单选题
In a purely biological sense, fear begins with the body"s system for reacting to things that can harm us—the
so-called fight-or-flight response.
"An animal that can"t detect danger can"t stay alive," says Joseph LeDoux. Like animals, humans evolved with an elaborate mechanism for processing information about potential threats. At its core is a cluster of neurons deep in the brain known as the amygdala.
LeDoux studies the way animals and humans respond to threats to understand how we form memories of significant events in our lives. The amygdala receives input from many parts of the brain, including regions responsible for retrieving memories. Using this information, the amygdala appraises a situation—I think this charging dog wants to bite me—and triggers a response by radiating nerve signals throughout the body. These signals produce the familiar signs of distress: trembling, perspiration and fast-moving feet, just to name three.
This fear mechanism is critical to the survival of all animals, but no one can say for sure whether beasts other than humans know they"re afraid. That is, as LeDoux says, "if you put that system into a brain that has consciousness, then you get the feeling of fear."
Humans, says Edward M. Hallowell, have the ability to call up images of bad things that happened in the past and to anticipate future events. Combine these higher thought processes with our hardwired danger-detection systems, and you get a near-universal human phenomenon: worry.
That"s not necessarily a bad thing, says Hallowell. "When used properly, worry is an incredible device," he says. After all, a little healthy worrying is okay if it leads to constructive action—like having a doctor look at that weird spot on your back.
Hallowell insists, though, that there"s a right way to worry. "Never do it alone, get the facts and then make a plan." He says. Most of us have survived a recession, so we"re familiar with the belt-tightening strategies needed to survive a slump.
Unfortunately, few of us have much experience dealing with the threat of terrorism, so it"s been difficult to get fact about how we should respond. That"s why Hallowell believes it was okay for people to indulge some extreme worries last fall by asking doctors for Cipro and buying gas masks.
单选题
The "so-called fight-or-flight response" (Para. 1) refers to
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 推断题。由题干定位到第一段。文章首句中，破折号前面的部分是对so-called fight-or-flight response的同义解释。B项中的the instinctive fear对应文章中的fear begins with the body"s system, feel when faced with对应reacting to, potential danger对应thing that can harm us。
单选题
From the studies conducted by LeDoux we learn that
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。此题属于细节推断题。文章第一段说humans evolved with an elaborate mechanism for processing information about potential threats，而根据后面的内容At its core is..., known as the amygdala，可以推断amygdala在人对潜在危险的反应中起着重要作用。
单选题
From the passage we know that
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 推断题。此题可用排除法。第五段指出“When used properly, worry is an incredible device,” he says，也就是说若加以合理使用，担忧并非坏事。由此可知A项“若能适当处理，适量担忧能给我们带来好处”为正确选项。
单选题
Which of the following is the best way to deal with your worries according to Hallowell?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。由题干定位到第六段。题干中的the best way对应第六段中的a right way，其后的get the facts and then make a plan表明，应对恐惧的最好办法是估计形势，并做好充分的准备，D项是对此的同义转述，其中understand the situation对应get the facts, and be fully prepared对应then make a plan。
单选题
In Hallowell"s view, people"s reaction to the terrorist threat last fall was