Do you have good friends? Do you sometimes feel so close to them that they are like family to you?
It turns out that this isn’t just an expression. A study by Yale University has found that you and your friends have more genes (基因) in common than strangers do. Researchers looked at the genes of 1,932 people and compared them in pairs of unrelated friends and strangers. They found that friends have 1% of genes that match.
“1% of genes may not sound like much to the layperson (外行), but to geneticists (遗传学家) it is a larger number,” Professor Nicholas Christakis of Yale University told Discovery News. In fact, this is the same amount of genes you share with your fourth cousins, those who have the same great-great-great grandparents as you.
So do you happen to become friends with people who share your genes? Not at all. In fact, it is evolution (进化) that brings you together.
“People who share certain genes also share skills and have similar likes and dislikes,” researchers said. In ancient times, it was important that people who were alike stayed together. For example, people who had a similar susceptibility (易感性) to the cold were more likely to help each other build a fire, giving them a better chance to stay alive.
Researchers also found that among all the genes studied, those producing a change in sense of smell were the most similar in friends.
This is probably because people who smell things in the same way are more easily drawn to similar environments. For example, people who like the smell of coffee may hang out at cafes (咖啡馆) more often and as a result are more likely to meet and become friends with each other.
With their findings, the team has developed an interesting test called the “friendship score”. It can help tell how big the chances are that two people will be friends by studying their genes.
So, here is a question for you: would you like to take this test and know in advance (提前) who your friends are going to be, or would you still prefer to learn about it by yourself and let time be the judge?
【小题1】From the passage, we know that friends _______.| A．look like our cousins | B．share 1% of genes with us |
| C．feel close to our family | D．can help us when we feel cold |
| A．study how ancient people dealt with the cold |
| B．predict that similar environments lead to friendship |
| C．prove that it is evolution that brings friends together |
| D．explain why ancient people gave each other chance to keep alive |
| A．Friendship: Its Influence on People and Behavior. |
| B．Friendship: Its Benefits to Teens and Decision Making. |
| C．Friendship: Is It Necessary to Be Judged by Time? |
| D．Friendship: Is It Possible to Be Influenced by Genes? |
Do you laugh every day? Most people do. Scientists say that people laugh about 17 times a day.
In India, there are hundreds of laughter clubs. The people in these clubs get together every morning.
Scientists believe that laughter is good for you. Why?
Why do we laugh? That is a hard question to answer.
| A．In England, people say that laughter is the best medicine. |
| B．For one thing, laughter is good exercise. |
| C．First they stretch their hands above their heads. |
| D．That is a lot of laughter. |
| E．We know that people laugh more often in a group. |
A lot of people like eating different kinds of things while they are watching TV programs. Some people think that people may eat more when they are watching TV programs. However, some people have different opinions. Does watching programs really have some influence on people’s eating habits? To know the answer, a study was carried out.
Scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden studied 18 women, analyzing them as they snacked and watched different kinds of programs. The women were shown a popular interesting Swedish comedy as well as a dull lecture program. The scientist also watched their eating habits carefully while the women were taking part in another boring activity—reading a text on insects living in Sweden.
Their findings have shown that when watching programs, the women eat more food than usual, which may increase the possibility that the women will snack on unhealthy food. While watching the boring lecture program the women eat 52% more food than during the interesting comedy. Compared with reading the text about insects, the women eat 35% less when watching the interesting comedy on TV.
Researchers have found that the more exciting a show is, the less likely women are to eat unhealthy food. A boring show, on the other hand, increases the risk of eating unhealthy snacks.
The findings have led the team of scientists to believe it is how exciting the TV show is, rather than the act of watching TV shows itself, that causes a person to eat more or less. “If the program is boring, you eat to kill time because you’re bored, said Aner Tal, a researcher at Cornell University’s Food Lab. But he suggested that you choose healthy snacks while sitting on the sofa for night in front of the TV. He added, “Use pre-portioned (提前分好份量的) snacks instead of endless bowls.” That means keeping the source of food out of sight to stop you from eating too much. If you know you have a habit of overeating while watching TV, just snack on something that’s better for you. Have vegetables as snacks instead of chips. Besides, next time you want to lose weight, try watching a nail-biting thriller.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “dull” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．boring | B．exciting | C．surprising | D．relaxing |
| A．Women eat less unhealthy food when watching exciting shows. |
| B．Watching comedies is the best way for people to live healthy life. |
| C．Watching boring TV programs is more interesting than reading books. |
| D．Women eat 52% more unhealthy food when reading the text about insects. |
| A．Ways for women to form good eating habits. |
| B．Whether women eat healthily when they read a text on insects. |
| C．The relationship between eating habits and watching programs. |
| D．The relationship between eating habits and health conditions. |
World Water Day 2022
What Is World Water Day?
On January 18, 1993, the United Nations designated (指定) March 22 as World Water Day. It draws our attention to the importance of water across the world and calls on us to protect water resources (水资源) .
Valuing (珍惜) Water
The theme (主题) of World Water Day changes yearly. In 2022, the theme is “Groundwater—making the invisible visible”. By celebrating this festival and learning about how water benefits (有利于) our lives, we can learn to value water properly and work to make sure that everyone has clean water to drink and use.
Every Water Drop Counts
Water is very important to all life because without it, humans, animals and plants would die. For example, we need water to drink and keep our bodies, clothes and other things clean. All trees and other plants need water to live and grow as well.
We are lucky that in our country we can go to a tap (水龙头) and get clean, freshwater to use.
However, not everyone is able to do this. In some other countries, people may have to walk miles to the river to collect water which isn’t even safe to drink. It is important that we all make sure we do not waste the water we have.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE about World Water Day?| A．It is on January 18. |
| B．Its theme is the same every year. |
| C．It is celebrated twice a year in some countries. |
| D．It reminds people to learn to value water properly. |
| A．计算 | B．重要 | C．确信 | D．认为 |
| A．the water is often dirty | B．the water is often expensive |
| C．they often waste water | D．they often get nothing |
| A．Most people will have tap water. |
| B．2.1 billion people will have safe drinking water. |
| C．All people around the world will have clean water. |
| D．Most people in towns and cities will have safe drinking water. |
| A．Many people can’t drink safe water. |
| B．World Water Day is celebrated in every country. |
| C．It’s important for people to protect and save water. |
| D．It’s important for people to celebrate World Water Day. |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台，不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰，如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益，请联系组卷网
