【单选题】

The ownership of pets brings a variety of benefits that the uninitiated would never believe. For every tale of shredded cushion, flattened plants, and chew slippers, there is another testimony of intelligence, sympathy and undying devotion. Now the growing body of research into the medical and social advantages of pet ownership has confirmed what pet owners have always intuitively known that pets are not just loving companions but actually do us gooD、Researchers have established the value of pets in soothing and reassuring humans, particularly when ill, lonely or in distress. Perhaps the unquestioning love and approval pets give us is something we don’t always get from out human nearest and dearest.

Our makeshift understanding psychology leads many of us to view very close relationships with pets with suspicion.Childless couples in particular give rise to speculation, but a consultant in animal behavior says, "There is no evidence that a pet is a direct substitute for chilD、"And while many adults feel foolish if caught talking to their pets, they have no need to. The experts say you cannot have a close relationship with a pet without treating it as a person, and that talking to a pet is not unhealthy — simply a way of establishing camaraderie.
The shaking helplessness of a young puppy or fluffy kitten stirs protective instincts deep within us and prompts many parents to buy pets for their children in the hope of instilling a sense of responsibility and caring and acceptance of the facts of life and death. Hut animals don’t have to be soft and fond to bring out the best in us.A、social worker encouraged aggressive boys to handle ferrets — "if handled correctly they respond with friendship; if incorrectly they bite."
There seems to be no doubt that, emotionally and physically, our pets do us good — there is a price to be paiD、When loved animal dies, it is often a traumatic event — and then where do we turn for comfort
Talking to animals is____________.
A、silly B、suspicious C、beneficial D、stimulating