It has long been a mystery to men why so many women enjoy watching tear jerker movies with their friends. But now scientists have come up with a suggestion—sharing sad emotions helps women stick to one another. A research team at Cardiff University found that by sharing their emotions women found the happy parts of films more joyful and the sad bits less sad.

Job van der Schalk, a psychologist at Cardiff University, said: “Our findings suggest that a negative emotional experience such as watching a ‘weepy’ is more positive when it is shared with a friend. And, at the same time, a positive emotional experience, such as watching a ‘romcom’, should equally be more pleasant when shared.”

The study involved 30 pairs of female friends aged between 20 and 33 who were shown emotionally powerful images and asked to rate them on a scale from “very negative” to “very positive”. The scientists put one of each pair in a brain scanner to monitor their reactions, and the volunteers were also asked to view and rate the images while on their own and also while together. The researchers found the images were seen more positively when the pairs were together, The Sunday Times reported. The study, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, said: “When people go to the cinema to watch a film, they look forward to a positive subjective impact of sharing this emotional experience.”

And Hollywood success seems to back the theory. The 2008 film Marley and Me, which surrounds a couple’s relationship with their dog, took £160 million at the global box office, and last year’s film The Fault in Our Stars—about two teenage cancer patients who find love—took more than £200 million.

Aggie Romeril, 22, a London beauty manager, said: “I think we’re a ‘stream it and weep’ age. You scroll through Netflix(网络视频点播服务公司), find who’s got the biggest laptop and bundle into a housemate’s bed for a sob session.” 

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1.Why do women like watching sad movies together?

A They don’t like shedding tears by themselves.

B They can find sad roles in films.

C They can develop a closer relationship.

D They find happy parts of the films less joyful.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“But now scientists have come up with a suggestion—sharing sad emotions helps women stick to one another.”可 知，科学家研究发现，分享悲伤的情绪可以帮助 女性团结在一起，即使关系更紧密。故选 C。

2.What did researchers conclude from the study?

A Women are better at enjoying emotionally powerful images.

B Women tend to go to movies with their female friends.

C Women might see the images less positively on their own.

D Women can have a subjective emotional experience easily.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据第三段的“The researchers found the images were seen more positively when the pairs were together”可知，研究者发现受试者 在一起观看这些图片时，她们的感受更积极，由 此判断，当她们独自看这些图片时，她们的感受 可能不会那么积极。故选 C。

3.Why does the author mention the two Hollywood films in the passage?

A To tell readers that the two films make many women tearful.

B To explain why Hollywood films are successful and profitable.

C To emphasize that the two films have gained global popularity.

D To support the theory that sad movies appeal to women.

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。根据第四段第一句“Hollywood success seems to back the theory”可知，本段中作 者列举这两部电影也是为了证明本文讨论的研 究理论，即悲伤电影很吸引女性观众。故选 D。

4.What does the underlined sentence mean in the last paragraph?

A Have the biggest laptop and watch a movie with a roommate.

B Choose a happy movie with your family on a bigger laptop.

C Watch a sad movie with a roommate and shed tears together.

D Find a laptop with a big screen as it is fit for watching a movie.

解析：选C。C 句意理解题。根据前文的 Netflix(网络视频点 播服务公司)可知，作者建议读者“找一台大屏笔 记本电脑，搜索一部好看的悲情电影，跟室友一 起观看，一起抹泪”。故选 C。