Question

【題目】Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as fa as possible.

Loneliness Peaks

For years America has been talking about obesity, but a new study points to a more serious health issue: isolation and loneliness.

Being connected to others socially is widely considered a fundamental human need --- crucial to both well-being and survival. Extreme examples show infants who lack human contact in care fail to grow and often die. Indeed, social isolation has been used as a form of punishment. According to Julianne Holt-Lunstad, the lead author of the study, an increasing portion of the U.S. population now population now experiences isolation regularly. Over 42 million adults above age 45 in the U.S. are estimated to be suffering from chronic(長期的)loneliness.

The study of 340 adults between the ages of 27 and 101 living in San Diego identified three key age ranges when people felt the loneliest. Participants who had the highest levels of loneliness were in their late-20s, mid-50s and late-80s. While it may come as a surprise that people in their late-20s suffered from loneliness, a larger survey shows they actually may suffer the hardest.

With an increasing number of people working from home, watching television, getting into an addiction to electronic devices, it has become too easy to be alone, even if that’s not a person’s intention. Modern day conveniences like having anything we want delivered make it possible to never need to leave the house. So, not surprisingly, those with frequent social contact usually feel less lonely than those with few social ties.

Mounting evidence suggests social isolation and loneliness significantly impact our health, and even shorten our lives, just like obesity. This study isn’t the first time loneliness has been flagged as an emerging health issue. Therefore, reducing both isolation and loneliness is important for quality of life and well-being.

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Answer 1

【答案】Socializing with people is believed to be the key to happiness, but more people are suffering from loneliness/isolation. According to a study, loneliness peaks in three age stages. Lack of social contact caused by modern lifestyles/convenience makes people feel lonely. As loneliness affects health seriously, it’s necessary to try to reduce it.

【解析】

本文是一篇寫作概要。

本文是一篇說明文。多年來，美國一直在談論肥胖問題，但一項新的研究指出了一個更嚴重的健康問題:孤立和寂寞。孤獨程度最高的參與者年齡在20多歲、50多歲和80多歲。雖然讓人驚訝的是，20多歲的人會感到孤獨，但一項更大的調(diào)查顯示，他們實際上可能是最孤獨的。毫不奇怪，那些經(jīng)常社交的人通常比那些很少社交的人感到不那么孤獨。因此，減少孤立和孤獨對生活質(zhì)量和幸福都很重要。