A heavy feeling on the chest. A throat that’s leaden. An overwhelming feeling of isolation. Loneliness hurts—and, over time, it can put the body into a state that increases our risk of everything from heart attack and stroke to diabetes and cancer. So, evolutionarily speaking, why do we experience it?
Stephanie Cacioppo, a neuroscientist at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, says that countless studies have helped researchers formulate a holistic(全面的)purpose for loneliness. “Our social structures evolved hand in hand with neural, hormonal and genetic mechanisms to support these social structures—like couples, tribes and communities—that help us survive and reproduce,” says Cacioppo. Because while loneliness may be painful to experience today, for our prehistoric ancestors that pain would have been a far better alternative to being caught alone with a predator on the prowl(潜行).
Being social had its downsides even back then—competition for food, for example, or contribution to the spread of pathogens(病原体). But scientists think we evolved to feel loneliness because it was more important to work with one another to accomplish tasks and to protect everyone. “The pain of loneliness prompted us to renew the social structure so we could survive and promote key features like trust, cooperation and collective action, explains Cacioppo.
For years, researchers thought of loneliness as a disease. But now, they’re realizing that it’s more of a biological hunger signal that reminds us when it’s time to reconnect with those around us to promote our short-term survival. If the outcomes of loneliness were entirely negative, it would no longer be a part of our DNA. “Hunger and thirst protect our physical body while loneliness protects our social body,” says Cacioppo.
Loneliness impacts us all differently. Some of us may find certain situations lonely even while others don’t. There’s also a genetic component: Some of us are born to feel lonelier than others. Other factors play a role, too. The way we were treated as children can also inform how lonely we feel as adults. Lonely people spend most of their time deep within their own imaginations; they may conceptualize social encounters so much, in fact, that this part of their brain is in overdrive. That means even though they may be desperate to form connections, when they’re around other people, they’re actually less likely to be present.
1. As for loneliness, which would the author agree with?| A．It can lead to serious mental problems in adulthood. |
| B．It holds potential risks and disadvantages to individuals. |
| C．It may reflect a person’s strong desire to have social bonds. |
| D．It is perceived in the same way as it is demonstrated by our DNA. |
| A．beneficial but risky | B．painful but necessary |
| C．natural and powerful | D．personal and harmful |
| A．Humans evolved to be lonely. | B．Loneliness is a curable disease. |
| C．Loneliness is a personal feeling. | D．Humans need to address loneliness. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】It is a question people have been asking for ages. Is there a way to turn back the aging process?
For centuries, people have been looking for a “fountain of youth”. The idea is that if you find a magical fountain, and drink from its waters, you will not age.
Researchers in New York did not find an actual fountain of youth, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears the answer may be hidden right between your eyes, in an area called the hypothalamus (下丘脑). The hypothalamus is part of your brain. It controls important activities within the body.
Researchers at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that hypothalamus neural (神经的) stem cells also influence how fast aging takes place in the body.
What are stem cells(干细胞)? They are simple cells that can develop into specialized cells, like blood or skin cells. Stem cells can also repair damaged tissues and organs.
Dongsheng Cai is a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was the lead researcher in a study on aging in mice. He and his team reported their findings in the journal Nature, Cai explained when hypothalamus function is in decline, particularly the loss of hypothalamus stem cells, and this protection against the aging development is lost. it eventually leads to aging.
Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate, or energize, the hypothalamus laboratory mice. They did this by injecting the animals with stem cells, Later, the researchers examined tissues and tested for changes in behavior. They looked for changes in the strength and coordination (协调) of the animals muscles. They also studied the social behavior and cognitive ability of the mice. The researchers say the results show that the treatment slowed aging in the animals, Cai says injecting middle-aged mice with stem cells from younger mice helped the older animals live longer.
But these results were just from studying mice in a laboratory. If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? The next step is to see if the anti-aging effects also work in.
1. In Paragraph 2 a “fountain of youth” is mentioned to ________.| A．introduce the main topic |
| B．show a hidden secret. |
| C．describe scientists research |
| D．recommend a way to stay young |
| A．stem cells develop into specialized cells |
| B．there are important activities within the body |
| C．hypothalamus neural stem cells fail to protect against aging |
| D．the hypothalamus fails to repair damaged tissues and organs |
| A．They did experiments to see how stem cells work. |
| B．They studied mice to find their connection with humans. |
| C．They have found a possible way to slow the aging progress. |
| D．They have found no changes in mice s behavior during the experiment |
| A．They will help some animals live longer. |
| B．They will announce the fountain of youth doesn’t exist |
| C．They will develop products to help people live a longer life immediately |
| D．They will do research to see if what they have found in mice will apply to humans. |
【推荐2】Are you a morning person? You might not like the findings in this new research.
From a lack of air and drinking water to solar radiation, theoretical Mars pioneers face any number of potential obstacles to settling on the red planet. Now, scientists have found something else to add to the list: seriously messed-up biological clocks.
One day on Mars - which scientists refer to as the solar day, or“sol”- is 37 minutes longer than a day on Earth. A team of European scientists recently demonstrated why that could be a problem.
Circadian rhythms are the body’s natural cycles of rest and waking, which tend to follow roughly 24-hour light-dark cycles. These natural rhythms - which play a role in biological functions including brain wave activity and hormone production - can be interrupted by things like jet lag（时差）and night shift work.
For the study, the researchers compared mice with healthy, 24-hour circadian clocks to mice with a genetic change that caused them to have shorter, 20-hour circadian clocks. The mice with healthy biological clocks were more likely to survive and reproduce, while the mice with shorter biological clocks were more likely to die off.
What does this all have to do with space travel? Since the Martian sol is longer than a day on Earth, people with shorter circadian clocks could suffer from health problems as they try to adapt to the rotational speed of the red planet.
Unfortunately, the body is unlikely to adapt to the new conditions or“learn”to develop a longer clock. As Loudon explained,“Learning is not a likely option.”
In other words: Sorry, super-early risers - NASA might not want you for the next Mars mission.
1. From the passage, people can face the following troubles living on Mars EXCEPT ______.| A．absence of air | B．a lot of fierce creatures |
| C．lack of drinking water | D．messed-up biological clocks |
| A．24 hours. | B．23 hours and 23 minutes. |
| C．24 hours and 37 minutes. | D．12 hours and 37 minutes. |
| A．By comparing different mice. | B．By analyzing computer data. |
| C．By experiments in spaceships. | D．By observing and judging. |
| A．the brain wave activity will be interrupted |
| B．the body’s natural cycles can be shortened |
| C．hormone production will hurt biological functions |
| D．the Martian sol is longer than a day on Earth |
【推荐3】What if we had the power to control time, instead of moving from the past to the present to the future? What if we could jump and travel through time in a machine? What if we could go wherever and whenever we pleased?
This ability would allow us to witness historic wonders, change decisions and see people from the past. We could right wrongs and stop wars from starting.
The mysterious puzzle of time has kept people debating its nature for hundreds of years. Science fiction writers have turned it into imaginative stories. Some scientists have even attempted to explain it using math. This math tries to make the dream of time travel come true.
The scientist Albert Einstein said that time and space are one thing. He called it “spacetime”. Einstein said that there are three dimensions (维度) in space: height, width and depth. A scientist named Hermann Minkowski added time as a fourth dimension.
Einstein introduced two ideas that have led to theories about the possibility of time travel. The first is relativity (相对论). The idea of relativity is that the force of gravity causes space to bend, which causes time to twist. The second idea focuses on special relativity. The idea is that a traveler moving super-fast through flat spacetime will enter the future. Einstein considered time “relative” because it is measured based on where we are on Earth or in space.
Stephen Hawking is a famous scientist. He believes that a time machine will never be built. If it were possible, he thinks we would already know. If a time machine could be built, how come no one from the future has invaded us?
The first science fiction story with this theme is The Clock That Went Backward by Edward P. Mitchell, which was published in 1881. Since then, thousands of books, films and television shows have explored the idea of time travel, in which some tools such as phones, watches, photographs and old books take travelers backward and forward.
Will time travel ever happen? Who knows? Most important is to keep our eyes open and have a sense of wonder.
1. The three questions the author uses in Paragraph 1 are __________.| A．to show time and space are connected |
| B．to show people’s interest in time travel |
| C．to draw readers’ attention to time travel |
| D．to make people believe time travel is possible |
| A．Time travel is possible in the future. | B．People can’t move faster than light. |
| C．Time travel is against scientific rules. | D．Spacetime is not a real thing in theory. |
| A．The first science fiction story. | B．Some tools used in time travel. |
| C．Edward P. Mitchell, the pioneer. | D．Different works about time travel. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Approving. | C．Doubtful. | D．Hopeful. |
【推荐1】Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone.
Make friendship a priority. Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the lawn go unmoved or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can’t get together, use the phone to keep in touch.
Open up to close friends. Maintaining a deep friendship requires a level of “heartfelt” intimacy. Don’t be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems, but offer advice only when it’s wanted. Help raise friends’ self-esteem when they are shaken by a job loss, or other such events.
Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies, singing in a choir, and joining in a bowling league.
Don’t wait for a friend to ask a favor. When a friend has the flu, offer to go to the store or drive his or her children to their after-school activities.
Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage, friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests.
Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores can lead to firm friendship.
Enroll in an adult－education course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests.
1. People with close friends have a________ ability to fight disease than people who are alone.| A．less | B．greater | C．poorer | D．little |
| A．at any moment | B．only when they are happy |
| C．only when they want it | D．only when you are glad |
| A．Make friendship a priority. | B．Open up to close friends. |
| C．Never take a friendship for granted. | D．All the above. |
| A．You should have different friends for the same activities. |
| B．You should wait for a friend to ask a favor. |
| C．You should avoid talking with strangers in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores. |
| D．You should never take a friendship for granted. |
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, and no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected.
In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A more emotional man might describe her state “Oh, she is a goddess”, whereas an Englishman might just say “Oh, she’s all right.” An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It’s not bad you know”, or on seeing some very unusual scenery he might convey (表达) his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that “all right,” “not bad,” and “nice,” very often have the sense of “first-class,” “excellent,” “beautiful”. This unique style of language use is particularly common in England, and is known as restrained statement.
1. According to the passage, the English are different from other nationalities in _______.
| A．habits | B．attitudes | C．character | D．all of the above |
| A．calm and controlled | B．polite and friendly |
| C．nervous and quiet | D．silent and kind |
| A．talk with others as much as possible |
| B．behave just like the English do |
| C．say nothing about yourself |
| D．shake hands with everyone you meet |
| A．not bad | B．correct | C．quite right | D．wonderful |
| A．doesn’t like to show his feelings so much |
| B．has less emotion than people of other nationalities |
| C．finds it easy to express his emotion |
| D．likes to have a joke with strangers |
【推荐3】Your Internet experience is terrible when the net speed is too slow—it takes so long to open a web page and the film you’re watching stops every few minutes. That can be very annoying. But it could be a thing of the past. In the near future, major telecom carriers will start to provide 5G services.
What is 5G? What difference will it really make to our lives? The “G” in “5G” refers to the generations of mobile network technologies.
1G let us talk to each other, 2G let us send messages, 3G gave us mobile data and the Internet, and 4G made all of these things faster. Now 5G promises much faster data download and upload speeds, and more stable connections. This means that you will be able to download an entire HD movie in seconds and only experience a short delay between sending and receiving data. For example, when you have a video chat with your friend, there is generally a 200 milliseconds delay with 4G, but 5G will reduce the delay to 1 millisecond, which is almost real time.
5G will be able to improve many advanced technologies, such as driverless cars, wearable devices and entertainment. With a 5G network, the short delay in information exchange will allow driverless cars to run more safely, as they will be able to communicate in real time and avoid dangers. Meanwhile, 5G-enabled wearable devices will keep doctors updated on the health status of their patients, so doctors can give patients advice immediately if there’s something wrong. Besides, VR games will become more popular with 5G.The short delay of 5G will make the games feel even more real.
Though 5G will make our lives more convenient, it will not be perfect. For one thing, 5G will not “travel” far. On 4G networks, you can be 10 kilometres away from the nearest transmission base and barely lose signals. But 5G will only cover about 300 metres, meaning that we will need more transmitters so that we can get signals. And in order to use 5G, we will have to buy new products specifically designed for 5G that are currently expensive.
1. What does the “G” in “5G” refer to?| A．Games. | B．Groups. | C．Grades. | D．Generations. |
| A．How much does 5G cost in real time. | B．Why will 5G reduce the delay. |
| C．How will 5G improve the driverless cars. | D．What changes will 5G bring us? |
| A．3G gave us mobile data and the Internet. |
| B．5G will allow driverless cars to run more safely. |
| C．5G will cover about 300 metres to 1,000 metres. |
| D．5G will make the VR games feel even more real. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A storybook. | D．A novel. |
