Question

【题目】 You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator (电梯) ride. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. It is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的).” Gray told BBC. “They are socially very interesting but often very awkward (令人窘迫的) places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want--it’s your own little box. If there are two of you, you go into different comers, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance. When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every comer. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants (新进入者) to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for more people the rule is simple -- look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical (临床的) psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that can’t be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

【1】The main purpose of the article is to ________.

A.remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

B.tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

C.share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

D.analyze (分析) what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

【2】Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two persons in an elevator?

A.B.C.D.

【3】The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ________.

A.judgeB.ignoreC.put up withD.make the best of

【4】According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of ________.

A.someone’s odd behaviorsB.the lack of space

C.their unfamiliarity with one anotherD.their eye contact with one another

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】A

【4】B

【解析】

我们日常使用电梯时不会过多思考电梯这工具，而Lee gray研究出这种公共工具被忽视的形式，介绍了潜在的电梯礼仪。

【1】主旨题。结合第一段前两句You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator (电梯) ride. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport.可知，我们日常使用电梯时不会过多思考电梯这个工具，而Lee gray研究出这种公共工具被忽视的形式，文章以此展开，介绍了潜在的电梯礼仪。故正确答案为B。

【2】细节理解题。结合第四段倒数第二句And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every comer.可知，当有四个人在电梯中时，他们所站的位置会形成一个正方形，所以C项符合文意。故选C。

【3】词义猜测题。根据上面分析的电梯里人们的行为，结合句中的when the doors slide open and then act decisively.可知，该词的意思是：要进入电梯的人通常会判断电梯里的情况，然后决定自己的行为方向，故选A。

【4】细节理解题。结合倒数第二段You don’t have enough space可知在电梯时我们没有足够大的空间所以会感到局促不安。故正确答案为B。