阅读理解。
Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the
existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of
some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy (幻想) literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings.
This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe. But
have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already
exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other
life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated lives. In a study of British
schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television
shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modern technology, a small pond could be an
amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful
interaction (交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to
understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen.
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet
(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the
living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely
enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.
1. The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves _____.[ ]
A. the close connection between man and the fantasy world
B. the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature
C. the fine taste of moviegoers around the world
D. the general existence of the sense of curiosity
2. What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3? [ ]
A. People are far less familiar with the world of fantasy.
B. The world around us could serve as a source of wonder.
C. The world of fantasy can be mirrored by a small and lively pond.
D. Modern technology prevents us from developing our sense of wonder.
3. If our sense of wonder relies totally on the world of make-believe, we will _____.[ ]
A. fail to appreciate the joy in our lives
B. be confused by the world of make-believe
C. miss the chance to recognize the fantasy world
D. be trapped by other worlds existing all around us
4. What is the main purpose of the passage? [ ]
A. To show us the hidden beauty in our world.
B. To warn us not to get lost in the fantasy world.
C. To argue against the misuse of the sense of wonder.
D. To discuss the influence of the world of make-believe.
