Question

Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use ONE word that best fits each blank.

Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets 1. help lower blood pressure and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.

Any owner will tell you 2.a comfortable life they live with a pet. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress levels and blood pressure in people - half of them pet owners –while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算术) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it 3.(well).Those tested with their animal friends had the smallest change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates.4.pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems that people feel more5.(relax) around pets, says Allen,6.thinks it may be because pets don't judge.

A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only 7. (raise) your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year 8. (study) 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about 11 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Researchers say dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs, 9. they got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.

Answer 1