Question

Bars are very important in providing a place where people can meet and make friends. People who enjoy a drink in a local bar are happier and have more friends. They are more likely to be engaged in conversations in small community pubs, and social skills improve after a drink.

Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University said, “Friendship and communities are probably the two most important factors influencing our health and well-being. Making and maintaining friendships is something that has to be done in the real world. The digital world is simply no substitute(n.替代物). Given the increasing tendency for our social life to be on the Internet rather than in real life, having relaxed, accessible places where people can meet old friends and make new ones becomes even more necessary.”

Tim Page, chief executive of CAMRA, said, “Bars offer a social environment to enjoy a drink with friends in a responsible community setting. The role of community bars in ensuring well-being cannot be overstated. For that reason, we all need to do what we can to ensure that everyone has a ‘local’ near to where they live or work.”

Bars have long been part of British society and have played a key role in British social life since the 16th century. Bars came to represent the heart and soul of a community, providing both a place of entertainment and an engine for community bonding. In a world before the arrival of the motor car, the bar provided a venue in which people could get friendships and a sense of community.

But the closing decades of the 20th century witnessed major changes in both the style of bars (for example, themed bars) and their numbers. As of 2015, the number of bars declines sharply, with bars continuing to close at an average rate of 29 a week.

1.What does a regular(n.常客) at a local bar having more friends prove?

A. The benefits brought by pub cultures

B. The popularity of local bars in Britain.

C. The relation between friendships and bars

D. The importance of face-to-face communication.

2.What does Robin think is the tendency for social life?

A. More people will go to bars.

B. People will maintain friendships

C. People will trust the digital world

D. People will communicate more online.

3.Why does Tim Page value the role of local bars?

A. They contribute to people’s social happiness.

B. They are a place common people can afford.

C. They are a good place to spread cultural values.

D. They are accessible to people in the community.

4.What can we infer about bars nowadays?

A. Themed bars have held the market

B. Some bars have a hard time surviving.

C. They become the heart of a community

D. Measures should be taken to save them.

Answer 1