You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He 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 the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward 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, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
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 corners, 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 corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most 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 psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the 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 cannot 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 what makes people feel awkward in an elevator |
| A．turn around and greet one another |
| B．look around or examine their phone |
| C．make eye contact with those in the elevator |
| D．try to keep a distance from other people |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．judge | B．ignore | C．put up with | D．make the best of |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Letters last forever!
When was the last time you actually wrote a letter? People now mail fewer letters. The trend in mailing less correspondence is likely to continue.
Consider how we use the newer forms of communication. Both phone calls and e-mail are quick ways to keep in touch with our friends.
Although letters take longer to write, they are certainly a more memorable way to communicate.
Although phone calls and e-mails are important forms of communication, I believe that we should all take the time to master the skill of writing a good letter. True, writing a letter does take more time, but that is the benefit of a letter. By taking more time to compose our thoughts, we become more thoughtful.
| A．Chances are, it has been awhile. |
| B．In doing so, we create more than just a note. |
| C．They often save handwritten letters for many years. |
| D．For example, much thought is involved in composing a letter. |
| E．There are probably many reasons why people mail fewer letters today. |
| F．I think that the drawback with phone calls is that we can’t save and print them. |
| G．However, I think that replacing handwritten letters with e-mails or phone calls is a poor choice. |
【推荐2】Enter to win free book giveaways from publishers. See details for each book giveaway below.
Wilf The Migh
ty Worrier: Saves the World
By Georgia Pritchett
Wilf is a little boy who worries quite a lot, about quite a lot of things. About almost everything.
Sponsored by: Quercus
Giveaway dates: December 17 - January 18, 2016
Copies available: 10
Battle of the Bots (Robots Rule)
By C. J. Richards
Thanks to the eleven-year-old robotics whiz kid George Gearing and his best buddy, Jackbot, the evil Dr. Micron is finally behind bars. But life is hardly back to normal. With TinkerTech closed down for investigation and the townspeople abandoning their own beloved robots...
Sponsored by: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Giveaway dates: November 4 - November 24, 2015
Copies available: 5
The Secrets to Ruling School (Without Even Trying): Book 1 (Max Corrigan)
By Neil Swaab
It’s the first week of middle school, i.e., the Worst Place in the Entire World. How do you survive in a place where there are tough kids twice your size, sadistic (虐待狂的) teachers, and restrictions that make jail look like a five-star resort? Easy: with the help of Max Corrigan, middle school “expert” and life coach. Let Max teach you how to.
Sponsored by: Amulet Books
Giveaway dates: November 23 - January 8, 2016
Copies available:10
Weird but True 7: 300 Outrageous Facts
By National Geographic Kids
Ridiculous But True! 7 is the newest addition to the blockbuster Weird But True series. This new book offers children 300 more of the strange facts, illustrations, and photographs they love!
Sponsored by: National Geographic Children's Books
Giveaway dates: November 12 - January 14, 2016
Copies available: 10
1. You can get these book giveaways by _______.| A．entering a website to win |
| B．going to the book stores |
| C．writing a letter to sponsors |
| D．visiting the publishers in person |
| A．Wilf The Mighty Worrier: Saves the World |
| B．Battle of the Bots (Robots Rule) |
| C．The Secrets to Ruling School |
| D．Weird but True 7: 300 Outrageous Facts[ |
| A．suggest ways to win free books from publishers |
| B．help readers contact with free book publishers |
| C．inform the readers to win free book giveaways |
| D．introduce some newly published children books |
【推荐3】The COVID-19 lockdown worried me. I worried about what the weeks and months ahead might look like. I decided to take the idea of “love the neighbour” seriously.
On a Saturday morning, I made a sign that said, “Have a nice day,” and stuck it on my kitchen window, with a smile face. A while later that day, the neighbour living across from me, taped up a sign on the window with a message for us. “Thank you. You too!” We went on like this for a few days, back and forth, like an echo, and I thought of how this would be a nice story for us all：move from strangers in the beginning to good friends in the end.
Somewhere around Day 5, I positioned “Beaker the Muppet” in the window, and they responded with a cute stuffed dog. Then I put a note of a Mary Oliver poem about spring to raise the bar. Maybe I was showing off. Sure enough, no “echo” this time.
The next day, Dewey was barking at their dog in the backyard. I saw one of the guys when I went out to stop my dog. “Sorry, we didn’t find a poem,” he said. “We meant to,” he added. “And then we never did.” “That’s okay,” I replied. And we both went back inside.
During the following days, I also ran into the neighbour in the driveway some times as we walked our dogs, and found the note already started to feel a little silly. What if my notes were a chore to them, and not a charm?
For months, I had avoided my favorite blocks sidewalk that cut through my neighbourhood. Going for walks these days made me sad, or mad, because the story had no good ending.
I kept thinking, “How do I love you, my neighbour, like I’m supposed to? I have decided after this is all over, I will finally have all my neighbours over for dinner.”
Maybe we can have a little laugh together about how we tried to be kind. We’ll say even during the hard time, nothing can lock us.
1. Which of the following can explain he underlined expression “raise the bar” in paragraph 3?| A．Make it more difficult. |
| B．Have more fun. |
| C．Remove the barrier. |
| D．Invite them out for a drink. |
| A．She became annoyed. |
| B．She felt relieved. |
| C．She felt closer to the neighbour. |
| D．She became uneasy. |
| A．Communication cannot last long without meeting face to face. |
| B．The idea of “Love the neighbour” kept the author positive. |
| C．The author changed the walk routes in order to take a shortcut. |
| D．A social gathering can solve all the problems of neighbourhood. |
【推荐1】The fast spread of the virus has led most Chinese citizens to wear face masks in public to help reduce infections. The Beijing-based Hanwang Technology Ltd. says it has created a new facial recognition system that is the first to effectively identify people even if they are wearing masks.
China is recognized as a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence and facial recognition system. The new system is based on the existing technologies developed over the past 10 years.
“When wearing a mask, the recognition rate can reach about 95 percent, which can ensure that most people can be identified,” Hanwang’s vice president, Huang Lei, said. He added that the system’s success rate for people not wearing a mask is about 99.5 percent. However, the new system struggles to identify people wearing both a mask and sunglasses. “In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost. In such cases recognition is tough,” Huang said.
Hanwang is now selling two main kinds of products that use the technology. One performs “single channel” recognition and the other is a “multi-channel” recognition, which can identify individuals in a crowd of up to 30 people “within a second”.
Huang said officials can use Hanwang’s technology to compare images with ministry (部门) records on individuals in order to identify and track people as they move about. The system can identify crime suspects (嫌疑人), terrorists or make reports or warnings, he added.
While some citizens have expressed doubt to such tools, more people seem to have accepted the methods as a way to deal with the current health emergency.
So far, Huang says most interest in the new system has come from within China. But he sees the interest likely expanding if the virus continues to spread and the use of face masks increases.
1. What is special about the new facial recognition system?| A．It has no relation to the existing tech. |
| B．It is being used both at home and abroad. |
| C．It can record people’s temperature. |
| D．It can identify people even if they’re wearing masks. |
| A．international companies | B．colleges and universities |
| C．the Ministry of Public Security | D．the Ministry of Finance |
| A．Supportive. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．To show China’s technological advances. |
| B．To introduce a newly developed system. |
| C．To demonstrate the innovation of China. |
| D．To advertise a new tech-based product. |
Fabien is well known for his study of sharks．During 2000—2002，he created a TV program aiming to change public ideas about sharks called“Attack of the Mystery Shark” based on the shark attacks that occurred along the New Jersey shoreline in the summer of 1916．Then during 2003—2006，with the help of a large crew，Fabien created a lifelike shark submarine(潜艇)，providing people with a rare view of the mysterious and often misunderstood creatures．
For the next four years(2006—2010)，Fabien was part of a series called“Ocean Adventures”，which provided viewers with a chance to look into some of the most fantastic ocean species(物种)and environments on the planet．
In 2010，Fabien started Plant A Fish，a nonprofit project for children to help rebuild local water ecosystems through the healthy“replanting”of key ocean species．Its final goal is to plant l billion“fish”worldwide in 10 years．
In June 2014，Fabien and his team embarked on Mission Mission 31，the longest underwater science research，the world’s only underwater laboratory located nine miles off the coast ot the Florida Keys，and 63 feet beneath the sea．Fabien’s Mission 31 broke new ground in ocean exploration，while broadcasting each moment live exposing the world to the adventure and mystique of what lies beneath．
Fabien is currently working on a feature documentary film about the adventures of Mission 31，as well as building all Ocean Learning Center to afford children around the world the opportunity to learn about oceans and connect with ocean explorers directly through social media．
1. How is the whole text developed?
| A．By giving examples． | B．By offering analyses． |
| C．By making comparisons． | D．By arranging in time order． |
| A．To make himself a world-famous filmmaker． |
| B．To show off his great determination and bravery． |
| C．To afford children the opportunity to learn about climate． |
| D．To raise the public’s awareness of environmental protection． |
| A．Set off on． | B．Concluded from． |
| C．Were awarded for． | D．Became famous for． |
| A．Fabien’s“Plant A Fish”project has already achieved its final goal |
| B．Fabien’s Mission 31 broke the records of former ocean explorations |
| C．Fabien’s TV program about sharks is based on his childhood experiences |
| D．it took Fabien four years to produce“Ocean Adventures”on his own |
【推荐3】Trees don’t look at the calendar to see when spring arrives, but they seem to know when spring is here better than we do. The annual shift from winter to spring is a breathtaking event to watch as leaves become green and a lush(苍翠的) environment reveals itself. Recently a research takes a look at why trees in cities are turning green earlier than expected.
Scientists use satellite imagery to see when plants turn green. By comparing spring green ups in the 85 largest US cities, scientists found that on average trees start to turn green nine days earlier in cities due to the combined effect of artificial lights and urban heat effect.
According to the findings, one of the reasons is the artificial light. City lights brightening the night skies, billboard signs lit up on roadways and car headlights all contribute to shifting the regular day to night cycle that plants and trees rely on. In order to stay alive during cruel winters, trees hit the pause button on their growth. Since temperatures can vary dramatically throughout the winter, the length of daylight is the signal trees look for to safely start growing again and turn green.
On average cities are typically 1.8 to 5.4F warmer than rural areas. This is known as the urban heat island effect. The changes in city environments may affect seasonal changes even more than climate warming and mosquito season, water cycles, and also affect pollinators(授粉媒介).
Despite the worries and concern, it isn’t all bad news. “With a longer growing season, trees would be able to absorb more carbon dioxide,” A researcher said. “Hopefully they’d have a longer period to do the cooling effect that can help relieve the urban heating effect in cities.”
1. What is the purpose of the text?| A．To reveal how trees survive bitter winters. |
| B．To warn how human activities disturb nature. |
| C．To explain why trees turn green earlier in cities. |
| D．To clarify how trees turning green earlier benefits cities. |
| A．Bringing out urban heat island effect. |
| B．Comparing the green-up time in sample cities. |
| C．Allowing the city environment to reveal itself. |
| D．Developing pictures shot by the satellite. |
| A．Plant pollinators. | B．Water cycle. | C．Road signs. | D．Street lamps. |
| A．Environment. | B．Education. | C．Entertainment. | D．Business. |
