阅读理解。
Laura Edmonds has a look of horror on her face as she turns to look out the airplane window.
It's not the threat of terrorism that worries her, but rather the possibility of mechanical failure. She says
she imagines the plane plunging to the ground because the engines may fall off. So every few minutes she
glances out the window to make sure they're still attached.
It is a fear that has gripped her for 18 years, since her wedding day. Since then she has tried drugs and
cocktails to make it through flights. But, she says, they've been no help in easing her anxiety.
She has dragged her family on the train from Connecticut to Florida, insisted on long drives and tried to
avoid flying at all costs. Even when friends fly, Edmonds says she worries, counting the hours till they arrive
at their destination.
It's been three years since Edmonds has stepped on a plane.
Yet here she is now, 20,000 feet above the ground on board a turbo-prop that's enroute from New York's
LaGuardia Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Maryland. She is hoping this is the flight
that will overcome her fear.
"I feel the seat. I feel the seat against my arm. I feel my hands," recites Edmonds, her eyes still closed.
She is attempting to change her mind, one of several so-called "strengthening exercises" she recently
learned from a video course designed to overcome fear of flying. The idea is to focus on the moment, rather
than the abstract.
Former Pan Am's (泛美航空公司) pilot Tom Bunn is president of the company that produced the videos
that instruct passengers in the basic mechanics of flying and teaches them to control their thoughts.
Before boarding the U.S. Airways flight, Edmonds presents a letter from Bunn to the flight attendant
asking to speak with the captain. The pilot gladly obliges, telling her he's been flying for more than two decades
and assuring her, "You're going to be fine. We're going to take good care of you."
When the flight attendant offers drinks, Edmonds places her cup of water on the tray table and studies it,
tangible evidence that the plane is barely shaking.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching Baltimore," announces the flight attendant. Edmonds is relying
heavily on Bunn's coping strategies during the 90-minute flight. But she's coping. As the wheels touch down,
Edmonds' face lights up.
1. Laura Edmonds has a fear of flying because _____.
A. she once experienced a mechanical failure
B. a mechanical failure often appears in her mind
C. she is good at imagining a terrible situation
D. air crashes often happen in her hometown
2. The underlined word "gripped" in the third paragraph means _____.
A. seized firmly
B. hurt seriously
C. cheated simply
D. treated carefully
3. From this passage it can be inferred that _____.
A. every seat in planes is equipped with video
B. passengers on board always feel nervous
C. nervous passengers in flying can get help from Bunn's company
D. travel by train is safer than travel by plane
4. Laura's overcoming the fear of flying is mostly owed to _____.
A. airline's comfort
B. her counting the hours on board
C. a letter from Bunn
D. her defeating herself
