Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the co

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

    Any owner will tall you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal providesmore comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the StateUniversity of New York measured stress (紧张) levels and bloodpressure in people - half of them pet owners –while they performed 5 minutes ofmental arithmetic (算术) or held a hand in ice water. Subjectscompleted 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 hadsmaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heartrates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than whendoing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed (放松)aroundpets, 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 yourspirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers atNorthwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and theirequally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 peoplewithout 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 12pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Dog owners didn't lose any moreweight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostlywith their dogs - and found it worth doing.

1．Whatdoes the text mainly discuss?

    A．Whatpets bring to their owners.

    B．Howpets help people calm down.

    C．People'sopinions of keeping pets.

    D．Pet'svalue in medical research.

2．Welearn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance ofgetting well if

    A．hehas a pet companion

    B．hehas less stress of work

    C．heoften does mental arithmetic

    D．heis taken care of by his family

3．Accordingto Allen, why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressfultasks?

    A．Theyhave lower blood pressure.

    B．Theybecome more patient.

    C．Theyare less nervous.

    D．Theyare in higher spirits.

4．Theresearch mentioned in the last paragraph reports that

    A．peoplewith dogs did more exercise

    B．dogslost the same weight as people did

    C．dogsliked exercise much more than people did

    D．peoplewithout dogs found the program unhelpful

试题答案

【答案】

 A

 A

 C

 A

【解析】