2015年考研英语二完形填空原文及答案

2015年考研英语二完形填空原文及答案

While the subway's arrival may be ambiguous, one thing about yourcommute is certain: No one wants to talk to each other. In our contemporaryculture, the prospect of communicating with -- or even looking at -- a strangeris virtually unbearable. Everyone around us seems to agree by the way theyfiddle with their phones, even without a signal underground。

It's a sad reality -- our desire to avoid interacting with otherhuman beings -- because there's much to be gained from talking to the strangerstanding by you. But you wouldn't know it, plugged into your phone. Thisuniversal armor sends the message: "Please don't approach me."

What is it that makes us feel we need to hide behind our screens?

One answer is fear, according to Jon Wortmann, executive mentalcoach and author of "Hijacked by Your Brain: How to Free Yourself WhenStress Takes Over." We fear rejection, or that our innocent socialadvances will be misinterpreted as "creepy," he told The HuffingtonPost. We fear we'll be judged. We fear we'll be disruptive。

Strangers are inherently unfamiliar to us, so we are more likely tofeel anxious when communicating with them compared with our friends andacquaintances. To avoid this anxiety, we turn to our phones. "Phonesbecome our security blanket," Wortmann says. "They are our happyglasses that protect us from what we perceive is going to be moredangerous."

But once we rip off the bandaid, tuck our smartphones in our pocketsand look up, it doesn't hurt so bad. In one 2011 experiment, behavioralscientists Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder asked commuters to do theunthinkable: Start a conversation. The duo had Chicago train commuters talk totheir fellow passengers. "When Dr. Epley and Ms. Schroeder asked otherpeople in the same train station to predict how they would feel after talkingto a stranger, the commuters thought their ride would be more pleasant if theysat on their own," the New York Times summarizes. Though the participantsdidn't expect a positive experience, after they went through with theexperiment, "not a single person reported having been snubbed."

In fact, these commutes were reportedly more enjoyable compared withthose sans communication, which makes absolute sense, since human beings thriveoff of social connections. It's that simple: Talking to strangers can make youfeel connected. The train ride is a fortuity for social connection -- "thestuff of life," Wortmann says. Even seemingly trivial interactions canboost mood and increase the sense of belonging. A study similar in hypothesisto Eply and Schroder's published in Social Psychological & PersonalityScience asked participants to smile, make eye contact and chat with theircashier. Those who engaged with the cashier experienced better moods -- andeven reported a better shopping experience than those who avoided superfluousconversation