Americansaremoresociallyisolatedthantheywere20yearsagoandnearlyaquarterofpeoplesaidtheyhad“zero”closefriendswithwhomtodiscusspersonalmatters.Morethan50percentnamedtwoorfewerconfidants(密友)mostoftenimmediatefamilymemberstheresearcherssaid.
“Thisisabigsocialchangeanditshowssomethingthat’snotgoodforoursociety,”saidDukeUniversityProfessorLynnSmith.Shesaidthatitshowedtherewasasurprisingdropinthenumberofclosefriendspeoplehadsince1985.AtthattimeAmericansmostcommonlysaidtheyhadthreeclosefriendswhomtheyhadknownforalongtimesawoftenandwithwhomtheysharedanumberofinterests.Theywerealmostlikelytonamefourorfivefriendsandtherelationshipsoftensprangfromtheirneighborhoodsorcommunities(社区).
Tiestoaclosenetworkoffriendscreateasocialsafetynetthatisgoodforsocietyandfortheindividual.Peoplewerenotaskedwhytheyhadfewerintimate(亲密的)tiesbutSmithsaidthatpartofthecausescouldbethatAmericansareworkingmoremarryinglaterhavingfewerchildrenandcommuting(往返上班)longerdistances.“It’sonethingtoknowsomeoneandexchangee-mailswithhim.It’sanotherthingtosay‘Willyougivemearideoutoftownwithallofmypossessionsandpets?’and‘CanIstaywithyouforacoupleorthreemonths?’”Smithsaid.“Worryingaboutsocialisolationisnotamatterofnostalgia(怀旧之情)forawarmandcomfortablepast.Realthingsarestronglyconnectedwiththat,”addedHarvardUniversityProfessorRobertPutnamauthorofBowlingAloneabookonthedeclineofAmericancommunities.HesuggestedflexibleworkscheduleswouldallowAmericanstotendbothpersonalandprofessionallives.
1.What’sthepassagemainlytalkingabout?
A.Americansocialisolation.
B.Americanshave“zero”closefriends.
C.Tiestoaclosenetworkoffriendsaregoodforsociety.
D.FlexibleworkscheduleschangeAmericans’lifestyle.
2.Fromthesecondparagraphwecanlearnthatpeopletendto____.
A.becloserthanbefore
B.belessclosethanbefore
C.havemorefriendsthanbefore
D.havemorefamilymembersthanbefore
3.WhichofthefollowingisthepossiblecauseofAmericansocialis