問題詳情
Questions36-40Exploration of all sorts is rooted in the notion of taking risks. Risk underlies any journey intothe unknown, whether it is a ship captain’s voyage into the uncharted seas, a scientist’s research ondangerous diseases, or an entrepreneur’s investment in a new venture. But what exactly pushedChristopher Columbus to embark on a voyage across the Atlantic, or Edward Jenner to test histheory for an early smallpox vaccine on a child, or Henry Ford to bet that automobiles could replacehorses?Many people willingly expose themselves to varying degrees of risk in their pursuit of certaingoals, like financial reward, political gain, or saving lives. But as the danger increases, the numberof people willing to go forward shrinks, until the only ones who remain are the extreme risk takers.Scientists have begun to open up the neurological black box containing the mechanisms forrisk-taking and tease out the biological factors that may prompt someone to become an explorer.Their research has centered on neurotransmitters, the chemicals that control communication in thebrain. One neurotransmitter that is crucial to the risk-taking equation is dopamine, which helpscontrol motor skills but also helps drive us to seek out and learn new things as well as processemotions such as anxiety and fear. People whose brains don’t produce enough dopamine, such asthose who are afflicted with Parkinson’s disease, often struggle with apathy and a lack ofmotivation.On the opposite end of the spectrum, robust dopamine production holds one of the keys tounderstanding risk-taking, says Larry Zweifel, a neurobiologist at the University of Washington.“When you’re talking about someone who takes risks to accomplish something—climb a mountain,start a company, run for office, become a Navy SEAL—that’s driven by motivation, and motivationis driven by the dopamine system. That is what compels humans to move forward.”Dopamine helps elicit a sense of satisfaction when we accomplish tasks: the riskier the task, thelarger the hit of dopamine. Part of the reason we don’t all climb mountains or run for office is thatwe don’t have the same amount of dopamine. Molecules on the surface of nerve cells calledautoreceptors control how much dopamine we make and use, essentially controlling our appetite for risk.
【題組】36. What is the best title for this passage?
(A) Dopamine and Risk-taking
(B) Autoreceptors and Dopamine
(C) Motivation and Human Nature
(D) Exploration and Dangerous Diseases
(E) The Dopamine System and Parkinson’s Disease
參考答案
答案：A
難度：簡單0.8
統計：A(4),B(0),C(1),D(0),E(0)