This time last year, Tammy Lovell hit rock bottom. Having survived a tough divorce, she was consequently thrust into the chaos of single motherhood, making even the smallest work commitment seem impossible. “I was anxious, forgetting things and struggling to concentrate at work, my heart was constantly racing. My doctor diagnosed me with acute reaction to stress and signed me off work for two weeks,” she recalled.
去年这个时候，Tammy Lovell跌入谷底。 在艰难的离婚中幸存下来后，她因此陷入了单身母亲的混乱之中，即使是最小的工作承诺似乎也是不可能的。 “我很焦虑，忘记了事情，努力专注于工作，我的心一直在赛跑。 我的医生诊断我对压力有急性反应，并让我下班两周，“她回忆说。
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But it wasn’t a course of pills or bottles of wine that brought her down from the ledge. Her unlikely medicine would instead come in a special form. Tammy had never paid a great deal of attention to her children’s pet guinea pigs, which she had bought as a gift for eldest daughter Maisie in 2017. But now that Tammy was confined to her home, Bubble and Squeak were suddenly all the more prominent. Over a number of days, their gentle nibbling sounds and the touch of their soft fur began to have a surprising effect on Tammy’s mental health. “I’d sit and watch them interact and it was almost a meditative experience,” she said. “I could actually feel my heart rate and breathing slowing down and becoming calmer. Gradually, after spending time watching them, I found my stress reduced.”
但这并不是一个药丸或一瓶酒从她的壁架上带下来的过程。 她不太可能的药物会以特殊的形式出现。 Tammy从未对她孩子的宠物豚鼠给予极大的关注，她在2017年作为礼物送给了大女儿Maisie。但是现在Tammy被限制在家里，Bubble和Squeak突然变得更加突出。 在过去的几天里，他们温柔的啃咬声和柔软的皮毛触感开始对Tammy的心理健康产生惊人的影响。 “我坐下来观看他们互动，这几乎是一种冥想体验，”她说。 “我实际上可以感觉到我的心率和呼吸减慢并变得平静。 渐渐地，在花时间看着他们之后，我发现我的压力减少了。“
Journalist Tammy now works from home and spares at least 15 minutes most days to watch the pair play. “The guinea pigs encourage me to take time out for me. It helps me to stay in the present moment.”
记者塔米现在在家工作，大部分时间里至少有15分钟的时间来观看这对比赛。 “豚鼠鼓励我抽出时间给我。 它帮助我留在现在。“
Indeed, she is one of thousands of Britons who rely on “pets” to ease a whole manner of mental health problems. Among them is the Duchess of Cambridge’s brother James Middleton, who credits his spaniel Ella for helping him through bouts of depression and attention deficit disorder. And Oscar winner and nervous flyer Natalie Portman rarely travels by plane without the calming company of her dog Whiz.
事实上，她是成千上万依靠“宠物”来缓解一系列心理健康问题的英国人之一。 其中包括剑桥公爵夫人的兄弟詹姆斯米德尔顿，他认为他的西班牙猎狗艾拉帮助他度过了抑郁症和注意力缺陷症。 奥斯卡获奖者和紧张的传单娜塔莉波特曼很少乘坐飞机而没有她的狗Whiz的平静公司。
1. How did Tammy Lovell feel after the divorce?
A Bored.
B Stressed.
C Relaxed.
D Satisfied.
2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
A Why Tammy was forced to stay at home with the pet guinea pigs.
B Why Tammy bought the pet guinea pigs as a gift for her eldest daughter.
C How Tammy spent the time at home with the pet guinea pigs.
D How Tammy’s mental health problem was eased by the pet guinea pigs.
3. Which of the following is NOT the fact according to the passage?
A The divorce led to Tammy’s mental health problems.
B Tammy used to spend too much time taking care of her daughter’s pet guinea pigs.
C Bubble and Squeak’s accompany had a good effect on Tammy’s mental health.
D The guinea pigs helped Tammy learn to treat herself well and live in a positive way.
4. Why did the author mention James Middleton and Natalie Portman?
A To show pets do ease people’s mental health problems.
B To show that celebrities also have mental health problems.
C To show what kind of pets these famous people have.
D To show that mental health problems are common.
