2022 年 12 月大学英语四级考试真题（第 1 套）

Researchers, writing in the journal Heart, pooled data from 23 studies and found that social isolation or feelings of loneliness were tied to an increased risk of coronary heart disease (冠心病) and strokes.

The studies included data from 181,006 men and women ages 18 and over. There were 4,628 coronary events and 3,002 strokes in follow-up periods __26__ from three to 21 years. Three of the papers __27__ loneliness, 18 looked at social isolation and two included both. Social isolation and loneliness were determined with questionnaires; the researchers depended on medical records and death __28__ for determining coronary events and strokes.

The scientists found that loneliness and social isolation increased the __29__ risk of having a heart attack or a death from heart disease by __29__ percent, and the risk of stroke by __32__ percent. There were no __30__ between men and women.

People have tended to focus from a policy point of view on __31__ lonely people to make them more __32__ said the lead author, Nicole K. Valtorta, a research fellow at the University of York in England. "Our study __33__ that if this is a risk factor, then we should be trying to prevent the risk factor in the first place."

The authors __34__ that this was a review of observational studies and did not __35__ cause and effect.

To write his 2010 book, The 5-Factor World Diet, nutritionist Harley Pasternak traveled to the healthiest countries around the world to learn more about what made their meals extra nourishing.

He noted that Japanese people ate a wonderful variety of seaweeds, and that Chinese people tried to include at least five different colors in every meal. Pasternak also came away with some valuable observations about how different the North American way of life was, compared with many other countries.

For starters, Americans eat much bigger portions than people in other countries. "We don't prioritize eating seasonally or locally, and we also add lots of salt, sugar and thickening agents to our foods," explained Pasternak. Contrast that to the healthy Mediterranean, Nordic and Okinawan diets listed in Pasternak's book. They all seem to stick to the ethos (特质) of regional, seasonal produce.

For example, a traditional Mediterranean diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and olive oil as the main components of nutritional intake. Fish, chicken and red wine make moderate appearances, while red meat, salt and sugar are used much less often. The benefits of a traditional Mediterranean diet have been studied since the 1970s, and researchers have found that living that olive oil life can help people lose weight, lower their heart disease risk and reverse diabetes.

Most other healthy eating cultures also make meals an event—say, multiple courses around the family table, or a glass or two of red wine at a long lunch as opposed to hastily wolfing down handfuls of cereal above the kitchen sink and calling it dinner.

Each of the healthy eating cultures has its own unique feature. But Pasternak did take note of one unifying factor in all of the healthy societies he observed. "The only overlapping feature in most of these healthy countries is that they all walk way more than the average American," said Pasternak. "So really, regardless of what you're eating, if someone's walking four miles more than you each day, they're going to be a lot thinner and live a lot longer than you."

Recognizing when a friend or colleague feels sad, angry or surprised is key to getting along with others. But a new study suggests that being sensitive to people's feelings may sometimes come with an extra dose of stress. This and other research challenge the prevailing view that emotional intelligence is uniformly beneficial to its bearer.

In a study, psychologist Myriam Bechtoldt of the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany asked 166 male university students a series of questions to measure their emotional intelligence. For example, they showed the students photographs of people's faces and asked them to what extent feelings such as happiness or disgust were being expressed. The students then had to give job talks in front of judges who displayed serious facial expressions. The scientists measured concentrations of stress hormones in the students' saliva (唾液) before and after the talk.

In students who were rated more emotionally intelligent, the stress measures increased more during the experiment and took longer to go back to baseline. The findings suggest that some people may be too emotionally clever for their own good, says Bechtoldt. Sometimes you can be so good at something that it causes trouble, she notes.

Indeed, the study adds to previous research hinting at a dark side of emotional intelligence. A study published in 2002 in Personality and Individual Differences suggested that emotionally perceptive people might be particularly influenced by feelings of depression and hopelessness. Furthermore, several studies have implied that emotional intelligence can be used to manipulate others for personal gains.

More research is needed to see how exactly the relation between emotional intelligence and stress would play out in women and in people of different ages and education levels. Nevertheless, emotional intelligence is a useful skill to have, as long as you learn to also properly cope with emotions—both others' and your own, says Bechtoldt. For example, some sensitive individuals may assume responsibility for other people's sadness or anger, which ultimately stresses them out. Remember, as Bechtoldt says, "you are not responsible for how other people feel."