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Americans are more socially isolated than they were 20 years ago, separated by work, commuting and the single life, researchers reported on Friday.
Nearly a quarter of people surveyed said they had "zero" close friends with whom to discuss personal matters. More than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants, the researchers said.
"This is a big social change, and it indicates something that’s not good for our society," said Duke University Professor Lynn Smith-Lovin. Smith-Lovin’s group used data from a national survey of 1,500 American adults that has been ongoing since 1972.
She said it indicated people had a surprising drop in the number of close friends since 1985. At that time, Americans most commonly said they had three close friends whom they had known for a long time, saw often, and with whom they shared a number of interests. They were almost as likely to name four or five friend
A. frequent relocation
B. frequent traveling
C. living alone
D. working flexible hours
| Climate, more than any other single
factor, determines the distribution of life on earth. Climatic boundaries
establish the limits which organisms can survive. Plants, even more than
animals, must be well adapted to climate in order to survive. They cannot move
about or take shelter but must be equipped to endure whatever weather conditions
are likely to occur. In the harsh conditions of the tundra, for example, low
growing mosses, lichens, and a few flowering plants all hug the ground for
shelter from icy winds. Animals, despite their ability to move about and find shelter, are just as much influenced by climate as plants are. Creatures such as the camel and the penguin are so highly specialized that they have an extremely limited distribution. Others, such as bears are flexible enough to adapt to a broad range of climates. Oc A. to avoid being eaten by arctic animals B. because fertilizer is not readily available C. to minimize exposure to the cold D. because unfrozen water supplies are very scarce 我来回答: 提交
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