1 . How We Talk about Fear Matters

Lately, there seems to be plenty to fear in the world. How we talk about what we fear might offer clues to how we perceive that emotion socially and culturally.

Get the root of fear.

    1    . In Anglo Saxon times, “fear” primarily referred to sudden danger. The root of the word dates back to “pēr” from Indo-European about 6,000 years ago. This root suggests that fear developed from a sudden (frightening) experience you passed through.

Figure out the emotional meaning of fear.

Whether emotions are viewed positively or negatively varies from culture to culture.    2     . For instance, in English, the word “anxious” can be used to mean “worried” or “eager”. But the word meaning “anxious” just means “regret” in Dargwa. Therefore, many English speakers may not view anxiety as negatively as Dargwa speakers.

Find out a fearful pattern.

In looking at such patterns across the major language families, researchers found that the word “fear” was often associated with anxiety, envy and grief in Indo-European languages. But in Austronesian languages, “fear” more often was associated with surprise.     3     .

    4    

How we talk about fear changes how we react to it. When we talk about what frightens us, it may be useful to disrupt associated meanings. In addition, how our language categorizes an emotion seems to impact whether we perceive those emotions negatively or positively.

In conclusion, fear is something that can be changed by cultural and linguistic experience.    5     . Perhaps Roosevelt was right when he in famously said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

A．Talk more about fears

B．Change our perception of fear

C．The word fear has a long history in English

D．There seemed a fearful pattern across the major language families

E．This is based on what people have learned to associate with emotion words

F．It opens the door to potential ways to change how we talk about and react to it

G．This makes speakers of the latter languages associate this emotion with a less negative sense

2 . The ISS orbits Earth at an average of 250 miles from the surface of Earth and completes 15.5 circles per day, once every 92 minutes. In other words, the astronauts see the sunrise and sunset 16 times every day!

The station is inhabited by astronauts conducting research in various fields, while also using it as an observatory to explore Earth and outer space. It is also intended to be a transportation center for spacecraft that are bound for the Moon, Mars and other interplanetary voyages.

The crew is not only responsible for the scientific experimentation and research being conducted onboard, but also the upkeep and maintenance of the vessel, a vessel that is continuously in motion and exposed to the worst possible elements. Such conditions are significant area of study for researchers.

The most common effect of space is the initial contact — getting used to such an alien environment. Astronauts are often seen to display anxiety or depression as they adjust to the novelty of space, according to post-psychiatric screenings of astronauts. Other causes of stress are the high pressure of work while being under frequent public observation, being away from home and family, and missing important events.

Sleep is another major factor that affects the mood and efficiency of the astronauts. Due to the irregularity in life and the constant rotation (转动) of sunrise and sunset, the circadian rhythm (生理节律) of the astronauts goes completely haywire, resulting in poor quality of sleep. The shuttle itself is noisy, with essential equipment always in operation to sustain the vessel. Half of all the astronauts onboard rely on sleeping pills to get some rest and manage to get an average 2 hours less sleep than when they’re back on Earth. Sleep is so critical for functionality that 50% of all medicines taken by astronauts in orbit is to help them sleep better. Low-Earth Orbit living is a restless endeavor, indeed.

1. Which of the following is most likely to affect the astronauts’ mood?

A．Scientific experiments onboard.

B．Observation of outer space.

C．Interplanetary voyages.

D．Exposure to extreme conditions.

2. Which of the following can best explain the underlined phrase in the last paragraph?

A．Return to normal.	B．Become out of control.
C．Go unnoticed.	D．Remain unchanged.

3. How can we describe the astronauts’ life in the ISS?

A．Highly-pressured.	B．Trouble-free.
C．Safe and sound.	D．Quiet and beautiful.

4. What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．The functions of the ISS.

B．The missions of the astronauts.

C．The mental challenges of living in the ISS.

D．The splendid view of the space.