1 . Heart in your throat. Butterflies in your stomach. Bad courage feeling. These are all phrases many people use to describe fear and anxiety.

You have likely felt anxiety inside your chest or stomach, and your brain usually doesn’t hurt when you’re scared. Many cultures tie weakness and bravery more to the heart or the guts than to the brain. But science has traditionally seen the brain as the birthplace and processing site of fear and anxiety. Then why and how do you feel these emotions in other parts of your body? Research confirms that while emotions do begin originally in your brain, it’s your body that carries out the orders. While your brain gradually changed and developed to save you from a falling rock or speeding man-eating animals, the anxieties of modern life are often a lot more abstract. Fifty-thousand years ago, being rejected by your tribe could mean death, but not doing a great job on a public speech at school or at work doesn’t have the same consequences. Your brain, however, might not know the difference.

There are a few key areas of the brain that are heavily involved in processing fear. Amygdala (杏仁体) is a small area of the brain located near your ears which detects obvious features, or the emotional connection of a situation and how to react to it. Threat search is a vital part of this process, and it has to be fast.

The hippocampus (海马体) is near and tightly connected to the amygdala. It’s involved in memorizing what is safe and what is dangerous, especially in relation to the environment — it puts fear in conditions.

The prefrontal cortex (前额叶皮质), located above your eyes, is mostly involved in the realization and social aspects of fear processing. For example, you might be scared of a snake until you read a sign that the snake is not poisonous or the owner tells you it’s his friendly pet.

As is described by a singer in his song “Lose Yourself”, the reason his hands sweated, his knees got weak and his arms became heavy was that his brain was nervous.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Emotions can lead to reactions in the body.

B．The brain keeps up with the pace of modern life.

C．Fear and anxiety do much damage to the brain.

D．Nowadays people have more anxieties than before.

2. Which of the following relates to the hippocampus?

A．Receiving outside information.

B．Storing memories.

C．Identifying different features.

D．Adjusting emotions.

3. Why is the song mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To show the singer’s love for music.

B．To present a common phenomenon.

C．To illustrate the singer’s physical condition.

D．To explain physical discomfort originates from brain.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The response to fear and anxiety

B．A study about sense of fear

C．What negative emotions affect your body

D．What is the root of fear and anxiety

2 . Finding the words to explain how you feel isn’t always easy. This is why young people’s mental health charity has made “My Voice Matters” the theme of this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week.

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Do you have trouble sharing your thoughts or worry no one will listen if you do? Making your voice heard means understanding that your words matter and your opinions count. Dr Julia Clements, a psychologist, says that it means expressing your views, thoughts and feelings, not bottling them all up, and being open to hearing the thoughts, feelings and views of others too.     2     In fact you don’t have to use your voice at all. “You can express what you like and don’t like or what you want for the future by writing or drawing instead,” says Clements. “It’s about finding ways to share what matters to you,” she explains.

Why is it important?

    3     Scientists have discovered that sharing your feelings produces a feel-good chemical in your brain that makes you feel relaxed and calm. Your voice can make a big difference to other people too, including friends and families. Clements says, “You can spread kindness and happiness simply by speaking. With a few kind words, you could help someone feel good about themselves or let them know they are supported.”     4    

How can you find your voice?

Clements suggests practising conversations with friends, parents or carers on the way home from school and seeing if you have different opinions about something. If you’re struggling to explain your feelings, find a way that feels right for you, whether it’s talking face-to-face or writing it down.     5     When you’re ready, “Take a deep breath and believe in yourself,” says Clements. “Know that your opinion matters.”

A．What does speaking up mean?

B．What are the benefits of speaking up?

C．Making yourself heard isn’t about shouting the loudest.

D．Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are confused about something.

E．Everyone has their own unique way of processing and sharing their feelings.

F．Sharing your feelings with a person you trust will help you make sense of them.

G．Words have the power to uplift someone’s spirits and make a positive impact on their day.

3 . In our home it was natural to fear our father. Even our mother was afraid of him. As children, my sister and I thought every family was like that.       1       We discovered we could draw pictures with chalk on our wooden front door. We could have lots of fun, so we started drawing and making lots of pretty pictures all over it. We had a great time. We decided to finish our pictures, knowing Mom would love it.

    2     We did not understand why, but we knew all about anger, and we were in big trouble. Off we ran to find a place to hide. In our yard it was not hard for two small children to find safety. Together, we hid behind a tree and did not move. Soon we heard the frightened voices of Mom and our neighbours calling out to us. We were afraid of being found.     3     Those around us became more anxious, and we became more frightened. As we stayed together in the dark, we heard another voice, one we recognized with great fear: our daddy.         4     In it we heard something we had never heard before: fear and despair (绝望). Then came his prayers (祈祷). We saw our daddy with tears running down his face, promising God that he would give his life to Him if He would safely return his girls.

Things were different after that. We had a new daddy. It was like the old one was buried that day in the forest.     5    

A．The praise we expected did not come.

B．The sun set and it began to get dark.

C．Our daddy worked very hard to support the family.

D．Then came the day we found something new and fun to do.

E．Our whole family was changed with a piece of chalk.

F．But there was something different in it.

G．Our mom knew that he cared for us.