It was four o'clock when we left Micatlan,and we traveled quickly until it became almost completely dark.It was our intention to return to our general quarters in Atlacomulco that night.We had a long journey ahead of us,especially because it had been decided there was no way we would try to cross the ravines again at night,since they were considered far too dangerous.Futhermore,an eclipse of the moon was expected,and,in fact,while we were crossing an open field,the moon appeared on the horizon,half in shadow,a rare and beautiful sight.

After a few hours of riding,we suddenly realized that we had lost our way,and worse still,had no way of finding it again.Night had fallen and there was not a single hut in sight,only great plains and mountains and the lowing of distant bulls all around us.We continued on ahead,trusting in luck,though it was difficult to say where she had brought us.By good fortune,our advance riders ran into two Indians,a man and a boy,who agreed to guide us their village and no further.

After an interminable and exhausting road,which we traveled at a brisk trot,the barking of several dogs announced an Indian village.In the dying light,we could just make out cane huts,firmly situated between the banana trees,with fenced gardens in front of each one.Our convoy stopped in front of one particular hut,a kind of inn or shop for alcohol,where a naked goblin-like figure,the ideal husband for a witch,was serving cheap brandy to the Indians,most of whom were already drunk.

We dismounted and threw ourselves to the ground,too tired to even think.Someone found us,God knows how,a cup of dreadful hot chocolate.We began to realize that we were completely lost,and so it was agreed to give up our attempt to reach Atlacomulco that night.Instead,we should head for the village of “E1 Puente”,where our guides know a Spanish family,made up of several unmarried brothers,who,without any doubt,would be delighted to offer us a safe refuge for the rest of the night.We remounted and began our journey,a little restored after the pause in our journey and the dreadful hot chocolate.

Where did we travel to?

A.El Puente.                                                           B.The cane huts.            C.Atlacomulco.                                                       D.An Indian Village.

When we traveled at night_________.

A.there was a good guide leading us           

B.there was a full moon in the sky

C.we could hardly see anything                  

D.we could see everything around clearly

When we lost our way we believed that_________.

A.we should stay where we were for rescue

B.we should go on to seek after our fortune

C.we should go back where we started

D.we should ask the Indians for help

When we reached the inn-like hut_________.

A.someone served alcohol and hot chocolate at once

B.we had a good sleep

C.we had a good drink

D.we were too exhausted to ask for anything

She’s not afraid of anything. Snakes? No problem. Walking alone in the dark? Easy. We’re not talking about a superhero here -- SM is a 44-year-old mother.  And she’s fearless because she happens to be missing part of her brain: the amygdala(扁桃腺).

   Shaped like a pair of almonds sitting in the middle of your brain, the amygdala helps control fear and anxiety. A rare condition called Urbach-Wiethe disease left SM without her amygdala, and seems to have completely erased her sense of fear.

   To try to understand how the amygdala works, a team of researchers made their efforts to scare SM. They showed her horror movies and took her to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Haunted House in Kentucky. She pushed out one of the monsters(巨物) and laughed. SM said she didn’t like snakes, but at a pet store full of poisonous creatures, she kept asking to touch them. When asked to rate her feelings, SM reported feeling surprised or disgusted, but never fearful.

   “She tends to approach everything she should be avoiding,” says Justin Feinstein of the  University of Iowa. This means the amygdala could control deeper urges to approach or avoid danger. Other scientists have a different opinion, though.  “I don’t believe you can make a general statement about what the amygdala does by a single case study,” Elizabeth Phelps said. In 2002, Phelps published a study on a similar patient with amygdala damage who still showed fear.

It may sound like fun to be totally fearless, but we get scared for a good reason. “The nature of fear is survival and the amygdala helps us stay alive by avoiding situations, people, or objects that put our life in danger,” Feinstein said. SM was once followed in a park after dark by a man with a knife, and she simply walked away. “It is quite remarkable that she is still alive,” said Feinstein.

1.SM dares to walk alone in the dark mainly because ____________.

A. she is a superhero

B. she has experienced such conditions a lot

C. she is a mental patient

D. she has no sense of fear

2.Researchers tried their best to frighten SM in order to find ___________.

A. The function of a particular organ

B. SM’s reaction of fear and anxiety

C. The process of removing amygdale

D. A special way to get along with monsters

3.What do we know from the research on SM?

A. It was easy for her to avoid danger.

B. SM never felt fearful but disgusted.

C. SM was frightened by nothing except monsters.

D. SM got along well with the snakes.

4.What is Elizabeth Phelps’ attitude toward the function of the amygdala based on the research on SM?

A. Indifferent    B. Supportive    C. Disapproving     D. Interested

5.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. People can remove their amygdala to be fearless.

B. SM will be admired because of her bravery.

C. No one can survive if their amygdala is removed.

D. The sense of fear is crucial to humans.

It was four o'clock when we left Micatlan,and we traveled quickly until it became almost completely dark.It was our intention to return to our general quarters in Atlacomulco that night.We had a long journey ahead of us,especially because it had been decided there was no way we would try to cross the ravines again at night,since they were considered far too dangerous.Futhermore,an eclipse of the moon was expected,and,in fact,while we were crossing an open field,the moon appeared on the horizon,half in shadow,a rare and beautiful sight.
After a few hours of riding,we suddenly realized that we had lost our way,and worse still,had no way of finding it again.Night had fallen and there was not a single hut in sight,only great plains and mountains and the lowing of distant bulls all around us.We continued on ahead,trusting in luck,though it was difficult to say where she had brought us.By good fortune,our advance riders ran into two Indians,a man and a boy,who agreed to guide us their village and no further.
After an interminable and exhausting road,which we traveled at a brisk trot,the barking of several dogs announced an Indian village.In the dying light,we could just make out cane huts,firmly situated between the banana trees,with fenced gardens in front of each one.Our convoy stopped in front of one particular hut,a kind of inn or shop for alcohol,where a naked goblin-like figure,the ideal husband for a witch,was serving cheap brandy to the Indians,most of whom were already drunk.
We dismounted and threw ourselves to the ground,too tired to even think.Someone found us,God knows how,a cup of dreadful hot chocolate.We began to realize that we were completely lost,and so it was agreed to give up our attempt to reach Atlacomulco that night.Instead,we should head for the village of “E1 Puente”,where our guides know a Spanish family,made up of several unmarried brothers,who,without any doubt,would be delighted to offer us a safe refuge for the rest of the night.We remounted and began our journey,a little restored after the pause in our journey and the dreadful hot chocolate.

1. 1.

   Where did we travel to?

   1. A.
      El Puente.
   2. B.
      The cane huts.
   3. C.
      Atlacomulco.
   4. D.
      An Indian Village.
2. 2.

   When we traveled at night_________.

   1. A.
      there was a good guide leading us
   2. B.
      there was a full moon in the sky
   3. C.
      we could hardly see anything
   4. D.
      we could see everything around clearly
3. 3.

   When we lost our way we believed that_________.

   1. A.
      we should stay where we were for rescue
   2. B.
      we should go on to seek after our fortune
   3. C.
      we should go back where we started
   4. D.
      we should ask the Indians for help
4. 4.

   When we reached the inn-like hut_________.

   1. A.
      someone served alcohol and hot chocolate at once
   2. B.
      we had a good sleep
   3. C.
      we had a good drink
   4. D.
      we were too exhausted to ask for anything

She’s not afraid of anything. Snakes? No problem. Walking alone in the dark? Easy. We’re not talking about a superhero here -- SM is a 44-year-old mother.  And she’s fearless because she happens to be missing part of her brain: the amygdala(扁桃腺).

   Shaped like a pair of almonds sitting in the middle of your brain, the amygdala helps control fear and anxiety. A rare condition called Urbach-Wiethe disease left SM without her amygdala, and seems to have completely erased her sense of fear.

   To try to understand how the amygdala works, a team of researchers made their efforts to scare SM. They showed her horror movies and took her to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Haunted House in Kentucky. She pushed out one of the monsters(巨物) and laughed. SM said she didn’t like snakes, but at a pet store full of poisonous creatures, she kept asking to touch them. When asked to rate her feelings, SM reported feeling surprised or disgusted, but never fearful.

   “She tends to approach everything she should be avoiding,” says Justin Feinstein of the  University of Iowa. This means the amygdala could control deeper urges to approach or avoid danger. Other scientists have a different opinion, though.  “I don’t believe you can make a general statement about what the amygdala does by a single case study,” Elizabeth Phelps said. In 2002, Phelps published a study on a similar patient with amygdala damage who still showed fear.

It may sound like fun to be totally fearless, but we get scared for a good reason. “The nature of fear is survival and the amygdala helps us stay alive by avoiding situations, people, or objects that put our life in danger,” Feinstein said. SM was once followed in a park after dark by a man with a knife, and she simply walked away. “It is quite remarkable that she is still alive,” said Feinstein.

41. SM dares to walk alone in the dark mainly because ____________.

   A. she is a superhero         B. she has experienced such conditions a lot

   C. she is a mental patient      D. she has no sense of fear

42. Researchers tried their best to frighten SM in order to find ___________.

   A. The function of a particular organ    B. SM’s reaction of fear and anxiety

   C. The process of removing amygdala   D. A special way to get along with monsters

43. What do we know from the research on SM?

   A. It was easy for her to avoid danger.

   B. SM never felt fearful but disgusted.

   C. SM was frightened by nothing except monsters.

   D. SM got along well with the snakes.

44. What is Elizabeth Phelps’ attitude toward the function of the amygdala based on the research on SM?

   A. Indifferent    B. Supportive    C. Disapproving     D. Interested

45. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

   A. People can remove their amygdala to be fearless.

   B. SM will be admired because of her bravery.

   C. No one can survive if their amygdala is removed.

   D. The sense of fear is crucial to humans.

She’s not afraid of anything. Snakes? No problem. Walking alone in the dark? Easy. We’re not talking about a superhero here -- SM is a 44-year-old mother.  And she’s fearless because she happens to be missing part of her brain: the amygdala(扁桃腺).
Shaped like a pair of almonds sitting in the middle of your brain, the amygdala helps control fear and anxiety. A rare condition called Urbach-Wiethe disease left SM without her amygdala, and seems to have completely erased her sense of fear.
To try to understand how the amygdala works, a team of researchers made their efforts to scare SM. They showed her horror movies and took her to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Haunted House in Kentucky. She pushed out one of the monsters(巨物) and laughed. SM said she didn’t like snakes, but at a pet store full of poisonous creatures, she kept asking to touch them. When asked to rate her feelings, SM reported feeling surprised or disgusted, but never fearful.
“She tends to approach everything she should be avoiding,” says Justin Feinstein of the  University of Iowa. This means the amygdala could control deeper urges to approach or avoid danger. Other scientists have a different opinion, though.  “I don’t believe you can make a general statement about what the amygdala does by a single case study,” Elizabeth Phelps said. In 2002, Phelps published a study on a similar patient with amygdala damage who still showed fear.
It may sound like fun to be totally fearless, but we get scared for a good reason. “The nature of fear is survival and the amygdala helps us stay alive by avoiding situations, people, or objects that put our life in danger,” Feinstein said. SM was once followed in a park after dark by a man with a knife, and she simply walked away. “It is quite remarkable that she is still alive,” said Feinstein

1. 1.

   SM dares to walk alone in the dark mainly because ____________

   1. A.
      she is a superhero
   2. B.
      she has experienced such conditions a lot
   3. C.
      she is a mental patient
   4. D.
      she has no sense of fear
2. 2.

   Researchers tried their best to frighten SM in order to find ___________

   1. A.
      The function of a particular organ
   2. B.
      SM’s reaction of fear and anxiety
   3. C.
      The process of removing amygdale
   4. D.
      A special way to get along with monsters
3. 3.

   What do we know from the research on SM?

   1. A.
      It was easy for her to avoid danger
   2. B.
      SM never felt fearful but disgusted
   3. C.
      SM was frightened by nothing except monsters
   4. D.
      SM got along well with the snakes
4. 4.

   What is Elizabeth Phelps’ attitude toward the function of the amygdala based on the research on SM?

   1. A.
      Indifferent
   2. B.
      Supportive
   3. C.
      Disapproving
   4. D.
      Interested
5. 5.

   What can we infer from the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      People can remove their amygdala to be fearless
   2. B.
      SM will be admired because of her bravery
   3. C.
      No one can survive if their amygdala is removed
   4. D.
      The sense of fear is crucial to humans