文章大意:本文是说明文。文章主要介绍了研究人员在2023年4月26日的《公共科学图书馆·综合》(PLOS ONE)上报道说,尽管主人称宠物对他们有积极的影响,但它们并没有帮助缓解主人的整体压力或孤独感。
If you feel like you bonded with your pet during the pandemic(大流行病), you’re not alone.
Cat and dog owners in the United States gradually grew closer to their pets during the first two years of COVID-19. But these furry friends didn’t help with their owners’ overall stress or loneliness, despite owners citing their pets’ positive influences, researchers report April 26, 2023 in PLOS ONE. “The one very clear message is that the human-animal relationship is very complicated,” epidemiologist Hsin-Yi Weng of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
When the pandemic outbreak began, Weng and his colleagues recognized it as an unfortunate but unique opportunity to find out the dynamics of pet ownership during a large-scale event. The team launched a survey asking about people’s stress, loneliness and relationships with their pets. Participants reflected on their emotions before the pandemic and during lockdown.
Analyzing responses from more than 4,200 individuals, the team found that cat and dog owners felt they steadily bonded with their pets between the pre-pandemic and recovery phases. Spending more time at home and being separated from other people might explain those strengthened relationships, the researchers say.
But pets effects on mental health were a little indistinct. Although the authors expected pets to buffer stress and loneliness, people with furry companions had similar loneliness levels and sometimes even higher stress levels compared with non-pet owners. The results did suggest though that having a pet buffered the loneliness related to romantic relationships, or lack thereof.
On average, people without pets reported the lowest amounts of stress while cat owners had the highest. Affording everyday care, especially during lockdown, may have contributed to pet owners stress, the team suggests.“There are two sides of having a pet,” Weng says. While they provide companionship, pets also add extra responsibilities.
8. What can we learn from the report in
PLOS ONE?
A.People felt bonded with loneliness. |
B.Owners lived closer with their pets. |
C.Pets didn’t relieve people’s overall stress. |
D.Pets had little positive influence on their owners. |
9. For what purpose did the researchers carry out the survey?
A.To organize a large scale event. |
B.To reflect on pet owners |
C.To analyze responses from individuals. |
D.To explore the changes of pet-owner relationship. |
10. What does the underlined word “buffer” mean in paragraph 5?
A.Cause. |
B.Ease. |
C.Experience. |
D.Suffer. |
11. Who may have more stress?
A.People with cats as pets. |
B.People in romantic relationships. |
C.People without furry pets. |
D.People spending more time at home. |