A good marriage is good for the heart, according to new research supported by the Heart and Stroke Foundation. "There’s littl

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问题    A good marriage is good for the heart, according to new research supported by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
   "There’s little question that a harmonious state of matrimony gives a healthy edge when it comes to medical matters of the heart," says Dr. Brian Baker, Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher. But he doesn’t prescribe wedding bells for his patients because, as he points out, not all marriages are happy.
   The study is being presented today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2001, hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
   The three-year study included 118 men and women with mild high blood pressure (hypertension). One third of the participants were women, two thirds were men. All were married, although there were no spousal couples in the study.
   At the beginning and the end of the three-year study, participants completed a questionnaire designed to measure how happy or unhappy—they were in their marriages. They also had their blood pressure measured, and underwent echocardiography to measure their hearts. "People with thicker heart walls tend to have higher blood pressure. Thinner heart walls indicate lower blood pressure," explains Dr. Baker, a psychiatrist specializing in cardiovascular medicine.
   For one 24-hour period the participants wore a device that monitored the daily fluctuations of their blood pressure while they went about their normal working lives.
   In the group whose marriages were under strain, heart wall thickness increased by an average of 8%. In the group who defined themselves as happily married, heart wall thickness actually decreased 5%. Also the unhappily married group showed higher mean blood pressures both over the 24-hour monitoring and over the entire three year period.
   "In a marriage that is not under strain, commitment and satisfaction are higher," says Dr. Baker. "But, in order to get the cardio protective effect, you have to have lots of contact. We found that when you have both satisfaction and are able to spend time together, then the blood pressure goes down. In a good marriage you spend more time together. Those people who felt they had strong marital support spent nearly twice as much time with their partners."
   "When the marriage is in trouble, you tend to avoid your partner."
   Such a marriage appears to encourage high blood pressure and unhealthy lifestyles, risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
   Dr. Anthony Graham, spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation says, "This study adds to the growing body of evidence indicating that there is a physiological dimension to unhappiness and stress. Living well should mean more than just physical fitness, important though that is. Feeling good about yourself and your relationships may also be good medicine."
What do happily married couples have to do to get the protective effect that a satisfactory relationship has on their hearts?

选项 A、To avoid quarrelling with one’s partner.
B、To feel satisfied with their present way of life.
C、To spend more time together.
D、To keep away from unhealthy lifestyles.

答案C

解析
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