(   ) 7. The underlined word "stuff" in the passage means         ,

   A. to fill sth. tightly   B. to push sth. quickly

   C. to throw away   D. to take care of

(   ) 8. Where might one read the above passage?

   A. In a text book.

   B. In a fashion magazine.

   C. On the Internet.

   D. In a literature journal.

 Several weeks ago,I had a letter from Mr. Li Pengyi,President of the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,Beijing. He asked me to prepare some formal documents and send them to him soon. At the beginning,I imagined I could complete the task in a couple of days. Quite quickly,I found that this was impossible.

It has been hot in London lately. The wind blows dust and leaves around. People go to work feeling tired,thinking it would be nice to have a bit of rain. Dull work in offices is even duller than usual in weather like this.

  On 17 June,I reached the last part of my paperchase at the Chinese Consulate (领事馆) . After I pushed my pile of documents through the hole in the glass screen. He glanced through the documents,checking them. Without much interest,he asked me a few routine questions. Then he went on scanning the documents and making notes. I saw him write the name, "Alexander"，in Chinese. He looked up,suddenly a very bright individual,no longer just a bored senior official.

  "Are you the author?" he asked.

  "No”， I replied. "The author was my husband,L. G. Alexander. He died. On 17th June. He died a year ago today."

He turned to his colleagues,firing off a statement in Chinese. They all paused in their work and turned to me,smiling kindly. Then the official spoke quietly but very clearly.

  "We are very sorry to hear it,very sorry indeed. But you must cheer up. Mr. Alexander is very popular in China. I learned English from New Concept English. My colleagues learned English from New Concept English. Now my daughter is learning from New Concept English as well. So for us he has not died."

Coming out into the glare of Portland Place,I felt Louis take my hand. Sharing this moment with him,I remembered a line from a Roman poet：Et haec meminisse iuvabit：Even these things we will remember with pleasure.

(   ) 1. The purpose that the writer described the weather in Paragraph 2 is         .

    A. to show she doesn't like the weather in London

   B. to suggest that she was tired and felt heavy in her heart during that process

   C. to introduce the view of the Thames

   D. to indicate that her health became poorer and poorer

(   ) 2. What does the underlined sentence "Et haec meminisse iuvabit" mean?

   A. Life is very beautiful,so we should enjoy it.

   B. During the life time,we should remember the pleasant things and forget the sad things.

   C. Even the things are full of sorrow,we still should remember them with pleasure.

   D. Forgetting the sad things is a kind of pleasure.

(   ) 3. The official suddenly changed his attitude because         .

   A. he recognized the old lady

   B. he met L. G. Alexander at last

   C. he was very thankful to the writer of New Concept English

   D. he was very sorry to hear the sad news

(   ) 4. From the passage we can infer that         .

   A. Many Chinese officials at the Chinese Consulate learned New Concept English

   B. The weather in London is so changeable that Ms Alexander dislikes the city

   C. People will always remember those who do good to them

   D. The old lady was tired of doing such kind of task

  Prevention is a central issue being discussed at the sixteenth International AIDS Conference in Toronto,Canada. Twentyfour thousand delegates are at the conference which ends Friday.

  Bill and Melinda Gates called for faster research to develop preventions like microbicides for women to use when they have sex. The hope is that such products could protect against infection with the virus that causes AIDS.

  Melinda Gates said the way to "change this epidemic" is to put power in the hands of women. In southern Africa,for example,about sixty percent of adults living with HIV are women.

  Bill Gates said women today often have no choice but to depend on men not to infect them. "A woman should never need her partner's permission to save her own life," he said as the conference opened Sunday.

  The world's richest man said "stopping AIDS" is the top priority of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

  On Monday,former President Bill Clinton said more people would get tested for HIV if an aggressive effort took place to fight the stigma (耻辱) .But reducing fears of social rejection is not enough. Mister Clinton said people also need a guarantee they would get medicine to suppress (抑制) the virus.

  Researchers at the conference presented the results of a new study of HIV testing. It involved more than one hundred thousand people tested in California last year. Some received a quick test,with results in about twenty minutes. The others received a test that is more commonly used,the results takes two weeks.

  The researchers say twentyfive percent of the people who had the longer test did not return to learn the results. But that was true of only two percent of those who had the quick test.

  George Lemp of the University of California led the study. He says quick tests could be especially important in developing countries with limited transportation.

Speakers at the AIDS conference also discussed high rates of new HIV infections among black Americans. Julian Bond is chairman of the NAACP,a leading civil rights group. He said African-Americans must,in his words , " face the fact that AIDS has become a black disease."

(   ) 5. In which of the following sections can you find the passage on the Internet?

   A. Economics report. B. Health report.

   C. Science in the news. D. American news.

(   ) 6. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

   A. Black Americans are easy to be infected by HIV.

   B. Bill Clinton called on people to accept the people with HIV.

   C. The couple of Gates realized that women need help most.

   D. A quick HIV testing is commonly used in the current world.

(   ) 7. The underlined word "epidemic" probably means         .

   A. a kind of virus

   B. widespread occurrence of a disease

   C. the situation that women depend on men

   D. family structure

(   ) 8. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   A. The New Scientific Achievement at AIDS Conference

   B. Prevention―the Theme of the AIDS Conference

   C. The Way to Save Women and Black Americans

   D. AIDS—a Black Disease

(   ) 9. What can we infer from the passage?

   A. Effective ways have been found to prevent the HIV infection.

   B. More and more people are concerned about AIDS.

   C. The first target for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is to stop AIDS.

   D. The best way to prevent AIDS is to have HIV testing.

10. I think he is likely to be the only one in the office        the secret. (give)

我认为他有可能是办公室里唯一巳经泄露秘密的人。

违法和不良信息举报电话：027-86699610 举报邮箱：58377363@163.com

精英家教网