17. The first movies were introduced to the public in the 1890s. Reports of early movies showed audience jumped out of their seats in fright (惊吓)when they saw the moving pictures in the theatre, especially
ones with a train moving towards them. People who study movies today often want to know if this really happened.
Research shows that most people seeing a movie for the first time are confused (困惑的) about what is happening on the screen. If we also think about the first movies were shown in such early time, it is possible that at least a few people may be confused or frightened enough to jump up in their seats.
In general, it is natural for our brains to tell us to move when something comes towards us quickly. Usually, if we are paying attention and know that we are not in danger, we can avoid this reaction (反应). On the other hand, if we are thinking about something else, we might become confused for a second until we know what is going on.
When seeing a movie for the first time, people in the 1890s were both surprised and confused. They probably didn't know what was going on. If they were sting in the front row where they could only see the screen, they might have forgotten what was happening,
More recently, 3-D movies give people a similar (相似的) feeling. When people put on certain(某种) eyeglasses and look at 3-D movies, they feel the things on the screen are flying around in front of their faces. Sometimes people jump a little bit when the things seem to come towards them because they are not used to(不习惯)seeing movies this way.
In the 1890s, new technologies (科技) were appearing all the time. People who lived in the city and were used to the machines might have felt excited by the movies. Other people, however, might have felt more frightened. Researchers say that it is reasonable to think that the new technology was shocking enough to frighten some people right out of their seats.