Brothers and sisters can actually improve your physical and mental(心理上的) health. Here’s how.

Having a younger sibling(兄弟姐妹) might make you thinner. A University of Michigan study found that children who were six or under when a new brother or sister arrived had a healthier BMI. Given that childhood weight problems can turn into adult weight problems, having a younger brother or sister might be worth it.

Sisters can protect you from depression(抑郁). Sisters, whether younger or older, help prevent their young siblings from feeling unloved, lonely and fearful, according to a study from Brigham Young University in the US.

Having brothers and sisters makes you kinder. The same research, which looked at 395 families, found that having siblings made you twice as likely to do good things. Could it be that having a same-generation(平辈的) relative looking out for you makes you think about others? A study of more than 450 Canadian families found that if a sibling was warm and kind, the other sibling was likely to show the same qualities.

Siblings can help you have a healthier lifestyle. A survey of more than 15,000 people found that 43 percent of people praised their family and friends for having the biggest influence on their health.

_________ In a study from the American Sociological Association, older adults who described themselves as being “close” to their family members had a six percent chance of dying over the next five years, compared to a 14 percent risk for the people who reported not being very close to their family members. 

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1.A child with a healthier BMI is most likely to _________.

A be under six

B have a new sister

C be worth having a brother

D have fewer adult weight problems

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句“Given that childhood weight problems can turn into adult weight problems...”可知，儿童时期的体重问题可能会演变成成人体重问题，因此BMI(身体质量指数)越健康的儿童，长大后遇到体重问题的可能性越小。故选D。

2.What can we know from the study from Brigham Young University?

A Sisters steal parents’ love.

B Siblings stop your kindness.

C Sisters can stop you from sadness.

D Brothers make you thinner.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第三段第一句“Sisters can protect you from depression.”可知，姐妹能够帮助你远离抑郁。故选C。

3.What does the research which looked at 395 families tell us?

A To accept our siblings.

B Having siblings is not good.

C Siblings make us healthier.

D Siblings make us kinder.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据文章第四段的“Having brothers and sisters makes you kinder. The same research, which looked at 395 families, found that having siblings made you twice as likely to do good things.”可知，有兄弟姐妹会帮助我们变得更善良，这项采访了395个家庭的研究证实了这一点。故选D。

4.What can be put back into the blank(空白处)?

A They make you more beautiful.

B They help you live longer.

C They encourage you to eat more.

D They are proud of you.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据文章第六段内容可知，与家人亲近的老年人在未来五年内死亡的概率比与家人不太亲近的老年人在未来五年内死亡的概率低，即有兄弟姐妹能帮助他们更长寿。故选B。

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A Why having a sibling is happy.

B How sisters and brothers help our study.

C How having a sibling improves your health.

D Why sisters make you less lonely.

解析：选C。C 文章标题题。根据文章主题段首段可知，本文主要讨论兄弟姐妹是如何使我们身心更健康的。故选C。