文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了压力不仅在人类中存在,动物也会经历和传播压力,并且介绍了动物产生压力的原因,包括自然威胁和人类影响,还提到了压力对动物健康和群体社会结构的影响,以及了解压力机制对保护动物的重要性,同时指出了从动物世界获得的见解对人类也很有用,最后提到研究人员将继续研究以更好地应对和帮助人们群体中压力的传播。
Stress often occurs when humans have too much work or are in immediate danger. We communicate our stress to others through our behavior and physiological changes. Thus, stress can communicate information and even be useful for survival in certain situations. On the other hand, the massive spread of stress frequently leads to dangerous situations in groups, such as mass panic.
However, not only humans, but also animals can experience and spread stress. This is the present research focus of Dr Hanja Brand l from the University of Konstanz.
“It has been repeatedly shown that stress can be spread from one human to another,” Brand l says. “Often, a similarly strong physiological response is triggered, even though you have never experienced the stress yourself.” But what is known about stress among animals? Brand l concludes other animals in the group can be just as stressed as the friend who experienced something bad. Stress is evolutionarily deeply rooted and the process is similar in all vertebrates (脊椎动物).
When are animals stressed? To be mentioned primarily are naturally occurring threats to which they are exposed, such as natural enemies. Human influences raise the level of stress. “Increasing changes in the habitat or noise and light pollution also have an impact as these massively influence the environment of the animals.” Brand l explains. “Animals are flexible and can adapt to situations. But at some point, the stress response—the adaptations that otherwise help animals better escape stressors like enemies—no longer gives them a survival advantage,” she adds.
This not only endangers the animals’ health, but also changes the social structure of groups. “If we know how the underlying mechanisms (机制) work, we can better protect animals,” says Brandl.
For humans, too, insights from the animal world are useful, she says. “With humans, we can’t measure the functionality of groups under stress well in natural scenes.” Therefore, Brandl is now continuing her studies. In the future, this will make it easier to respond to and help with the spread of stress in groups of people.
8. What can we learn about stress from paragraph 1?
A.Stress is both good and bad. |
B.Group living. can easily cause stress. |
C.Each individual reacts differently to stressful situations. |
D.Poor communication is one of the biggest causes of stress. |
9. What does the underlined word “triggered” probably mean in paragraph 3?
A.Ignored. | B.Eased. | C.Caused. | D.Transformed. |
10. What can humans do to help animals reduce stress?
A.Supply food to them. |
B.Make them live in groups. |
C.Protect their habitat from being destroyed. |
D.Provide opportunities for them to practice their survival skills. |
11. From which is the text probably taken?
A.A pet magazine. | B.A news website. |
C.A book review. | D.A technical forum. |