(2013·高考四川卷，E)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，pared 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－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.”
【小题1】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.【小题2】The study was carried out by analyzing .A．volunteers’ heartbeats when they saw terrible picturesB．the time volunteers saw fearful pictures and their health conditionsC．volunteers’ reactions to horrible pictures and data from their brain scansD．different pictures shown to volunteers and their heartbrain munication【小题3】Which of the following is closest in meaning to“mechanism” in Paragraph 6?A．Order. B．System.C．Machine. D．Treatment.【小题4】This study may contribute to .A．treating anxiety and stress betterB．explaining the cycle of fear and anxietyC．finding the key to the heartbrain municationD．understanding different fears in our hearts and headsA
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(答案→)A
解析：本文是一篇说明文。本文讲述了科学家通过研究揭示了恐惧与心脏和大脑的关系。
【小题1】解析：选A。细节理解题。由全文和第四段最后一句Thus our hearts can...fear.可知我们的心跳影响我们对恐惧的感知，所以A符合题意。
【小题2】解析：选C。由文章第四段和第五段可知，实验是通过分析志愿者对可怕图片的反应和他们的大脑扫描数据来进行的。A项“志愿者看到可怕图片时的心跳”太片面；B项中提到了身体健康状况，而文章中并没有提及，故排除；D项中的heartbrain munication是在实验后提到的，故也排除。
【小题3】解析：选B。结合上文的实验可知，mechanism所在句句意为：我们已经发现了一个重要的(身体内的)机制，通过它心脏和大脑可以互相交流来改善我们的情绪并减少恐惧。故只有B项system“体系，系统”与mechanism意思相近。order“顺序，命令”；machine“机械，机器”；treatment“治疗”。
【小题4】解析：选A。推理判断题。由最后一段中的．..we may be able to develop more...disorder.可知这个研究对治疗焦虑和压力有好处。所以选A项。