Passage Three

Everyone experiences fear during major crisis—such as fires, automobile accidents, etc. Some people even feel very nervous when they fly in airplanes. No matter how hard they try, they cannot lower their anxiety. Some people try to hide their nervousness: they try to disguise their anxiety by telling jokes. Others become loud and aggressive, attacking people by making them the butt of cruel jokes. Sometimes making someone else the target of jokes is an attempt to control one’s own fears—to master anxiety.

A number of factors can be mentioned as important in explaining why some people have a fear of flying: early childhood experiences, general sense of security, fear of heights, trust in others, percentage of alcohol in blood, etc. The memory of a bad experience can sometimes trigger the same fear caused by that experience. Thus, a child might be frightened by the sight of a dog even though he is safe, merely because he once had a bad experience with a dog. A bad experience can be the cue that triggers our fears. But the crucial factor seems to be a feeling of no control.

Usually we are able to suppress our feelings so that they do not affect our behavior. But sometimes the tension produced by our fears is so great that we cannot suppress it. At such time we need to discharge the tension by laughing or crying. By smiling foolishly and talking loudly, we are able to repress the rising feeling of fear so that it does not affect the way we behave.

Because it is necessary to recognize a problem before it can be solved, admitting that we are afraid is an integral part of the process of mastering our fears.

36. To make someone the butt of jokes means ______.

A. to make someone become the object of jokes

B. to force someone to enjoy jokes

C. to entitle someone to tell jokes

D. to offend someone by jokes

37. What is the positive purpose of people’s telling jokes?

A. To show one’s sense of humor.

B. To control one’s own fears.

C. To disguise their anxiety.

D. To attack others.

38. To master anxiety means ______.

A. to be familiar with tension

B. to hold back the feeling of uneasiness

C. to conquer the feeling of nervousness

D. to be good at the subject of anxiety

39. According to the author, which of the following is the most important factor triggering the feeling of fear?

A. The fear of heights.

B. Early childhood experience.

C. The general sense of security.

D. A feeling of no control.

40. According to the concluding paragraph, what is essential to go through the process of mastering one’s fears?

A. To be conscious of the way of mastering fears.

B. To repress the rising feeling of fear.

C. To admit the feeling of fears.

D. To control one’s feelings.