新东方网雅思频道全新推出“每日雅思阅读精选”栏目，我们将为大家精心挑选国外网站上的优秀文章供考生们进行阅读练习，帮助大家提高雅思阅读水平，每天读几篇文章，每天有一点提高，相信不久之后，雅思阅读考试将不再是困扰考生们的难题。 推荐阅读方法：首先快速阅读全文，掌握文章大意，提高阅读速度;再进行精读训练，学习其中的词汇和语言的用法。 12月19日雅思阅读精选：养狗有利于身体健康(From：BBC News) Dog-owners lead healthier lives If you want to live a healthier life get a dog, research suggests. Dogs can provide companionship The companionship offered by many pets is thought to be good for you, but the benefits of owning a dog outstrip those of cat owners, the study says. A psychologist from Queens University, Belfast, said dog owners tended to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology, she says that regular "walkies" may partly explain the difference. Dr Deborah Wells reviewed dozens of earlier research papers which looked at the health benefits of pet ownership. In some cases, the social support offered by an animal is greater than the support than another human could offer. Dr June McNicholas, Health psychologist She confirmed that pet owners tended in general to be healthier than the average member of the population. However, her research suggested that dog ownership produced more positive influence than cat ownership. As well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol, she said dog-owners suffered fewer minor ailments and serious medical problems. There was also the suggestion that dogs could aid recovery from serious illnesses such as heart attacks, and act as early warning to detect an approaching epileptic seizure. Stress-busting Dr Wells said the precise reason for the benefits was not totally clear. "It is possible that dogs can directly promote our well-being by buffering us from stress, one of the major risk factors associated with ill-health. "The ownership of a dog can also lead to increases in physical activity and facilitate the development of social contacts, which may enhance both physiological and psychological human health in a more indirect manner." Dr June McNicholas, a health psychologist who has specialised on research into the health effects of pet ownership said that an important reason for the improved health of dog-owners was not just the exercise received while taking it for walks, but the opportunity for social contact with other dog-owners. She said: "For older people, an animal can fulfil the eed to be needed, perhaps after children have left home. "In some cases, the social support offered by an animal is greater than the support another human could offer." 更多每日雅思阅读精选：
