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A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old woman whom police said he scared to death. In an attempt to evade policemen after a bank robbery, the Associated Press reports that 20-year-old Larry Whitfield broke into the home of Mary Parnell. Police say he didn’t touch Parnell but that she died after suffering a heart attack that was caused by terror. Can the guy be held responsible for the woman’s death? Prosecutors(公诉人) said that he can under the state’s murder rule, which allows someone to be charged with murder if he or she causes another person’s death while committing or fleeing from a severe crime like robbery—even if he or she doesn’t kill someone on purpose.
But, medically speaking, can someone actually be frightened to death? We asked Martin Samuels, chairman of the neurology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Absolutely, no question about it.
The body has a natural protective method called the fight-or-flight response(战或逃反应), which was originally described by Walter Cannon,the chairman of Harvard University’s physiology department from 1906 to 1942. If, in the wild, an animal is faced with a life-threatening situation, the autonomic nervous system responds by increasing heart rate, increasing blood flow to the muscles, and slowing digestion, among other things. All of this increases the chances of succeeding in a fight or running away from an aggressive beast. This process certainly would be of help to primitive humans. However, in the modern world there is obvious decline of the fight-or-flight response.
The autonomic nervous system uses the chemical messenger to send signals to various parts of the body to activate the fight-or-flight response. This chemical is toxic in large amounts; it damages the organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. It is believed that almost all sudden deaths are caused by damage to the heart. There is almost no other organ that would fail so fast as to cause sudden death. Kidney failure, liver failure, those things don’t kill you suddenly.
By the way, any strong positive or negative emotions such as happiness or sadness can cause the same result. There are people who have died in intercourse or in religious passion. There was a case of a golfer who hit a hole in one, turned to his partner and said, “I can die now”, and then he dropped dead. For about seven days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon there was an increase of sudden cardiac death among New Yorkers.
小题1:Why the Charlotte, N.C., man was charged?
A. Because he threatened the policemen to kill an old woman.
B. Because he caused an old woman’s terror and she died.
C. Because he beat an old woman and caused her heart attack
D. Because he murdered an old woman while robbing a bank.
小题2: What is Martin Samuels’ attitude to the possibility of being frightened to death?
A.Approval.B.Disapproval.C.Doubtful.D.Indifferent.
小题3:Which of the following about the fight-or-flight response is true?
A. The fight-or-flight response was raised and proved by Martin A. Samuels.
B. It is a natural protective method that can’t be found in all creatures but humans.
C. The ancient humans had a superior fight-or-flight response than modern ones.
D. The fight-or-flight response is beneficial to both our actions and organs.
小题4: What activity can we infer is less likely to damage the organs?
A.Winning a big lottery.B.Missing a dead family.
C.Watching a horror movie.D.Listening to a sweet song.
小题5:The purpose of the passage is_________.
A.to explain why people will die of a heart attack
B.to offer some advice on protecting us from heart failure
C.to compare different kinds of feelings to cause a death
D.to show strong emotions can cause a sudden death

答案

小题1:B
小题1:A
小题1:C
小题1:D
小题1:D
解析

核心考点
试题【A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old wom】;主要考察你对题材分类等知识点的理解。[详细]
举一反三
阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出能填入相应空白处的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A little boy had the job of coming to school early each day to start the fire and warm the room before his teacher and his classmates arrived. One  36  they arrived to find the schoolhouse full of flames. They dragged the   37  little boy out of the flaming building more dead than alive. He had major   38   over the lower half of his body.
From his bed the horribly(可怕地) burned little boy heard the  39  telling his mother that her son would  40  die for the terrible fire which had devastated(毁坏) the lower half of his body. 41  the brave boy didn’t want to die. He made up his mind that he would  42  and he succeeded. When the 43  danger was past, he again heard that   44   the fire had destroyed so much flesh, it would almost be  45 if he had died.
Once more, he would not be a cripple(跛者). He would walk. But   46  from the waist down, he had no motor ability. His thin legs just   47  there, all but life-less. Back from the hospital, every day his mother would massages(按摩) his little legs, but there was no  48  .
One sunny day his mother wheeled him out into the   49  to get some fresh air. This day, instead of sitting there, he   50  himself from the chair. He pulled himself across the grass,  51  his legs behind him. He worked his way to the white   52  .
With great effort, he 53  himself up on the fence. Then, he began dragging himself along the fence,   54  that he would walk. He started to do this every day.
Finally through the daily massages and his iron determination, he did  55  the ability to stand up, then to walk by himself and then to run. This determined young man, Dr Glenn Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile!
小题1:
A.afternoonB.eveningC.noonD.morning
小题2:
A.senselessB.hardworkingC.deadD.sleepy
小题3:
A.woundsB.injuriesC.burnsD.cuts
小题4:
A.fatherB.classmatesC.doctorD.friends
小题5:
A.hardlyB.possiblyC.rarelyD.surely
小题6:
A.AndB.ButC.SoD.Even
小题7:
A.deserveB.liveC.failD.escape
小题8:
A.deadlyB.littleC.worthyD.risky
小题9:
A.whenB.untilC.unlessD.since
小题10:
A.betterB.worseC.sadderD.most
小题11:
A.unluckilyB.suddenlyC.finallyD.strangely
小题12:
A.movedB.shookC.hungD.waited
小题13:
A.feelingB.touchC.painD.control
小题14:
A.streetB.schoolC.yardD.shop
小题15:
A.stoodB.threwC.hidD.lifted
小题16:
A.drivingB.pushingC.draggingD.moving
小题17:
A.fenceB.wallC.housesD.door
小题18:
A.walkedB.raisedC.remainedD.kept
小题19:
A.satisfiedB.surprisedC.puzzledD.determined
小题20:
A.startB.developC.experienceD.attempt

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
A lesson in caring
It was a cold evening. My daughter and I were walking up Broadway. I didn’t notice a guy sitting inside a cardboard box. But Nora    36    . She wasn’t even four, but she   37    at my coat and said, “That man’s cold. Daddy, can we take him home?”
I don’t remember my   38    . But I do remember a sudden   39    feeling inside me. I had always been delighted at how much my daughter noticed in her   40     , whether it was     41    flying or children playing. But now she was noticing   42    and beggary.
A few days later, I saw an article in the newspaper about volunteers who picked up a food package from a nearby school on a Sunday morning and   43     it to an elderly person. It was quick and easy. I signed us up. Nora was   44    about it. She could understand the importance of food, so she could easily see how   45    our job was. When Sunday came, she was ready, but I had to    46    myself to leave the house to fetch the food package. On my way to the school, I fought an urge (强烈愿望) to turn    47    . The Sunday paper and coffee were waiting for me at home. Why do this?   48    , we phoned the elderly person we’d been appointed. She   49    us right over.
The building was in a bad state. Facing us was a silver-haired woman in an old dress. She took the package and asked us to come in. Nora ran inside. I unwillingly followed.   50     inside, I saw that the department belonged to someone poor. Our hostess showed us some photos. Nora played and when it came time to say goodbye, we three hugged. I walked home    51    .
Professionals call such a(n)   52    “a volunteer opportunity”. They are opportunities and I’ve come to see. Where else but as volunteers do you have the opportunity to do something    53     that’s good for others as well as for yourself? Nora and I regularly serve meals to needy people and   54     clothes for the homeless. Yet, as I’ve    55     her grow over these past four years, I still wonder—which of us has benefited more?
小题1:
A.didB.wasC.hasD.had
小题2:
A.pulled    B.replacedC.wavedD.aimed
小题3:
A.debateB.replyC.explanationD.expression
小题4:
A.general    B.funnyC.heavyD.magical
小题5:
A.web     B.dream     C.castleD.world
小题6:
A.insectsB.animals    C.plantsD.birds
小题7:
A.coldness    B.illness    C.sufferingD.appearance
小题8:
A.sent  B.returned   C.devotedD.posted
小题9:
A.concernedB.sorry    C.worriedD.excited
小题10:
A.creative   B.valuable   C.shockingD.simple
小题11:
A.warn     B.stop     C.allowD.push
小题12:
A.back     B.away    C.upD.out
小题13:
A.Therefore   B.But  C.AnyhowD.Also
小题14:
A.requested   B.promised   C.invitedD.helped
小题15:
A.AlthoughB.Once     C.BecauseD.Though
小题16:
A.in tearsB.in surpriseC.in realityD.in disappointment
小题17:
A.stayB.visit     C.receptionD.challenge
小题18:
A.fairB.famous    C.difficultD.enjoyable
小题19:
A.collectB.make     C.orderD.design
小题20:
A.letB.made     C.watchedD.affected

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
Taylor sings with heart

The music industry is never short of teen pop stars with wonderful looks, but it doesn’t often find one like US singer Taylor Swift. “Beneath Taylor Swift’s not-a-girl, not-yet-a-woman sweetness hides a very skillful songwriting technique (技巧),” writes Leah Greenblatt with Entertainment Weekly.
Songwriting, the country singer explains, is “how I deal with problems. I am used to writing about things that really influences me most.” So in her songs, there is always something true and honest. They seem like stories from a diary. And that certainly helps Swift attract her audience.
She’s sold more than 13 million copies worldwide of her first two albums, 2006’s self-titled debut (首张专辑) and 2008’s Fearless. She’s the youngest artist ever to be named Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. Not surprisingly, there were great expectations for her third album, Speak Now, which came out late last month, where she again returned to her own life for material. The 14 songs “are all about the last two years... when life was a little bit bigger and crazier,” says Swift. “So I’ve written about the lessons and confusion and heartbreak and all the different things that go along with being 18, 19 and 20.”
小题1:What led to Taylor’s fame?
A.Her wonderful looks.B.Her songwriting skills together with her looks.
C.Her beautiful voice.D.Her special life experience in her teenage years.
小题2:Which of the following is true?
A.Taylor is now in her twenties.
B.Taylor’s the youngest Artist of the Year at the Academy Awards
C.Taylor has produced three albums up till now.
D.Taylor has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
小题3:What may be written in the album, Speak Now?
A.Her unhappy experience with her boyfriend.
B.Her concern for her popularity.
C.Her happy childhood.
D.Her worries for environmental pollution.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
I was cleaning out an old box when an old card caught my eye:Queen City Casket Company.“What is it?” I wondered.I  36  it over.There,in faded ink, was a hand-scrawled(手写的)  37 . Immediately my mind traveled  38   many years.
I was nine years old, walking down the cold,wet streets of Springfield,with a bag of magazines on my shoulder.On my   39  that day.I came to that Company finally, whose owner, Mr. Rader,had always taken me there to ask his workers  40  they wanted any magazines.
Shaking off the  41  like a wet dog.I entered Mr. Rader"s office.After a quick glance ,he  42  me over to the fire-place.Noticing the  43   in the top of my  44  ,he said,“Come with me!”,pulling me into his pickup  45 .we pulled to a stop before a shoe store.Inside,a salesman  46   me with the finest pair of Oxfords I had  47  seen.I  48  about 10 feet tall when I got up  49  them.“We’d like a pair of new socks too.” Mr Rader said.
Back in his office, Mr Rader took out a  50  ,wrote something on it, and handed it to me.With   51  eyes,I read,“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” He said affectionately(深情地),“Jimmy,I want you to 52  I  love  you”.
I said good-bye, and for the first time I  53    a flicker of hope that somehow things would be  54 .With people like Mr Rader in the world,there was hope,kindness and love,and that would always make a   55 .
小题1:
A.readB.thoughtC.turnedD.passed
小题2:
A.addressB.1istC.messageD.information
小题3:
A.forwardB.soC.aheadD.back
小题4:
A.returnB.roundsC.tripD.arrival
小题5:
A.if onlyB.howC.whetherD.why
小题6:
A.dustB.sweatC.tailD.rain
小题7:
A.ledB.followedC.watchedD.carried
小题8:
A.holeB.mudC.waterD.cover
小题9:
A.magazineB.shoeC.sockD.bag
小题10:
A.truckB.factoryC.homeD.store
小题11:
A.dressedB.fittedC.showedD.comforted
小题12:
A.everB.alreadyC.neverD.hardly
小题13:
A.appearedB.seemedC.looked  D.felt
小题14:
A.forB.withC.on  D.in
小题15:
A.penB.paperC.card  D.notebook
小题16:
A.tearfulB.unbelievableC.curious. D.puzzled
小题17:
A.admitB.knowC.consider  D.express
小题18:
A.sensedB.receivedC.lost D.gained
小题19:
A.mistakenB.fightC.all right  D.possible
小题20:
A.dealB.fortuneC.choice  D.difference

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
Have you heard of the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proves it wrong in 1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when people, who do not know how to swim, fall in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam (堵塞) if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops of children to learn how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy(黏糊糊的)  and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change.
小题1:From the first paragraph, we know that _________.
A.several people have run a mile in four minutes.
B.Roger Banister set a record
C.nobody has run a mile in three minutes.
D.Roger Banister tied a world record
小题2: By comparing a drowning animal and a person, the writer tried to show _________.
A.the power of confidence
B.the responses of humans and animals to dangers
C.the difference between humans and animals
D.the power of belief
小题3:Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?
A.Our beliefs are impossible to change
B.How we act mainly depends on our beliefs.
C.Our beliefs create or destroy our nervous system
D.Our beliefs always go against the truth
小题4:The children visiting the writer’s workshops might_________.
A.learn how to keep off snakes
B.become brave and realistic
C.become clever and strong
D.learn to review their beliefs

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
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