英语阅读练习1

阅读1

  • document 记录

  • stumble into 跌跌撞撞的

  • undecorated 没有装饰的

  • rectangular 四边形的

  • sexual arousal 性欲激发

  • glance around 四处看

  • collectively 一起地

  • pretend 假装

  • howling 嚎叫

  • adaptive 自适应的

  • exploiting 剥削，利用

  • mastery 熟练，驾驭，控制

  • appalling 骇人听闻的

  1. Imagine you’re an alien sent to Earth to document the behaviour of the mammals inhabiting the planet. You stumble into a movie theatre that’s showing the latest Hollywood horror film.
  2. Several dozen humans are gathered together in a dark, undecorated room. They’re all staring at a rectangular area on which patterns of light change rapidly.
  3. They are clearly in a state of high arousal. Their heart rate is elevated, they occasionally glance around nervously, and they sometimes jump collectively in their seats, and emit high-pitched warning calls.
  4. Eventually, the lights come up and the rectangular screen goes black. The humans stand up and leave the room, chatting and laughing, and showing signs of pleasure.
  5. Why do these humans voluntarily expose themselves to what appears to be a deeply unpleasant experience? And why do they react so strongly to those patterns of light on a screen?
  6. I am fascinated with the paradox of horror — the strange fact that many people seek out scary entertainment.
  7. I think the answer to the puzzle lies in human nature.
  8. My research suggests that we humans evolved to find pleasure in situations that allow us to experience negative emotions in a safe context. You can see these elements of horror in children’s games. Take hide-and-seek for example, which is a simulation of a predator-prey interaction. The kid hides and the adult pretends to be a predator, searching for the child while howling like a dangerous beast.
  9. This simulation gives the child crucial information about how to avoid becoming prey, and children tend to find that kind of activity deeply satisfying, presumably because it gives them a safe experience of a potentially catastrophic scenario.
  10. They find it pleasurable, and pleasure is evolution’s way of motivating us toward adaptive behaviour.
  11. Horror is pleasurable to many people because it lets us play with negative emotions and develop coping strategies. We learn what it feels like to be truly afraid, and we learn how to handle negative emotion.
  12. How, then, does horror work? My research suggests that horror works by exploiting an ancient set of biological defence mechanisms — an evolved fear system, which we share with other animals. But humans are uniquely imaginative, and we use our evolved imagination to travel into virtual worlds that are full of danger.
  13. There are good reasons for watching a horror film, even if you’re not a loyal horror fan. If you make it through the film in one piece, you’ll probably experience a strong sense of mastery, a sense that you were able to make it through an appalling experience. Anyway, watching a horror film makes you better at handling your own fear, and who knows when that will become critically relevant?

问题

  • mindfulness 正念，平静

  • thrill 激动

  • graify 满足

  • evolved 进化

  • stimulated 模拟的

  • gratifying 令人满意的

46.The alien finds the audience in the movie theatre clearly in a state of

A)total mindfulness
B)extreme excitement
C)spiritual elevation
D)intense curiosity

47.Why do many people seek out scary entertainment, according to the author’s research?

A)They gain experience in overcoming horror in real life.
B)They find joy in going through simulated horrible experiences.
C)They have learned from hide-and-seek as kids the thrill involved.
D)They have evolved to gain pleasure in escaping life-threatening situations.

48.What do children learn from hide-and-seek?

A)How to avoid falling prey to an attacker.
B)How to simulate a predator-prey interaction.
C)How to keep themselves from catastrophic errors.
D)How to turn a dangerous scenario into a safe one.

49.Why is horror gratifying to many people?

A)It reminds them of an ancient set of biological defence mechanisms.
B)It triggers their imagination to travel into dangerous virtual worlds.
C)It allows them to learn what fear feels like and how to tackle it.
D)It activates their evolved fear system and their unique fantasy.

50.What will one experience if they watch a horror film through without being hurt?

A)A strong sense of clear relevance.
B)A profound sense of good fortune.
C)A profound sense of intense relief.
D)A strong sense of being in control.

翻译

1.想象一下，你是一个外星人，被派到地球来记录居住在这个星球上的哺乳动物的行为。你偶然走进一家正在放映最新好莱坞恐怖电影的电影院。

2.几十个人聚集在一个黑暗的、没有装饰的房间里。他们都盯着一个矩形区域，上面的光线模式迅速变化。

3.他们显然处于高度觉醒状态。他们的心率升高，偶尔紧张地环顾四周，有时会在座位上集体跳跃，发出高音警告喊叫。

4.最终，灯亮了，矩形屏幕变黑了。人类站起来离开房间，聊天和大笑，并表现出快乐的迹象。

5.为什么这些人自愿暴露在看起来非常不愉快的经历中？为什么它们对屏幕上的光线有如此强烈的反应？

6.我着迷于恐怖的悖论——奇怪的事实是，许多人寻求可怕的娱乐。

7.我认为这个谜题的答案在于人性。

8.我的研究表明，我们人类进化到在允许我们在安全的环境中体验负面情绪的情况下寻找快乐。你可以在儿童游戏中看到这些恐怖元素。以捉迷藏为例，这是一种捕食者和猎物互动的模拟。孩子藏起来，成年人假装是捕食者，一边寻找孩子，一边像危险的野兽一样嚎叫。

9.这种模拟给孩子提供了如何避免成为猎物的关键信息，孩子们往往会觉得这种活动非常令人满意，大概是因为它让他们对潜在的灾难性场景有了一种安全的体验。

10.他们觉得这是令人愉快的，快乐是进化激励我们适应行为的方式。

11.恐怖对许多人来说是令人愉快的，因为它让我们玩弄负面情绪并制定应对策略。我们了解真正害怕的感觉，并学习如何处理负面情绪。

12.那么，恐怖是如何起作用的呢？我的研究表明，恐怖是通过利用一套古老的生物防御机制来发挥作用的——一种进化的恐惧系统，我们与其他动物共享。但是人类具有独特的想象力，我们利用进化后的想象力进入充满危险的虚拟世界。

13.看恐怖片有很好的理由，即使你不是忠实的恐怖片迷。如果你完整地看完这部电影，你可能会体验到强烈的掌握感，一种你能够通过骇人听闻的经历的感觉。不管怎样，看恐怖片会让你更好地处理自己的恐惧，谁知道这什么时候会变得至关重要？

答案

  1. B

They clearly in a state of high arousal. Their heart rate is elevated, they occasionally glance around nervously, and they sometimes jump collectively in their seats, and emit high-pitched warning calls.

  1. B

My research suggests that we humans evolved to find pleasure in situations that allow us to experience negative emotions in a safe context.

  1. A

You can see these elements of horror in children’s games. Take hide-and-seek for example, which is a simulation of a predator-prey interaction.

This simulation gives the child crucial information about how to avoid becoming prey, and children tend to find that kind of activity deeply satisfying, presumably because it gives them a safe experience of a potentially catastrophic scenario.

  1. C

Horror is pleasurable to many people because it lets us play with negative emotions and develop coping strategies. We learn what it feels like to be truly afraid, and we learn how to handle negative emotion.

  1. D

you’ll probably experience a strong sense of mastery, a sense that you were able to make it through an appalling experience.