A new study has found that all women need to lower their stress levels is a strong and happy marriage．A team of researchers led by Jamesa. Coan, a University of Virginia neuroscientist （神经学家） has found that women under threat who hold their husbands' hands show signs of immediate relief, which can clearly be seen on their brain scans．

Coan, an assistant professor in the U．V A．Neuroscience Graduate Program and the Department of Psychology, and his team conducted a study involving several couples who rated themselves as highly satisfied with their marriages．

The researchers designed a functional MRI（magnetic resonance imaging 磁共振成像） study in which 16 married women were subjected to the threat of a very mild electric shock while they by turns held their husband's hand, the hand of a stranger（male） or no hand at all．

They found that the MRI was able to show how these women's brains responded to this handholding while in a threatening situation．The researchers noted a large decrease in the brain response to threat as a function of partner handholding, and a limited decrease in this response as a function of stranger handholding．

Moreover, partner handholding effects varied as a function of marital quality, with women in the very highest quality marriages benefiting from a very powerful decrease in threat-related brain activity．"This is the first study of the neurological reactions to human touch in a threatening situation．" said Dr．Coan．

1．The study shows that _____can be the best way to lessen stress for women．

       A．high-quality marriages                   B．holding their husband's hand

       C．getting married                    D．being strong and happy

2．How do the researchers create the threatening situation in the experiment?

       A．Forcing the women to hold the hand of a stranger．

       B．Giving the women a very mild electric shock．

       C．Putting the women in a dark and silent room．

       D．Telling the story of sad marriage．

3．According to the study, the larger decrease in the brain response to the threat, __

       A．the more satisfied you'll be with the marriage．

       B．the more disappointed you'll be with the marriage

       C．the more eager you'll be to get married．

       D．the less reliable husband you'll have．

4．We can infer that the passage could be published in            ．

      A．a book about love and marriage             B．a magazine on entertainment

      C．a section of home news in the newspaper  D．a science journal on psychology

Glynis Davis:

I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards. Then I joined a slimming club. My target was 140 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months. I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked. But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits. I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year…but it didn’t happen. Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on. I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the old bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference but the scales don’t lie.[来源:Z。xx。k.Com]

Roz Jumab:

To be honest, I never weigh myself any more. I’ve learnt to be happy with myself. It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips. My idea is simple. You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting. Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super thin body. This is obviously the size I’m meant to be and, most of all, I’m happy with it.

Lesley Codwin:

I was very happy at winning Young Slimmer of the year. I’d look into the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me! That might have been my problem—perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself. Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though, because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you. I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again.

Ros Landfod:

Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the pleasant housework went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year. Every so often I try to go on a diet…I’m really good on a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers or eating happily chocolate—my weakness. I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home. I might take more exercise when my kids are older.?

1．What do you think the four women were all talking about?

A．Their own slimming matter.      B．Their life after marriage.

C．Their work as a housewife.       D．Different diets they prefer.

2．Where are these short passage most likely to be taken from?

A．Talks on the air.       B．Advertisements on the wall.

C．Book in a library.      D．Magazines for housewives.

3．What does the underlined word “scales” possibly mean?

A．The coach in the slimming club.?B．Some tool to measure weight.

C．Glynis Davis’ dear husband.    D．The salesperson in a food shop.?

4．What can we infer from Roz Jumab’s words?

A．Losing weight is a painful process which is unbearable.

B．Being thin can also be harmful.

C．It is necessary to force ourselves to lose weight.

D．We should learn to live comfortably with the way we look.

5．Which of the following best describes each of the four women’s attitudes towards slimming?

1．Glynis Davis    2．Roz Jumab   3．Lesley Codwinc   4．Ros Langfodd

a．I put on weight soon after I got married. b．Fame doesn’t necessarily mean success.

c．Facts speak much louder than words.  d．I like myself as I am, and to be what you are.

A．1- a; 2 – d; 3 – b; 4 – c        B．1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – d; 4 – a

C．1 – c; 2 – d; 3 – b; 4 – a        D．1 – a; 2 – b; 3 – c; 4 –d

Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow．While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union．Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families．

       Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to （＝before） marriage．Not only do the prospective（预期的） marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings．Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider．

       As for any family， the basic ingredient（成分） of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual（相互的） respect．However， love alone is not enough．Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily．

       Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success．Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit．Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved．Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully．

       By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent（矛盾的） loyalties， lingering（持久的） hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams．The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable．However， there are ways to confront（面临） and resolve them．For example， support groups and professional counselors（法律顾问） are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming（压倒性的）．

       Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly．It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort．Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily．Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection．

According to the passage， there are 　　　　 in the United States．

       A．no stepfamilies                       B．more stepfamilies than ever before

       C．fewer stepfamilies than ever before      D．fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones

Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？

       A．The pursuit of the same careers．        B．Professional interventions（干涉）．

       C．The development of special interests．   D．Careful planning before the marriage．

Many people believe that 　　　　 contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily．

       A．everlasting loyalties              B．open communication

       C．kindness and mutual respect        D．persistent（持久稳固的） affection

It is natural for a stepfamily to be 　　　　．

       A．unrealistic     B．complicated          C．ambivalent           D．guilty

According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is 　　　　．

       A．impossible                             B．satisfying and rewarding

       C．discouraging and frustrating                 D．a difficult and trying experience

       Could you imagine your parents choosing your husband or wife for you? And can you imagine not setting eyes on him or her until your wedding day? This situation is common in India, the Middle East and many parts of Africa．Marriage customs around the world often differ from our own．We don’t realize that people in other places often get married in very different ways and with different motives．

       In many countries, marriage is a practical matter．A marriage provides a safe and stable home for the husband and wife．It also joins two families, which benefits the couple’s parents and makes them happy．Marriage also brings children, making sure the couple will be taken care of in old age．Because a marriage is important for the whole family, some cultures don’t let young people choose whom to marry．

       Just as there are many different reasons for marriage, there are also many different wedding rituals．Every culture has its own ways of bringing good luck to the happy couple．In a typical Western wedding, the bride seeks good luck by wearing “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”．Something old represents the past．Something new represents success in the future．Something borrowed reminds the bride she can get help from her friends and family．And something blue reminds her to be true to her husband．

       In Poland, one wedding tradition is not only lucky, but also very practical．The wedding guests pin money to the bride’s dress while she is dancing．The money is meant to bring luck and to help the young couple build their new life．In Bermuda, the young couple plants a tree in the yard of their new home．Once they move in, they take good care of the tree and make it grow．The planting of the tree is a good metaphor（比喻） for marriage．A truly good marriage is something that grows with care．

Which of the following statements does NOT support the idea that marriage is a practical matter?

       A．The couple may have a safe home through their marriage．

       B．The parents had better help their children choose whom to marry．

       C．A marriage benefits the couple’s parents and makes them happy．

       D．A marriage brings children who will take care of the couple when they are old．

The underlined word “rituals” （Para．3） means 　　　．

       A．forms　   B．customs   C．traditions　      D．ceremonies

Although cultures differ in different countries, one thing in common when a young couple gets married is that 　　　．

       A．people wish them to take care of each other

       B．people wish them to get practical benefits from the marriage

       C．people wish them to have good luck in their new life

       D．people wish them to make money at the wedding ceremony

Which of the following statements best summarizes（总结） the subject of this passage?

       A．People across the world get married in different ways and for different reasons．

       B．Every culture has its own ways of bringing good luck to the young couple．

       C．A truly good marriage is something that grows with care．

       D．In many countries, marriage is a practical matter．