A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease.

Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.

Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.

University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.

Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.

The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.

The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.

Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.

The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.

What is true about the Framingham Study?

A. It was only conducted in 1948.        B. It involves more than 12,000 participants.

C. It was led by John Cacioppo          D. It showed that any behavior could spread.

From the passage, we can learn that            .

A. the habit of littering doesn’t spread

B. a lonely person won’t have friends

C. everyone may be affected by others’ loneliness

D. lonely people don’t know the cause of their loneliness

Which statement about the spread of loneliness is true?

A. The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends.

B. No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives.

C. Women are more likely to be affected than men.

D. Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors.

If you make 10 more friends in a year, the days of your feeling loneliness will be reduced by            .

A. 48 days          B. 25 days      C. 20 days      D. 15 days

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Actions should be taken to help lonely people.  B. People feel lonely for many reasons.

C. Ways to fight against loneliness.             D. Lonely people can affect others.

A

BEUING (Associated Press 美联社) —China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.

    While China may be the world’s biggest toy maker, many of the best are exported. Department stores here do not have enough toys of high quality. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.

A US company, Baby Care, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.

    Baby Care works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals.  People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child-care books.

"We want to build a seven year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, Baby Care’s president. "It starts during pregnancy (孕期), when the anxiety and needs are highest." Baby Care works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by Baby Care advise parents and explain toys that are designed for children at each stage of development to age six.

Baby Care opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.

It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.

What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A. Educational toys and foreign toy markets.

  B. Problems with China’s toy market and education.

  C. Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.

  D. Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.

Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

  A. Club members buy Baby Care products for free child care advice.

  B. Doctors in Beijing help in making Baby Care products.

  C. Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club activities.

  D. Baby Care trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.

Baby Care is developing its business in China by ___________.

A. opening stores in Beijing hospitals

B. offering 18 month courses on child care

C. setting up children’s education centers

D. forming close relationships with parents

Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

  A. Mother’s Club in China.               B. Baby Care and Doctors.

  C. American Company Model.            D. Educational Toys in China.

A pill，code-named HT-0712，may make forgetfulness a thing of the past. It is being developed in the US and could go on sale within five years.

According to the newspaper The Sun，the wonder drug has been nicknamed “Mind Viagra”and has already been shown to boost the memory power of mice and flies. Next it will be tested on humans. This is just one of a number of drugs in a pharmaceutical (制药的) race to develop an increased memory pill. At least 12 US companies are believed to be working on similar projects.

Tim Tully，the founder of US drug company Helicon Therapeutics，who is in charge of the HT-0712 project，gave this practical example of its use for students：“If it takes two weeks to memorize a verse of Shakespeare，with one of these drugs you might be able to do it in two or three days. ”

“The memory drug business appears to be set to become a multi-million dollar industry，”experts say. This summer，100 Americans suffering mild memory loss will test HT-0712 in the first experiment on people.

“You don’t think better than you did before，you just get the facts in with less practice. There is a growing belief that memory and memory loss is just another treatable condition，”says Tully.

However，there is some doubt whether the drugs can really improve memory. In a study by the US’s Yale University Medical School，researchers suggested that the drug might affect other parts of the memory.

1.Which of the following can be most likely to replace the underlined word “boost” in the second paragraph?

A.Reduce.　　　 B.Increase.　　　　 C.Kill.　　　　　　 D.Harm.

2.What will happen to the students most probably if they take HT-0712?

A.They will grow taller.

B.They can memorize things easily.

C.They won’t suffer from illness.

D.They will choose whatever universities they like.

3.The future of HT-0712 can be said　　　　 according to experts.

A.dim　　　　　 B.uncertain　　　　 C.bright　　　　　　 D.worried

4.HT-0712 is a pill that　　　　 .

A.has bad effect on the health of mice and flies

B.has been experimented on dozens of animals

C.will be experimented on humans this summer

D.is certain to do no harm to human

5.The purpose of writing the passage is to　　　　 .

A.warn people the harm of HT-0712

B.introduce to people the advantages of HT-0712

C.tell people something about HT-0712

D.doubt whether it is worth developing HT-0712

A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease.
Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.
【小题1】 What is true about the Framingham Study?

The meaning of the word “volunteer ” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services（服务）.” there are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾) from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
Tracy, a good friend of mine, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.
“I worked for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.”
【小题1】 According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.