Question

 Researchers have just offered evidence in a study that says obesity (肥胖)

appears to spread through social ties,much like a virus. When one person gains  

weight,their close friends often follow. But the findings might also offer   

hope.   

 If friends help make obesity acceptable，then they might also be influential in losing the fat. The researchers note that support groups are already an effective tool in dealing with other socially influenced problems,like alcoholism.

The findings appeared in the New England J ournaI of Medicine. The  researchers used information collected from 12,000 people. It was collected between 1971 and 2003  as part of the Framingham Heart Study.  

 The information was highly detailed. There was even contact information for close friends of the people in the study.

The researchers examined more than 40,000 social ties. They found that a person’s chances of becoming severely overweight increased by 57 % if a friend had become obese.

 A sister or brother of a person who became obese had a 40 % increased chance of becoming obese. The risk for a wife or husband was a little less than that.

Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School was a lead investigator in the study. He says there is a direct causal relationship between a person getting fat and being followed in weight gain by a friend.

The study found that the sex of the friends was also an influence. In same-sex friendships,a person had a 71% increased risk of becoming obese. Men had a 44 % increased risk of becoming obese after weight gain in a brother. In sisters,it was 67%.

The researchers also considered the effect of where people lived in relation to each other. James Fowler of the University of California,San Diego,was the other lead investigator. He says a friend who lives a few hundred kilometres away has as much influence as one in the same neighbourhood. He says the study demonstrates the need to consider that a major part of people’s health is tied to their social connections.

Both investigators say their research shows that obesity is not just a pri

vate medical issue,but a public health problem.

1. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

   A. Obesity has a negative influence on a close friend.

   B.  Friends might also play a part in losing weight.

   C.  One might have a positive influence on one’s friend.

   D.  Friends usually don’t follow each other to lose weight.

2. Who is most likely to gain weight?

   A. A man who has a fat brother.

   B.  A husband who has a fat wife.

   C.  A wife who has a fat husband.

   D.  A woman who has a fat female friend.

3. Which of the following statements does the passage disagree with?

   A. You are sure to lose weight if you have a skinny friend.

   B.  If one gains weight,one’s friends are likely to get fat.

   C.  A person’s health is closely linked with his/her social relationship.

   D.  Even if a friend lives far away,the influence still remains.

4. The reason why the study involves both family members and friends is that

   A. researchers fail to find a more different sample

   B.  researchers have different ideas for family members and friends

   C.  researchers can meet these people regularly

   D.  researchers can compare the results

Answer 1

1. B句意理解題。如果朋友使肥胖變得可以接受的話，那么在減肥方面朋友也充當著主要的角色。答案為   B.

2. D細節理解題。從倒數第三段的內容可知答案為   D.

3. A

4. D推理判斷題。人生活在家庭成員和朋友組成的社會圈中，人們之間相互影響，相互聯系，研究者提及家庭成員和朋友是為了進行比較。故答案為   D.