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 (鸡皮疙瘩)” 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 escape from danger and save themselves. 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 fearful and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.
How do scientists explain why shaking 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 amygdale. When you suddenly see a snake, for example, the amygdale makes you freeze, sweat, have a quickened heartbeat, or run very fast. However, seeing the snake also uses another part of the brain, the cortex. 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 amygdale as the engine and the cortex as the brake.
Back to the first question: Why do some people like to make themselves scared? “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 centre.”
And there might be some evolutionary advantage to being able to adjust this system that is there to protect people.
72. How many questions are answered in the passage?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
73. Some people like to be scared because .
A. they are afraid that the fear genes will be passed onto their children
B. it’s a good practice to get prepared for the real frightening situation
C. it can help them show their own personalities
D. they will feel powerful after getting rid of fear
74. Which of the following is true about the people who are not easily scared?
A. Their cortex is better at analyzing the situations.
B. They are more likely to suffer from potential danger.
C. They are born unaffected by anything horrible.
D. They lack a strong response towards threat.
75. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Ready to scream? B. How to be scared?
C. Willing to shake? D. Why to be scared?72.B;73.D;74.B;75; A
网友回答
(答案→)72.B;73.D;74.B;75; A
解析：
72．选B。作者先后回答了一下这三个问题：Why do people like being scared?/ How do scientists explain why shaking over such scary things is fun?/ What happens in the brain when something frightens you?
73．选D。从原文第五段To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power可知D正确。
74．选B。A选项所提的遗传问题在文章第二段“leaving the more fearful and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.”是用来解释“Fear is an ancient way of surviving.” 与A选项表述完全无关。原文第五段提到“Scary movies or novels are good practice to prepare young people for the real thing.”这里的good practice值得是看恐怖电影和读恐怕小说；而B选项中所说的good practice指的是 “to get prepared for the real frightening situation”；二者完全不同。C选项内容文章没有涉及。
75．选A。从文章中“Fear can be fun”，“screaming but enjoying themselves”，“like to read “goose bumps” books… but feeling excited ”，“shaking over such scary things is fun”等文字中可以看出文章时围绕着恐惧带给人们刺激与兴奋而言的。Scream一词指（因恐惧﹑痛苦或兴奋）尖声喊叫；而shake则（指人）发抖, 打颤；脱离了文章的语境，willing to shake不能表达文章的核心内容；而B、D则与文章中心不符。