Are you a man or a mouse? When people ask this question they want to know whether you think you are a1 person or a coward(懦夫). But you will never really know the answer to this question 2you are tested in real life. Some people think they are brave but when they come face to face with real 3 they act like cowards. Others think of themselves as cowards, but when they meet danger, they act like heroes.
Lenny had always thought of himself as a 4 person. He got worried before examinations. He worried about his job and health. All he wanted in life was to be safe and healthy. Then, on January 15th, 2002, a plane crashed into the Potomac River in Washington. Lenny went to the river to see what was happening. He saw a woman in the5 water. Lenny did not feel afraid. He kept very calm and did a very dangerous thing. He jumped into the Potomac River,6 to the woman, and kept her head above the water. Seventy-eight people died that day. Thanks to Lenny, it was not seventy-nine.
When you are in a very 7 situation and feel afraid, the body automatically(自动地) produces a chemical in the blood. The chemical is called adrenalin(肾上腺素).8adrenalin in the blood system, you actually feel stronger and stronger and are ready to fight or run away. However, when you are absolutely terrified(完全的恐慌), the body can produce too much adrenalin. When this 9 the muscles become very hard and you find you can't move at all. You are then paralyzed (使无能为力) with fear. This is why when we are very frightened(受惊吓的), we sometimes say we're ＂petrified＂. This word comes from the Greek word ＂petros＂, which means ＂stone＂. We are10 frightened that we become stonelike.
