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六级阅读---2024.12 卷一仔细阅读1

news 来源：原创 2025/8/16 2:58:49

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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.

Several dozen humans are gathered together in a dark, undercoated room.They're all staring at a rectangular area on which patterns of light change rapidly.

They are clearly in a state of high arousal（46）.Their heart rate is elevated,they occasionally glance around nervously,and they sometimes jump collectively in their seats,and emit high-pitched warning calls.

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.

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?

I am fascinated with the paradox of horror--the strange fact that many people seek out scary entertainment.

I think the answer to the puzzle lies in human nature.

My research suggests that we humans evolved to find pleasure in situations that allow us to experience negative emotions in a safe context.（47）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.

This simulation gives the child crucial information about how to avoid becoming prey（48）,and children tend to find that kind of activity deeply satisfying,presumably because it gives them a safe experience of a potentially catastrophic scenario.

They find it pleasurable.and pleasure is evolution's way of motivating us toward adaptive behaviour.

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.（49）

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.

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（50）.Anyway,watching a horror film makes you better at handling your own fear,and who knows when that will become critically relevant?

（50）如果你能完完整整地看完这部电影，你很可能会产生一种强烈的掌控感——一种你成功熬过一段令人震惊经历的感觉。

题目

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

A)total mindfulness C)spiritual elevation

B)extreme excitement 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. C)A profound sense of intense relief.

B)A profound sense of good fortune. D)A strong sense of being in control.

词汇

stumble

【动词】

👉 关键词：绊倒、跌倒、踌躇

✅ 释义：

绊倒或跌倒：指因不小心而失去平衡，通常是因为碰到障碍物或脚步不稳。
犹豫、踌躇：指在讲话或行动中因不确定或紧张而出现的迟疑或停顿，通常与语言表达有关。

✅ 例句：

He stumbled on a rock while walking through the forest.
（他在穿越森林时被一块石头绊倒了。）
She stumbled over her words during the speech.
（她在演讲中因为紧张而语无伦次。）

✅ 常见搭配：

stumble over something（在某物上绊倒）
stumble on the way（在路上绊倒）
stumble through something（勉强完成某事）
stumble upon something（偶然发现某事）

stare

【动词】

👉 关键词：凝视、盯着看

✅ 释义：
指长时间、不动眼地注视某物或某人，通常因为好奇、惊讶、困惑或其他强烈的情绪。也可以用作名词，表示凝视的行为。

✅ 例句：

She stared at the painting for several minutes, trying to understand its meaning.
（她凝视着那幅画好几分钟，试图理解其意义。）
The children stared in awe at the magician's performance.
（孩子们惊讶地凝视着魔术师的表演。）

✅ 常见搭配：

stare at（盯着看）
give a stare（投以凝视）
stare in disbelief（难以置信地凝视）
catch someone’s stare（撞见某人的凝视）

paradox

【名词】

👉 关键词：悖论、自相矛盾的情况

✅ 释义：
指看似矛盾或不合常理，但经过深入思考后可能是正确或具有深刻意义的事物或情况。悖论通常挑战我们对常识的理解，揭示事物的复杂性或多重面向。

✅ 例句：

The statement "less is more" is a paradox, as it suggests that simplicity can lead to greater impact.
（“少即是多”是一个悖论，因为它暗示简约可以带来更大的影响。）
His actions were a paradox, showing both kindness and cruelty at the same time.
（他的行为是一个悖论，同时表现出既善良又残酷的一面。）

✅ 常见搭配：

logical paradox（逻辑悖论）
paradox of life（生活的悖论）
paradoxical situation（矛盾的情况）
solve a paradox（解决悖论）

decorate

【动词】

👉 关键词：装饰、布置、美化

✅ 释义：
指为了使某物更美观或更有节日气氛而进行的装饰或布置，常用于房间、建筑、物品、蛋糕等的美化；有时也指授予荣誉或勋章。

✅ 例句：

We decorated the room with balloons and lights for the birthday party.
（我们用气球和灯饰为生日派对装饰了房间。）
The soldier was decorated for his bravery.
（那名士兵因英勇表现而被授予勋章。）

✅ 常见搭配：

decorate a room（装饰房间）
decorate for Christmas（为圣诞节装饰）
decorate a cake（装饰蛋糕）
be decorated with medals（被授予勋章）

make it through

意思：挺过、熬过、成功完成（某件困难或挑战性的事）
例子中的含义：成功地看完这部令人震惊的电影
✅ 示例：She made it through the exam despite being sick.

in one piece

意思：完好无损地（身体或心理上）；比喻“毫发无伤”
例子中的含义：看完整部电影后，心理上还保持完整或没被吓坏
✅ 示例：We got home in one piece after the storm.

a sense of mastery

意思：一种掌控感、驾驭感，指对困难事物的成功应对所带来的成就感
✅ 示例：Learning a new skill can give you a sense of mastery.