Question

Millions of Chinese people have been playing a mobile game called Travel Frog recently. 1.. You prepare food and tools for its trips, and the frog sends you postcards while it’s away.

The game’s popularity may have something to do with how lonely people feel these days, according to Xinhua News Agency. 2., and playing the game helps them forget their loneliness for a short time.

3..   According to the Guardian, about 40 percent of US adults say they’re lonely. And in the UK, about one in five people are “always or often lonely”, The Telegraph reported.

This might be why the UK government announced in January that it had created the job of “minister for loneliness (孤独大臣)”. 4., while the minister’s office plans to spend money on activities to bring people together.

5.. When we see pictures of friends having fun or posting selfies without us, we may compare their “perfect” lives with our own, making us feel lonely and left out.

But we should remember that there’s no need to feel lonely. As UK poet John Donne once wrote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

A. Loneliness seems to be a common problem today

B. Travel Frog is a mobile game known for its peaceful nature

C. In the game, you act as the “parent” of a frog that lives alone and enjoys traveling

D. The minister’s job is to find ways to help British people feel less lonely

E. Many players say that the lonely frog is just like them

F. The loneliness problem may be partly due to social media

G. Loneliness is believed to be harmful to people’s health

Answer

1. C

2. E

3. A

4. D

5. F

【解析】

本文主要谈论现在社会人们普遍感到孤独。文章叙述了孤独产生的原因以及人们是怎样解决的，并给出了建议。

1.上文提示“数以百万计的中国人最近一直在玩一款名为“Travel Frog”的手机游戏。”再根据下文提示“你为旅行准备食物和工具，而the frog在它不在的时候给你寄明信片。”承接上下文，C项In the game, you act as the “parent” of a frog that lives alone and enjoys traveling（在游戏中，你扮演的是一只独自生活并喜欢旅行的青蛙的“父母”。）切题。故选C。

2.根据空格后半句“玩这个游戏可以帮助他们在短时间内忘记他们的孤独。”承接后半句，E项Many players say that the lonely frog is just like them（许多玩家说孤独的青蛙就像他们一样）切题。该项中的lonely和空格后半句的loneliness相吻合，故选E。

3.下文提示“据the Guardian报道，大约40%的美国成年人说他们很孤独。”承接下文，A项Loneliness seems to be a common problem today（孤独似乎是今天的一个普遍问题）切题。关键词Loneliness。故选A。

4.根据空格后半句提示“而部长办公室计划把钱花在让人们团结在一起的活动上。。”承接后半句，D项 The minister’s job is to find ways to help British people feel less lonely（部长的工作是找到帮助英国人不那么孤独的方法）切题。此处while是并列连词，将前后内容紧密连在一起。故选D。

5.下文提示“当我们看到朋友们在没有我们的时候开心或上传自拍照的照片时，我们可以把他们的“完美”生活和我们自己的生活进行比较，让我们感到孤独和被冷落。”承接下文，F项 The loneliness problem may be partly due to social media（孤独问题可能部分是由于社交媒体造成的。）切题。故选F。