When Beth Kane learned that she had cancer, she called her best friend, Melanie. Beth was only 27, and she thought her life was over. That night, Melanie came to Beth's apartment, along with three other friends. "We're here for you," said Melanie. "We're going to help you fight this disease and win." Over the next six months, the four friends were Beth's support team. "They drove me to my treatments, they cooked meals for me, they even brought DVDs of comedy movies to my apartiment. We laughed together, and we cried together. My friends helped me more than any doctor," says Beth. Today, she is again in good .health. We all know that friendship has a positive effect on our emotional health. But research has found that having good friends can do more than just make us feel better. It has benefits for our physical health. "Friendship is more powerful than a lot of medicines," says Dr. Paul Rosen, director of the Pacific Health Institute. A new study shows that, for living a long and healthy life. having a group of friends is even more important than your family relationships. Researchers in Australia studied a group of 1,500 people who were 70 or older. The scientists followed them for ten years. At the end of that period, they discovered that people with the most 20 close friends lived longer than people with the fewest friends. The group with the most friends had a 60 percent lower chance of dying. Researchers are still studying the exact connection between friendship and health. So far, they know that people with a strong network of friends have healthier hearts. They also have lower levels of stress, and researchers think that stress is a factor in many kinds of diseases. Although they don't understand the exact reasons, scientists are sure friendship is important for health. "We are social animals," says Rosen. "We are happiest when we are together." B Read again. Circle the best inference (a or b) for each extract from the article. 1. That night, Melanie came to Beth's apartment, along with three other friends. a. They were worried about Beth. b. They wanted to ask Beth about cancer. 2. we cried together." a. They were worried about Beth's health. b. Beth got angry at her friends. 3. "Friendship is more powerful than a lot of medicines." a. Doctors should tell people to get more friends. b. Friends can help to cure diseases. 4. Researchers are still studying the exact connection between friendship and health. a. They are not sure if there is a connection. b. They want to find the correct explanation for the connection.