Success and Risk in Extreme Sports What is it that drives some to take extreme risks，while the rest of us hurry for the safety of the sidelines？
   Lester Keller，sports—psychology expert，says that not everyone has the mental makeup to do well in extreme sports.He notes that most of us hit a natural ceiling that limits our appetite for extreme risk in tricky conditions.But others have a much higher tolerance for risk.Keller points to a top ski racer.He told Keller that "the high element of risk makes you feel alive，tests what you are made of and how far you can take yourself".He said he would get nervous on some of the courses，but that this would just make him fight more.
   Psychologists note that some people seem to have a strong desire for adrenaline（腎上腺素）rushes as a behavior seeking excited feelings.Like many extreme athletes，Emily Cook's appetite for risk appeared at a young age. "I was a gymnast，" she said. "I was one of those kids who enjoyed and did well at anything where you were upside down." As she started doing harder tricks，she was drawn to the challenge. "There are moments when you're up there doing a new trick and it seems like an impossible thing.But overcoming that is just the coolest feeling in the world."
   Shane Murphy，sports professor，has worked with groups climbing Everest. "To me，that just seems like the height of risk，" he said. "But to them it was the next step in an activity that they've prepared for years." Murphy said the view of extreme athletes is different from our own. "We look at a risky situation and know that if we were in that situation we would be out of control.But from the athletes' view，they have a lot of control，and there are many things that they do to minimize risk."
   Another aspect of risk perception（認知）may be something referred to as "the flow"，a state in which many athletes become absorbed in the acts that focus the mind completely on the present. "Something that makes you try doing a tougher climb than usual，perhaps，is that your adrenaline flows and you become very concentrated on what you're doing，" Murphy says. "After it's over，there's great excitement."
   People of different skill levels experience the flow at different times.Some may always be driven to adventures that others consider extreme. "I can enjoy hitting a tennis ball around，because that's my skill level，" Murphy says. "But others might need the challenge of Olympic competition."

（1）By using the term "natural ceiling" in Paragraph 2，Lester Keller points out that

C

C

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A．extreme athletes must learn special skills
B．extreme athletes have chances to take risks
C．many people don't want to do extreme sports
D．many people can't limit desire for extreme sports
（2）What does Shane Murphy think about the mountain climbers he mentions？

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A

A．They put in lots of preparation for challenges.
B．They are more fortunate than other sportspeople.
C．They carry little risk when facing big challenges.
D．They have special reasons that others can't easily understand.
（3）What main point is made in Paragraph 5？

D

D

A．Extreme athletes use techniques other people don't use.
B．Non-athletes are probably wise not to try extreme sports.
C．Most people lack the focus required to take bigger risks.
D．A certain state of mind makes attempting an activity more likely.
（4）We can learn from the passage that

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A

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A．risk-taking is something you either naturally do or avoid
B．those who take risks are more likely to be successful in life
C．extreme athletes are driven by a need to be better than others
D．taking part in extreme sports is not as difficult as people think