【专题】慢速英语（美音版）2014-07-22

完整文稿请关注今日微信，或登录以下网址： http://english.cri.cn/7146/2014/07/21/2582s836955.htm This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Here is the news. A new study revealed that friends who are not biologically related still tend to resemble each other when it comes to genetics. The study was done by scientists from the United States; it proved the saying that "friends are the family you choose". Looking across the whole genome, the researchers found that on average, people are genetically similar to their friends. People have more DNA in common with those they pick as friends than they do with strangers in the same population. The study is based on a genome-wide analysis of nearly 1.5 million markers of gene variation from 2,000 people. The researchers say that on average, friends are as related as people who share great-great-great grandparents. That translates to around 1 percent of people's genes. One percent may not sound like much to the layperson, but to geneticists, it is a significant number. The study also found that friends are most similar in genes affecting the sense of smell. It could be that people's sense of smell draws them to similar environments. It is not hard to imagine that people who like the scent of coffee, for example, hang out at cafes more, and so meet and befriend each other. This is NEWS Plus Special English. A U.S. study has found that eating a high-fat meal after a stressful day can slow a woman's metabolism, potentially contributing to weight gain. Researchers interviewed 60 women about the previous day's stressors, such as arguments with co-workers or spouses, disagreements with friends, trouble with children, or other work-related pressures. Each participant then ate a meal of eggs, turkey sausage, biscuits and gravy, with total calories similar to meals of hamburgers and fries offered at a fast-food restaurant. Then the researchers measured the participants' metabolic rate, or how long it took the women to burn calories and fat. The study found that over time, stressors could affect metabolic rate and lead to weight gain. What's more, women are more likely to eat the wrong foods when they are stressed, and weight gain becomes more likely because they are burning fewer calories. The researchers are reluctant to extend these findings to men, who usually have more muscle which affect their metabolic rate. But, the findings do offer one more motivation to keep healthful foods nearby. People can't always avoid stressors in life, but one thing they can do is to prepare for it, and to have healthy food choices in refrigerators and cabinets. So when stressors come up, they can reach for something healthy rather than going to a very convenient but high-fat food. You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. People are going bananas for the new "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"which has raked in over 70-million U.S. dollars over the past weekend. With over 30 million U.S. dollars of "Dawn's" global gross coming from international markets, the new "Planet of the Apes" has both critics and audiences applauding. "Dawn's" strong box-office showing stateside has made its producer, "20th Century Fox" the first studio to earn over one billion U.S. dollars stateside. Among its string of hits in 2014 is the globally successful "X-Men: Days of Future's Past"?? which earned over 128 million U.S. dollars globally during its opening weekend in June. The film also hit South Korea and Australia, along with a string of smaller markets in 24 other territories outside the U.S. "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" will roll out the rest of its international dates following the end of the World Cup.