6、If you’re not getting along with your neighbours, or your social life is inactive, consider getting a pet, preferably a dog. A new Australian study has found that pet owners tend to interact more positively with their neighbours and wider community, and be out and about more. And dog owners seem to be the friendliest and most social of all.

    Lisa Wood, a lecturer at the University of Western Australia, with her colleagues conducted a random telephone survey of 339 adults from three suburbs in the Western Australian capital Perth, asking questions about pet ownership and social interaction.

    They found that pet owners were more likely than people who didn't own a pet to acknowledge and exchange informal greetings with people from their neighbourhood, often while they were out with their pet, and to exchange favors with their neighbours.

     Dog owners, in particular, seemed to enjoy good social contact. For example, more than half indicated that they had got to know people in their suburb as a result of their pet, and more than four-fifths talked to other pet owners when they walked their dogs.

     But in general, pet owners, including goldfish owners, appeared to be more social than people who didn't own a pet, with fewer numbers reporting it hard to get to know people in their neighbourhood.

    The research suggests owning a pet also motivates people to walk and use local parks, providing opportunities to meet new people; acts as a catalyst（催化劑） for taking part in community activities, and as a protector of mental health, which influences the ability to take part in community events and interact with local people.

1. According to the Australian study, __________________________.

  A. getting a pet can make you busier

  B. the pet owners are always ready to help others every day

  C. your social life depends on whether you own a pet or not

  D. the pet owners can benefit a lot from keeping the pet

2. Who would like to go out and communicate with others according to this passage?

  A. The local rich people.          B. People keeping goldfish.

  C. People without any pets.         D. The people in community.

3. All the following are the advantages of keeping pets except that ___________________.

  A. some pet owners find it not easy to get along with others

  B. pet owners are usually more friendly to others

  C. pet owners are likely to communicate with others

  D. keeping pets do a lot of good to the owners' health

4. The author uses the word “motivates” in the last paragraph to mean________________.

  A.. reminds           B. advises         C. encourages        D. requires

5. All the details in this passage support the main idea " ______________________".

  A. keeping pets can gain the respect of the others

  B. getting pets can improve your social life

  C. people are persuaded to raise more pets

D. people can make more friends by raising dogs