Americansaremoresociallyisolatedthantheywere20yearsagoandnearlyaquarterofpeoplesaidtheyhad“zero”closefriendswithwhomtodiscusspersonalmatters.Morethan50percentnamedtwoorfewerconfidants(密友)mo

　Americansaremoresociallyisolatedthantheywere20yearsagoandnearlyaquarterofpeoplesaidtheyhad“zero”closefriendswithwhomtodiscusspersonalmatters.Morethan50percentnamedtwoorfewerconfidants(密友)mostoftenimmediatefamilymemberstheresearcherssaid.

　“Thisisabigsocialchangeanditshowssomethingthat’snotgoodforoursociety，”saidDukeUniversityProfessorLynnSmith.Shesaidthatitshowedtherewasasurprisingdropinthenumberofclosefriendspeoplehadsince1985.AtthattimeAmericansmostcommonlysaidtheyhadthreeclosefriendswhomtheyhadknownforalongtimesawoftenandwithwhomtheysharedanumberofinterests.Theywerealmostlikelytonamefourorfivefriendsandtherelationshipsoftensprangfromtheirneighborhoodsorcommunities(社区).

　Tiestoaclosenetworkoffriendscreateasocialsafetynetthatisgoodforsocietyandfortheindividual.Peoplewerenotaskedwhytheyhadfewerintimate(亲密的)tiesbutSmithsaidthatpartofthecausescouldbethatAmericansareworkingmoremarryinglaterhavingfewerchildrenandcommuting(往返上班)longerdistances.“It’sonethingtoknowsomeoneandexchangee-mailswithhim.It’sanotherthingtosay‘Willyougivemearideoutoftownwithallofmypossessionsandpets?’and‘CanIstaywithyouforacoupleorthreemonths?’”Smithsaid.“Worryingaboutsocialisolationisnotamatterofnostalgia(怀旧之情)forawarmandcomfortablepast.Realthingsarestronglyconnectedwiththat，”addedHarvardUniversityProfessorRobertPutnamauthorofBowlingAloneabookonthedeclineofAmericancommunities.HesuggestedflexibleworkscheduleswouldallowAmericanstotendbothpersonalandprofessionallives.

1.What’sthepassagemainlytalkingabout?

A.Americansocialisolation.

B.Americanshave“zero”closefriends.

C.Tiestoaclosenetworkoffriendsaregoodforsociety.

D.FlexibleworkscheduleschangeAmericans’lifestyle.

2.Fromthesecondparagraphwecanlearnthatpeopletendto____.

A.becloserthanbefore

B.belessclosethanbefore

C.havemorefriendsthanbefore

D.havemorefamilymembersthanbefore

3.WhichofthefollowingisthepossiblecauseofAmericansocialis