In this section you will find a number of questions or unfinished statements about the passage, each with four suggested answers or ways of finishing. You must choose the one you think fits best.

Unlike the eye, the ear has no lid; therefore noise penetrates without protection Loud noises instinctively signal danger to any organism with a hearing mechanism, including human beings In response, heartbeat and respiration accelerate. In fact, there is a general increase in functioning brought about by the flow of adrenaline released in response to fear.

Because noise is unavoidable in a complex, industrial society, we are constantly responding in the same ways that we could respond to danger. Recently, researchers have concluded that noise and our response may be much more than an annoyance. It may be a serious threat to physical and psychological health and well-being, causing damage not only the ear and brain but also to the heart and stomach. We have long known that hearing loss is America's number one nonfatal health problem, but now we are learning that some of us with heart disease and ulcers may be victims of noise as well.

According to the passage, people response to loud noises in the same ways that they response to