Inglês: Interpretação – Another reason to choose a mate wisely
Should one be happy just for being married? A research tries to prove that this is not that simple
MARITAL – Satisfaction is significantly associated with satisfaction with life, lower stress, less depression and lower waking blood pressure
Happily married people tend to have lower blood pressure than their single peers, but being single may be healthier than being unhappily married, a new study suggests. The study, published on March 20 in The Annals of Behavioral Medicine, sampled 303 generally healthy men and women, 204 married and 99 single. Each responded to questions about marital quality, social support and mental health. Scales were used to rate stress and life satisfaction. Then each subject wore a portable blood pressure monitor for 24 hours while performing their normal activities.
The groups had little difference in waking blood pressure, but married people had significantly larger dips in blood pressure during sleep. People whose blood pressure does not dip during sleep are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, according to Julianne HoltLunstad, the lead author and an assistant professor of psychology at Brigham Young University.
On average, the unhappily married had higher daytime and 24- hour blood pressure readings than single people. Having a wide social network had no effect on the trends for either married or single people. But marital satisfaction was significantly associated with satisfaction with life, lower stress, less depression and lower waking blood pressure. “Just being married per se isn’t helpful,” Dr. Holt-Lunstad said, “because you can potentially be worse off in an unhappy marriage. So, choose wisely”.
(vestibular da Unifesp 2009. Por Nicholas Bakalar, em https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html, April 1, 2008. Adaptado)
EXERCÍCIOS – UNIFESP 2009 (adaptado)
1. According to the text:
a) It is better to be married rather than single.
b) Happily married couples have a normal blood pressure and therefore have a better health.
c) Blood pressure should increase during sleep; otherwise, there would be a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
d) The worst result of the study was shown by unhappily married people.
e) Social network and close friends make single people much happier than married people.
2. O estudo apresentado pelo texto:
a) Consistiu em uma pesquisa com 303 casais.
b) Comparou a pressão sanguínea de pessoas solteiras com a das casadas.
c) Concluiu que a flutuação da pressão sanguínea é a mesma entre as pessoas casadas e solteiras.
d) Indicou que as pessoas que são infelizes no casamento têm problemas semelhantes aos das pessoas solteiras.
e) Mostrou que as pessoas solteiras sofrem mais de depressão e estresse do que as malcasadas.
3. In the excerpt of the last paragraph “So, choose wisely”, the word so can be replaced, without changing its meaning, for:
a) therefore.
b) otherwise.
c) nevertheless.
d) moreover.
e) furthermore.
4. No trecho do segundo parágrafo “The groups had little difference in waking blood pressure, but married people had significantly larger dips in blood pressure during sleep”, a palavra groups refere-se a:
a) married people.
b) single people.
c) healthy men and women.
d) unhappily married people.
e) married people and single people.
5. De acordo com o texto, é incorreto afirmar que:
a) A rede de relacionamentos teve efeito nas tendências de ambos casados e solteiros no estudo.
b) O estudo foi publicado recentemente.
c) A pesquisa foi realizada na área de Psicologia.
d) O estudo utilizou-se de um bom número de participantes.
e) Os medidores de pressão sanguínea foram utilizados durante 24 horas.
6. No trecho “… but being single may be healthier than being unhappily married…”, a palavra sublinhada indica:
a) uma consequência.
b) um exemplo.
c) uma condição.
d) uma hipótese.
e) uma comparação.
RESPOSTAS
1. The worst result of the study was shown by unhappily married people. A resposta está no seguinte trecho: “But marital satisfaction was significantly associated with satisfaction with life, lower stress, less depression and lower waking blood pressure. ‘Just being married per se isn’t helpful’, Dr. Holt-Lunstad said, ‘because you can potentially be worse off in an unhappy marriage’”. (Mas a satisfação no casamento mostrou estar significativamente associada à satisfação com a vida, menor estresse, menos depressão e pressão arterial mais baixa ao acordar. “Apenas ser casado em si não ajuda”, explica a doutora Holt-Lunstad, “porque você pode, potencialmente, estar pior em um casamento infeliz”.) Resposta: d
2. Comparou a pressão sanguínea de pessoas solteiras com a das casadas. A resposta está no trecho “Happily married people tend to have lower blood pressure than their single peers, but being single may be healthier than being unhappily married, a new study suggests. The study, published on March 20 in The Annals of Behavioral Medicine, sampled 303 generally healthy men and women, 204 married and 99 single…” (Pessoas em casamentos felizes tendem a ter pressão arterial mais baixa do que os solteiros, mas ser solteiro pode ser mais saudável do que estar casado e infeliz, é o que sugere um novo estudo, publicado em 20 de março na revista Anais de Medicina Comportamental. No estudo, uma amostra de 303 homens e mulheres com bom estado de saúde geral, 204 casados e 99 solteiros…) Resposta: b
3. Therefore. O sentido é de “por isso”, “portanto”. Resposta: a
4. Married people and single people. No texto, localizamos o número 303 (o grupo total de participantes da pesquisa, homens e mulheres) e a informação “204 married and 99 single” que indica dois grupos, ou seja, os casados e os solteiros. Resposta: e
5. A rede de relacionamentos teve efeito nas tendências de ambos casados e solteiros no estudo. No texto temos “Having a wide social network had no effect on the trends for either married or single people”, ou seja, “ter uma ampla rede de relacionamentos não teve efeito nas tendências de ambos casados ou solteiros”. Resposta: a
6. Uma comparação. No trecho indicado o adjetivo “healthy” (saudável) está na forma do comparativo, ou seja, “healthier” (mais saudável). Resposta: e
