说“恐惧”
说“恐惧”

Have you ever felt pure fear, a fear that makes you act in a way you normally would not?

That is panic. Panic is a great fear that makes otherwise normal people do abnormal things. To hit the panic button means to panic suddenly. Another common expression is widespread panic. It describes an event that causes panic among large numbers of people. For example, "The spread of disease caused widespread panic throughout Europe during The Middle Ages."

The origin of the word panic comes from the Greek word "panikos." According to Greek myth, Pan was the god of flocks (羊群)and shepherds. Greek legend says that Pan was half human and half goat. He lived in the woods and in the fields. His angry voice was so scary that it caused panic to anyone who was unlucky enough to be nearby.

Mental health experts treat people with panic disorders. The American Psychological Association defines a panic attack as "a sudden coming of overwhelming, or extreme, fear that comes without warning and without any obvious reason."

Panic is also a great literary tool. Jack London was an American writer who wrote "The Sea Wolf." He left school at age 14 to become a seaman. Published in 1904, "The Sea Wolf" has a panicked ship-wreck scene that is partly based on Mr. London's experience as a sailor in the Pacific Ocean.

Two ships crash together in the ocean. Women passengers scream with panic as the ship goes down into the freezing ocean waves. As one man finds himself adrift alone in the sea, another type of panic takes hold of him.

Panic is a powerful tool in myth or literature but not so much in real life. So, next time you feel extreme fear taking hold of you, causing you to lose all reason, remember to remain calm. And don't panic.


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1.What does the author mean by saying ‘pure fear’?

A Real fear.

B Horror.

C Fright.

D Panic.

解析:选D。D。细节理解题。根据文章第1段第2句话:that is panic,这里的that指的就是前面提到的pure fear. 可知答案。

2.There are___set phrase(s) with ‘panic’ mentioned in this passage.

A two

B three

C four

D only one

解析:选A。A。细节理解题。根据文章第1段列举的两个带panic的成语,分别是To hit the panic button 和 widespread panic ,可知答案。

3.In old Greek story, it was___of Pan that made people frightened.

A the angry voice

B the disease

C the appearance

D the panic disorders

解析:选A。A。细节理解题。根据文章第2段最后一句可知,Pan是希腊神话中的半人半兽人物,是它的突然的声音常引起人们的‘恐惧’。

4.What does the underlined sentence ‘Panic is also a great literary tool’ imply?

A Mental health experts like to use panic to treat people.

B The American writer Jack London was panicked at school.

C Story writers like to create panic scene in their writing.

D In stories, panic takes hold of both men and women alike.

解析:选C。C。推理判断题。Literary tool文学工具,指作家常用创造‘panic’来讲故事。Jack London的作品充分运用了该词。

5.What does the writer want to tell you in the last paragraph?

A To use the powerful tool ‘panic’ in your writing.

B To feel the extreme fear ‘panic’ in your real life.

C To remember the panic you experienced in real life.

D To keep calm when meeting sudden fears.

解析:选D。 D。推理判断题。根据文章最后一段可知,在文学作品中有很多‘panic’,而现实生活中并不常见,所以大家在生活中不要被突如其来的‘panic’所吓着,要保持冷静。