学进去

After a long day, you may want to pet your cat to relax. A new device (设备) can now give you that same feeling even if you don’t have a cat!

Scientists at Cornell University, recently made a brush-like device, reported New Atlas, an online science website. Wear it on your arm and it can slowly move a piece of soft fur back and forth along your skin. It feels just like touching a furry (毛茸茸的) cat.

Scientists made this device to help people deal with stress. Past studies showed that touching either humans or animals can lower people’s heart rate (心率) and blood pressure, and allow people to relax. Why is that?

According to the science website Wired, this comes from evolution (进化). Primates (灵长目动物) spend about 15 percent of their waking hours grooming one another. They do this to make friends and trade food with others. Chimps (大猩猩) have been found to share food with those that groomed them earlier in the day. Touch is the basis (基础) of this act of kindness.

As humans evolved into the most social animals, touch became a more powerful way to show our ties with others. Many studies found that a hug or a pat can make our body produce oxytocin, a chemical (化学物质) that makes us more trusting, more generous (慷慨的), and friendlier, while also lowering our blood pressure.

The designers of the device also made a system that can detect users’ stress levels. Then it can automatically (自动) start to work when needed. They even want to use the design in the armrest (扶手) of the theater seat. The armrest will touch you while you are watching the movie, and its emotion (情绪) will change with the story in the film.

1．How does the brush-like device work to make users feel relaxed?

A．It brushes people’s arms to clean their skin.

B．People move the fur on the device back and forth.

C．The soft fur on it moves slowly back and forth on people’s arms.

D．The fake furry cat on the device touches people’s arms slowly.

2．Why did the writer use the example of primates?

A．To give suggestions on people’s social activities.

B．To prove that humans evolved from primates.

C．To show that humans differ from other animals.

D．To show the importance of touch.

3．In what way can touch help humans feel more trusting and friendlier?

A．It helps people keep fit so they can feel good about themselves.

B．It is the best way to show friendliness and kindness.

C．It works through a kind of chemical which can influence people’s feelings.

D．It can change people’s body temperature and make them feel warm.

4．What does “its emotion” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．the emotion of the movie	B．the emotion of the armrest
C．the emotion of the movie watcher	D．the emotion of the film’s story

5．If the passage went on, what might the next paragraph be about?

A．The price of this kind of new armrest.

B．Other good ways to deal with stress.

C．More uses of the detecting system and the armrest.

D．Other recent inventions by scientists at Cornell University.