Almost everyone is afraid of something --- snakes, heights, public speaking and so on.
It is normal and can even be helpful to experience fear sometimes. In dangerous situations, fear can keep our bodies alert (警醒的) so that we can act quickly to protect ourselves.
But for some people, fear develops into a “phobia”, which is a strong and unreasonable fear of something. For example, the majority of us feel a little scared when looking down from a tall building. But people with height phobia may have trouble breathing, feel dizzy or turn down a great job just because the pany is on the 20th floor.
Phobias can prevent you from living a normal life. “People with spider phobia would stay out of their home or dormitory room for days if they thought a spider was present,” Katherina Hauner, a researcher at Northwestern University, US, told ABC news. This is why scientists have been trying to find a cure for this disease.
Since fear es from experience --- from what we are told, what we see others experience and what happens to us --- some scientists think if they can “rewrite” these unpleasant memories, they might be able to help people overe their phobias.
In a study by Hauner and other scientists, participants with spider phobia were asked to first touch a spider with a paintbrush. Seeing that it was not actually dangerous, they then tried touching it while wearing a glove. Finally, they could hold it with their hands.
Certain medicine has also been found to be helpful. Back in 2010, researchers at the University of Hiroshima, Japan, injected (注射) a special medicine into a fish --- who was afraid of light --- to turn off the fear center in its brain. From then on, the fish no longer feared light.
While the search for solutions to phobias is making great progress, it’s an open question whether getting rid of fear is good. Some people want to use these methods to make soldiers fight harder in wars by taking away their sense of fear. Dave Smithson of the charity Anxiety UK thinks that’s a bad idea. “It’s fear that prevents us from doing crazy things,” he says. “There’s a name for people who don’t have fear of consequences: psychopaths (精神变态者).
【小题1】The main point of the article is to .A．show us what kind of role fear plays in our livesB．discuss if it is good to try to get rid of fearC．inform us of fear and phobiaD．discuss scientific studies related to fear【小题2】How does the writer make the meaning of “phobia” clear?A．By making parisons.B．By giving examples.C．By giving data in numbers.D．By giving descriptions.【小题3】Which of the following shows the progress scientists have made in finding solutions to phobia?A．New medicine can shut off fear centers in animal brains whenever needed.B．They can use phobias to keep our bodies alert so that we can protect ourselves.C．They can now reduce the pain which is connected with phobia.D．They have succeeded in helping some people ignore memories related to phobia.【小题4】Which of the following would Dave Smithson probably agree with?A．There is nothing to fear except fear itself. B．We should not let fear affect our decisions.C．Fear is not a pletely bad thing.D．Without fear, everyone would be brave.C
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(答案→)C
解析：文章主要介绍了phobia一词的含义以及有关的科学研究。有时候，经历恐惧感是正常的，也是有所帮助的。而严重的恐惧则会给生活带来许多不便。
【小题1】根据前三段可知，文章主要讲的是害怕和恐惧心理。每一个人都会害怕一些东西，但是，有些人会发展为严重的恐惧心理。故选C。
【小题2】根据第三段“For example, the majority of us feel a little scared when looking down from a tall building. But people with height phobia may have trouble breathing, feel dizzy or turn down a great job just because the pany is on the 20th floor.”可知，作者通过举例来说明“phobia”的含义，故选B。
【小题3】根据倒数第三段“In a study by Hauner and other scientists, ...Finally, they could hold it with their hands.”可知，科学家已经成功让有恐惧心理的人摆脱了恐惧感，故选D。
【小题4】根据第二段“It is normal and can even be helpful to experience fear sometimes. In dangerous situations, fear can keep our bodies alert (警醒的) so that we can act quickly to protect ourselves.”和最后一段“it’s an open question whether getting rid of fear is good”可知，恐惧未必是一件坏事，故选C。