Question

Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure (血压) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.

Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A  study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress (紧张) levels and blood pressure in people - half of them pet owners –while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算术) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it best. Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed  around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don't judge.

A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about I1 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.

1.What does the text mainly discuss?

A．Pets’ value in medical research.

B．How pets help people calm down.

C．People's opinions of keeping pets.

D．What pets bring to their owners.

2.We learn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting

well if        ．

A．he has a pet companion

B．he has less stress of work

C．he often does mental arithmetic

D．he is taken care of by his family

3.According to Allen, why did the people do better with pets around when doing stressful tasks?

A．They have lower blood pressure.

B．They become more patient.

C．They are less nervous.

D．They are in higher spirits.

4.The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that         ．

A．people with dogs did more exercise

B．dogs lost the same weight as people did

C．dogs liked exercise much more than people did

D．people without dogs found the program unhelpful

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析: 文章是关于养宠物给宠物主人带来的影响，宠物可以帮助降低血压，提高从心脏病中恢复的机会，降低血压和提高快乐。

1.D主旨大意题。根据文章第一段 the company of pets can help lower blood pressure (血压) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer以及全文可知文章主要讲解了动物给人带来的有利影响，故选择D。

2.A 推理判题。根据第一段…raise chances of recovering from a heart attack，reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer．可知有宠物陪伴可以让心脏病的人情况变得更好，故选A。

3.C细节理解题。根据第二段It seems people feel more relaxed(放松)around pets。可知人们为什么表现好，是因为他们更不紧张。故选C。

4. owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.那些有狗的人没有比没有狗的人减掉更多体重，但是他们会得到更多的锻炼，由此判断A正确，故选A。

考点：考查社会生活类短文阅读