Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head, according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting(收缩) and pumping blood around their bodies, compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed. Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event, depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said: “Our Study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart.”
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces. Dr Garfinkel said, “The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed. Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don’t see一and guide whether we see fear.”
To further understand this relationship, the scientists also used a brain scanner(扫描仪) to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person’s feeling of fear.
“We have found an important mechanism by which the heart and brain ‘speak’ to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear,” Dr Garfinkel said.
“We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders, and also for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder.”What is the finding of the study?
| A．One’s heart affects how he feels fear. |
| B．Fear is a result of one’s relaxed heartbeat. |
| C．Fear has something to do with one’s health. |
| D．One’s fast heartbeats are likely to cause fear. |
The study was carried out by analyzing .
| A．volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible pictures |
| B．the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditions |
| C．volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scans |
| D．different pictures shown to volunteers and their heart—brain communication |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to “mechanism” in Paragraph 6?
| A．Order. | B．System. |
| C．Machine. | D．Treatment. |
This study may contribute to .
| A．treating anxiety and stress better. |
| B．explaining the cycle of fear and anxiety |
| C．finding the key to the heart-brain communication |
| D．understanding different fears in our hearts and heads |
My alarm o’clock rings in my ears at 5:00 every morning. On hearing the ring, I will get out of bed and put on my glasses. The house is quiet as I walk downstairs while my husband and three kids sleep in peace. Instead of going for a long run as usual, today I chose my favorite exercise DVD and started moving. Sweat rolled down my face and into my eyes. My heart beat wildly as I face my body to finish each movement before a mirror. Of course I felt extremely tired towards the end, but a smile spread across my face. I smiled because the DVD was over, and there appeared a brighter smile of success from pushing my body to its extreme limit.
While some people are fond of chocolate, shopping, smoking, or work, what I need is taking exercise to pass each day. People shake their heads when they see me run with sweating heavily through the town. Some look surprised when I refuse to try just one bite of chocolate cake. They seem greatly puzzled by my “no thank you,” or by my choice to just have a vegetable salad. I have come to realize that it doesn’t matter to just say “No.” to any kind of food that I don’t want to eat.
Do you wonder what drives me to roll out of bed at 5:00 a.m. every morning? What makes me refuse ice cream firmly? Commitment—I’m determined to change my life with a way which can not only free me from daily anxiety, but also increase energy and self–confidence. And above all it will surely help me to keep good body shape and maybe extend my life. This is the real reason why there’s a huge smile spreading across my face when I look at myself in the mirror or try on my favorite pair of jeans that now fit me just right and look perfectly on me. I never doubt that I cannot make a difference within myself inside and out without such commitment and sweat.From the text we can conclude that the author___________.
| A．desires to look different from others. |
| B．expects to develop a good body shape. |
| C．has difficulty getting along with others. |
| D．behaves strangely every morning she gets up |
Which statement is TRUE according to Paragraph 2 ?
| A．Others don’t understand the author. |
| B．Others help the author by offering her food. |
| C．The author doesn’t understand others. |
| D．The author hates to make others surprised. |
The underlined word “commitment” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．good health | B．firm belief | C．a habit | D．a permission |
Why is there a smile on the author’s face in the morning?
| A．Because she sees her family sleeping peacefully. |
| B．Because she finishes her favorite exercise. |
| C．Because she enjoys the inspiring DVD music. |
| D．Because she feels a sense of achievement |
Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy(幻想) literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe(虚假). But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated(隔离的) lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modern technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction(交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves.
| A．the close connection between man and the fantasy world |
| B．the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature |
| C．the general existence of the sense of curiosity |
| D．the fine taste of moviegoers around the world |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?
| A．The world around us could serve as a source of wonder. |
| B．People are far less familiar with the world of fantasy. |
| C．The world of fantasy can be mirrored by a small and lively pond. |
| D．Modern technology prevents us from developing our sense of wonder. |
If our sense of wonder relies totally on the world of make-believe, we will
| A．be confused by the world of make-believe |
| B．fail to appreciate the joy in our lives |
| C．miss the chance to recognize the fantasy world |
| D．be trapped by other worlds existing all around us |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show us the hidden beauty in our world. |
| B．To discuss the influence of the world of make-believe. |
| C．To argue against the misuse of the sense of wonder. |
| D．To warn us not to get lost in the fantasy world. |
Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn’t forget that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) arrived here in 1835. He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals. This finally inspired (启发) his famous work, On the Origin of Species. You can certainly follow Darwin’s footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands.
The islands are certainly a paradise (天堂) for wildlife, as there are no natural killers on the islands and the number of boats and visitors is under government control. Though you cannot walk freely as Darwin did about 200 years ago, each day is as impressive as it could be.
The most well-known animals of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise(巨型海龟), which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Santa Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago(群岛). Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been seen in their youth by Darwin himself.
Despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and, most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air.
Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired Darwin, you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. At night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time.What do we know about Darwin’s visit to the islands?
| A．He was attracted by well-known animals of the islands. |
| B．He completed his famous book on the islands. |
| C．He was touched by the geography of the islands. |
| D．He studied different creatures on the islands. |
Which of the following plays a role in making the islands “a paradise for wildlife”?
| A．People cannot visit the islands as they wish. |
| B．Local government forbids killing wildlife. |
| C．Animals on the islands feed on grass. |
| D．Tourists are not allowed to touch the animals. |
Your stay on the islands will be most impressive mainly because of.
| A．a closer view of animals | B．Darwin’s inspiring trip |
| C．The beautiful sea views | D．various daring activities |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Calapagos as a Paradise for Adventures |
| B．A Unique Attraction for wildlife Lovers |
| C．Charles Darwin as a symbol of Galapagos |
| D．A successful Example of wildlife protection |
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers(生产商) follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征) of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left. Considering most of the world’s population—men and women—are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women. So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here. Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men’s shirts button form the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.
Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change. At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
| A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years. |
| B．It fails to consider right-handed people. |
| C．It woks better with men than with women. |
| D．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s. |
What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
| A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons. |
| B．They drew their swords from the left. |
| C．They were mostly dressed by servants. |
| D．They were interested in the historical matters. |
Women’s clothes still button from the left today because.
| A．adopting men’s style is improper for women |
| B．manufacturers should follow standards |
| C．customs are hard to change |
| D．modern women dress themselves |
The passage is mainly developed by .
| A．examining differences | B．making comparisons |
| C．analyzing causes | D．following the time order |
Love, success, happiness, family and freedom—how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life.
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old. I was born in a war-torn area. Right now I’m a web designer.
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields. For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long. Those are my great memories.
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: Yes. As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family. I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age. However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone. I learnt to be independent.
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area. I would have loved to live with my family in freedom. Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe.
Q: How do your get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age. I want to give back what I’ve got. That’s our way. But I am working in another city. My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it. It filters(过滤) out your emotion and leaves your voice only. My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch.In Misbah’s childhood,.
| A．he was fond of getting close to nature | B．he liked living in the countryside |
| C．he was free from worry | D．he often spent holidays with his family |
What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?
| A．A colorful life. | B．A beautiful house. |
| C．Money for his family. | D．Peace and freedom. |
How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?
| A．By chatting on the Internet. |
| B．By calling them sometimes. |
| C．By writing them letters. |
| D．By paying weekly visits. |
If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?
| A．What was your childhood dream? |
| B．What is your parents’ view of you? |
| C．What is your biggest achievement? |
| D．What was your hardest experience in the war? |