A
Some of us are afraid of heights, loud noises or tight spaces, while others have fears of more specific things like snakes, spiders or clowns. One fairly universal fear, especially for children, is a fear of the dark. Harmless things we would ignore during the day can become frightening in the dark of night. Not everything, however, is scarier in the dark. New research by Dong Ping suggests that when the lights are out, we are less fearful of getting a contagious (传染性的) disease.
In the new research, participants were asked to first view and evaluate a brief documentary film. Half the participants watched the film with the lights on, and half with the lights off. Each participant sat close to a trained partner, who intentionally coughed and sniffed during the session. What's more, the partner made precisely the same number of coughs/sniffles each session, regardless of the lighting. Participants then completed a task in which they took_stock_of the possibility of getting seasonal flu. Their judgments of getting the seasonal flu were significantly reduced when the lights became dim (昏暗的)．
One possibility is that participants tested in the dark were simply less likely on notice the coughing and sniffing behavior of the partner.
However, Dong suggests that the reduction in sensed risk of contagion results from changes in the way that we sense and think about the world. When it is dark, we are more likely to create global features rather than specific details, and this in turn may increase our sensed social distance from others. When we feel that we are more distant from others, our sense of contagion risk decreases.
To assess this possibility, Dong copied their initial model and included measures of sensed social distance. Once again participants tested in the dark reported lower sensed risk of getting the flu than those tested in a bright room. In addition, visual darkness increased participants' sensed distance from the trained partner, and this increase in distance brought about the reduction in sensed risk of contagion in the dark. Their fear of noncontagious diseases didn't depend on the lighting.
本文是一篇说明文。黑暗往往给人带来恐惧，然而最新研究表明，当灯光熄灭时，人们对于感染传染性疾病的恐惧反倒减小了。
1．From Paragraph 1, we know that fears ________.
A．can take different forms
B．can spread quickly in the dark
C．may decrease as people grow up
D．may make people feel less healthy
答案：A
解析：细节理解题。根据第一段Some of us are afraid of heights...more specific things like snakes, spiders or clowns.可知，恐惧有各种不同的形式。
2．What does the underlined phrase “took stock of” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．Compared. B．Figured.
C．Explained. D．Described.
答案：B
解析：词义猜测题。根据画线单词后的Their judgments of getting the seasonal flu were significantly reduced...可推知，研究人员让参与者“估计”他们得流感的可能性，故画线单词意为“估计”。
3．According to Dong Ping, what made people feel less fearful of getting seasonal flu in the dark?
A．The dim light in the room.
B．Their attention on the film.
C．The familiar environment.
D．The sensed social distance.
答案：D
解析：细节理解题。根据第四段的When we feel that we are more distant from others, our sense of contagion risk decreases.及最后一段的To assess this possibility, Dong copied their initial model and included measures of sensed social distance可知：Dong认为对社交距离的感知是影响人们感觉的主要因素。
