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你知道英国人最怕什么吗？排在前三位的竟然是站在高处、蛇以及在公众场合讲话。
British are most afraid of heights and snakes
A new survey from an Internet-based market research company shows the things British people are most afraid of. Top of the list is heights. Over half of the people who took the survey said they had acrophobia—the medical name for the fear of heights. In the second place was a fear of snakes, with 21 per cent of people saying they were "very afraid" of the slippery creatures. The third biggest fear was public speaking, with 20 per cent being "very afraid" and 36 per cent being "a little afraid" of speaking in public. Other things that frighten people most include spiders, mice, needles and injections, the sight of blood, flying, and being in a small space. Number 10 on the list was coulrophobia—the fear of clowns.
The market research company asked over 2,000 people what they were afraid of. They had to rate 13 common phobias from "not at all afraid" to "very afraid". The researchers found that there were big differences between what men and women were afraid of, and what frightened old and young people. The researchers said, "All are not created equal when it comes to fears." The survey showed that more women than men were afraid of things, especially spiders. These frighten a third of men and about half of women. Age differences showed young people were more likely to be afraid of public speaking. Those in the older age groups were more likely than younger people to be afraid of heights.
WORD BOX ＞＞
| slippery | ['slɪpəri] | adj. 滑的;油滑的 | frighten | ['fraɪtn] | vt. 使惊恐,吓唬 |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| spider | ['spaɪdə(r)] | n. 蜘蛛 | needle | ['ni:dl] | n. 针 |
| injection | [ɪn'dʒekʃn] | n. 注射;打针 | clown | [klaʊn] | n. 小丑 |
| rate | [reɪt] | vt. 评估 | (be) likely to | | 很有可能,倾向于 |
COMPREHENSION CHECK UP ＞＞
Ⅰ. Match each word in the passage with the correct meaning.
1. survey
2. place
3. creature
4. space
5. equal
Ⅱ. Tell whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
() 1. The British government carried out a survey on people's fears.
() 2. British people are most afraid of heights.
() 3. More than twenty thousand people answered questions about their fears.
() 4. There were big differences between the fears of women and men.
() 5. Women are less afraid of spiders than men are.
() 6. Older people are less afraid of public speaking than young people are.
Ⅲ. Choose the best answer according to the passage.
() 1. What was number three on the list of fears?
A. Injections.
B. Snakes.
C. Spiders.
D. Public speaking.
() 2. What does the underlined word "acrophobia" mean?
A. 恐高症
B. 心理疾病
C. 胆子小
D. 小丑恐惧症
() 3. How many phobias did people have to rate?
A. 3.
B. 5.
C. 10.
D. 13.
() 4. Who was more likely to be afraid of heights?
A. Pilots.
B. Older people.
C. Children.
D. Sick people.
Ⅳ. Answer the following questions.
1.
2.