Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET. (10 points)
In our contemporary culture, the prospect of communicating with -- or even looking at -- a stranger is virtually unbearable. Everyone around us seems to agree by the way they fiddle with their phones, even without a 1 underground.
It's a sad reality -- our desire to avoid interacting with other human beings -- because there's 2 to be gained from talking to the stranger standing by you. But you wouldn't know it, 3 into your phone. This universal armor sends the 4 : "Please don't approach me."
What is it that makes us feel we need to hide 5 our screens?
One answer is fear, according to Jon Wortmann, executive mental coach. We fear rejection, or that our innocent social advances will be 6 as "creepy,". We fear we'll be 7 . We fear we'll be disruptive. Strangers are inherently 8 to us, so we are more likely to feel 9 when communicating with them compared with our friends and acquaintances. To avoid this anxiety, we 10 to our phones. "Phones become our security blanket," Wortmann says. "They are our happy glasses that protect us from what we perceive is going to be more 11 .”
But once we rip off the bandaid, tuck our smartphones in our pockets and look up, it doesn't 12 so bad. In one 2011 experiment, behavioral scientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder asked commuters to do the unthinkable: Start a 13 . They had Chicago train commuters talk to their fellow 14 . "When Dr. Epley and Ms. Schroeder asked other people in the same train station to 15 how they would feel after talking to a stranger, the commuters thought their 16 would be more pleasant if they sat on their own," the New York Times summarizes. Though the participants didn't expect a positive experience, after they 17 with the experiment, "not a single person reported having been snubbed."
18 , these commutes were reportedly more enjoyable compared with those sans communication, which makes absolute sense, 19 human beings thrive off of social connections. It's that 20 : Talking to strangers can make you feel connected.
1. [A] ticket [B] permit [C] signal [D] record
2. [A] nothing [B] link [C] another [D] much
3. [A] beaten [B] guided [C] plugged [D] brought
4. [A] message [B] cede [C] notice [D] sign
5. [A] under [B] beyond [C] behind [D] from
6. [A] misinterpret [B] misapplied [C] misadjusted [D] mismatched
7. [A] fired [B] judged [C] replaced [D] delayed
8. [A] unreasonable [B] ungrateful [C] unconventional [D] unfamiliar
9. [A] comfortable [B] anxious [C] confident [D] angry
10. [A] attend [B] point [C] take [D] turn
11. [A] dangerous [B] mysterious [C] violent [D] boring
12. [A] hurt [B] resist [C] bend [D] decay
13. [A] lecture [B] conversation [C] debate [D] negotiation
14. [A] trainees [B] employees [C] researchers [D] passengers
15. [A] reveal [B] choose [C] predict [D] design
16. [A] voyage [B] flight [C] walk [D] ride
17. [A] went through [B] did away [C] caught up [D] put up
18. [A] In turn [B] In particular [C] In fact [D] In consequence
19. [A] unless [B] since [C] if [D] whereas
20. [A] funny [B] simple [C] logical [D] rare
1、【答案】C
【解析】空格所在句意为：陌生人之间没有交流，大家都只关注自己的手机，即使地铁里没有________。选项中，只有C项符合上下文语义，与phones和subway有关，因此signal正确。
2、【答案】D
【解析】It's a sad reality是对第一段内容的总结，该句中双破折号中的内容是对a sad reality的进一步解释。插入语后的because there's __2__ to be gained from talking to the stranger standing by you是对主句It's a sad reality的原因解释，即与陌生人交流，我们会从中收获________。根据句意，D项符合。另外该句后的But you wouldn't know it也提示了本句语义。
3、【答案】C
【解析】要填的词为非谓语，在句中作伴随状语，与宾语into your phone搭配。根据搭配和语义只能选C项plugged。be plugged into理解为“深陷其中;投入”。
4.【答案】A
【解析】空格所在句意为：这种普遍存在的盔甲(不和陌生人交流)传递了“不要靠近我”这个______。空格内容是对“Please don't approach me”的概括，另结合动词sends与宾语the ______的搭配关系，可知A项正确。
5.【答案】C
【解析】从hide __5__ our screens的和上一段的plugged into your phone相照应，由此可推断躲藏的位置应该是behind。
6.【答案】A
【解析】本段传递的是一种担忧，句中的innocent和weird是表示相反意思的形容词，另结合句子的谓语fear可知A项符合，be misinterpreted as意思是“被误解为”。
7.【答案】B
【解析】本句和We fear…our innocent social advances will be misinterpreted as “weird”. 和We fear we'll be disruptive(制造混乱的).”为并列关系，因此推断出所填词在感情色彩上是负向的。B项符合语义，be judged意思是“受到评论”。
8.【答案】D
【解析】空格处需填入一个形容词修饰strangers(陌生人)，所以该词应符合陌生人的身份与特点，既是陌生人，肯定是“不熟悉的”，故答案为D项unfamiliar。
9.【答案】B
【解析】空格填入词是表示和陌生人相处的感受，此感受与和friends and acquaintances的感受做比较，B项符合。
10.【答案】D
【解析】空格要求填入一个动词，首先需与介词to构成搭配，其次需满足句意“为了避免这种不自在，我们________我们的手机。turn to表示“转向求助于某人/物”，符合上下文语义。
11.【答案】A
【解析】根据此处结构protect us from what we perceive is going to be more ________可推断空格处填入词汇为负向感情色彩的词，A项dangerous(危险的)意思吻合，且和前文uneasiness(不安), security(安全)形成呼应。
12.【答案】A
【解析】空格所在句是本段的中心句。根据后面的例证及末句“not a single person reported having been embarrassed”， 可知it doesn't ______ so bad表达正面的意义。对比四个选项，可知A项正确。
13.【答案】B
【解析】由上文推断此处为研究者进行的一项实验内容，根据该句后面一句中talk to可知，实验是让研究对象进行交谈，可锁定B项conversation，与talk to对应。
14.【答案】D
【解析】They had Chicago train commuters talk to their fellow __14__.中their fellow ________指的是train commuters(火车上的通勤者)，D项passengers可以与之相对应。
15.【答案】C
【解析】本空要填一个动词，how they would feel aftertalking to a stranger为其宾语，从该宾语从句的谓语动词would feel可以判断为过去将来时，所以要填入的单词应该包含时间概念，C项predict(预测)满足要求。另外下一句Though the participants didn't expect a positive experience中的expect也可作为解题线索，为近义复现。
16.【答案】D
【解析】此处需要填入一个与commuters(通勤者)相关的词，根据上文复现可知此处的commuters指的是train commuters。所以D项符合题意。
17.【答案】A
【解析】空格处要填入动词词组，并且与介词with搭配，宾语为the experiment(实验)，根据上下文语境，将[A] went through代入满足句意，go through with意思是“完成”。
18.【答案】C
【解析】上文提到那些放下手机，积极与乘客交流的人并没有受到冷落。空格后指出，与那些没有对话的人相比，这些人更加的开心。可见上下文之间是并列或递进的关系。所以C项In fact正确，表示递进关系，对上文进一步解释。
19.【答案】B
【解析】四个选项均是从句的引导词。主句指出，与那些没有对话的人相比，那些积极交谈的人更加开心。从句则提到人类的繁荣起源于社会联系。显然后一句是对前一句的解释说明，故B项since(因为)满足题意。
20.【答案】B
【解析】本句冒号后内容是对it的解释说明。而该句与前句是平行关系，it指代前一句谈到的“与他人交流会更愉悦”。冒号后面的内容说明了，这是一个显然的事实。所以B项simple满足句意。
