A
One afternoon while preparing dinner in her kitchen, Anne Peters, a 32-year-old American housewife, suddenly had severe pains in her chest accompanied by shortness of breath. Frightened by the thought that she was having a heart attack, Anne screamed for help. Her husband immediately rushed Anne to a nearby hospital where her pains were diagnosed (诊断) as having been caused by panic, and not a heart attack.
More and more Americans nowadays are having panic attacks like the one experienced by Anne Peters. Studies discover that approximately 1.2 million adult individuals are currently suffering from severe and recurrent (重复发作) panic attacks.
There have been a lot of explanations as to the causes of panic attacks. Many claim that psychological stress could be a logical cause, but as yet, no evidence has been found to support this theory. Recent reports have shown there are at least three signs that indicate a person is suffering from a panic attack rather than a heart attack. The first is age. People between the ages of 20 and 30 are more often victims of panic attacks. The second is sex. More women suffer from recurrent panic attacks than men. The third is the variety of symptoms. A heart attack victim often experiences only pain and shortness of breath while a panic attack victim usually suffers more symptoms than the two mentioned.
It is generally agreed that a panic attack does not directly endanger a person’s life. All the same, it can negatively affect a person’s life by making him or her so afraid of having a panic attack in at a public place that he or she may refuse to leave home. Dr. Crocker’s advice to anyone who thinks he is suffering from a panic attack is to consult a doctor for a medical examination to rule out the possibilities of physical illness first. Once it has been confirmed that he or she is, in fact, suffering from a panic attack, the victim should turn to psychologists and doctors.
1. What happened to Anne?
A. Her heart failed. B. She hurt her chest.
C. She had a panic attack. D. Her breath stopped.
2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A. Panic attacks go hand in hand with heart attacks.
B. Old people are more likely to have panic attacks.
C. Panic attacks involve a wider range of symptoms.
D. It is psychological stress that causes panic attacks.
3. What is Dr. Crocker’s advice to victims of panic attack?
A. To have a thorough medical check.
B. To rule out the possibilities of illness.
C. To examine the symptoms on their own.
D. To seek psychological and medical help.
【答案】1. C 2. C 3. D
【解析】
本文是一篇新闻报道。文章讲述了一位32岁的美国家庭妇女Anne Peters正在做晚餐时突发胸痛而且呼吸短促。就医后被诊断是由焦虑症引起的，而不是心脏病发作。文章接下来介绍了焦虑症患者的症状及可能的发病原因及医生的一些建议。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一段中的Her husband immediately rushed Anne to a nearby hospital where her pains were diagnosed (诊断) as having been caused by panic, and not a heart attack.可知，她的丈夫立即把她送到附近一家医院。在这家医院，她的胸痛被诊断是由急性焦虑症发作引起的，而不是心脏病发作。由此可知，Anne得了急性焦虑症。故选C。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据第三段中的A heart attack victim often experiences only pain and shortness of breath while a panic attack victim usually suffers more symptoms than the two mentioned.可知，心脏病发作的受害者通常只会经历疼痛和呼吸急促，而急性焦虑症患者通常会出现不止上述的两个症状。即急性焦虑症患者会表现出更多的症状。故选C。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据最后一段中的Dr. Crocker’s advice to anyone who thinks he is suffering from a panic attack is to consult a doctor for a medical examination to rule out the possibilities of physical illness first. Once it has been confirmed that he or she is, in fact, suffering from a panic attack, the victim should turn to psychologists and doctors.可知，Dr. Crocker给那些认为自己患有急性焦虑症的人的建议是，先请医生进行体格检查，以排除身体疾病的可能性。一旦确认他或她实际上患有急性焦虑症，患者就应该求助于心理学家和医生。故选D。
