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Fears
A. As people grow older, they usually learn ways to deal with things that make them
scared. Scientists are trying to understand how the brain controls fear and what happens
when fear becomes too strong. Even though there are safe ways to look at the brain, it is
still hard to get this kind of information from humans. That is why researchers study rhesus
monkeys. These monkeys go through similar physical and mental growth stages as
humans but in a shorter time span. By learning how the monkeys’ brains handle fear,
scientists hope to find out the brain processes that cause inordinate anxiety in people and
find better treatments.
B. For 20 years, Ned Kalin, a psychiatrist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has
studied fear in both people and monkeys. He explained that monkeys show different types
of fear reactions, and each type is controlled by a different part of the brain. Every winter,
Kalin and his team observe a group of rhesus monkeys living freely on an island called
Cayo Santiago near Puerto Rico. Over time, they saw that the monkeys reacted in
different ways depending on the danger they faced.
C. In their lab in Madison, Kalin and his colleague Steven Shelton tested young monkeys
in three situations and observed three fear responses. First, when left alone for ten
minutes, most monkeys made cooing sounds to call their mothers. This is a clever
reaction because being separated from their mother is very scary for baby monkeys.
Second, when a human entered the room but looked away from the monkey, most
monkeys moved to the back of the cage and stayed very still. This freezing behavior helps
them avoid being seen and gives them time to think. Third, when a person stared directly
at a monkey without showing any emotion, the monkey showed “defensive aggression”
by barking loudly, showing its teeth, and shaking the cage. Kalin explained that staring
can be dangerous because it may mean a predator has noticed them, or another monkey
is trying to dominate them.
D. These tests showed patterns, but there were also differences. Some monkeys froze
for a few seconds, while others froze for a long time. When monkeys were stared at, only
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5 percent froze, while 95 percent reacted aggressively. To understand why these
differences occurred, Kalin gave the monkeys small doses of medicine. Opiate drugs
reduced the cooing for their mothers. This makes sense because opiates produced by
the body can affect the feeling of attachment. However, these drugs did not reduce the
aggressive barking. On the other hand, anti-anxiety drugs like diazepam (Valium) did not
affect cooing but reduced both freezing and aggressive barking.
E. What do these findings mean for humans with fear and anxiety problems? First, fear
is not just one simple emotion. It is made up of different reactions. Second, anxiety is not
always about feeling too much emotion. Sometimes, it is about feeling the wrong emotion
or not being able to stop a reaction. Kalin noted that some people and animals cannot
turn off their fear response, or they show the wrong response to a situation.
F. Scientists knew from earlier studies that humans have two versions of a certain gene:
a long version (L) and a short version (S). Some people have two long versions (L/L),
while others have one of each (S/L). People with the S/L combination tend to have more
social anxiety and other issues. Researchers from Duke University studied male monkeys
with these same gene variations to see how genes affect social behavior. They found that
monkeys with the S/L gene spent less time looking at the faces and eyes of other monkeys.
They also avoided risky behavior and did not like looking at pictures of dominant, high-
status monkeys. According to the researcher Michael Platt, faces and eyes give a lot of
social information to both humans and monkeys. Rhesus monkeys live in strict societies
where looking at someone directly can show power or submission.
G. In another test, S/L monkeys were less likely to take risks when shown pictures of the
faces of high-status males. They preferred choosing a safe option—a fixed amount of
juice—instead of risking getting more or less juice. Similar studies in humans show that
fear can also make people avoid risks.
H. In a final experiment, monkeys could receive juice while viewing images. They could
see faces of high-status monkeys, low-status monkeys, or just a grey square. Monkeys
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with the L/L gene had to be rewarded with juice to look at dominant males. However, S/L
monkeys gave up their juice just to see these faces.
I. Overall, the data showed that genetic variation does affect how monkeys respond to
social situations and rewards. This means genes shape social behavior in both humans
and monkeys. These studies confirm that rhesus monkeys can be a useful model for
understanding how human brains work, especially when it comes to social behavior.
Question 14-18
Reading Passage 3 contains 9 paragraphs A – I.
Which paragraphs state the following information?
Write the appropriate letters A – I in boxes 14 - 18 on your answer sheet.
C 14. Classification of responses to fear.
G 15. Face of high-status males cause greater fear in the S/L monkey.
F 16. Facial expressions contain social information.
E 17. Fear is not a simple emotion.
D 18. Medicine does not work in some cases.
Questions 19-22
Choose words from the passage to answer the questions 19-22. Write NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
19. What do humans and animals differ while they share the similar physiological
and psychological developmental stages? time span
20. What reaction did the monkey start with when they were gazed at
expressionless? defensive aggression
21. How many preadolescent monkeys became aggressive when they were facing
domination from another member of their own species? 95 percent
22. According to the passage, what determines social behavior in both humans
and monkeys? genetic variation
Questions 23-27
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Complete the summary of the Great Eastern.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
inordinate anxiety
In order to understand the brain processes that cause 23 ___________ in people,
and how genetic variation might influence social behavior, scientists first conducted
three experiments to gain more insight into fear in monkeys. For both human and
monkeys, 24 ___________
faces and eyes can convey social information. It was found that
monkeys with one copy of the short gene were less likely to look at the face of a
high-status males
25 ___________ and to take a risk. The monkey without a 26 ___________
short gene would
sight on dominant males if they were rewarded, while the 27 ___________
S/L
monkeys waived the reward.