Everybody is afraid of something. That’s what more than 1,700 kids told us when we asked them about fears and scary(害怕的) things. We gave kids a list of 14 scary things and asked which one frightened them most. Here are the top 5 answers from our survey: ① Scary movies and TV shows; ② Scary dreams; ③ Thunderstorms, hurricanes (飓风), and other horrible weather; ④ War and terrorism (恐怖行动); ⑤ Sounds heard at night.

But not everyone is afraid of the same thing. And what makes one person scared can be of no big deal for someone else. Plenty of kids said their biggest fear wasn’t on our list.

What is fear? Fear is a feeling that everyone has — it’s programmed into all of us — and that’s a good thing because fear is there to protect us. We’re born with a sense of fear so we can react to something that could be dangerous. The baby cries, and their mom comes over to comfort him or her, helping the baby feel safe and OK again.

Real vs. Pretend

The best way to get over a fear is to get more information about it. As kids get older, they understand more and start seeing the difference between what is real and unreal. So when William’s imagination leads him to think of witches(女巫), he can tell himself, “Wait a minute. They’re only pretend things. I don’t need to worry about them.”

The same goes for the dark. A kid’s imagination can start playing tricks when the lights go out. What’s under my bed? Is that a thief I hear? With the help of a parent, kids can get more comfortable in the dark. Using a night light or shining a flashlight under the bed to see that there’s nothing there can help kids fight that fear.

【1】What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A.The list of fears is not complete.

B.The things people fear are of no big fear.

C.Kids have more fears than people think.

D.People are afraid of different things.

【2】In the writer’s opinion, ___________.

A.having a sense of fear is not a bad thing

B.babies have a weak sense of fear

C.fear is not something that we are born with

D.not all people can react to dangerous things

【3】What does the underlined word “pretend” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.Ugly B.Usual C.Unreal D.Lovely