Question

【题目】 If you’re ever apart from your children, just talking on the phone will help just as much as a hug.

If you’re a parent who spends long hours on the job, you probably feel guilty for spending so much time away from your kids. But the results of a new study show that a mother’s voice alone can be just as comforting to an anxious child as physical contact.

In an experiment, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked a group of girls between the ages of 7 and 12 to solve math problems in front of judges — a stressful situation for anyone. Before the girls were set to give their answers, the researchers measured their levels of two hormones (荷尔蒙): cortisol, which goes up during stressful periods, and oxytocin, the “love” hormone.

After they were finished, some of the girls got to meet up with their mothers right away. The moms came in and hugged the girls. Another group of the girls didn’t see their mothers, but received phone calls from them, in which their mothers told them how well they’d done. The final group had no contact with their mothers, but instead watched an animal movie, March of the Penguins.

Finally, the girls’ hormone levels were measured again. Although the movie was interesting, it did nothing to ease the children’s anxiety — but, surprisingly, both the physical contact and phone calls from their mothers had the same influence on reducing the girls’ stress levels.

So, no matter how old you are, if you’re feeling stresed about something in your life, a phone call to Mom might be just the key to help you feel better.

【1】 How does the writer make his point?

A. By showing an experiment by him.

B. By showing the results of a study.

C. By telling an interesting story.

D. By giving some data.

【2】 The new study finds that ____.

A. kids don’t need their mothers so much

B. a mother’s voice can comfort her anxious kid

C. kids get less anxious with their mothers nearby

D. mothers haven’t spent enough time with their kids

【3】 What is the CORRECT time order of the events in the study?

a. The girls solved their math problems.

b. The girls’ levels of hormones were measured again.

c. The girls were divided into three groups.

d. The girls’ levels of hormones were measured.

A. a, c, d, b

B. c, a, d, b

C. d, a, c, b

D. d, c, a, b

【4】 The final group was arranged to _____.

A. hug their parents

B. watch a boring movie

C. watch an interesting movie

D. give their parents a phone call

【5】 What does the underlined word in the second last paragraph probably mean?

A. Notice.

B. Develop.

C. Replace.

D. Reduce.

Answer 1

【答案】【1】B

【2】B

【3】C

【4】C

【5】D

【解析】【1】 文章结构题。通读全文，可知作者主要是通过一项研究的研究结果来证明他的观点的，故选B。

【2】细节理解题。根据第二段的But the results of a new study show that a mother’s voice alone can be just as comforting to an anxious child as physical contact.可知应选B。

【3】细节理解题。根据第三段的Before the girls were set to give their answers, the researchers measured their levels of two hormones可知先测荷尔蒙，再做题，根据第五段的After they were finished, some of the girls got to meet up with可知做完题后分成三组，最后又测了一次荷尔蒙。

【4】细节理解题。根据第四段的The final group had no contact with their mothers, but instead watched an animal movie, March of the Penguins.以及倒数第二段的Although the movie was interesting可知第三组安排看了一场有趣的电影。

【5】词义猜测题。根据倒数第二段的had the same influence on reducing the girls’ stress levels可知前面是指看电影的那一组压力没有得到“缓减”。