Question

When your friend has a bad day, what will you do to comfort him or her? Hugging can help them feel better, Time reported.

According to scientists from Carnegie Melon University in the US, hugs can be good for a person’s mood and stress levels. Hugging can increase positive（積極的）feelings and reduce negative（消極的）feelings.

Researchers talked to about 400 people. They asked them about their mood, whether they had any conflicts（沖突）with others and if they had a hug that day.

They found that when people experienced conflicts but didn’t get any hugs, they reported more negative feelings. But when people had both on the same day, they reported more positive feelings and fewer negative feelings.

When you receive a hug, your body releases a certain hormone（荷爾蒙）. This hormone lowers blood pressure, as well as reduces stress and anxiety（焦慮）, Michael Murphy from Carnegie Melon told Time.

Of course, hugging is not the only way to comfort others. People sometimes give advice or just try to solve the other person’s problems directly. However, doing these things might make people feel like they’re being criticized（批評）, But physical contact like hugging “makes people feel like they are cared about and have someone who is there for them,” Murphy said. “But that doesn’t make any judgments（about right or wrong）.”

1.According to Time, what can improve someone’s mood?

___________________________________________________________.

2.Did researchers ask about 400 people about their mood?

_____________, ______________________________________________.

3.When people had both on the same day, they reported ... Here what did “both” refer to（指的是）?

Here “both” referred to _____________________________.

4.What is Michael Murphy?

He is ________________________________________.

5.What other ways do you think can comfort others besides hugging?

I think ________________________________________.

6.What do you often do to help your friend when he/she has a bad day?

________________________________________.

Answer 1