Question

    People who volunteer because they want to help others live longer than people who don't volunteer at all. But on average those who volunteer mainly for some sort of personal benefit live no longer than non-volunteers, University of Michigan researchers found.

“On the surface, volunteering seems to be a purely selfless act. But, in fact, people volunteer for a wide range of reasons," said Sara Konrath, the lead author of the study.

Konrath and his colleagues analyzed the data that were collected in 2014 and included 3,376 men and women who were about 65 years old at the time. Overall, they found that 57 percent of those surveyed reported doing at least some volunteer work in the past 10 years.

Participants were contacted again four years later, in 2018. Researchers found that just 2.3 percent of the volunteers had died, compared to 4.3 percent of non-volunteers.

What really made a difference were people's motives for volunteering, the researchers found. The more people wanted to help others, the more likely they were to be alive after four years. Those who considered motives related to personal benefits more important were more likely to die. In fact, those who volunteered for personal benefits were just as likely to die as those who didn't volunteer at all. These reasons included volunteering because they enjoyed the social contact, to get out of the house, to escape their own problems, or to explore their own strengths.

“Our analysis clearly shows the importance of motives when considering the health benefits of volunteering, Konrath said. “And research has shown that concern about others helps us tap into the same system that operates in mothers and other caregivers. Basically, this system restores physiological function and promotes well- being."

In the meantime , Konrath says the current finding suggests it may be a poor idea to encourage people to think of volunteering as an exchange rather than something you do for other people.

“Of course, it's reasonable for volunteers to expect some benefits for themselves, but the potential health benefits of volunteering are significantly reduced if self- benefit becomes a person's main motive," she said.

1.Why did Konrath and his colleagues conduct the survey?

A.To see how volunteering affected one's health.

B.To give the participants volunteering opportunities.

C.To teach the participants how to live longer.

D.To contact the participants again four years later.

2.According to the text, how much people benefit from volunteering depends on__________.

A.how many people they help B.how much they do for others

C.how many personal benefits they get D.how much they want to help others

3.What does the underlined word “exchange” in Paragraph 7 refer to?

A.Help from others. B.Thanks from others.

C.Personal benefits from volunteering. D.Communication between volunteers.

4.Which of the following may have an effect on our health?

A.Ages for volunteering. B.Motives for volunteering.

C.Ways of volunteering. D.Decisions about volunteering.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。因为想帮助别人而去做志愿者的人比那些根本不做志愿者的人活得更长。密歇根大学的研究人员发现，平均而言，那些主要为了某种个人利益而自愿的人并不比非自愿的人活得更长。文章介绍了他们的研究过程以及研究人员发现，真正起作用的是人们志愿服务的动机。

1.推理判断题。根据第四段Participants were contacted again four years later, in 2018. Researchers found that just 2.3 percent of the volunteers had died, compared to 4.3 percent of non-volunteers.可知四年后，也就是2018年，他们再次联系了参与者。研究人员发现，只有2.3%的志愿者已经死亡，而非志愿者的死亡比例为4.3%。由此可推知，研究人员将3376位老人作为调查对象是要了解这些人在4年后的生死的情况，即Konrath和他的同事们要进行这项调查是为了研究志愿活动如何影响一个人的健康。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第五段中What really made a difference were people's motives for volunteering, the researchers found. The more people wanted to help others, the more likely they were to be alive after four years.可知研究人员发现，真正起作用的是人们志愿服务的动机。想要帮助别人的人越多，他们在四年后活下来的可能性就越大。由此可知，人们从志愿活动中获益的多少取决于他们有多想帮助别人。故选D。

3.词义猜测题。根据最后一段“Of course, it's reasonable for volunteers to expect some benefits for themselves, but the potential health benefits of volunteering are significantly reduced if self- benefit becomes a person's main motive," she said.可知她说:“当然，志愿者希望自己得到一些好处是合理的，但如果一个人的主要动机是自我利益，那么志愿活动对健康的潜在好处就会大大减少。”由此可知，目前的研究结果表明，鼓励人们把志愿活动看作一种可以从中得到个人利益的志愿服务，而不是你为他人做的事情，可能是个糟糕的主意。由此可知，划线单词“exchange”意思为“可以得到个人利益的志愿服务”。故选C。

4.细节理解题。根据第五段中What really made a difference were people's motives for volunteering, the researchers found.可知研究人员发现，真正起作用的是人们志愿服务的动机。由此可知，志愿服务的动机对我们的健康有影响。故选B。