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?

One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting．I was looking forward to a quiet 36　 of the splendid artwork．

　　　 A young 37 viewing the paintings ahead of me 38 nonstop between themselves．I watched them a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking．I admired the man's　 39 for putting up with her 40　 stream of words． 41　 by their noise, I moved on．

　　　 I met them several times as I moved 42　 the various rooms of art．Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away 43　 .

　　　 I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a　 44 when the couple approached the 45 ．Before they left, the man　 46　 into his pocket and pulled out a white object．He 47　 it into a long stick and then　 48　 his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket．

　　　 "He's a 49　 man, " the clerk at the counter said．" Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age．During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change．So, as before, he and his wife come in 50　 there is a new art show．"

　　　 "But what does he get out of the art?" I asked．"He can't see．"

　　　 "Can't see! You're 51 ．He sees a lot．More than you and I do," the clerk said．"His wife 52　 each painting so he can see it in his head．"

　　　 I learned something about patience,　 53　 and love that day．I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without　 54　 and the courage of a'' husband who would not 55　 blindness to change his life．And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, their arms intertwined．

36．A．view 　　　 　　B．touch 　　　C．wander 　 　　　　D．stare

37．A．lady　 　　 B．couple 　 　　 C．man 　　 　　　　D．clerk

38．A．yelled　　 　　 B．argued　 　　 C．screamed　 　　 D．chatted

39．A．attempt　 　　 B．independence C．patience　 　　　 D．wisdom

40．A．constant　 　 B．vivid　 　　C．casual　　　 　　　 D．vague

41．A．Adopted　 　　 B．Adapted　 　 C．Disturbed　 　　 D．Conducted

42．A．from　　 　　 B．to　　 　 　　C．towards　 　 　　 D．through

43．A．anxiously　 　 B．quickly　 　　 C．urgently　 　　　 D．sensibly

44．A．comment　　 　　　 B．purchase 　　 C．decision 　　　　 D．profit

45．A．exit　　　 　 B．entrance 　　C．front　 　　　 　　 D．queue

46．A．plugged　　 B．reached 　　C．held　 　　　 　 D．bent

47．A．lengthened　 B．made 　　 　　C．brought　 　　　 D．broadened

48．A．led　　　 　 B．found 　 　　C．tapped　 　　　　 D．forced

49．A．generous　 　 B．rough　　 　　 C．smart 　 　　　　D．brave

50．A．wherever 　　 B．whatever 　　C．whenever　　 　　 D．whichever

51．A．unique　 　　 B．silly　 　　 C．equal　　　　 　　 D．wrong

52．A．decorates　 　 B．draws　 　　　 C．shoves　　 　　D．describes

53．A．kindness　 　　 B．pride　　 　　　 C．courage　　　 　　 D．enthusiasm

54．A．sight　　 　　 B．support　 　　 C．expectation　 　　 D．confidence

55．A．get 　　　　B．allow　 　　C．hope 　　　 　　　　D．cause

Reading Comprehension

Read the following passages, and choose the best answer that can answer the question.

　　Shops in Britain

　　Most shops open at nine in the morning. Small shops usually stop business for an hour at lunch. On one or two days a week－usually Thursday and /or Friday－some larger food shops stay open until about eight o'clock in the evening for night shopping.

　　Many shops are closed in the afternoon one day a week. The day is usually Wednesday or Thursday：it can be a different day in different towns.

　　Nearly all shops are closed on Sundays. Newspaper shops are open in the morning, and sell sweets and cigarettes as well. But there are legal restrictions(法律限定) on selling many things on Sundays.

　　In general, overseas visitors don't have much difficulty knowing where to buy what they want. Most shops sell the things that you would expect them to. But, for stamps, you can only buy them in post－offices.

　　Many large food shops are self－service. When you go into one of these, you take a basket d put into it the things you wish to buy. You queue up at the cash－desk and pay for everything just before you leave.

　　If anyone should try to take things from a shop without paying, he would almost certainly be caught：Most large shops have store detectives(侦探) whose job is to guard against shoplifters. Shoplifting is considered a serious crime(犯罪) by the police and the courts(法庭).

　　When you are waiting to be served in a shop, it is important to wait for your turn. It is important not to try to be served before people who arrived before you. Many people from overseas are astonished at the British habit of queuing.

1．In Britain some large food shops ________ on weekdays.

[　　]

A．open from 9:00 a. m. till 8:00 p. m.

B．open at 8:00 a. m.

C．close at about 8:00 p. m.

D．stay open till 8:00 p. m. every day

2．Many shops in Britain ________.

[　　]

A．are closed on Wednesday or Thursday

B．open from 9: 00 a. m. till 8: 00 p. m.

C．arc closed on Wednesday or Thursday afternoon.

D．stay open for about eight hours

3．Newspaper shops sell ________.

[　　]

A．newspapers only

B．sweets and cigarettes besides newspapers

C．newspapers in the morning and cigarettes in the evening

D．sweets and cigarettes only

4．Foreigners ________ shops where they can buy the things they want.

[　　]

A．have to spend hours to find

B．have no difficulty in finding

C．have trouble in finding

D．hardly know how to find

5．A shoplifter is a person who ________.

[　　]

A．buys things from a shop by himself

B．serves a shop by carrying things

C．in waiting to be served in a shop

D．steals from a shop

　　I needed to get some money, so after Christmas, I took a job in the clothes department at Graham's for the first fortnight of the January sale. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but it was an experience I'1I never forget.

　　I could never understand why there were so many things in the sales; where did they all come from? Now I know the secret! Firstly, there is the special winter stock（货物）and the stock that people buy all the year round; some of these things are slightly reduced. Secondly, there are the stammer clothes they couldn't sell last year; these are heavily reduced to clear them Thirdly, there are cheap clothes bought in specially for the sales; these are put out at high prices ten days be-fore the sale, begins and then are reduced by 60％in the sale Clever! lastly, they buy in“seconds”(clothes mot in perfect condition)for the sale and they are sold very cheaply.

　　When I arrived half an hour before opening on the first day of the sale, there was already a queue around three sides of the building. This made me very nervous. When the big moment arrived to open the doors the security guards, looking less confident than usual, came up to them, keys in hand. The moment they had unlocked the doors, they hid behind the doors for protection as the noisy crowd charged in. I couldn't believe my eyes; this wasn't shopping, it was a battlefield! One poor lady couldn't keep her feet and was knocked over by people pushing from behind.

　　Clothes were flying in all directions as people searched for the sizes, colours and styles they wanted. Quarrels broke out. Mothers were using their small children to crawl（爬行）through people's legs and get hold of things they couldn't get near themselves.

　　Within minutes I had half a dozen people pushing clothes under my nose, each wanting to be the first served. Where had the famous English queue gone? The whole day continued like that, but I kept my temper（脾气）! I was taking money hand over fist and began to realize why, twice a year, Graham's were happy to turn their expensive store into a battlefield like this.

　　In the sale fever, people were spending money like water without thinking whether they needed what they were buying. As long as it was a bargain it was OK.

　　You won't believe this but as soon as I got home I crashed out for four hours. Then I had dinner and went back to bed, fearing the sound of the alarm which would tell me to get ready for the second day of the sale.

(1) What kind of clothes is likely to be sold 5％cheaper?

[　　]

A．Last summer's clothes.

B．Clothes not in perfect condition.

C．Clothes bought in specially for the sales.

D．Clothes for winter.

(2) Which of the following statements is true?

[　　]

A．The customers gave up the queuing, for which the English are famous.

B．The customers kept their temper while looking for clothes they wanted.

C．Small children enjoyed crawling through people's legs.

D．The security guards were fearless of the crowd.

(3) In the author's opinion, why were Graham's happy to make their expensive store into a“battlefield”?

[　　]

A．There were too many clothes and they wanted to clear them in the sales.

B．They were eager to show that they were clever at doing business.

C．They could take the chance to raise the prices of all their clothes.

D．They wanted to make more money by having sales.

(4) The expression“crashed out”means ________.