Reading

We often think it very funny if a film shows a woman or a girl screaming and running in fright at the sight of a mouse or a cockroach. But we don’t consider our own little, secret fears a laughing matter. Perhaps you shiver at the sight of a snake or an eel, cannot bear to hear the sound of jagged metal rubbing against metal, or feel uneasy in a lift. Fortunately,

Most of us suffer only a mild form of fright about certain things. According to psychiatrists, this is quite normal. It becomes a problem only when the fear develops into a mental condition that affects all aspects of a person’s life. Studies of thousands of people with an abnormal dread show that every time they think about – or come into contact with – the subject of their fear, they

Show all the physical signs of a person who is facing serious danger a racing heart, dry mouth, cold sweat and weak knees. Doctors and psychiatrists welcome publicity about phobias, for this helps to convince their patients that their patients that their fears are not unique. It reassures the patients to know that there are other people who are afraid of the same thing, and it makes the patients

More willing to try to understand what is causing their fear. Once they realize what in their subconscious is causing their fear, they are half-way to being cured. Psychiatrists believe that these unreasonable fears are caused by deep-seated reasons, perhaps a terrifying experience during childhood.

One typical case was Mrs. Mary Bachelor, a London housewife, who suffered from agoraphobia (fear of open spaces). For twenty-three years, she remains indoors. Following publicity about other agoraphobia cases, she was persuaded to go out for the first time to watch her son perform with a pop group.

Most of use suffers from claustrophobia (fear of being in closed spaces) in a mild way, but the real sufferers go about in great fear of being trapped without escape in a lift, in a packed train or in an aircraft. Altogether, there are a hundred and thirty phobias listed in the medical dictionary, ranging form acrophobia (fear of heights) to xenophobia (morbid dislike of foreigners). Some phobias are very odd indeed. There are cases of people who turn cold with terror at the sight of a cabbage leaf, run away in fright at the sight of a bird or faint when they hear a dog bark. There was even a man who refused to eat anything that he knew had been touched by someone who had handled matches. 

1. Fear of certain things will become a problem when the fear ___

A. disturbs all aspects of the sufferer’s life

B. is influenced by a person’s personality

C. develops mentally or physically

D. is reflected in a person’s daily life

2. ‘deep-seated reasons’ (line 17) most likely means reasons that are ___

A. long forgotten

B. difficult to choose

C. not easy to handle

D. difficult to realize

3. To cure their phobias, patients ___

A. should take their unusual fear seriously

B. may have to consider publicity of their fears

C. determine the dangers caused by their phobias

D. try to understand the real cause of their phobias

4. The following statements may be the purposes of the writer in writing the text, EXCEPT ___

A. to explain the causes of different kinds of phobias

B. to convince people about the importence of publicity about phobias

C. to inform people how to overcome their abnormal fears

D. to persuade people with abnormal fears to talk to psychiatrists

5. In which of the following combined courses would this passage probably be used as assigned reading?

A. psychology / sociology

B. medicine / biology

C. philosophy / medicine

D. psychology / medicine

6. More willing to try to ..... what is causing their fear.

A. Understanding

B. Understand

C. Understood

D. Understandly

7. With which of the following sentences should the text end? Show all the physical signs of a person who is.....

A. Facing serious danger a racing heart

B. Men and women have the same right in deciding the color of their rooms

C. The anti military movement in the U.S.

D. Both music and languages basically apply the same rules.

8. One typical case was.... Who is she?

A. Mrs. Nina

B. Mrs. Rini

C. Mrs. Mary Bachelor

D. Mrs. Ida

9. Most of use suffers from.... in a mild way.

A. Agoraphobia

B. Claustrophobia

C. Acrophobia

D. Xenophobia

10.  There are cases of people who turn cold with...

A. Doctors and psychiatrists

B. Abnormal fears to talk to psychiatrists

C. Terror at the sight of a cabbage leaf

D. Some phobias are very odd indeed